Even Keel


One of my first coaches always told us to "keep and even keel". That is, you should not let your emotions vary wildly from point to point or moment to moment. Maintaining a balanced emotional state is critical for offensive execution and defensive discipline. If you let you emotions swing too much, they will become a stronger influence on your actions than is worthwhile. Keeping an even keel is something this team struggles will a great deal, and as a result the consistency of the team's play varies. I am not saying you should be nonchalant about each point, but you should approach each point with the same intensity and focus regardless of what has happened up until that point of the game. I think that the veterans on this team need to do a better of job of maintaining a more consistent emotional state through the course of a tournament.

This is not to say that you should not get fired up when your teammate makes a sweet play. However one sweet play will not win you a game, just as one error will not lose you a game. This team needs to treat each point like it is important and not require emotional stimulus to excel. If you can not reasonably control your emotional responses to external stimulus, that is a sign of mental weakness.

Often overheard in ultimate is the phrase, "play this point like we're down by three". This is one expression of this even keel concept. However I like this phrase a little better, "play this point like were up by two". If you need this phrase to help you approach each point in a similar manner, use it. However, you'll hear me using the phrase "even keel" more.

Posted: Mon - March 28, 2005 at 12:26 PM          

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