The Dunning-Kruger effect is a situation in which, after the initial surge in confidence, you start discovering just how little you know about something that you’ve just started learning. The more familiar you get with the subject matter, the more aspects of it you will find out of (aspects that you clearly know nothing about). Some people get disheartened by this. In fact, some feel so discouraged that they quit altogether. With that in mind, here are five tips on how you can overcome this obstacle and make any sport substantially easier for you.
1. Get a personal sport trainer
The first thing you need is professional advice on the subject matter. You see, there are people who dedicate years to this particular sport and specialize in training others in its secrets. First of all, every expert was once a beginner, which means that they are aware of all the bottlenecks and roadblocks that you’re encountering early on.
Also, keep in mind that just because someone is good at the sport, this doesn’t mean that they’re as effective at transferring this knowledge. First of all, not every knowledge can be transferred – some things you have to figure out for yourself. Second, a trainer is not just good at sport (they don’t even have to be that good personally), they have a great understanding of the technique and great tutoring abilities. Just think about it, some of the best trainers in the world were never top-tier athletes.
The importance of a personal trainer is due to the one-on-one approach that is always a great advantage.
2. Strengthen your body
Another thing you need to do is understand that there are some physical limitations that you need to overcome in order to become better at sports. Sometimes, it’s not just about knowing how but physically being able to pull something off. Take boxing for example – they say that punchers are born, not made. However, there’s an estimate that after 2 years of boxing training one’s punch strength increases by 2-3 times!
So, you need to do your research on which muscle groups are the most important for the sport that you’re interested in and go back to the gym. Doing some online research is also quite important, seeing as how you can try to mimic the exercise routines of some of the sport’s top athletes. Asking a sport’s veteran is also a useful tip.
Lastly, if you want to really grow in the sport, you need to lead the lifestyle required. Improve your sleeping habits, eat better and quit some of your vices.
3. Revisit your old injuries
Sometimes, old injuries will prevent you from achieving your full potential. If so far, you’ve led a dormant life, chances are that you’ve completely forgotten about them but that now, they’re becoming a serious nuisance. Looking for professional help is the first step you can take. With musculoskeletal conditions, orthotic solutions can help you out drastically.
There’s one more thing you need to understand here, starting exhausting training sessions or entering competitions with unresolved health issues is not just ineffective but potentially dangerous. Your body is like a chain and it only takes one weak link to break it. If one area of your body is already brittle from the previous injury, pushing it to the limit might cause a more severe injury than existed here in the first place.
Either way, it’s always a good idea to talk to the professional and get their opinion on the subject matter. So, schedule your appointment before it’s too late.
4. Work on the specific techniques of sport
Bruce Lee once said that he doesn’t fear the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once but the man who practiced one kick 10,000 times. The moral of this statement is that in order to be effective, you need to exercise the perfect motion until it becomes muscle memory. So, when the time is right, your reflexes will kick in and do the job for you. While the 10,000 from our previous quote sounds like an arbitrary number, coincidentally, there’s an estimate that you have to invest 10,000 hours in order to master a skill.
When it comes to this, even the concept of microlearning can help. You can even use YouTube for this but use it efficiently. Just watching videos will not get you anywhere. Instead, find a video explaining the technique behind a single move then work on it over and over again. This is really what you need in order to perfect it. Take it as a step-by-step approach and try to learn the moves instead of trying to perfect your general sports performance at once.
5. Find something that you enjoy
The key thing is that you have fun. This will provide you with all the intrinsic motivation you need. While they say that discipline is doing something you hate as like you loved it, this is really not something that will get you the results you need in the long run. Sure, having one particular aspect of the sport that bothers you (even though necessary) is acceptable but if going to the match/training session feels like a chore, it might be better to move on to something else entirely.
Remember what you’re doing it. Chances are that you’re not trying to make a career out of it. If that’s the case, just follow your heart. You don’t have to be the best at something, all it takes is that you genuinely enjoy it. This will be a good enough payout. Some people approach the sport from the social aspect and if that’s the case, getting injured due to your competitiveness with friends and colleagues is even worse.
In conclusion
The simplest answer to the question of why you’re bad at a certain sport would be – because you’ve just gotten started. Just think about it, is there anything complex that you could do well instinctively if you’ve never done it before? Probably not. So, if this is something that really matters to you, something important, you need to do two things – set realistic expectations and make a plan. The results will come in time.