Dusty and I talk a lot about what the holistic approach to training the quarterback position a lot. There are many facets that affect performance such as nutrition, hydration, sleep, training and preparation. These all simultaneously affect each other as well at the same time. It’s a system of systems. One area that wasn’t mentioned and we think that is often overlooked is the mental make up of the quarterback. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT IN OUR MINDS. I’m not talking about mentally preparing for games, knowing the x’s and o’s, or knowing your checks. I’m talking about something deeper. I’m talking about knowing one’s self. Knowing the difference playing for your own desire vs someone else’s desire. Knowing how to deal with anxiety and adversity in a healthy way. These are the hidden gems. This is what we will be taking about today!
Identify Yourself
Have you ever looked at yourself for a long period of time in the mirror and asked yourself who you really are? If people were asked to describe you, what would they say? Most football players, especially quarterbacks, identify themselves as just that, “the quarterback.” Being good at the position takes an unbelievable amount of time. Learning the technique and mental portion of the game takes thousands of hours in itself. What if football disappeared though? What if someone came in and said that you have taken your last snap and won’t play again. Would you be able to continue on in your life? Many can’t and this is becoming a HUGE issue that isn’t even being talked about in our society.
Young players are asked to spend an incredible amount of time perfecting their craft at the quarterback position. This sacrifice often takes them away from other things they like to do. Some people really enjoy cooking, some really enjoy volunteering at their church, and some like to play golf. Whatever it may be, the demand of the game has created this underlying theme of “identity theft.”
I understand this because my brothers and I have all been through it in different forms. For me, it was an extremely tough time for me. A season ending thumb injury put me on the sidelines to watch as a younger, talented QB swept in and took advantage of his opportunity. The amount of time that I had put in to get me to that point was tremendous. There was a lot of “sweat equity” invested to become a starting QB at the Division 1 level. One play took that away. What I wasn’t ready for was the identity crisis that I had ahead. At the age of 20, I was not in a position where my self worth was put into question because my vision for myself in my future now wasn’t clear. So what do we do then you might ask? It’s inevitable that being good at the QB position takes a lot of time and sacrifice, but how do we separate the player from the person?
“Identity foreclosure” is when you identify yourself with the craft that you perform or what you do. Instead of players identifying themselves with what they do, they need to identify themselves with the personal characteristics that they have developed over a set amount of time that now make them who they are. When players start thinking in that manner, no matter what they experience on the field, they will never have a feeling of emptiness because those personal traits can’t be taken from them. The idea of building identity on an outcome based system is a recipe for disaster. Take control of your mindset! This is step #1.
What is your purpose?
The second step in having a healthy mindset is determining what your purpose is in your life. Once again, this isn’t saying that you were put on this earth to play football. How do you serve others? What strengths do you possess personally that allow you to play a positive role in someone else’s life? Have you ever even identified your personal strengths and weaknesses? I know I didn’t take this deep dive of what my personal vision was until I was in grad school.
How many of you out there have ever worried about something that you have absolutely no control over? If any of you are shaking your head then you’re absolutely lying to yourself. This is what we do as humans, this is what we do as football players, and this is especially what we do as quarterbacks. This is a double edged sword for quarterbacks because almost all quarterbacks are perfectionists. I know my brothers and I all tortured ourselves at some points in our careers when things were tough.
When determining our purpose as a quarterback, it isn’t always to be a dominant quarterback. Sometimes this means standing up for someone that is getting bullied at school, sometimes it’s being empathetic towards a freshman player who is having a tough time getting used to the culture, and sometimes it’s playing the role as the back up quarterback when you know you are better than the starting quarterback. When you can shift the mindset of worrying about the things you can control (being a servant, being a leader, improving personal skills) and not worry about the things you can’t control (winning, playing time, personal accolades), you start to live in a way that is free from anxiety and pressure. This is where you want to be! This is positive mental health!
Goal Setting
I recently listened to a podcast with Drew Bledsoe in it and he talked about how he created his goals when he was growing up. His dad was a teacher and told him to “never make goals that are outcome based.” In this sense, his dad meant to never make goals where you’re going after accolades. Examples would be “I want to be all state” or “I want to win a conference championship.” He also told him to never create goals that were performance based. Examples would be “I want to throw for 3000 yards” or “ I want to throw for 28 touchdowns.” Why would he tell him to do this do you think?
Instead, his dad told him to develop goals that are going to develop the skill set and personality that you are looking to claim for yourself that will set you up for success in whatever avenue you go down. These were some of his goals…
- I want to wake up every day and throw for 45 minutes before school
- I want to be a good son
- I want to be seen as a leader amongst my peers
- I want to get all of my homework in on time and put 100% effort into it
- I want to to do speed work 3x/week in order to get faster
Do you notice how these would be different than outcome based goals or personal performance goals? These types of goals are developing the skill set that he needed in order to become a great player and even more importantly a great person. This skill set includes leadership, work ethic, discipline, humility, respect, and perseverance. If you don’t know Drew Bledsoe, he was the first pick of the 1993 NFL draft. From there, he had an excellent career until he got injured and Tom Brady took his position. At that point, he was traded to Buffalo and then to Dallas where the same thing happened to him with a guy named Tony Romo. There’s a lot of people that know who Tom Brady and Tony Romo are. There’s fewer that know Drew Bledsoe. With this said, the personal traits that Drew developed helped him through his highest highs as a the first pick, as well as the lowest of lows when he lost the starting position twice. His mindset and ability to conceptualize the things he had control of and the things he didn’t helped him get through his career and then move on to the next phase of his life seamlessly. Many players can’t do this because football is their identity. Now Drew runs a very successful wine business on the west coast. Dude is a stud!
What do you play for?
The last question I want you to ask yourself is why you play the game. Do you play for your dad who wants you to be a great QB? Do you play to be in the spotlight? Do you play to impress girls? Many of us fall into one of these categories or it eventually gets to where you are playing for another reason other than for yourself. Sometimes we forget that football is a game. The demand of the sport puts players on a pedestal where failure is not an option. Well, I hate to tell you folks, but there’s a loser in every single game that is played. That’s the nature of sport. So why are we so hard on those who make themselves vulnerable? I ask myself this unfair question every day to those who get scrutinized in the public eye. Many of these people are professional athletes who are at the highest level of sport. It’s crazy.
Play for yourself. Play for the feeling inside that football gives you. That feeling you get when you throw a touchdown pass or complete a 3rd and 8 to move the sticks. Play for your teammates. Be a leader and someone who your teammates trust. Don’t forget these feelings. This is what should drive you. Not all the things that are mentioned above.
Looking Ahead…
Don’t take this lightly quarterbacks. Some of you are wondering what these feelings are that you are having. Some of you are experiencing depression. Some of you are experiencing anxiety. Some may even be having some suicidal thoughts. Whatever the case may be, realize that you are not alone in the way you feel. There are hundreds of other quarterbacks and players out there that are going through the same issues. With that said, it’s your job to seek out the people that you need to talk to in order to bring these feelings and emotions to the surface. Don’t suppress these feelings. Figure out where they are coming from and then start to rebuild the way you conceptualize the game of football and where you fit in it. Please reach out to us if there is anything that we can help with. We are starting some mindset training this season for quarterbacks, so please reach out if there’s some interest in that! Hope to hear from you soon!
Drew Kiel PT, DPT, CSCS