Don't Be Yourself - Why Great Athletes Have Alter Egos

180 children were split into three groups. They were all asked to complete a repetitive task. These children had the option to take breaks from the task by playing an attractive video game. 

The conditions for the three groups were (1) the kids just act as themselves (2) The kids take on a 3rd person perspective of themselves (3) The kids impersonate a role model like batman. 

Which of these three groups of kids stuck with this difficult task the longest before defecting to the video game?

The answer is the kids who impersonated Batman. 

This phenomenon is now known as the Batman effect. By taking on the role of a 3rd party you create psychological distance from the problems at hand. Psychological distance is one of the most effective ways to deal with stress and anxiety from a challenging task. 

In addition to psychological distance, stepping into the role of someone else allows you to take on their skills, mindset, or confidence to tackle a specific problem. With the kids in this study they took on the attributes of perseverance and creativity, for an athlete it could be resilience or even style of play. 

Many of your favorite athletes and entertainers leverage the “Batman Effect” via an alter ego. Kobe Bryant created the black mamba to buffer himself from the criticism that he would face when playing in Boston. Beyonce Knowles created Sasha Fierce to get comfortable stepping out of her conservative roots and into the risque world of music. Ultramarathoner David Goggins calls his alter ego simply “Goggins”. He calls this out when he needs to do something difficult because he claims “Goggins” to be the “Hardest Motherfucker on the planet”. 

How Can You Create an Alter Ego? 

Todd Herman, the man who created the Black Mamba alter ego with Kobe Bryant has coached thousands of athletes and elite performers on how to create alter egos that serve them. In his book “The Alter Ego Effect”, he outlines a step by step approach for creating an effective alter ego. This is a high level summary of the details that make for a successful alter ego. I’ll accompany these with a made up example for some context. 

1. Have a goal in mind. Alter egos are tools that we use to help us go somewhere aspirational. Having the end in mind is important for figuring out where an alter ego will be most useful.

2. Choose a time and a place for your alter ego. Alter egos help you rise beyond your perceived capabilities in specific scenarios. They work really well when you feel that you aren’t performing at the level you would like at a certain stage of your process. Figuring out where you would like your alter ego to operate is an important step. Todd calls this place where you would like your alter ego to act the “field of play”

3. Name your enemy.  All heroes need a good villain. If you can correctly name what you’re up against, it can help to provide clarity about what you would like to achieve.

4. Identify what you would like to have happen in your field of play. In step 2, you figured out where you struggled. In this step, we think about exactly what characteristics you want your alter ego to have. These characteristics should be a perfect match for the challenge you face. 

5. Create the alter ego that embodies those characteristics. This is the time to be creative. An alter ego can be anything you want it to be. It can be a pre-existing character or something you completely make up. It can be a person or even an inanimate object as long as it is the right tool to tackle the challenge you face in your field of play. Many athletes are drawn towards super heroes, but there really are no rules. 

6. Give your alter ego a rich backstory so they become more real to you. This is almost the exact same concept as method acting. If the background of your alter ego resonates with you, it will be easier for you to step into it when you need it.

7. Create a ritual to activate your alter ego. We’ve all seen Lebron throw up (Le)chalk before a game. We’ve seen the dances that players like Ray Lewis would do to enter the stadium. These are all examples of rituals that they use to transform their mindset to the persona they have in their field of play. While they may not explicitly be using alter egos, they are most definitely embodying the same concept. With your alter ego, you want to have a clear ritual that evokes your alter ego. It is even better if you have a physical totem that helps in this process. A totem allows you to connect something in the real world with your imagination. 

8. Practice being your alter ego. While an alter ego is one of the fastest ways to make changes to outcomes, it still takes practice. You have to practice stepping into your alter ego, wearing it, and turning it off. 

Case Study: Kobe Bryant

There is no better way to understand a concept than to look at a case study. I had the incredible opportunity to interview Todd Herman about his experience working with Kobe Bryant and creating the alter ego with him. These are some relevant and interesting details about Kobe Bryant’s alter ego, the Black Mamba, that I hope will help give you more context.  

Why did Kobe need an alter ego? 

Before 2003, Kobe Bryant was always seen as the “kid” in the league. Even though he had been playing in the league for 5 years, he had come straight out of high school and had kept this identity. 

In 2003, Kobe was investigated for sexual assault and went through a very public loss of identity. Based on these accusations, he was no longer a “kid” in anyone’s eyes. This change in perception was very difficult for Kobe. He was no longer adored on the road, and in contentious places like Boston, he felt like the fans were getting to him. 

Kobe wanted to get back his edge. He needed a new identity on the court because the image of the “kid” wasn’t serving him anymore. In this case, his field of play was the basketball court and his challenge was to not let what the fans were saying about him impact his play. 

It was around this time he started looking for answers and eventually found Todd Herman. 

(To be clear, this is not to paint Kobe as a victim in any way. Just reporting case for why he felt he needed a change)

Why did Kobe choose the Black Mamba? 

Todd and Kobe were very purposeful in establishing the Black Mamba alter ego. Their work started directly with the problem Kobe was facing: the fans. 

Todd had found through his research that there are two types of animals. 

(1) Open loop - Animals that thrive on social interaction to be successful (Think humans)

(2) Closed loop - Animals that only interact with others of their species to mate (Spiders and Snakes) 

This planted the seed for the idea of a snake or a spider as Kobe’s alter ego. If he embraced the closed loop nature of one of these animals, he wouldn’t feel the need to interact or be affected by others on the court. 

Kobe enjoyed Kill Bill, a movie about a rogue assassin out for revenge, and immediately adopted the alter ego of the Black Mamba (The alter ego of the movie’s protagonist).

This process is different for everyone, but I think it helps to see how much thought goes into crafting an effective alter ego. 

How did Kobe activate the black mamba? 

Even after creating his alter ego, there was still a lot of work to be done. In Todd’s book and in a few podcasts he’s done, he goes in depth into the ritual he and others use to activate their alter egos. 

In many cases, his clients visualize letting their alter ego out of a cage, unleashing them on the world. In Kobe’s case, he would visualize himself stepping into the cage with the Black Mamba and it overtaking him. He would get in the cage as a symbolic way to also punish himself for the mistakes he made off the court. 

Kobe also had an audio trigger to get into this state. He would listen to the halloween theme song before each game. 

Visualization and ritual are more effective the more senses that they can engage. If you are creating a ritual, think about how to incorporate your sense of touch or even smell into it. 

Later in his career, Kobe also changed from #8 to #24. A change of a number or putting on a new jersey can also have a powerful impact on the ability to put on a new persona. 

If you find this interesting and want to learn more, you will likely enjoy my interview with Todd. 

Book Recommendation: The Alter Ego Effect

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that I’m recommending this book. It goes far deeper into why an alter ego is important and the specific ways that you can create one than I did here. Book Link: https://amzn.to/3YwL5lS

Quote: Kobe Bryant on Reading

“Reading is fundamental. I made a point of reading the referee’s handbook. One of the rules I gleaned from it was that each referee has a designated slot where he is supposed to be on the floor… When they do that, it created dead zones, areas on the floor where they can’t see certain things. I learned where those zones were, and I took advantage of them. I would get away with holds, travels, and all sorts of minor violations simply because I took the time to understand the officials’ limitations” 

I realize I used a Kobe quote in the last newsletter, but it just felt right to do another one since I talked about him a lot in this one. I promise it will be the last one for a while! 

I really love this quote though. It hits on two things (1) The importance of research and learning and (2) exploiting the rules or a system to your advantage. 

Up Next: How Tiger Woods Programmed Himself For Success 

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