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International Journal of Physiology, Nutrition and Physical Education 2018; 3(2): 1141-1144 ISSN: 2456-0057 IJPNPE 2018; 3(2): 1141-1144 © 2018 IJPNPE Defeating all psychological barriers: The magnificent www.journalofsports.com Received: 27-05-2018 success stories of two Indian girls Accepted: 28-06-2018 Dr. Miteshkumar G Vagh Dr. Miteshkumar G Vagh Associate Professor, Shri C.P.Degree College of Physical Abstract Education Rajapipala, Mental obstacles refer to any psychological or emotional issue that interferes with your ability to perform Narmada, Gujarat India your best consistently in the biggest competitions of your life. All of the mental tools in the world that you use in practice and competitions won’t help you achieve your athletic goals if you don’t have the attitudes in place that prepare you for success and you have removed the obstacles that set you up for failure. It’s one thing to have the capabilities to move forward, physically, technically, tactically, and mentally. It’s an entirely different thing to have psychological and emotional anchors that weigh you down and keep you from moving forward with confidence and determination. Fear of failure is the most common and most harmful of the obstacles with athletes. The reality is that failure isn’t worth fearing; the most successful people in all walks of life fail frequently and monumentally on the way to success. The fear of failure comes from the meaning that you attach to failure. Young people get this fear of failure from their parents and from our hyper-achievement culture in which being labelled a failure is worse than death. This fear can become so great that you become more focused on avoiding failure than pursuing success. Overcoming such obstacles is considered a great success for any sportsman. This paper focuses on how two athletes, Marry Kom and Hima Das achieved success defeating their barriers in path of success. Keywords: Psychological barrier, emotional issues, fear of failure Introduction Mental obstacles refer to any psychological or emotional issue that interferes with your ability to perform your best consistently in the biggest competitions of your life. All of the mental tools in the world that you use in practice and competitions won’t help you achieve your athletic goals if you don’t have the attitudes in place that prepare you for success and you have removed the obstacles that set you up for failure. It’s one thing to have the capabilities to move forward, physically, technically, tactically, and mentally. It’s an entirely different thing to have psychological and emotional anchors that weigh you down and keep you from moving forward with confidence and determination. Fear of failure is the most common and most harmful of the obstacles with athletes. The reality is that failure isn’t worth fearing; the most successful people in all walks of life fail frequently and monumentally on the way to success. The fear of failure comes from the meaning that you attach to failure. Young people get this fear of failure from their parents and from our hyper-achievement culture in which being labelled a failure is worse than death. This fear can become so great that you become more focused on avoiding failure than pursuing success. In doing so, you become unwilling to take risks and even sabotage your efforts to succeed to protect you against the possibility of failure even when the chances of failure are small. The only way to achieve success is to accept that you might fail and that’s okay. Bode Miller, the Olympic skiing champion, exemplified this attitude because he never cared about failing. All he cared about was giving it everything he had and performing as fast as he could. If Bode did that, he was satisfied, regardless of his result. If you don’t give it your all, you have zero Corresponding Author: chance of success. If you do, your chances aren’t 100%, but they are far higher than zero. If Dr. Miteshkumar G Vagh you can let go of your fear of failure, you free yourself to throw yourself into your sport with Associate Professor, Shri C.P.Degree College of Physical reckless abandon. Expectations are a kiss of death in sport, in other words, if you enter a Education Rajapipala, competition focused on expecting a certain result, you are pretty much assured of not getting Narmada, Gujarat India that result. ~ 1141 ~ International Journal of Physiology, Nutrition and Physical Education Expectations are so harmful because they put you in a mindset Manipur.She is the first daughter of Shri M Tonpa Kom and in which you have to meet your expectations because, well, it Smt M Akham Kom. They belonged to Kangathel village, a is expected of you. To not meet the expectation would be small village in Churachandpur district in Manipur. Her perceived as a major fail. Directly connected to fear of failure, parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom, expectations always conclude with a threat; for example, “I worked in jhum fields. Her family background speaks a lot of expect to win today”…or else. The “or else” may be: people how Mary overcame hardship and inconveniences and created will think I suck, I won’t be able to compete for a DI college, a name for herself in the arena of world boxing. She my dreams of being a pro will be over, or some other scenario completed her primary education from Loktak Christian that you think is equally catastrophic. The weight you place Model High School, Moirang till her class sixth standard and on fulfilling these expectations results in immense pressure St.Xavier School, Moirang up to class VIII. She then moved which, in turn, produces doubt, worry, and anxiety, all of to Adimjati High School, Imphal for her schooling for class which will make meeting those expectations very unlikely. IX and X, but could not pass her examination. She did not Your goal is to let go of the necessity of expectations and want to reappear for her exams so she quit her school and embrace the possibility of goals. The goal of “I want to win” passed her examination from NIOS, Imphal and graduation is much different than the expectation “I need to podium.” from Churachandpur College. Being the eldest, Mary helped With the former, you naturally want to move toward your her parents work in the fields, cutting woods, making charcoal goal with determination and excitement; with the latter, you and fishing. On the other hand, she spent a good time looking want to avoid the expectation like the plague. The four after her two younger sisters and a brother. Mary Kom was obstacles that have just described create a unsalable wall of interested in sports since her childhood. She took a keen negativity that basically ensures both failure and the complete interest in Athletics. when she was in class VI in Loktak absence of enjoyment in your sport. You have no confidence Christian Mission School, Moirang and class VII- VIII in and are filled with doubt. You perform with a sense of St.Xavier School, Moirang. Mary thought that she would impending doom. You experience tremendous anxiety and become a good athlete one day and carve a name for herself in tension so you’re physically incapable of performing your the discipline. But fate decided otherwise. She took to sports best. You are your own worst enemy on game day. Your in an effort to provide some financial support to her family. “I opponents want to be beat you on game day. If you are your was initially an all-round athlete, and 400-m and javelin were own worst enemy, then you have no chance of performing my pet events. your best and achieving your goals. She began boxing in 2000 and was a quick learner who Our culture reveres perfectionists. On the surface, who preferred to be put through the same paces as the boys around wouldn’t want to be one? They hold themselves to incredibly her. “In just two weeks, I had learnt all the basics. I guess I high standards, drive themselves relentlessly in pursuit of had God-given talent for boxing.” Mary had tried to hide her perfection, and usually find quite a bit of success. Yet, there is interest in boxing from her family, since it was not considered a dark side to perfectionism that you may not be aware of. as a sport for them. Her father scolded her when a photo of The goals they set for themselves are often unattainable, her winning the state boxing championship came in the resulting in almost-guaranteed failure (at least in their own newspaper. This, however, did not deter her from pursuing a eyes). Perfectionists make their self-esteem dependent on how career in boxing. “I still remember I was castigated by my they perform and the results they produce. They berate father who said with a battered and bruised face, I should not themselves unmercifully for failing to live up to those expect to get married. He was furious that I took to boxing – a unreachable goals. Perfectionists often fear failure more than taboo for women – and he did not have the slightest idea they are want success. They are also unwilling to take about it. But my passion for the sport had got the better of me reasonable risks because, by definition, they may lead to and I thank my cousins who coaxed and cajoled my father failure. Finally, I have never met a truly happy perfectionist into eventually giving his nod.

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