The Athlete and Various Types of Vision

“Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”  - 

Muhammad Ali

In the context of mental conditioning and sports psychology, I have often discussed and written about and coached athletes about vision.  I want to spend some time identifying the various types of vision that I have found important to peak performance.

1.  Visual Acuity:  Let's be real.  You must start here, of course.  Most, if not all sports, require excellent visual acuity, or clarity of vision.  Physically, athletes must be able to see and also have excellent hand/eye coordination.  This ability allows a baseball player to hit a fastball, the quarterback to "thread the needle" when passing the football, or a ice hockey player to find his teammate for an assisted goal.  Think:  Ted Williams, Henry Aaron, Drew Brees, Wayne Gretzky.

2.  Mental Clarity:  Great athletes also have the gift of vision that refers to the concept of mental clarity.  As with any type of goal, the more specific and clear the goal is, the more likely it is to be worked on and achieved.   The clarity of the goal requires a high degree of specificity, "measurability," attainability, realism, timeliness and relevance.   These characteristics of clarity are often referred to as SMART goals.

3.  Long-Range - Seeing The Big Picture:  This type of vision refers to the ability to conjure up a long-range vision of yourself and your abilities.   It is what you strive for.  If you can't see it in your mind's eye, you won't be able to achieve it.  Some people call this the dream, the ultimate challenge or the end game.   Think Muhammad Ali, of course.

4.  Short-Range:  Desired goals/objectives:  this type of vision seems fairly obvious.  It is the big picture broken down into chunks.  However, I want to emphasize that it is an important part of any preparation that an athlete attempts.   Any time spent in serious preparation must be tied to a set of smaller goals.  This type of vision is associated with either developmental or performance goals.

Developmental goals are those that help determine practice or rehearsal activities.  Performance goals are those that are associated with game or match performance activities.

5.  Peripheral:  this type of vision involves the awareness of your surroundings, teammates, opponents.  It is the opposite of tunnel vision.  This type of vision sees the whole field or court in real time.  It goes beyond self-involvement.   With this type of vision, the athlete is oriented in the moment, he/she is fully present and totally engaged.   Think Leo Messi.

6.  Intelligent (Sport-Specific):  This type of vision requires the full understanding of the game itself, and an awareness of the need to identify, study and mastery various components of the game. With this type of vision, the athlete is able to conceptualize and have a mental model for their role and function as a teammate and the role and function of others.  This is the type of vision that turns data into information, awareness into action.  Think:  Peyton Manning or Tim Duncan.

7.  Anticipatory:   This type of vision provides the ability to predict and see the court, the field, or the ice beyond the present or real time.   It involves the skill of recognition.  This ability is what Wayne Gretzky, the Hall of Fame professional hockey player called Fast Forwarding.  The faster the recognition, the better the performance.

8.  Intuitive:  This type of vision requires a belief in the importance of tapping into consciousness, including the unconscious, preconscious and subconscious.   It involves the ability to be psychologically-minded.  This aspect of performance suggests that we have the ability to access seemingly inaccessible thoughts, skills, competencies, and abilities.  This belief allows great athletes to obtain mentally and emotionally what they need to achieve and be successful especially when they need to be.

9.  Instinctual:  The type of vision allows us the self-knowledge and awareness to access and use what is "pre-wired" into us whether it be genetic, biological, evolutionary, or developmental.  It helps us to access what we have inside of us.  It allows us to use the gifts that we have been given.  It taps into our athletic DNA,  Great athletes can quickly identify patterns that they have seen before.  It is an athletic sense of recognition.  

10.  Neural - Muscle Memory:  This type of vision is critical and complementary to instinct.  We can best utilize, develop and leverage our instinct by building our muscle memory.  By understanding the importance of deliberate practice and rehearsal we can leverage and unlock what is programmed within us.    This ability allows the athlete to recall and execute quickly and immediately perform what is required because it has been deeply encoded and learned fully.   Think:  Steph Curry.

11.  Centering - Quieting the Cognitive Mind:  This type of vision requires the development of mindfulness and the practice of sports-oriented meditation.  Great athletes are able to reduce or eliminate chatter as they perform. Great athletes understand the need for removing cognitive barriers to performance.  Quieting the chatter positions the athlete for success by establishing the requirements of being present and in the moment.  Think Michael Phelps.  

Can you see the importance of each of types of vision?   Can you think of other examples of these types of vision?  Can you think of other athletes that utilize each type of vision?   Let me know what you think about these ideas. I look forward to your comments.

Is There Any Difference Between Fear, Anxiety and Excitement?

Much of what we used to know about fear and anxiety, we can toss in the trash can.

It isn't that we need to rethink fear, it's that we need to re-experience fear. We need to change our relationship to fear. Rethinking fear gets us back in our head about fear. Being in our head about fear is what created the problem in the first place. 

For many people, the sensation that we call fear, anxiety or nerves (sometimes we call it stress), can stop us from proceeding with whatever we were doing at the time. Often, that sensation is experienced as something to avoid or something to stop. It's as if we can only resume what we were doing if that feeling of fear goes away (and stays away). If we resume the activity that produced that sensation and the feel comes back, we stop again. We wait for it to pass.  Sometimes, we try to fight through the fear.  

Rather than fighting, avoiding or stopping fear and anxiety, it is important to become curious (and more comfortable) about fear and anxiety.  We need to become students of fear. We need to understand that uncomfortable feeling.  We need to label that discomfort as a signal of excitement, alertness; a signal to pay attention, to activate.  It is not necessarily a signal to stop or freeze.

Here are some guidelines for experiencing fear in a new way:

1. Fear is not to be eradicated.

2. Fear is a human emotion derived from being alive.

3. Fear is not a sign of weakness or incompetence.

4. Fear is not a hinderance to be fought or defeated.

5. Fear is part of the natural order of things.

Performance Anxiety

In my experience, there are not too many athletes that use the words performance anxiety when discussing the challenges regarding their sport. However, the assessments that I have conducted over the years strongly suggest that athletes commonly experience many of the symptoms typically associated with performance anxiety.

Because ultimately the goal of mental toughness is to experience “no fear,” why would an athlete admit vulnerability and acknowledge performance anxiety?  It is more likely that athletes will allow themselves to talk about building mental toughness, than acknowledge the legitimate existence of fear of any sort.

Let's face it. If you are human and if you are required to perform, you will experience fear, otherwise know as performance anxiety.

Human evolution produced the midbrain including the Amygdala. The midbrain was responsible for our survival by sending fast messages from our senses through neural transmission. These messages effectively alerted us to possible danger. They activated us to perform a flight or fight response. They were simple and primitive, because they had to be. They were not very discerning. The midbrain signals "Danger" or "Run Away Fast" or "Bite" or "Attack," nothing more.

Do you really want to eliminate that important function? Of course, not.  

Most sports do not involve excessive danger.  Even when danger is involved, you need focus not fear.  

Many athletes try to not be anxious; however, this often backfires. Pre-competition  excitement is necessary for peak performance. Re-assessing the internal sensations you feel in a positive way is important – rather than saying or thinking you’re anxious, remind yourself that this excitement prepare your body to perform at its best. 

We humans have another part of our brain, the more complex pre-frontal cortex. That part of our brain does the thinking, complex problem-solving, long-term decision-making. The pre-frontal cortex interprets and evaluates more fully. However, it often interprets the "flight or fight" and it overreacts. Simply put, the cortex fears the fear.  Fearing the fear is the response that we need to regulate and manage. That is the response over which we have some control. That is what mental conditioning focuses upon.

Mental conditioning makes you perform better so that your response to fear is not over-activated. The process of mental conditioning helps you learn to be activated, but aren't over-activated when your cortex evaluates the situation. It slows down your fear responses so that you can perform as planned and rehearsed.  

One approach is to develop self-talk about what you are experiencing with statements like:  

"I enjoy the challenge of competition."
“This feeling means I’m ready and prepared for the task at hand.” 
“I’m excited about being able to play well today,” 
“This is not anxiety, this is excitement, which means I’m going to perform at my best” 

These types of statements help you reframe the fear and increase your focus. It also helps you manage your thoughts, rather than the thoughts managing you.

Other mental conditioning tools like mental imagery, visualization, breathing exercises and mindfulness approaches including relaxation techniques and meditation, are also very effective in activating our nervous system to perform without overreacting.  In other words, they allow us to act without over-reacting.  This conditioning dampens our fear reaction and produces the conditions for activation and excitement. 

Your ability to dampen your fear response and reduce your performance anxiety, is a key component of strengthening your mental core.

I will be talking more about your mental core in future blogposts.    

For more information about strengthening your mental core, self-talk, mindfulness, mental imagery, sports psychology, etc. download Mindfuel, the mental conditioning app:  http://appmc.hn/1aekztQ. 
 

I Hate to Break It to You, but You've Got the Yips

Some call it "a pressure-induced involuntary muscle movement."   Others call it "a loss of control of your shot."  In most circles, it's called the yips.  

As you may be aware or you may have experienced, the yips are the loss of fine motor skills in athletes. The condition seems to occur suddenly and without an apparent trigger, cause or adequate explanation.  It usually appears in mature athletes with years of experience.  It has been poorly understood and we have, to this point, no known treatment or therapy. Though rare, athletes affected by the yips sometimes recover their ability, which may require an overall or partial change in technique. However, many at the highest level of their sport are forced to abandon their livelihood.  Some are still at or near the peak of their careers.

The yips manifest themselves as muscle twitches, jumps, shakes, jitters, flinches, staggers, and jerks. The condition occurs most often in sports which athletes are required to perform a single precise and well-timed action such as in baseball, golf, tennis, bowling, darts, and cricket. 

There are many suggestions that it is a muscular problem or neurological issue.  However, technical solutions that focus on major changes in technique or motion are largely ineffective.

On a less severe but more frequent note, many athletes go through slumps, some that last longer than others.   For example, in basketball, jump shooters and free-throw shooters often go through periods of time where their shooting percentages decrease significantly or their shooting becomes streaky, or both.  In either case, their ability to successfully make their shots has been altered.  Likewise, tennis players can lose their ability to serve in a flash.  Golfers lose their ability to putt, or drive the ball off a tee.    

Whether you are experience the yips, or you are in a slump, it is clear to me that even a minor shooting, serving, putting, or pitching problem, has its source and/or is quickly exacerbated and maintained by an athlete's internal dialogue; their self-talk.

In my last blogpost, I talked about strengthening your mental core.  Your self-talk or internal dialogue is an important part of your mental core.  

If you take a look at slumps in putting and teeing-off in golf, shooting in basketball, or serving in tennis, self-talk or internal dialogue is crucial in understanding the beginning, middle and end of a slump, or more problematically, the development of the yips. 

The most successful athletes are often the best mentally conditioned.  Their self-talk is either positive or non-existent.   As I and many others involved in sports and performance psychology know, self-talk affects performance.  During competition or practice sessions, the ability of an athlete to eliminate harsh or negative self-talk can improve performance dramatically.  

Unfortunately, many athletes do not or cannot quiet their inner dialogue, particularly their inner critic.  Excessive self-talk, whether positive or negative, is like having fans (or one particular fan) in the stadium, the arena, or in the gallery yelling at you at various intervals right before and during your shot or serve.  A fan who wants to disrupt you might yell:  "Miss it!"    A supportive fan might yell:  "You can do this!"   Encountered at the wrong time (i.e., at the moment you are executing your task) either can disrupt. 

Your inner dialogue during competition, might sound like this: 

"I don't think I can make this."  "If I miss this, my coach is gonna bench me."  "This is a lot of pressure."  "It's all on me."  "What if I miss?"  "I should have practiced this shot more."  "Come on, you've got this!"  "Would you just relax?!"  

Now, your self-talk is not necessarily intended or designed to disrupt.  Often, as with a supportive fan, it is usually intended to calm you or focus you on the task at hand.  It might be meant to provide encouragement or motivation.  Unfortunately, like an enthusiastic parent yelling instructions (or encouragement) to you from the stands, the net effect is that it disrupts your concentration and focus.  Over time, it erodes your self-confidence because the message is that you need last-second help, encouragement and instruction.  It's not a good message, really.  More importantly, it interferes with deep muscle learning and disrupts muscle memory.  Self-talk can undermine all the hard work that you have put in.  

With these types of messages, your brain is interrupting your shot, and your muscles are saying, "Wait, what?"   Because of this sudden emergency interruption, your muscles are saying "I must be about to do something wrong, otherwise, why would my brain be talking to me right now?" 

So, while you are busy talking to yourself, your muscles are reacting to your inner message by either trying to adjust, overcontrol, restrict, or over-correct your shot.  In most circumstances, you will ever so slightly slow down, stop or inhibit your motion  (shorting the shot) or over-correct (by shooting long).  Once you begin to overcorrect during the shot, your regular motion is affected.   Sure, you might still make the shot, but the probability has been changed, often dramatically.  

With enough disruptive self-talk occurring on a regular basis in practice and during competition, an athlete's ability to effectively develop and firmly establish smooth fine motor movements is compromised.  Self-talk affects the encoding of muscle memory through a series of micro-disruptions. With a sufficient stream of micro-disruptions, small disruptions of fine motor movements occur, resulting in an inefficient, and often erratic set of fine motor movements.   As your motor movements are affected, so is your comfort with your shot.  Any ongoing discomfort begins to erode your self-confidence.  Eventually, your self-talk produces self-doubt which causes you to not only question yourself but to question the fine motor movements themselves.

That's the way you forget how to shoot, putt, throw, kick, serve.  It's your inner critic thats attacking your muscle memory.  This constant internal criticism can erode what you have spend hours trying to perfect.  It's a type of waterboarding.  Death by a thousand cuts.

The more that I work with athletes and look closely at their self-talk, it appears that self-talk is prevalent enough to cause physiological disruption in fine motor movements.  At first, it affects individual shots, causing enough disruption in the athlete to miss any particular shot.  If the athlete's self-talk is disruptive enough and frequent enough, it causes shooting slumps; and, if an athlete's self-talk is chronic enough will create a more severe disorder, the yips.

My experience is that many, if not all, athletes have, at least, a very mild case of the yips.  With enough practice, most athletes can overcome harsh, negative, and disruptive self-talk.  However, when self-talk is at it's most disruptive, it can affect even the most rehearsed shot.  

In fact, I contend that any missed shot has, at some level, been disrupted by self-talk.  A missed shot becomes a slump through increasingly negative self-talk, followed by increased self-consciousness about subsequent misses.  The yips are simply the extreme consequences of extreme self-consciousness.  At its worst and most frequent, negative self-talk could "metastasize" into the yips. 

So, what can you do about your early stage yips?  

Be aware that your self-talk is disrupting your deep muscle learning and memory.    Don't let the yips get to you.  Want to make your shot consistently, or serve with confidence?  Want to avoid slumps?  Quiet your self-talk.  Shut your inner critic down.  Your muscle memory will thank you for it.     

For more information about strengthening your mental core, self-talk, mindfulness, mental imagery, sports psychology, etc. download Mindfuel, the mental conditioning app:  http://appmc.hn/1aekztQ. 

Strengthening Your Mental Core

The word "core" in the physical fitness and conditioning world has become a buzzword.  Like the physical core, there is also a mental core related to mental conditioning. Physical core training is about increasing power, strength and stabilization.  So, is the training of your mental core.

Many fitness buffs often think only of sit-ups and crunches as the secret to strengthening the core. True fitness experts know that there is much more to the core than an impressive six-pack.  Similarly, many athletes and coaches think that the mental core is simply just about developing mental toughness (the equivalent of a mental core six-pack).  The mental core is much more than mental toughness.

The mental core creates a solid, fundamental, and broad base for your overall mental fitness and, thus, your subsequent ability to perform successfully.

So, what does constitute the mental core? Here are some of my thoughts.   

• Internal Dialogue/Self-Talk -  simply put, these are the things you say to yourself about yourself, your opponent, your teammates, your coach, the fans.  It also includes what you say to your during practice, during your performance in games, during time-outs, after games. Often the things you say to yourself about yourself are harsh, toxic and distract you from your performance.  The real problem with our cognitive mindset is that that it is often stuck in evaluation activities when it should be focused on other tasks (such as gathering information, skill acquisition, rehearsal, and execution, for example).   Increasing your awareness of your internal dialogue/self-talk and its effect on your performance will have a great influence on your performance skills.  Additionally, it is important to realize that silencing your inner critic and internal "chatter" is more useful that simply changing your self-talk from negative to positive. 

• Pre- and Post-Performance Recovery Skills -  here, emphasis is placed on the importance of developing a set of skills and activities that provide you with an opportunity to fully recover mentally from performances and competition that is as crucial as physical recovery.   Evidence is mounting that both mental and physical recovery skills (including sleep) are more important than we ever considered in the past.  

• Resilience - this refers to your skill and ability to quickly and fully bounce back from setbacks, to deal with adversity, learn from mistakes and effectively put your mistakes behind you.  Only recently has resilience been seriously considered as a component of mental toughness.   Resilience includes carefully obtaining, valuing, and incorporating constructive feedback.   

• Systems Thinking - in the case of your mental core, this refers to your awareness and understanding of the matrixed complexity, interrelatedness and connection of multiple factors involved in your performance. It also refers to the idea that in order to affect real behavioral change, a system that provides structure and consistency must be put into place.  Systems thinking in this context implies that mental conditioning and strengthening of your mental core requires you to become a student of mental conditioning, sports and performance psychology (as well as a student of your sport).  

• Anxiety Management - refers to the idea that 1)  anxiety is a part of performance and competition; 2)  mental fitness includes the acknowledgment and management rather than the eradication of anxiety; 2) that excitement and anxiety can be two words for the same thing; and, 3)  the goal of mental conditioning can't and shouldn't be to eliminate anxiety.  

• Emotional Intelligence - emotional intelligence (and related skills) is an important and necessary component of performance enhancement in players, coaches, and teammates. Emotional intelligence involves the understanding of the critical role that emotional information and social interactions play in performance and success. Evidence suggests that emotional intelligence is an important characteristic of effective leadership and team development as well as coaching effectiveness.

• Confidence - this component of your mental core is one of the characteristics that has been long considered critical to success in any endeavor, including sports and the performing arts. In this model of the mental core, confidence is defined as a general sense that one's skills and abilities are capable of achieving one's desired outcomes.  Many people include this component in their idea of mental toughness.  Confidence is particularly dependent upon a health cognitive mindset.  

• Preparation Skills - this factor suggests that 1)  success is related to one's understanding and awareness that personal growth occurs through the methodical process of continuous learning and development of skills, rather than inherent, genetically-informed and pre-ordained talent; and, 2) is highly influenced by your desire and willingness to consistently spend long-hours of monotonous, focused, disciplined, repetitive activity to improve and perfect your skills and abilities.  

• Mindfulness - this important factor of the mental core refers to a broad set of skills that include mental imagery and visualization, relaxation and meditation skills, focusing and centering skills (that are useful in practice, preparation, performance, recovery and evaluation activities of athletes and coaches). Mindfulness approaches can be very helpful to post-performance recovery and injury recovery.  

Note that there has been increasing evidence that body language is important in performance.  Be aware of your body language; however, I have seen increasing evidence that body language is more of a indicator of the strength of your mental core than a factor or component of the mental core.  

Assess these core components of your mental core.  Start by identifying your mental core strengths and limitations in each of these areas.  Focus on and leverage your strengths while also learning more about how to shore up your limitations.  Learn to use these basic skills to build a foundation for mental core training.

Future blog posts will go into more detail about your mental core.  Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about your mental core below.

For more information about mental conditioning and your mental core, download my mobile app.
Mindfuel at: http://appmc.hn/1aekztQ

Also,check out my sports and performance psychology book, Razor Thin:  The Difference Between Winning and Losing.  You can purchase it at www.lulu.com/spotlight/razorthin. 

Super Bowl LI Match-up: The Tale of Two Mindsets

Let's take a look at some factors that may influence the outcome of Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.

The Franchise Systems

• Patriot head coach Bill Belichick's management and leadership secrets have been well documented in books and magazine articles such as James Lavin's Management Secrets of the New England Patriots.  Owner Robert Kraft is a successful businessman who built his fortune with Gillette.  

• Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot and current owner of the Atlanta Falcons has a long history of success as a businessman, and has a set of leadership principles that he follows closely.   

Advantage:  New England Patriots

Super Bowl Experience

• This is Bill Belichick's seventh Super Bowl appearance with Tom Brady as his starting quarterback. They have won four of the six Super Bowls they have participated in.  Brady was voted MVP for Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XLIX.

• This is the second appearance in the Super Bowl for the Atlanta Falcons since their were founded in 1966.  It is their first Super Bowl since the 1998 season.  Dan Quinn has been an assistant coach for Seattle Seahawks during their Super Bowl appearances.  He knows what it is like, but he has not been head coach there.  

Advantage:  New England Patriots

Mental Conditioning, Team Training and Team Building

• In the off-season, Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and director of sports medicine and performance Marty Lauzon had a four day team-building session with seven veteran Navy SEALs of Acumen Performance Group.  

• Falcon head coach Dan Quinn spent several years with the Seattle Seahawks and their head coach Pete Carroll.  The Seahawks embrace the use of mental conditioning and employ various high-profile mental conditioning coaches, including Michael Gervais and George Mumford (Michael Jordan's meditation ) guru.

• Bill Belichick is a master of getting his teams prepared for playoff and Super Bowl games.  He understands the mental aspect of the game as well as anyone.   

Advantage:  Atlanta Falcons

Neuroscience

• For the past 3 years. Tom Brady uses the BrainHQ training program developed by Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science.  A cognitive enhancement tool and brain training program, Brady had it installed at his TB12 Sports Center.  BrainHQ has 29 brain exercises that are done on a computer screen. One example of an exercise that Brady uses is called “Double Decision.”

• Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback uses a device called NeuroTracker that he says has helped him sharpen his cognitive skills, providing an edge when he targets receivers or chooses plays. The focus has helped fuel an MVP-caliber season.  Ryan uses the 3D glasses at least three times a week to improve peripheral vision.

Advantage:  None

Motivation/Complacency

• The New England Patriots won the last Super Bowl in which they participated two years ago.

• The Atlanta Falcons have never won the Super Bowl.  This year they have embraced "The Brotherhood" as their rallying cry.  

Advantage:  Atlanta Falcons

Distractions

• New England has been distracted by the focus the media and the public has placed on Tom Brady's alleged support of Donald Trump; the injury to star tight-end Rob Gronkowski, and the long-standing Deflategate controversy.

• The Atlanta Falcons are slight underdogs in Las Vegas.  This may take any pressure off of them.  

Advantage:  Atlanta Falcons

Overall Advantage:  Atlanta Falcons

What is your prediction?  

Donald Trump & the USFL: Past Behavior is the Best Predictor of Future Behavior (VIDEO)

I ran into some guy last night at a restaurant.  Admittedly a Trump voter, the stranger reluctantly expressed concern and growing regret about his vote.  His sentiments may be evidence of a growing feeling of fear in Trump voters around the country.  This is after only one week of Trump's controversial presidency.    

But if you still have any illusions (or delusions) about Donald Trump's huge talents as a successful businessman, all you have to do is look carefully at his prominent role as an owner of the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.  Founded in the early 1980s, the USFL, a professional football league, was new and it was experiencing growing pains.    

At that time, a young Trump was certainly a brash, confident promoter and salesman.  Here he is in an interview during a New Jersey Generals game.  Also, forebodingly, listen to the owner of the Birmingham Stallions throw the media under the bus for their coverage of the league.

So, let's fast forward to the story about the demise of the USFL.  Here is a video clip highlighting Mr. Trump abilities as a leader of a league that backed his strategy and, then quickly, failed miserably. No success to be found here.

Now, let's look at a interview with Mr. Trump as he shows his impatience, arrogance, and short attention span, paranoia, lack of a sense of humor and inability to learn from his mistakes as he sits for a moment with the media to reflect on his USFL experience.  Pay careful attention to his attitude toward the media.

The behavioral and social sciences, including psychology, and criminology, and law enforcement all consider past behavior as the best predictor of future behavior.   Ironically, the hotel, casino and gaming industries all believe strongly in this theory.  

So, if we look at his past behavior through the lens of these videos, what is your best guess about about the ultimate outcome of his presidency?  

No, I don't want him to fail either, but we all have to prepare for it.  

  

Stan Wawrinka's Mental Toughness Powers Him to the U. S. Open Final (Video)

"Really tough for the body, a big fight physically and mentally. You need to accept to suffer and almost enjoy it, because you have no choice. I saw after the first set he would start to be tired if I pushed him physically. I know I can last for three, four, five hours. Same as against Del Potro. I need to stay with him, not go down, show him you will push him, push him again. Sometimes my brain gets lost on the tennis court. When I stay tough I can beat anybody. I know I can bring my best in a Grand Slam. Maybe because i didn't play so well in last few months." 

--Stan Wawrinka, tennis pro, speaking on ESPN following his win in the semifinals of the U.S. Open on 9/9/2016.

Stan Wawrinka sounds highly motivated as he heads into a showdown in the finals against Novak Djokovic on Sunday in New York. Can he will himself to victory? It seems that his head's on straight right now. Will it be enough for the upset?

How do you call up your mental toughness? Are you willing to suffer mentally and physically to achieve greatness?

NCAA Mens' Basketball Classic: A Lesson in Leadership and Courage

This is my first blog post in a while.  I had not been inspired to write recently--until this week.  The 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Final was what did it.

I have only one conclusion from watching and analyzing that wonderful game between the champion Villanova Wildcats and the runner-up North Carolina Tar Heels.

Yes, Kris Jenkins of Villanova won the game with a once-in-a lifetime, buzzer-beating, long-distance jumper.  He is the obvious hero.  However, my more important take away from that game is that, at least in basketball, you don't give the ball to your best shooter or scorer when the game is on the line. You give the ball to your leader and let him (or her) put your team in the best position to win.  On Monday night, both experienced and highly respected coaches let their leader lead.  Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams put their leader, Marcus Paige in the driver's seat at the end of the game.   Late in the game, the courageous Paige, a senior, found ways to keep the Tar Heels in the game.

Similarly, Wildcat head coach, Jay Wright, put the ball in the hands of point guard Ryan Arcidiacono. Arcidiacono, also a senior.  Arciciacono, who had show much poise and scoring ability throughout the game, ran the final play that led to the winning Jenkins jump shot.  Though he considered shooting, he made the right pass at the right time to get Jenkins the ball in a position to shoot.

Watch the video and you will see.  Leadership and courage by Paige, and then Arcidiacono, led to a classic finish and a timelessly valuable basketball lesson.

Thank you, Tar Heels.  Thank you, Wildcats.  Congratulations to both teams.  Enjoy the video!  

Happy Holidays from the Valdes Family!!

Examining Peak Performance: So, What Should My Self-Talk Be?

Many mental conditioning coaches and sports psychologists have begun to emphasize positive self-talk.  It is considered an important tool in the attainment of peak performance and a key component in the mindset necessary for peak performance.  However, most experts are pretty simplistic in their use of positive self-talk:  just say positive things to yourself and don't say negative things. Unfortunately, most coaches have few specifics about exactly what to say to yourself and when.  

In my Peak Performance blogpost on June 12, 2015, I discussed the peak performance mindset. In that post, I mentioned 5 modes:

1. Experimental Mode (previously called practice mode)
2. Deliberate Rehearsal Mode
2. Preparation Mode
3. Performance Mode
4. Evaluation Mode

I also alluded to the importance of self-talk in each of the modes. I now want to introduce the idea that each mode requires a different set of specific self-talk statements.  The statements themselves are related what needs to be accomplished in each mode.

In experimental mode, the focus in on experimentation and trying new skills.  Here, you are gathering data on what works best and what is most effective.  What else can you do?  This mode is typically used in individual, solitary, informal workouts or warm-up drills. This is the mode where it is most important to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone.  This mode is for creativity, experimentation, but is not the point at which you commit to making a change in technique or mechanics.  You are being open to the change process, but have not committed to make a specific change.  You are trying new things. For some athletes, this is the mode that is most fun.  By definition, in this mode your self-talk requires the use of such internal self-statements as:

OK, I am in experimental mode.  I am experimenting.  I am being creative.  

Time to throw things at the wall and see what sticks.  

Let's see what happens when I try to do this.

Let me see if I can do this.

How about if I try this?

What if I adjust this skill just a little?

I am going to alter this for now and see how it feels.

I don't care how this looks.

I am just trying this on for size.

Mistakes and failures are to be expected right now. 

I enjoy the challenge of learning.

It is important for me to get out of my comfort zone.  

That's basically it for self-talk in experimental mode.

In deliberate rehearsal mode, the focus is learning.  It is about the application of successful experimentation. In this mode you are trying to apply new skills and incorporate what you have learned into your skill set. In this mode, as a result of experiments, you have committed yourself to making a specific change or changes in your skill or routine activity.  You want to change or improve your technique or mechanics and get comfortable with it.  Most importantly, you also want to commit the new or changed skill to muscle memory. The goal is mastery.  In rehearsal mode, your self-talk should sound like this:

It's time to rehearse.  It's time to sharpen my sword.

I like this new technique.

This new technique will improve my overall game.

I am committed to mastering this new skill.

As I practice, this new skill will get comfortable over time.

I will practice this new skill until I master it.

I enjoy implementing a new technique into my arsenal.

I am getting comfortable right now.

It is time to practice until I can't get it wrong.

Apply, lather, rinse, repeat (In other words).

Ok, now, in preparation mode, the focus is increasingly mental.  You are instilling and maintaining confidence, getting mentally ready. You have exited experimental and rehearsal modes and you are transitioning mentally.  You are reminding yourself of all the hard work you have done.  You get yourself ready to perform at the highest level possible. This mode includes time to mental visualize your success through the process of imagery. You should spend considerable time visualizing the successful execution of what you have rehearsed. In preparation mode (otherwise called pre-performance mode), your self-talk should include such statements as:

It is time to get mentally ready.  

I have physically prepared to the best of my ability.

I am committed to what I have rehearsed.

It is time to execute what I have practiced/learned.

I am ready.

I can see myself successfully executing my plan.

I have done this over and over again.

I know what to do.

My body is prepared to perform.

My mind is calm and relaxed.

It is time to slow my breathing down with full, deep breaths.

Time to make the donuts.

In performance mode, the focus is on execution. Your opportunity to perform is at hand.  In this mode, the mind should be at its most quiet. Muscle memory has taken over and the brain "chatter" is minimal. In performance mode, your self-statements should be very basic.

When you make a good play, you should be saying;

Good play.   Good job.  

I like that.

Just like I practiced it.

Yes, I can do this. 

That is why I worked so hard.  

Practice sure paid off.

More of the same to follow. 

I can do this again and again.
  
If you make a mistake, you should be saying things like:

OK, back to normal.

Reset.

Erase.

Recover.

Move on.

Reboot.

Breathe.

OK, so what about evaluation mode?  This is the mode that most people stay in the most and have the most difficulty exiting.  Most of our self-talk tends to be evaluative in nature.     

You may have noticed that in each of the previous modes, there is little to zero criticism or evaluative statements. That is because there should be little time for evaluation in all the other previously listed modes.   Evaluation mode comes after a practice session, rehearsal or after a game, performance or event.  You needn't clutter the other modes with evaluation.

Evaluation mode is the time to say:

How did I impact the game today?  How did I influence what happened today?  

What did I do well?

What do I need to keep doing?

What do I need to do more often?

What do I need to improve? What can I do to get better?

What do I need to do less often?

What things do I need to stop doing all together?

What did I learn from my performance today? 

Did I have fun?  What was enjoyable about my game today? 

What is the next thing to master?  

Evaluation mode is a good thing, but only at the right time.  The evaluative process in any other mode is distracting and only provides unfocused chatter that is not useful nor conducive to peak performance.  

You may also notice that evaluation mode is not harsh, is not blaming, is not name-calling.  It is not a time to beat yourself up.  It is time to look objectively at your game and take a productive learning approach.  This is how you get better. This is how your learn and this is how to achieve sustainable performance increases.  This is how you succeed.  This is how you build confidence.    

There is more to come in future posts.  

   


  

Tony Romo Has Mastered the Elite Mindset

OK, I admit it.  I'm a huge homer.  I am a big Dallas Cowboy fan, and, perhaps, an even bigger Tony Romo fan.  Despite the many people who criticize Romo, label him a choker and think he only puts up big numbers, Romo has orchestrated more 4th quarter comebacks in the last decade than any other NFL quarterback.  

I particularly like to quote him because what he says often provides so much insight into the mindset of an elite athlete.  Here is what Romo had to say after he fired the winning touchdown with 7 seconds left to play in the opening game of the 2015 NFL season against the New York Giants.  His leadership helped the Cowboys to a 27-26 win.  

“What you have to understand is that you rehearse this and prepare for is in your mind way before the game,” Romo said. “The more times you can do that, it just feels like you’ve already gone through it. You can make it a repetitive thing that is systematic and not random.”

"You've just got to stay calm," Romo explained. "At that moment, at that point in the game, you can't just fall on it and protect the football. There's not much time left, and you've got to have poise in that situation when random things happen. Someone misses a block, ball is on the ground, whatever it is that comes up, you find through the years if you play long enough that the experiences you've had you can just get calm, get back up, trust your guys around you to do their job and then go through the progression."

Though the game was exciting and came down to the last play, Romo understands the importance of maintain the proper level of arousal, mental visualization, and the need to stay calm throughout the game.  He also understands that great plays and exciting comebacks are about preparation and deliberate practice.  

For more on mental conditioning, download the Mindfuel app:  http://appmc.hn/1aekztQ.   

For more about the Dallas Cowboys franchise, buy the book, Razor Thin:   The Difference Between Winning and Losing.  

Excerpts taken from ESPN.go.com.  

But Not For Long

I've got a secret weapon for mental toughness.  

The lyrics of a very popular song from B.o.B. featuring Trey Songz includes a phrase could be the most valuable mental conditioning tip you can have for dealing with adversity.

"But not for long."

Every athlete and performer makes mistakes and experiences errors during practice as well as during games and competitive events. Mistakes are part of the game, and there is no such thing as perfection. You can always do better, and you can always improve. Problems occur when errors weaken an athlete’s confidence and mental focus. Successful athletes are able to let go quickly after a mistake. 

When you focus on a past mistake, you create noise in the system, you increase mental distraction, your mindset becomes negative, and this can erode and destroy mental toughness. The negative self-talk we tend to get into after a mistake distracts us from the focus and concentration we need to achieve our best performance.

It is quite easy to get into a negative frame of mind, dwell on mistakes, and focus on failure.  We all do it to some extent.  We can get caught up in negative self-talk.  However, we need a way to get back on track.  We need a way to re-focus, to re-boot as quickly as possible.   

"I'm having a bad day."  

"I'm playing badly."  

"My opponent is making me look bad."  

"That was embarrassing."  

"I'm not ready for this."  

"This isn't working." 

"But not for long."

Try to be aware of your negative self-talk.  Try replacing your typical negative self-talk with this phrase:

"But, not for long."

Give it a try.  This is a great way to increase your mental toughness and improve your emotional resilience.  Let me know how it goes.   

2015 NBA Finals Case Study: The Secret of Commitment

Last night, prior to Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals, Head Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, made a change in his starting line-up.  He replaced Andrew Bogut with Andre Iguodala. That move along with a change in defensive strategy and a change in his substitution rotations, made all the difference in the world. Although the Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a 7-0 start, Kerr did not panic nor throw out his game-plan.  Instead, the Warriors called a time-out, quickly bounced back and finished the quarter by outscoring the Cavs, 31-17.  Kerr made a crucial decision, but more importantly, he made a commitment to the strategy for Game 4.  He did not waver.  The strategy paid off in a 103-82 win to tie the series, 2-2.  

Working with elite and aspiring athletes, performers and other professionals at all levels for years, I have come to a recent revelation or refinement concerning the art of mental conditioning.  This revelation is about our mindset consisting of five basic modes. Mental conditioning is enhanced when we understand each mode, its proper timing and its function within our personal performance enhancement system.

1.  Practice Mode
2.  Rehearsal Mode
2.  Preparation Mode
3.  Performance Mode
4.  Evaluation Mode

To cut to the chase, most of us, whether we are aware of it or not, are in constant evaluation mode. We are hardwired and socialized to be in evaluation mode.  We live in evaluation mode.  We measure, we assess, we predict, we criticize, we worry, we comment--24/7.  That's the way we roll.

How's it going?  How's it coming?  How am I doing?  Am I getting there?  Did I get there?  Am I there yet?   Are we there yet?  Why aren't we there yet?  What's wrong with me?  What am I doing wrong? Why are things going wrong?  Here I go again.  Am I behind?  Where should I be?   Who's ahead of me?  Am I losing?  Am I winning?  What do I need to do to catch up?  I can't catch up.  I knew I should have worked harder.  Is this is a mistake?  I'll never get this right.  

Evaluation mode is embedded in our self-talk.  By the same token, most self-talk keeps us in evaluation mode.  In evaluation mode, our self-talk tends to get very harsh very quickly.  Staying in evaluation mode too long or at the wrong time creates anxiety, self-doubt, and, even worse, panic. If you are anxious, you stayed to long in evaluation mode.

Because of this tendency to over-evaluate, we don't really learn or value the four other modes.  We tend to stay in evaluation mode due to our fear of failure.  Our over-use and over-reliance on evaluation mode keeps us anxious and prevents us from being in other equally important modes. Most importantly, we don't sequence our modes correctly and in a way that puts us in the best position to succeed.  Here are the five modes.

• Practice Mode:  This mode requires experimentation and trial-and-error. In this mode, we try new behaviors and get feedback about possible feasibility, usefulness or utility.  This mode provides the opportunity to experiment, to dabble, to invent, to create, to try something new. This is where we allow for and even encourage mistakes.  This is where we study our craft.  In this mode (and only in this mode), we have the luxury of getting out of our comfort zone.  This is where we get information about whether this new behavior is worth rehearsing.  

• Deliberate Rehearsal Mode:  This is the mode that takes our successful experiments from Practice Mode and turns them into muscle memory.  This is where we repeat, repeat, repeat. We hone our craft, we improve, we focus on getting things just right.  This is where we sharpen our sword.   We rehearse until get it right and then rehearse some more until we can't get it wrong. This is the mode that gives us information that we have the necessary competence to be successful and the confidence to perform.  Here we rehearse the skills to execute the necessary sequence of behaviors to reach our goals.    

• Preparation Mode:  This mode is about getting ready to perform, both physically and mentally.  This mode focuses our mental conditioning as well as being the time to plan and organize.  When here, we structure our time and energy in such a way that we develop our plan of action and commit to its proper execution.  Here is where we focus on our mental imagery, our visualization, and get in the right frame of mind and achieve the optimal level of arousal.   This mode is a transition mode from practice and rehearsal toward performance mode. It allows us to be in the best position to achieve peak performance.  

• Performance Mode:  Game-time!  Simply put, this is where we execute.  If in the proper mindset, we follow our plan and allow our muscle memory to take over. Adjustments are minor or minimal in this mode. We have planned well, have committed to our plan, and let the plan work. Most importantly, we are not in evaluation mode.  If we allow ourselves to get in evaluation mode during the game, we will become distracted, particularly by our self-talk.  If we get into evaluation mode, our self-talk will get involved and that will engage our brain's cortex.  That mental chatter will likely become a distraction.  It will disrupt our muscle memory and reduce our game-time speed and efficiency in decision-making.  This does not mean that we are unaware of situational variables, but we maintain our overall game-plan.   Performance mode basically requires us to suspend our analytic mind and focus strictly on performance.  

• Evaluation Mode:  This mode is most effective as a post-game activity.  It re-engages our cortex.  It allows for more complex post-game problem-solving.  It occurs and should occur following a performance or event.  It allows us to objectively and dispassionately assess our performance, our game-plan, our step-wise progress, after the fact.  It allows us to gather data about our ability to execute our plan.  It allows us to determine what we did well, what we need to continue doing, what we need to improve or develop, and what we need to eliminate.  Most importantly, it allows us to get back to Practice Mode, armed with important information about what more we can do to improve.

So, be more mindful of being in the appropriate mode at the appropriate time and make sure you stay out of Evaluation Mode (our current default mode) when you should be in one of the other four modes.  Your mental conditioning and your performance will improve significantly as a result.  Just ask Steve Kerr!  

Why The Atlanta Hawks Will Not Win the NBA Championship in 2015

The Atlanta Hawks have been excellent this season.  Predicted to miss the playoffs, this team has set a team record for most wins in the regular season (59) and has a strong fan following as a result of the Hawks' gritty performance. It is a year to remember.  The Hawks value has gone up so much, the new ownership may have to pony up $1 billion to snag the team.  

As good as things have been, there are warning signs that suggest that this Hawks team will not get their NBA championship this year.  Thus far the team has displayed a delicate balance in which selfless teamwork and a carefully crafted rotation of starters and bench players has proven very effective. Anything that upsets that balance can be difficult to handle.  Here are some factors that will come into play as the Hawks wind down the regular season and prepare for the playoffs:  

1.  Major Distractions:  The Atlanta Hawks do not do well when distracted.  They started the 2014-2015 season poorly with a 5-5 record following the Danny Ferry scandal and suspension.

The weeklong All Star Game hoopla that surrounded the Hawks players receiving 4 bids to the All-Star Game resulted in a corresponding 3-4 record in and around the ASG break.

This week the arrests of Hawks players, Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic, during a New York nightclub incident in which NBA player Chris Copeland was stabbed are looming as a huge distraction as the regular season ends and the NBA playoffs begin.  The Atlanta players were arrested for disorderly conduct, obstruction, and resisting arrest in the early morning hours at a popular nightspot in Manhattan.        

2.  Injuries:  The mid-season loss of Sefolosha for 23 games contributed greatly to the mid-season February swoon that the Hawks experienced.  He came back in late March, but has now been lost for the season after he broke his leg in the late-night altercation mentioned above.     

Sefolosha is important to the Hawks' substitution patterns.  He has the highest defensive rating on the team.  His loss to the rotation will be felt throughout the playoffs, however long the Hawks remain in contention.  He was a huge contributor to the November through January win streak.

3.  Timing and Momentum:  The Hawks may have peaked too soon.  Their impressive 19 game winning streak ended in January. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games.    

4.  Cleveland Cavaliers:  Since January 15th (when their record was 19-20), the newly-crowned Central Division champion Cleveland Cavaliers are 32-7 and boast the league's best offense.  They have clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference.  With a cast of new players, it took the Cavaliers half of the season to find a rhythm and chemistry.  They have it now.  They have LeBron James.    

5.  San Antonio Spurs:  Following early season injuries and a championship "hangover", the defending NBA Champion Spurs are relatively healthy and have won 9 games in a row.  They are in contention for the #2 seed in the Western Conference.   They have Kawhi Leonard, the league's best defender.   

6.  Golden State Warriors:  The Warriors have the NBA's best record this year at 64-15.  They have a 36-2 record at home.  They have the Splash Brothers in the backcourt.

These disturbing trends do not look good for the Atlanta Hawks.  Let's hope I am wrong.

  

Mental Conditioning for the Recreational Athlete or Weekend Warrior

Several months ago I wrote in this blog about Your Fitness Identity.  This post is a follow-up to that. In that post, I discussed the importance of identifying, assessing, enhancing, establishing and/or regaining your fitness identity.

When I talk to many people about their recreational sports participation for any length of time, it is clear that in addition to their pursuit of enjoyment and perhaps momentarily reliving past glory, a majority of us experience moderate to considerable angst, frustration, disappointment, a sense of failure, self-criticism, and performance anxiety.  Much of it tends to be very similar to the negative feelings of our youth. Rather that achieving what we want from recreational sports (improved fitness, stress relief, a break from a long day at work, social connection, team camaraderie), we end up having surprisingly familiar patterns of negative feelings.   Where do those feelings come from? Where are those feelings supposed to go? What can we do about it?  Can we enjoy our sports without reliving the past?

Most people think that hiring a mental conditioning coach or a sports psychologist is strictly for elite athletes who aspire to participating in professional sports.  The common perception is also that most of the athletes that reach out to for help with mental conditioning are having difficulty performing in their chosen sport.

Additionally, rarely is mental conditioning considered as something to enhance or improve current performance or for achieving superior performance.  It is typically thought of as a fix for severe problems in performance not necessarily for growth, enjoyment, or development.

The reality is that more and more non-elite athletes are hiring coaches and psychologists to simply get the most enjoyment that they can out of recreational sports that they love.   These athletes realize that regardless of their level of proficiency or activity level, engaging in a  program of mental conditioning can help them to get the most out of the time they spend participating in those activities.

These athletes come to the realization that they could enjoy their sport(s) more and reduce or eliminate the anxiety and frustration they experience before, during, and after they play their sport. Getting some help with mental conditioning is a good idea.

We think nothing of taking music lessons or taking an evening course at the community college. Those of us who love sports, competition, and fitness should consider finding a mental conditioning coach or sports psychologist to help us to get the most out of our recreational sports experience. You don't have to be a professional athlete to get help.

Super Bowl Post-Mortem: The Makings of a Champion

Super Bowl XLIX provided so much drama and excitement.  Thank you New England and Seattle.  

It was also memorable and valuable for what we can learn from it.  Despite the outcome and the fact that the Super Bowl trophy belongs to the New England Patriots, it can be said that both teams played like champions. 

Let's look at the anatomy of championship mindset and what mental conditioning is necessary to compete for a Super Bowl. This Super Bowl was a lesson in putting yourself in the best possible position to win.  Both teams did so much to make themselves champions.  Understandably, most pundits will look at the reasons for winning and losing.   But, I want to analyze the post-game reactions by the players and coaches for some potentially more useful insight; beyond winning and losing.    

Vision

If you can't see yourself doing it, you probably won't be able to do it. 

 

"I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true," said Malcolm Butler, rookie New England Patriot defensive back and Super Bowl hero, after making a game-winning interception to end the game and seal the victory.  

Preparation

"Goal line, preparation, the formation they were in with the two-receiver stack, I just knew they were throwing a pick route," Butler said. "It was on the line, we needed it, and I just beat him to the route and made the play."

Individual and Team Resilience

Two plays before, Butler was covering Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse during his improbable, on-his-back, juggling catch down the right sideline that seemed to propel the Seahawks to a sure victory.

Butler was step-for-step with Kearse in coverage on the play, but it was just a once-in-a lifetime effort by the Seattle receiver.  While staring a bitter loss in the face, Butler did not quit, however.  

"I went to the sideline, wasn't feeling too well, my teammates were trying to cheer me up and said I made a great play," Butler said.  "I just went up and deflected it. Nine times out of 10, it usually goes away from him. As I was looking, he was bobbling it and caught it. Just devastating."

Two plays later, though, "it was the best feeling ever." 

Butler knew he had to get past the previous play and that he might be targeted again.

"I'm pretty sure he knows I'm a rookie, and who wouldn't try a rookie?" he said [referring to Seattle quarterback, Russell Wilson]. "I was ready."

Mental Toughness

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the MVP of the game, asked for the key to victory, responded, "Mental toughness."

"It's just a lot of mental toughness,'' Brady said. "I think the whole team had it. Coach always says, 'Ignore the noise and control what you can control.' We had two great weeks of practice. That's what it took. That's what we needed to be focused on and that's how we got the victory.''

"It wasn't the way we drew it up," said Brady, who won his third Super Bowl MVP award. "It was a lot of mental toughness. Our team has had it all year. We never doubted each other, so that's what it took."

Leadership Responsibility 

Pete Carroll, the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, took full responsibility for the loss, rather than push his players under the bus.  

“We were on the precipice of another championship,” Carroll said. “Nobody to blame but me.”

Confidence

Even the losers of the Super Bowl must have confidence.  During the last play, the interception by Butler, the Seahawks felt good.

“I didn’t have any doubt,” Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin said. “At that time, you didn’t think there was anyone on the sideline who didn’t think we’d score.”

“When they made the call, I didn’t question it,” said Wilson. “We thought we had them. I thought it was going to be a touchdown when I threw it. When I let it go, I thought it was going to be game over.”

Passion and the Will to Keep Winning 

With no intention of retiring, MVP Brady seems to be ready to do it all over again.

"I love doing it, so I don't want it to end any time soon," he said. "A lot of decisions I make in my life are how to sustain it. That takes a commitment in and of itself. You have to put it in the bank, as Coach always says, so it's there when you need it."

I, for one, would love to see a rematch next year.  But, the rest of the NFL might have something to say about that.  If they have learned anything, each team is preparing to put themselves in the best position to win next year's Super Bowl right now.

Excerpts from espn.go.com (2/1/2015), nytimes.com (2/1/2015),  and newsday.com (2/2/2015).