Linebacker Ejiro (EJ) Kuale stands out not just physically, but verbally in a locker room full of players from the Toronto Argonauts. Sporting sunglasses and speaking with a deep Florida drawl, he’s all fired up following September 24th’s emotional 25–24 victory over the league’s number one team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He is already prepared for the next opponent.
“We [are] here to stay, we [are going to] be in the playoffs,” he says. As for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, “Guess what? They [are] gonna lose next, period, point blank. I’m guaranteeing it!” This is more than a guarantee. With the Argos having a 3-9 record and facing a hated rival, some may accuse Kaule of talking big, but in fact, he’s engaging in one of the most important parts of the game: psychology.
Psychology creates off field entertainment and thrill for coaches, players, media and the fans. Psychology is not just for the professionals; it is found at all levels of sport, as the similarities between the Toronto Argonauts and U of T’s men’s football team prove.
Sports psychology consultant Dr. Peter Papadogiannis, PhD at The Sports Clinic at UTM, explains that predictions like Kaule’s come from a player’s “self-efficacy,” the confidence and belief a player has in their own abilities that they will follow through.
“It takes one individu al to change the mood of a group,” Papadogiannis explained. “Kuale is taking it from what they need to do to get mentally and physically prepared; they’re taking on additional things and mental energy becomes physical energy very quick.”
Whether a team is on a winning streak or having a losing season, like the Argos, the coach’s job involves a large amount of psychology. Faiz Ahmed is a fourth-year psychology and biology student, and plays on the UTM men’s basketball and flag football teams. The aspiring sports psychologist explains that Kaule’s prediction of a guaranteed victory shows an air of confidence that his teammates can either gladly adopt, or resist. When a player goes out on a limb and makes a bold statement, it affects the coach as much as it impacts the players.
“So much of coaching theory comes from sports’ psychology” Ahmed says. He explains that a coach uses specific techniques to develop mental toughness. The process of developing this toughness has four facets. The first aspect is “strong self-belief.”
Strong self-belief is something coaches look for in players to ensure that what they teach them will be understood and carried out in their performances. “Strong self belief is about confidence, like self-efficacy,” Ahmed explains. “A player has to trust his own abilities going into a task.”
The second aspect is “internal motivation to be successful.” This aspect reflects what drives an athlete to perform to the fullest, regardless of past performance. Internal motivation is divided into two parts: “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” motivations. Intrinsic motivation causes a player to perform well for their own personal satisfaction and is needed for an athlete to perform at a high level. Extrinsic motivation allows for a limited level of performance, since the athlete is motivated by outside forces like fame, friends, family, coaches, money or media.
The third side of mental toughness is “the ability to focus on one’s thoughts and beliefs without distraction.” A coach’s duty is to have their players prepared to focus on their individual and group tasks, whether on or off the field. Kuale’s prediction of victory presented an unconscious distraction for the team. Argonauts’ head coach Jim Barker’s job is to confront distractions like this and help the players ignore their effects.
The final aspect of mental toughness used by coaches is the “ability to compose oneself under pressure.” Different techniques are employed to keep an athlete’s mind at ease “Imagery,” “arousal regulation,” and “goal setting” are effective and commonly used techniques.
Barker, like other coaches, uses game film, communication, and repetitive tasks during practice to create “imagery.” Imagery is literally imagining yourself executing a task. When done enough times effectively, a person’s brain cannot differentiate whether what was done was real or imagined. “If a player imagines making a game winning play in their head enough times, when they go to do it, their brain’s going to be confident,” says Ahmed. “they’re actually going to believe that they hit it a thousand times in their head.”
Arousal-regulation constitutes “cognitive or physiological activation to maximize performance; that can be something like meditation or stretching,” says Ahmed, “Anything to help [athletes] play at their best.” Coaches use arousal-regulation to make players aware of their anxiety and excitement in certain situations. In a physical and emotional game like football, if a player is mentally aware and in control of how they feel, they can more effectively carry out their tasks.
Coaches use long and short-term goal setting before each season and each game. It is important that goals be visible to ensure accountability and collected awareness of the task at hand. Inside the Argonauts’ meeting facility at the UTM’s south field, motivational messages, inspiring quotes, and pictures of the teams past successes serve for goal setting.
When he took over the Varsity Blues men’s football team at the start of this season, head coach Greg Gary spoke of reversing the negative mentality that has plagued the team through many years of losing seasons. “We didn’t know how to compete; we had to learn how to compete and how to practice,” Gary said. “My task was to change that and change the culture.”
“You have to create a new-ness, inspire people, create optimism, show that it’s going to change,” Papadogiannis explains. “It’s called human capital in business. You need to get the people that move the ship to buy into the plan.
“You need to have a vision, place the vision, and then you have to follow through on it; you have to walk [the walk], and the players say ‘Wow! Coach is changing things, and I see it and feel it.’”
Was Kuale’s prediction more than simply motivating himself — a tactic to intimidate the opponents? “I don’t think our guys can think it out like that, in terms of it being a tactic,” Barker joked.
Kuale’s prediction failed to come true as the Argonauts lost 27–12 to the Ti-Cats on October 1. The player took responsibility for his one-tackle performance, but remained confident and did not regret his guarantee the week prior.
“I would still say the same thing this week; it’s about my team and I believe in my team.” Kaule said. “I will take responsibility for [Terry Grant’s 89 yard touchdown] run, because I am the linebacker.
“[We] were disappointed, but I know we’re not giving up. We’re going to keep pushing on for the rest of the season. There is still something to play for.”
