The Bridge Road Warriors: South Dakota

01:40 AM 10 November 2013 by GS Jade Barrett, USA CSBNews correspondent

  “Sometimes I lie awake at night and ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me ‘This is going to take more than one night.'”  – Charles Schulz

  Many a player has lost sleep over a hand, myself included. Over 45 years of competition I have learned that there are just some nights that I will not rest until I have both resolved the mistakes I made and adequately punished myself for not working the problem out at the table. Tough losses are almost always involved.

When I do finally close my eyes, my brain continues to work overtime: drafting theory, replaying the hand of the day, seeking the perfect answer for an imperfect environment. World class bridge athletes are never satisfied – the moment they are they should retire. I have come to the conclusion that I will continue to improve only if I believe that I do not know anything. That frame of mind allows me the opportunity to share in the responsibility for all that happens at the table – good or bad, and be open to growing from the experience. It is easy to be self-effacing when competing in such a humbling game.

 

That is not to say that I lack self-confidence, for I certainly have plenty of that. It is maintaining the balance between faith in my decision making and recognizing my weaknesses that drives my diligence. Every game, particularly the ridiculously enormous ones (and I have never had a 75% or bigger game without at least one zero) is riddled with errors of all types – defensive, offensive and bidding. Knowing how many mistakes that were made by our team or pair can be frustrating, regardless of the outcome. I am never satisfied by a lucky result – it just feels wrong to make a poor play and win the match. Given the nature of that self awareness, I spend a great deal of time developing the number one skill each successful  bridge athlete needs to hone:

                                                                      The art of practicing serenity. 

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09:56 5 November 2013 by GS Jade Barrett, USA CSBNews correspondent

 

“It seems like I always had to work harder than other people. Those nights when everybody else is asleep, and you sit in your room trying to play scales” – B. B. King

 

The frustration my partners suffered with my lack of discipline early in my career was difficult for me to experience. The fact that they stuck by me as I stumbled my way through is a testament to their patience – in a couple of cases, they are assured of at least a nomination for sainthood.

  

I am not a particularly talented player, card play did not come easily, nor did partnership skills. The irritation that I experienced when faced with my own shortcomings occasionally spilled over onto my partners and teammates, resulting in less than respectful interactions during heated discussions of hands – something that I still have to be vigilant about.

 

It is easy for me to be empathetic with my students who feel a bit embarrassed when they do not immediately grasp the concept of a specific lesson as fast as their peers, for I uncomfortably remember that experience. If not for my competitive drive, I would have given up during the first few steps of this lifelong journey.

 

Then I had what could be best described as an “Eureka Moment” – the point at which mental fixation on a specific aspect or aspects of a condition or problem is broken, allowing the opportunity for an original thought to fully present itself. In my case, I suddenly realized was that it was not the vast amount of material that blocked my development, it was that I was not utilizing the tools I had to their greatest benefit. I simply was not working hard enough.

 

Now aware of my frailty, I began to test the limits of conventions and treatments, casting aside the preconceived notions presented to me and embarking on my own journey of discovery.

 

 “Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of something… hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication” – Roger Staubach

1. Unconscious incompetence

   The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognize their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage. The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.

2. Conscious incompetence

   Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.

3. Conscious competence

   The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.

4. Unconscious competence

   The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become “second nature” and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.

The speed workouts reveal our players’ subconscious strengths and weaknesses, allowing our Trainers to develop regimens that promote growth in those areas. With the mix of both fast and normal paced workouts our teams have become better rounded. The greater the amount of Unconscious Competence they achieve, the more stamina they have for the last deals of each session.

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