In sports, it is nearly impossible to have your career best game every single game. You can have great games. You can hit your average. But, for example a pitcher is not going to pitch a perfect game every time they go out. Max Scherzer won’t have 20 strikeouts every time he pitches.

Do you remember Willis Reed? He was hurt, hobbled out for game 7 in the 1970 NBA finals, and scored the first two buckets for the Knicks before finding a seat on the bench the rest of the game. It was good enough to spark the Knicks to a win and an NBA title.

Or how about Kirk Gibson hitting the homerun in the 1988 World Series. He was injured and came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the 9th. He ends up hitting one of the most famous walk-off homeruns in baseball history. He wasn’t able to play the entire game, but when called upon he gave it his all and it was good enough.

Maybe you are battling an injury. Maybe you are sick. Maybe you are dealing with an emotional trauma. Any one of those reasons could affect your athletic performance. Maybe it isn’t enough that you can’t play at all, but you know it could affect your potential to be at optimal levels.

If you can give an optimal level for that day (whatever that level might be), it just may be good enough to accomplish what you need to accomplish that day.

For example, at the end of the season there are tournaments in all sports. For track, you need to get in the top 4 to advance to the next round. Maybe it isn’t a PR and maybe you just aren’t at the top of your game. But, if you can do what it takes to get in that top 4, you can survive and shoot for the PR at the next go-round.

A team might not be hitting all of its shots in basketball. The other team might be playing lights out. You need to find something inside of you to overcome the “blahs” to get the victory and get back on track for the next game.

Be good enough, not perfect, and you will survive and advance.

So what is the teaching point for young athletes?

I think what we are trying to say is you must give 100% effort every time. Even if you aren’t feeling 100% great. It might not get you a career all-time best performance, but if you give all the effort you can muster for that game, it might be good enough to accomplish what you need to accomplish for that day.

Survive and advance. Sometimes that is all you need to do. Don’t let that issue affecting you be an excuse why you didn’t give 100% effort. You might be able to sell it about your performance, but any coach will say if you feel healthy enough to be on that field then we don’t want to have any excuses out there.

Give 100% effort all the time and in some cases it will be just good enough.

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/