I am sure there are many reasons - many of which I am unaware of - as to why players base their egos on their ability to execute routines. The ones I have the most experience with are all based on a fear of the unknown. They are ...
A fear of not being good enough. Of not being selected. Of rejection;
A fear of losing what they have - often good successful players; and
A belief they are broken - often with a label - and so need to fix themselves.
Players can have combinations of all three. And when they do they tend to be highly motivated to perfect their routines. They often know there is more performance, purpose, and meaning beyond perfecting the routine - but don't want to switch off their routine to find it. They are tempted to settle for a life of routine. And only trust those who help them execute the routine. And feel unloved, attacked and disrespected by those who disrupt the routine. They might have lots of success and friends but still feel lonely and a failure.
Coaching a player like this - to switch off the routine - to access more mental agility - requires creating the conditions for players to feel safe enough to switch off their routine. The more they experience the resulting Wow moments - the more they leave their fears behind. Overtime they learn to execute their routines until things stop going to plan. Then switch off the routine to access more mental agility to find another way. Wow moments. They feel more connected with a sense of performance, purpose, and meaning beyond themselves. Part of a meaningful team.
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