Ceilings

I think one of the biggest things holding people back from improving is the lack of recognition that improvement can be made.  I think I would consider this falling under the "belief muscle" theory.  [Chuck: "Belief is a muscle that must be exercised."]  I think it's pretty hard for people to measure improvement in themselves, as gains tend to be incremental and appear marginal (until they aren't).  This concept is basically the enemy of the "growth mindset", and I think it crops up a lot with all levels of players.  

I'm going to call this a "ceiling".  Basically a limit you set for yourself based on your expectation of growth and estimation of your own ability.  It could be related to a specific throw ("My flick just isn't good"), athleticism in general ("I can't jump/I'm not good at 3v3"), or knowledge based ("I don't understand our endzone offense").  It could even be logistics based ("I don't know how to order jerseys, I've never done that before").

I think people set ceilings for themselves all the time.  I think it is comfortable, easy, even natural to set ceilings.  It feels right to set the bar for yourself based on what you think you know you can do and you think you know you can't do.

The thing is, I think ceilings are some of the worst traps a player can set for themselves.  Once you decide you can't improve at something, it's easy to dismiss it.  Then you don't practice or improve at it and essentially self-fulfill your limit.

I think overcoming ceilings requires both mental and physical work.  Mentally I think that it's important to hold the belief that consistent hard work can pay off, and bring this approach to practices, the gym, and the field.  Physically I think it's important to actually put in the work (duh).  First you must believe improvement is possible, then you must go out and improve, to demonstrate that belief.  Then you're back on your path and working past the ceiling.

For individual improvement, I don't think there are any real limits that are worth discussing.  No ceilings that exist that can actually be reached.  I prefer to think about it as a bunch of paths.  As in, how far along that path are you and how many steps can you take down that path today?  Tomorrow?  This season?

I think that ceilings can be set by a team as well.  I think the way this happens is that a shared belief is created about the ability of a team to perform at a certain level.  I feel this is a big mental trap.  I also think there are a number of effective ways to overcome this team ceiling.  Again, I think it's both mental and physical.  First, how do you address belief?  Maybe your team has a way to dismiss outcome and focus on process. (I think team ceilings are mostly outcome oriented)  Maybe your team has a mental tool like focusing on "fighting for each point".  Secondly, how do you put in the physical work?  Building critical mass of throwing repetition, strength and conditioning.  Creating a physical foundation that the team can trust in and rely on when the pressure is on.

Jack (Rogue Falcon) liked to talk about plateaus during his NUT captaincy, both with strength training and improvement in general.  Ceilings are no different.  I think it takes work to recognize them in yourself and put in the mental and physical effort points to get back on the path.