All breathing together

“All breathing in at the same time, all breathing out.”

During our Crusaders Leadership Programme Kieran Read was asked “what tools do you use, as the leader, when the team is under pressure and not performing at their best?”

The first part of Kieran’s answer acknowledged that at the top level, players are all well versed in responding to pressure and have individual techniques for getting their attention back on the here and now.

Kieran shared that he believes that in rugby, in business, in any context, the key is to focus on what's happening right now, and what gets you in trouble is when you start thinking about the future or the past.

In rugby that might mean thinking about the scoreboard, thinking about the last decision you made, even thinking about the coach pulling you off the field. Whatever it is, it means you're not focusing on the task at hand.

In pressure moments staying calm, clear, and present is crucial, and sometimes the best tool to use might be simply breathing. Kieran knows breathing is number one for mindfulness, and connecting you back to where you are at. Suddenly you're back in your own body and you can now think of the next task that's coming up.

In a team context (after scoring a try, after being scored against, during a break in play), Kieran pointed out “it is not about the breathing itself, it is about 15 people doing the same thing at the same time. All breathing in at the same time, all breathing out.”