Eddie the Eagle- A Lesson in Tenacity

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

Eddie the Eagle is a story about determination in the face of adversity and perspective on the true meaning of victory. In my opinion, it does so well in highlighting the spirit of Olympic values through Eddie Edwards’ journey. In this article, I’ll be discussing what we can learn from the film from a performance psychology perspective. If you haven’t seen the film, be aware that the article contains spoilers.

#1 Sport and Identity

In the film, it’s clear that, from childhood, Eddie seems to center his life’s purpose around becoming an Olympian. He obsessively trains in and researches different Olympic sports and seems to have very little interest in anything else. Despite constant injuries and criticism, he determinedly works toward his goal. When it becomes clear that he probably won’t be able to participate in the Summer Olympic Games, he becomes determined to represent Great Britain at the Winter Olympics. This type of devotion is romanticized in the film, as it becomes easy for the audience to get behind this devoted underdog, however this approach can be dangerous if not handled correctly.

There are numerous case studies of athletes who have terrible crises of identity when they are forced to give up their sports early because of injury, and even through voluntary retirement. Some have developed various addictions, mood disorders, and have contemplated suicide because they can no longer pursue that to which they previously devoted their lives. Sport psychologists recommend that athletes explore fulfilling experiences and interests outside of their sports before retirement. The existence of something else that they can devote themselves to can give them the motivation to live for or by something else besides their sport. It could also be useful for athletes to plan and write down a retirement plan so that they are more emotionally ready to handle the challenges of letting go of their sports in the future.

#2 Language in Coaching

One of the best skills a coach can possess is the ability to explain complex concepts simply. We see an excellent example of this while Eddie's coach, Bronson Peary, trains him in his jumping technique while in the gym. In this scene, he condenses a complicated mixture of motor skills into just four words- "Up, back, forward, and down". While he does elaborate and meticulously train Eddie in this skill leading up to competition, we see Eddie reminding himself of these four words before an important jump later in the film. Using simple language like this can help the athlete to think about his/her movements more simply. This has been shown to reduce overthinking and thereby reduce performance anxiety. If you're an athlete who struggles with overthinking, try to summarize your task into a few words and focus on only those words as you compete or train. Over time, it should help you to get out of your own way.

Toward the end of the film, Peary uses his words in another useful way. Just before Eddie's incredibly dangerous 90m jump, Peary says to Eddie "It's just a jump". While this obviously wasn't true in the context of safety and Olympic prestige, it perhaps helped Eddie to simplify the problem of the jump in his mind by thinking about it simply and technically. This could have contributed to lowered levels of arousal and less overthinking. Sport Psychologist, Dr Michael Gervais, supported this kind of coaching in his podcast recently. He explained that if a coach can simplify the task of the athlete just before a game or competition, that athlete will usually be more relaxed and confident ahead of a competition. He views this as a more effective method than “hyping up” athletes with emotional language, as it is likely to lead to over arousal and “choking”.

#3 A Chip on the Shoulder

One of the most interesting coaching books I’ve read is Relentless by Tim Grover. Grover was the mental coach of several NBA greats including Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, and Kobe Bryant. In his book, he explains how one can use one’s rage and “dark side” to get the edge over opponents by improving and winning with whatever means necessary. While Grover explores and encourages some morally grey areas with which I don’t always agree, where we can agree is that anger, when controlled and used effectively, can be a very useful psychological tool for athletes.

When used correctly and appropriately, anger can give a certainty and energy that can be used to overcome fear and doubt. We see this with Eddie just before the film’s climax- The 90m jump at the Winter Olympics. Before he begins his decent down the ramp in front of thousands of spectators, he stalls. At first, he seems paralyzed by fear. He hears flashbacks to his father’s voice speaking constant words of discouragement to him. This sparks anger in him which reminds him of the certainty he has about being an Olympian who should be taken seriously. He uses it to remind himself that his desire to prove his doubters wrong is stronger than his fear. He is angry but controlled and focused, and that is probably how he is able to overcome his doubt and land that almost impossible jump.

#4 Perspective

A lesson I love to teach my athletes is that one can grow and maintain confidence by remembering one’s wins. This doesn’t pertain to only the what’s shown on the scoreboard, but to every improvement and milestone the athlete achieves. Improvements should always be considered small wins, because if they happen regularly enough, they will likely lead to more actual wins on the scoreboard, and ultimately the achievements of ambitious goals.

Eddie the Eagle is so good at teaching us this. When Eddie lands his first few jumps in Germany, he is criticized by professionals for being too old, yet he celebrates and values those jumps as good progress. At an Olympic qualifying event, he is criticized by the pros for coming last, but celebrates regardless because, despite his position, he is the newly named British record holder. His confidence seldom dropped to the point of giving up because he was constantly reminded of how well he was doing in the context of his unique circumstances.

Eddie the Eagle does well to capture and portray the true spirit of the Olympics, and that they should not only exist to celebrate the victory against opponents, but the continuous victory of evolving toward human potential.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If there’s anything from the article that you’d like to discuss, or if your have suggestions about future articles, please feel free to contact me. I’d love to meet you.

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Dave Roebuck