• Sports: The fight against depression of Santi Abad: "Basketball ruined my life"

Joseba del Carmen . Vitoria, 1967. He was an Ertzaintza engineer, professional golf player and basketball player at Baskonia ... And in his third life, he is coach of elite athletes like Jon Rahm. His first book is Success is a game (Planet).

You retired as an artisan because of a hip injury. I had a double prosthesis, I couldn't even walk. But I was not aware that I was going to be incapacitated and when it arrived, I did not understand anything. I retired to a house on the hill to be alone. Was I very emotionally injured? I couldn't stand myself. Frustration and anger did not know how to govern. I was angry all day. Because of the physical pain or the demanding job I had? It had more to do with how I had always lived: all my life I was competing, valuing myself based on how others saw me, looking for external reinforcements. I needed to be told "Joseba, how good you are", it always depended on the outside. And that caused me a worse pain than the physical one. It is assumed that the way to perform well under demand has to do with living naturally with failure. That is. But for a policeman who deactivated bombs there was no room for failure. In my case, I turned all my competitiveness into that work. I always worked for challenges, I still have an obsession to test my limits. Among other things, because in those moments of maximum demand he had absolute mental clarity. I was 100% present and I understood everything. Then I went back home and did not understand anything that happened to me. And how did he learn to forgive himself for not being the best ever? He was already living alone, I remember the specific moment. I asked myself: And if instead of the world having to be made for me to be happy, it is I who must find that happiness in me. It was a crac in my way of seeing the world. Do you prepare your clients for defeat? First we must clarify the concept of defeat. Defeat and victory are part of the same thing that is to compete and must be seen naturally. Good: but then comes the defeat and the athlete is frustrated. There the work continues: let's go to that moment of frustration. What is the worst mistake in this regard? Do not allow yourself to fail, do not forgive yourself. Then blame and reproach arrive. Did you see what Ricky Rubio always says? "Never too high, never too low." I like it very much. It is a way of maintaining internal balance. And did you see Santi Abad's interview in THE WORLD the other day? I saw the headline but I didn't read it. I know Santi, we have talked many times. He said that a coach discovered that he was doing better in the abuse and that they established an almost sadistic / masochistic relationship. I should not talk about a case I do not know. But things like that happen. They work for a while but, in the long run, the player sinks. Who gives more work: the serene and educated athlete or the hypercompetitive madman? And, if they are in a team, they should know that they need each other. In general, do the boys arrive emotionally educated or are there very lost people? The boys usually arrive well but often have problems to manage frustration and to understand that their goals intimates have to weigh more than the external expectations of success or failure. THE LAST QUESTION: On what will it depend that Jon Rahm, in just how many years, retires and has a good taste in his mouth? That he gives 100% at all times, that he always knows where he is, that he knows who he is, that he makes his decisions and makes him convinced. And then, he will get where he has to go, but he will be satisfied.

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