Should’ve Could’ve Would’ve

You’ve probably had someone in your life tell you to live life with no regrets, that we make good and bad decisions and to dwell over our bad ones is counterproductive and will only cause more pain. However, in the world of sports, athletes will regret many decisions they make and that might haunt them for a long time.

In soccer, many decisions are made on the spot. When facing an attacker in the box, the defender does not pause and think about whether or not they try to contain or slide tackle the opponent. They make decisions on the go, its a very fluid system of decision making. However, if the wrong decision is made and a penalty is awarded, the defender will immediately regret their decision and feel as if they have let the team down. Same thing on the other side. If the attacker is faced with choices like to pass or to shoot, they need to make a decision. If they shoot instead of pass and miss their shot, they will be held responsible for a potential goal they could have had. This is important because these decisions will stay with the player for the rest of the game. They regret their decision and that ultimately affects how they see out the rest of the match. Maybe the defender will contain next time they are supposed to slide tackle, maybe the attacker will pass next time when they’re really supposed to shoot. It gets in their head and they lose self confidence.

In fencing, some decisions are split second, and some decisions have some time to spare for consideration. Split second decisions are made in action, obviously while other thought out decisions are made when opponents are farther away from each other or prior to the referee signaling the fencers to fence. Since fencing is an individual sport people are usually their own largest critic’s, fencers bear all the blame when it comes to bad decisions. One bad decision can alter a bout and swing the pendulum to the other side. If the score is 13-12 (bouts are to 15) and the losing fencer takes a risk, and it doesn’t work out, they not only gave their opponent their 14th point, they missed on tying the bout, gaining confidence, disturbing their opponent’s mental game, and a plethora of other aspects of a fencing bout. Then the fencer is expected to get on the line and be 2 points down and try to get their head straight and make a comeback.

Letting go of mistakes in in sports is one of the hardest things I have had to learn in my life. I learned that you must forget and let go in the moment, but afterwards, the decision will haunt you. In my most recent tournament, I chose to use a weapon that was a bit faulty, but it was my favorite one, so I took a risk. When it came to the most vital point, at 14-14, my weapon did not work and I consequently lost the match due to my weapon failure. I was devastated and in shock. I spent the rest of that week pondering my decision. Looking at what I could have achieved in the tournament by looking at who my next opponent WOULD have been. That made me think about what I COULD have and SHOULD have done, which is maybe fix the weapon, use the other weapons I had, or even borrow one from a friend. I still think about that day, I still remember vividly the moment my weapon failed and how my opponent was not only surprised, but ecstatic by my misfortune, and my friends and teammates’ faces prior to my opponent scoring the 15th point to knock me out of the tournament very early. However, I have to move on, and learn. I have to move on and get my head in the game for the next competition.

Thanks for reading,

Mohamed