The Sports Doc Chalk Talk

Stress that occurs very quickly and prompts us to respond in an emergency-like fashion (like moving out of the way of an oncoming car) is often referred to as burst stress. Police officers, firefighters, and paramedics deal with burst stress everyday, as it is not uncommon for these people to receive emergency phone calls and quickly go from 0-100 MPH on the adrenaline scale.  Granted, athletes do not usually deal with burst stress anxiety in the same, life threatening ways as helping professionals do, but athletes do regularly deal with a wide range of stressors and emotional responses.  Athletes are especially at-risk for burst stress in fast-paced, tempo-changing sports, as well as those pressure moments in all sports when the outcome of a game hangs in the balance (Sport Success 360).

Being able to control and moderate arousal (or human energy) is a very important skill according to sport psychology research, and it is often what allows people to stay cool, calm, and collected while in the middle of otherwise stressful situations (like a police officer responding to a crime, or an athlete keeping his cool after receiving a cheap shot from an opponent).  As with most things in life, some people do a good job adjusting their focus and arousal appropriately (mental toughness), while others struggle trying to stay relaxed and focused when things become chaotic.  In sports, athletes who master mental toughness and keep it together in pressure situations are known as “clutch players,” while athletes who succumb to the pressure they experience are known as “chokers.”

If your son or daughter experiences great distress while trying to maintain focus, concentration, and calmness during pressure situations, consider the following ideas that can help:

• First, talk openly about things like stress and pressure – as well as provide examples of people (maybe even yourself) who have failed under these conditions.  Normalizing the fact that people commonly make mistakes and aren’t always perfect will help your child become more understanding and tolerant of himself when he, too, makes a mistake in a game.
• Practice stressful situations whenever you can.  For example, if you are working with your child trying to improve athletic skills, be sure to throw in surprise situations and gauge how she reacts.  Praise her hard effort and success, and shape her failures so that she can learn and improve the next time she experiences the situation.
• Use stress inoculation techniques.  Talk to your child about the reality that there will be bad games, errors, mistakes, and failure to be experienced while playing sports.  When these situations occur, teach your child how to improve his mental toughness by responding to the mistake with positive thinking and problem solving skills.  Remember, it’s not how many times we fall down, but how many times we get up.
• Dismiss the notion that only some people are gifted enough to handle pressure, while others have no control over it.  It is a myth that athletes who perform well in the clutch were “born that way,” and that other athletes can never improve in mental toughness because they weren’t born with the DNA to succeed in pressure situations.  Self-fulfilling prophecies can be quickly developed when young athletes think they “can’t” and well as they “can.”

www.drstankovich.com

Test YOUR mental toughness by picking up a copy of the worldwide popular Sport Performance Assessment app for the iphone – a real game-changer for athletes!

Coaches are regularly challenged to be successful leaders and get the most out of their team (Sport Success 360).  When their team is “loaded,” they have to make sure they keep the team focused and playing up to their abilities.  On the other hand, when they coach teams with average or below-average talent, the challenge is to lead the team so that they believe in themselves and play over their heads (and over-achieve).  How a coach leads his or her team is important in both of these situations, and there are a few general rules all coaches can benefit from in order to help the team reach its full potential.  Getting the team to “buy in” to the coach’s philosophy is key — listed below are a few quick sport psychology tips to help:

• Set appropriate, realistic goals. Studies consistently show that when people set realistic, challenging goals (rather than goals that are too easy or too difficult) people are more likely to persevere and remained motivated toward the goals.  Set goals that challenge your players, and then with every accomplished goal try and set another tier of goals that are even more challenging than the first.
• Generate enthusiasm. It’s no secret that when we are excited, we are more apt to be motivated to play hard and win.  Coaches who show positive enthusiasm almost always benefit by the team picking up on this energy, and as a result the team usually plays with better focus, motivation, mental toughness, and resiliency.
• Be consistent. Coaches who treat all players as fairly as possible usually build the best team cohesion.  While it is important to motivate players as individuals, when it comes to team rules and protocols it is important to be as fair as possible in order to improve team chemistry and cohesion.
• Praise often. People are much more likely to reach goals when they are praised and shaped in positive and instructive ways.  Rather than embarrass, berate, or humiliate players into performing better,  find creative ways to praise for effort and encourage players to do a better job the next time out.
• Prepare to deal with losses. While it might sound strange to prepare for tough times, it actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.  The reality is that most teams will lose (some will lose a lot), so preparing for dejected players and a negative locker room is very important.  As a wise man once said, “it’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up.”  Coaches need to think about how to regain the team and move them quickly through the sadness and sulking stage and back toward the focus and motivation needed to play at a high level tomorrow.

Being a successful coach at any level is a challenging task when you think about it.  Getting a team to buy into a coach’s philosophy can be a tough sell, and then keeping a team motivated throughout the season can be an equally difficult task.  Coaches who learn about leadership techniques and work on their interpersonal communication skills put themselves in the best possible situation to create a great team environment, as well as win more games.

www.drstankovich.com

Check out Sport Success 360 to help improve the overall culture of your team, athletic department, or youth league – get started today!

I have been involved with many discussions this week around Ron Artest, and the overall big picture of sports aggression.  As I wrote about earlier this week, it’s not the emotion that gets players in trouble, but how they manifest their energy.  When players allow their emotions to take the form of negative actions (like hitting another player), bad things happen.  On the other hand, when athletes learn how to more effectively channel their emotions into positive and facilitative actions, good things almost always follow.

www.drstankovich.com

Learn more about mental toughness and how it can help athletes improve their focus, concentration, motivation, and resiliency – check out Mind of Steel today!

This week I wrote about the potential increased risk for injury associated with sport specialization, and how so many coaches and athletes search for perfection in the mechanics of their sport, while at the same time dismissing the importance of learning mental skills that help with confidence, focus, resiliency, and reducing anxiety.

www.drstankovich.com

Athletes and coaches often obsess on the mechanics involved in perfecting a sport skill (like a golf swing or batting stance), usually doing so at the expense of fully understanding the impact mental toughness has on executing a sport skill.  For example, the average golfer will spend an inordinate amount of time watching videos, taking lessons, and hitting balls at a driving range in an attempt to “perfect” a swing, yet spend no time at all in learning how human arousal impacts confidence, focus, fine motor skill movement, and the ability to master and execute golf shots.  My point is that if you are tense and tight, it doesn’t matter how much you study sports techniques as your real problem is one of anxiety control, not sport knowledge.

What often gets lost in the pursuit to master muscle movements is the degree that confidence (or self efficacy) impacts how successful athletes are at their sport.  It’s ironic, but having confidence can actually help an otherwise “imperfect” athlete (poor athletic form) still go on to become a great athlete.  Hideo Nomo (pictured pitching) used a style no baseball pitching coach would recommend, and Rick Barry (pictured below) had the unorthodox method of shooting free throws underhand.  Neither athlete’s style was anywhere near “textbook,” yet each went on to have outstanding careers in their respective sports.

Think about it for a moment – when you feel really good, you usually perform well, too.  Unfortunately, many athletes feel good when practicing alone, but then experience a loss of focus, increased anxiety, and decreased self-confidence when playing against serious competition. If the athlete performs poorly, he usually goes right back to perfecting the techniques involved in his sport, while never making the connection that the technique he is learning is largely dependent on being confident when doing it in real games and matches.

What all this suggests is that while technique is important, it may not be as important as you first think.  It also means that athletes who take the time to learn how to control human arousal, improve their focus, and bounce back from stress when not playing well, are often able to still play well – even at the expense of having textbook form.

Don’t believe me?  Watch a baseball game on television tonight and note how different each pitcher pitches, as well as the varied batting stances you will see from hitters.  Then keep in mind that these are all professional baseball players, and they have all made it to that level by having very different technical approaches to the game.  Herein is the “proof” to my point that technique, while important, may actually be secondary when it comes to the confidence needed to play at a high level.

The way an athlete perceives his situation makes all the difference when it comes to anxiety and confidence (Sport Success 360).  As we all know, athletes who experience anxiety often struggle with athletic success, while confident athletes usually play well (and sometimes even better than what others would expect).  Anxiety bogs down an athlete’s thinking (often self-talk is negative and counterproductive), as well as behaviors (instead of playing loose and free, muscles become tense and tight and throw off important mind-body synchrony).

Interestingly, anxiety, or pressure, is almost always a manufactured mind state that can actually be dramatically improved upon.  One sport psychology approach called Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) suits this discussion perfectly.  Using an REBT model, there are three important facets to consider when looking to improve sports mental toughness:

A) The activating event

B) The BELIEF the person has when thinking about the activating event

C) The consequences that follow the event based on the belief of that event

Stepping away from theory and using a real-life example, take a baseball player who struck out earlier in the game and is now stepping to the plate for his second at bat (AB) of the game.  In this example the event , or “A” from the model above, is the upcoming AB.  Notice, AB’s are not “good” or “bad,” or “right” or “wrong.”  In other words, an AB is just that — an AB.

Now here is where it gets interesting – the BELIEF about the upcoming AB is completely subjective and under the control of the hitter. The batter gets to choose whether he will evaluate the upcoming AB as a scary threat (he might even say negative things to himself as he approaches the plate), or he can choose to look at the upcoming AB as a healthy challenge (in this example his mood state will be positive and his confidence will be high).

The consequences of thinking also play out according to thoughts – if the batter worries before approaching the plate, he will inevitably “feel” the nerves through a rapid heart rate, tense, muscles, and butterflies in his stomach.  In this example he will also likely say negative things to himself (like “Don’t strike out again!”).  On the other hand, if he approaches the plate looking at the AB as a challenge, his mind and body will stay in synchrony and his self-talk will be positive and productive.  Guess which mindset will likely lead to a hit?

Think about how the A-B-C’s play into our everyday lives — how many times have you allowed negative thinking to dictate a life outcome?  The great news is we get to choose the way we think, even if it is not always easy to do.  Athletes profit by learning this as they can then begin to play in the moment and disregard things that have happened earlier (like the 1st inning strike out) and instead get excited about the next AB.  This approach strengthens resiliency, too, as failures are viewed within a more accurate and responsible context — that is, everyone fails in life but it is what we do with failure that counts!

Check out our sport apps, products, and free resources at Advanced Human Performance Systems!

With the NFL Bounty-Gate in the news, it prompted me to think about sports aggression and the differences between healthy, competitive hitting versus violent and illegal physical play.  The New Orleans Saints organization is paying a big price (especially head coach Sean Payton) for the bounties that were set by previous defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, yet some are arguing that the hits would have been just the same regardless whether they were done to receive bounty money or not.  After all, this is the NFL and aggression comes part and parcel with football, right?  Actually, sport psychologists identify two types of sports aggression, presenting an entirely different view of what may have happened in New Orleans.

For sports parents, this is a great opportunity to teach kids about how violence and aggression play into sports, including the differences between healthy and unhealthy aggression.  The two types of aggression commonly seen in sports, instrumental and hostile, are broken down in more detail below:

Instrumental Aggression

This type of legal aggression occurs in sports when an athlete is in pursuit of winning and playing within the competitive spirit of the game. The aggression, in actuality, is needed and used in order to make plays, stop the opponent, and ultimately win games.  This type of aggression is not designed to hurt players, or purposely knock opponents out of the game to make it easier to win. One way to think of this instrumental aggression is to think of the aggression as helpful, and not intentionally harmful.

Some examples of instrumental aggression would include a hockey player checking another player in order to get to a loose puck, a basketball player using his body to position for a rebound, or a baseball pitcher pitching inside to gain better control of the plate.

Hostile Aggression

This type of aggression differs from instrumental aggression in that the sole intention of hostile aggression is to hurt another player.  In these instances, the aggression is not directed at scoring points or tackling a player, but instead purposely designed to physically hurt another player. When you see a cheap shot in sports, most likely it’s an example of hostile aggression.  In  New Orleans, the aggression could be called hostile aggression as bounties are designed exclusively to “knock guys out.”

Helping Your Child Understand Sports Aggression

So how does your child stack up?  If she plays hard and within the rules of the game, then she is likely displaying instrumental aggression.  On the other hand, if your kid engages in aggression that clearly is designed to hurt another player, it’s likely he is using hostile aggression.  Of course, there are fine lines between these types of aggression, and the distinctions get even more blurred when you factor in the intimidation factor that plays in to many sports (like when a pitcher hits a batter intentionally to gain back the plate, opposed to simply “pitching inside”).  Still, most types of hostile aggression are easy to identify and usually result in penalties and suspensions when they occur.

In all likelihood, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell probably factored in the type of aggression displayed when he made his final decision with the New Orleans Saints.  In his mind, he saw the aggression as purposeful and designed to hurt players (and possibly end careers) — and how that type of aggression steers away from the competitive spirit of football.

Talk to your kids about the different types of aggression in sports, and reinforce instrumental aggression while calling out harmful and unhealthy hostile aggression.

www.drstankovich.com

Most youth sports coaches do a great job building strong relationships with kids, and inevitably help kids experience success on and off the field as a result of their efforts (Sport Success 360).  On the other hand, there are some coaches who do not have this type of positive experience, and instead struggle with building rapport with kids they coach.  When kids do not connect with their coach, they often play below their potential and run a greater risk for prematurely quitting the team/sport.  It is for these reasons that it is important for coaches to do a quick self-check on the following 5 no-no’s to ensure they are providing the best sport experience for the kids they coach.

• Forgetting the importance of FUN! Sport psychology studies clearly show that the #1 reason kids play sports is to have fun, and while at times this can be tough to remember in the heat of the battle, it’s important to try and create a sports environment that is both instructional and fun for kids.  Keeping it fun also means coming to the field with a good positive attitude, using a lot of positive reinforcement, and steering clear of using profanity and off-color remarks.
• No pre-season meeting. Successful coaches prioritize having a pre-season meeting where they discuss team rules, protocols, and methods for communication.  Unfortunately, not all coaches realize the importance of having a well planned pre-season meeting and decide to not have one.  When this occurs, families are left confused about the coach’s policies, philosophies, and playing time — usually resulting in frustration and confusion throughout the season.
• No talent evaluation system. Successful coaches develop their own talent evaluation rubric and make it clear to their team what skills are evaluated when it comes to playing time.  Kids benefit from this approach by knowing what they need to do in order to earn more playing time.  On the other hand, when coaches do not discuss how playing time is decided it almost always leads to confusion, stress, team problems, and sometimes angry parents.  While it is true playing time will always be a point of contention between some parents and the coach, these problems can be dramatically minimized by having a talent evaluation system established for the team.
• Playing favorites. While it may be impossible to treat all kids fair all of the time, it is possible to create team rules and enforce the rules when kids do not comply — even if they are star players.  Oftentimes coaches “lose their team” when they begin making special provisions for star players, leading to poor team chemistry and cohesion.
• Embarrassing kids. While coaching styles will vary as people vary, it is never a good idea to embarrass or humiliate kids.  Good coaches know that while it may take more restraint and control to respond to emotionally-charging situations without going nuts, it is always better to find ways to make “teachable moments” out of problems than it is to chew a kid out in front of his peers.  Kids don’t improve their mental toughness by being humiliated, but do become more resilient through positive reinforcement, proper instruction, and genuine encouragement.

Continue to develop into the best coach possible – Sport Success 360 is designed to help coaches develop strong relationships with kids, work more effectively with parents, and win more games!

www.drstankovich.com

Athletes regularly talk about “being in the zone,” but rarely can tell you how they got there — or what they need to do in order to get in the zone again in the future (Sport Success 360).  In essence, they know there is a “zone,” and for most athletes the only skill or knowledge they have as far as replicating the zone-mindset is to simply hope they will be able to do it again.  Using an analogy, this would be like an amateur chef in the kitchen who ever once in awhile cooks up a masterpiece — yet has no idea how he did it, nor any clue about how he might cook another masterpiece in the future.

The good news for athletes looking to “lock in” with their mental toughness and get in the zone is this:

• The zone, or being in Flow, is in fact a very real mind-state that does exist.  Psychologists have studied this phenomena and most agree that we do have the capacity to become absorbed into activities and ultimately play at a higher level as a result.
• Being in the zone is not limited to sports, as all people can learn ways to get in the zone with just about anything they do.  This means athletes can use this mindset to help in school, as well as their social and career-related experiences.
• The zone is actually a mindset that involves a number of inter-related psychological factors, including interest level, motivation, confidence, resiliency, and task difficulty

Breaking Down The Zone

Lets take each one of these psychological factors separately.  First, it is well accepted by psychologists today that the zone, or “Flow,” is in fact a mindset where people lock in and become absorbed by what they are doing (i.e. playing their sport).  In these instances, we often lose awareness of outside distractions, including time, and our focus on the task is heightened.  Similarly, when in Flow we are motivated to succeed, and often challenged by the task (meaning the task is not perceived as impossible, nor so easy to do that it is worthless to bother doing).

Second, being in the zone is not limited to sports — in fact, most of us experience Flow from many different things including exercise, hobbies, studying, artistic endeavors, and sometimes even work.  Ask yourself, how many times have you gotten lost in an activity because of the challenge and enjoyment of the activity?

Finally, the main features of Flow include interest level, motivation, confidence, resiliency, and task difficulty.  When you are interested in things you have a much greater chance for Flow, while having no interest in an activity makes it nearly impossible to reach Flow.  Similar to interest level, when your motivation to complete (or succeed at) a task is high, you also increase your chance for Flow.  Confidence is also key, as you need to believe you can be successful or it will be near impossible to experience the zone.  Athletes must also be resilient, and not have thin-skin when it comes to frustration, stress, and adversity.  Finally, and perhaps this is the most intriguing aspect of Flow, is that the task you are engaged in must be challenging, and not too easy or too difficult.  This makes sense when you think about it — if the task is too easy you will become bored, and if the task is too difficult you will likely become frustrated.  The key, then, is to find tasks that are very challenging and will keep your focus and motivation high.

Athletes & The Zone

Most athletes have serendipitously experienced moments of Flow, most likely because they greatly enjoy playing sports, are motivated to succeed, and regularly compete against other athletes who are roughly the same ability.  It is in these moments where the athlete feels he “couldn’t be stopped,” or that the basketball rim was 10 feet wide. odds are confidence was high and that he was competing against a challenging opponent.

While there is not a recipe for getting in the zone, there are some things athletes can do to help them get in the zone while competing:

• Love playing your sport. As was mentioned previous, without a strong interest it is very difficult to get in Flow.  The key is to find “games within games” – especially at practice – that keep interest level high.  For example, a basketball player might challenge himself to stop the guy he is guarding at practice, and keep track of how many times he succeeds.  In this example he has taken a sometimes boring drill and turned it into a challenging task.
• Take advantage of pre-game routines. Athletes stand a much better chance for getting in the zone when they make it a point to engage in a pre-game routine that allows them to think about the upcoming game, elevate their mood state, and lower their negative anxiety.
• Keep a daily journal, and take note of your improvement over the course of the season. When you see success, your confidence will improve, leading to greater chances for Flow.  By keeping a journal you can also identify patterns and trends that you can use to help you improve your mental toughness for the future.
• Bounce back quickly from frustration and failure. Rather than act out, yell, or call negative attention to yourself when you come up short, make it a point to turn adversity into learning experiences.  When you develop your resiliency, it allows you to more quickly get back in the game, and inevitably have a much better chance for Flow to occur.
• Challenge yourself. This means picking challenging opponents to compete against, as well as setting challenging individual goals

Take your game to the next level – check out Mind of Steel today!

www.drstankovich.com