The Ability to Overthink

I’m an overthinker. You can ask anyone close to me.

Questions supposed to be “gimmes” on exams are never “gimmes” because I think they can’t be that easy, so I choose another answer. Class projects that are supposed to be quick to complete take me hours because I think about every concept the professor might want included, regardless of the rubric. When answering a question, I’m already moving ahead to the next one, glancing at the others on the page.

This list could go on and on… That is just how I roll. But, I don’t believe it is a bad thing.?

When I was younger, I was taught that sports were a place where you shouldn’t have to think. They are a space to open your mind and rely on your muscle memory to get the job done. However, that was just not the case for me. I always found my mind racing, wondering what I could to do further help my team before, during, and after games.?

So, I found a place where I could use my overthinking to my advantage. That place was between the two posts on a soccer field.?

Goalkeeping is where I discovered that soccer is one big game of strategy. Standing behind my entire team, I can see everyone’s position on the field and how it affects the game plan of opponents. For example, when I tell my team to squeeze the right side of the field, it presses the other team to that side and forces them to find routes and runs based on that field position. They might not be able to find their best striker with a through ball or play an end-line pass to their best winger. Our moves affect their moves.?

However, It is not just their positioning that affects the opposition… It is also mine.?

Even in the 18-yard box, I am constantly moving around, repositioning myself to where the ball is currently being played. Depending on where the ball is on the field, I am farther up the field or further back. As the ball travels from side to side on our side of the field, I move around an arc, cutting off angles for potential shots on goal. Every few seconds, I look over my shoulder to check where I am in the box so I don’t get caught out of position on a quick counter. On a corner, I run through all the possible balls the opponent could play and how my defense should be positioned to account for it. Just like earlier, I could go on and on. There is so much to consider, even when you are confined to such a small portion of the field, and it makes a tremendous impact on the result of the game.?

Now, sitting on the sideline of UNC Women's Soccer , I continue to find myself overthinking about what our team could be doing next. How does our positioning look? How is the opponent taking advantage or being limited because of our positioning? When our attacking line presses the defense high up the field, is the midfield maintaining the connection and stepping higher too? Should we stay in a three-back defense or move to four? An entire 90 minutes of thinking, even off the field.?

Even though sports are a freeing environment where athletes can let loose and forget for a little bit, they are all about thinking. You cannot win a game without a strategy, and you cannot implement a strategy without thinking about it, constantly making adjustments and correcting mistakes as you go. I believe that I used my overthinking to my advantage as a goalkeeper, and I believe that it made me a really talented one with high amounts of saves and chances being denied.?

Therefore, overthinking is nowhere near a negative quality… It is an ability.