Small margins and the psychological element in sport

Other / Alsy / 16 January 2008 / 1 Comments

Morgan in the Driving Seat - In the week that O'Sullivan's error cost him an early exit at the Masters, Alister Morgan looks at how small margins and mental strength play a big part in sport

So Rocket Ronnie crashed out of the masters at the first hurdle. The reigning Champion, snooker genius and heavily-backed favourite went out of the Masters at the weekend in one of the most dramatic opening matches I've ever seen.

In the deciding frame Stephen Maguire had little hope of victory until O'Sullivan missed a blue offering an unlikely reprieve. Losing to Maguire is no shame but O'Sullivan had all but won the match.

How did The Rocket miss? Who knows but the margin between success and failure at the top level of sports is infinitesimal with the field of play extending into the psychology of the competitors.

Whether you call it mind games or just plain psychology success requires more than ability and dedication, it also requires a winning mindset.

So which sport is the most mentally challenging and which individuals excel with the grey matter?

Jonny Wilkinson is surely the perfect example of a team sportsman with a strong mental attitude. Rugby provides plenty of tests for goal kickers and Wilkinson has reservoirs of mental strength rarely witnessed in team sport.

Perhaps team sport does not require the same psychology required in solo pursuits? If you play golf, darts, tennis or snooker there's no teammate to bail you out when you're having a bad day. Apologies to Steve Redgrave but, while four gold medals are not awarded to the faint of heart, he didn't row alone.

So which solo sports require the most mental fortitude? It's almost impossible to compare: darts players are not usually short of confidence but the conditions of their sport are not as variable as golf, tennis or snooker. Ultimately pressure affects all competitors fueling an increase in specialist psychologists and coaches to help deal with the mental vagaries of professional competition.

All athletes practice endlessly to building 'muscle memory'. When the greatest prizes are moments away they trust that 'memory' will take over and deliver the dart, shot, punch or ace needed for victory.

When sportsmen (who are 'successful' to compete at the highest level at all) under-perform their mental faculties are scrutinized by the public and press. Colin Montgomerie, Tim Henman and Jimmy White were all successful in their respective sports but somehow the suspicion remains that a perceived mental frailty prevented them from winning the top prizes.

Confidence seems to be a central part of the winning process. An all-important ability to maintain focus and self-belief in stressful conditions. Athletes like Ian Botham, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Daley Thompson all had enough self-confidence to rival their considerable athletic talents. They were too busy dominating the opposition to worry about self-doubt.

Ronnie O'Sullivan will have the blues for a while longer but his exit is not the only Wembley shock so far. Double World Champion, Mark Williams, was dismissed by Ken Doherty 6-2 prompting talk of retirement... self-doubt is never far away following a bad defeat.

Graeme Dott, [1.82] to beat Stephen Lee, is one player I expect to negotiate his way past a tricky first-round match but with O'Sullivan out the pressure will switch to boy wonder Ding Junhui [6.4] to claim the title.

Ding proved last year that he is the most exciting new talent to hit snooker since his idol 'Rocket' Ronnie. John Higgins will provide stiff first round opposition but I'd back Ding [3] to reach the final.

Ding showed his emotions after losing to O'Sullivan in last year's Masters final but you can hardly expect a man, just out of his teens, to have an impregnable psych just yet.

Ding will be the dominant force in world snooker in two years time and I'd back him to win [6.4] this year but Stephen Maguire [5] should not be taken lightly. After all, he had the mental fortitude to take his opportunity when O'Sullivan took his eye off the ball. Who do you think will win?

Comments (1)

1. Mike Norman | 16 January 2008

   I have been very impressed with Shaun Murphy's mentality since he became World Champion. With Ronnie out of the way, he would now be my selection at 7.8