Peak Performance: Are You Able To Deliver Consistent Results?

Are you able to consistently maintain peak performance, or do you crack under pressure?

What a rush it is — being thrust into a high-pressure situation, a chance to play at the highest level you’ve ever reached, and then truly delivering a peak performance — simply playing the best of your life.

It’s been seen time and again in the NHL, as well as other sports: a rookie (most notably, a goaltender) plays his first career game during the Stanley Cup playoffs and, in storybook fashion, brings his team to the Promised Land. How about that Matt Murray of the 2016 Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins? Or the Chicago Blackhawks’ Antti Niemi in 2010? Or Carolina’s Cam Ward in 2006?

The adrenaline surge of being forced into the pressure cooker and delivering a peak performance is the athlete’s jet fuel; it’s the fodder of every single sports story ever written. Those who persevered to rise above in the face of doubt; the little engines that could.

The story isn’t just reserved for the pros or the legends. It happens every day, within each and every one of us, both on and off the field, court or ice.

Are you able to deliver a high level of performance, or do you crack under pressure? If, for you, it’s the latter, you’ve gotten off easy!

Set the bar low and you’re only going to impress moving forward. This might sound embarrassing, but those in the former position are truly envious. The championships, the accolades, the glory, the fame and then the expectations to come — are you able to keep performing at that level consistently?

How is Cam Ward doing now? What about Niemi? Both are great goaltenders, but they unquestionably never lived up to the expectations they set for themselves by making their sparkling debut on that rocket ship to the top of the world.

We all do our best to ride that wave as long as we possibly can, until gravity starts to take its toll. You can’t go any higher than the top, unless you redefine what the top is. The greatest figures of all time are known as such because they remained great for a lengthy period of time. It’s not about how high your peak is; it’s about how long you can stay there. It’s about consistency.

The Tom Bradys and LeBron Jameses of the world.

Whom would you rather have: an athlete who alternates record breaking performances with near disappearances from the stat sheet, or one who consistently puts up some success every game? You might not get the glory and occasional perfection with the latter, but at least you know what you’re going to get.

At the professional level, the second-scenario goalie delivers a 2.00 GAA for 82 games and a quarterback puts up 270+ yards a game with a touchdown or two. Of course, they are paid to be the models of consistency, blurring the line between humans and robots.

How do they do it? When asked, many of them credit their success and consistency to having a well-defined game-day ritual they stick to. Maybe it’s a certain pre-game meal or stretching routine. Or it might be a superstitious thing, like getting dressed left-side first.

To inject a personal anecdote: I had a routine I started awhile back where I would make sure I drank a gallon of water on game day. I felt it helped my game tremendously. I felt more limber, more energetic and, obviously, was never thirsty during the game. I became relaxed in my routine and the gallon a day became a half-gallon a day, which over time became a few glasses. Then I was right back to playing games dehydrated again. My performance fell significantly once more, and I knew it was because I was breaking my routine.

Find something that helps your game — even if it’s supposedly by coincidence — and stick with it. Make your routine a priority and you will keep yourself in prime mindset to consistently deliver a peak performance.

Hey, if it works for the pros it should work for you, right?

There’s no better feeling than performing at your peak, but how do you maintain that level consistently? First, you must become more consistent in other areas.

Deliver Consistently

Guest Author: Evan Tabachnick
Evan Tabachnick works in the sports industry and plays on as many teams as time allows.
From an article appearing on CrossIceHockey.com – Where Rec Hockey Lives© 2016 Digital Media Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Published with permission.