The Sports Doc Chalk Talk

Sports officials sometimes take a lot of heat for missing calls, and rarely get the appreciation they deserve for when they hustle and call a great game.  On this video I delve deeper into what you should expect from amateur sports officials, as well as remind you that these folks are “human” and will occasionally miss calls.  This summer be sure to show your appreciation to the officials that referee your child’s sports games!

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Sports might be the best place to observe “the intimidation factor.”  Whether it trash talking on a basketball court, a high-and-inside fastball from a baseball pitcher, or an after the whistle purposeful shove in football, it’s quite commonplace to witness athletes trying to get in the heads of their opponents and knock down their level of mental toughness. Interestingly, intimidation comes in many different forms, ranging from perfectly legal (and even strategic), to downright unsportsmanlike and dangerous.  An inside fastball in baseball is an example of the former, while a purposeful cheap shot punch after the whistle is an example of the latter.  As sport psychologists often note, controlled, sportsmanlike aggression may be a good thing, but uncontrolled, illegal, and unsportsmanlike behaviors are never warranted.

In the 1970′s, Jack Lambert was the perfect example of a scary dude.  Lambert was a middle linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was known as much for his aggressive tackling as he was for his missing front teeth.  While not the most imposing guy physically, Lambert seemed to always be in the heads of NFL quarterbacks for his fearless play.  In hockey, The infamous Broad Street Bullies (Philadelphia Flyers) of the 1970′s were also known for their rough-and-tumble play, and in basketball the Detroit Pistons of the 1990′s were known as the “Bad Boys,” primarily for the aggressive play of Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman.  And in baseball, just about any pitcher who throws around 100 MPH and isn’t afraid to come inside gains instant respect from hitters.  As you can see, intimidation plays a part in nearly every sport — but the big question still remains: Does it work? That really depends on your definition of “works” and how far you will go to win games.

When intimidation “works,” it’s usually because of the following reasons:

A.) It leads to an opponent purposely being knocked out of the game.  Obviously this is nothing I would ever encourage, and I hope no coach would ever instruct players to purposely knock an opponent out of a game because of a cheap shot.  The reality, however, is that it has now been revealed that some coaches and teams do in fact encourage players to do whatever is necessary to win – including KO’s of the opponent – as evidenced in the recent New Orleans Saints bounty-gate. It goes without saying that intentionally looking to hurt an opponent is at the very least unsportsmanlike, and at worst could even be illegal.  As you can see, this type of intimidation “works” only in the sense that it lessens the abilities of the other team, although it also completely circumvents the assumed fairness, integrity, and sportsmanship we should all expect in sports.  Fortunately, coaches and athletes that ascribe to this type of “winning” are, in my experience, a very small percentage of sports participants.

B.) The more accepted form of intimidation is when it is kept within the rules of the game – like the pitcher who pitches inside to gain back the plate, or the boxer who engages in a stare down before the start of a fight.  In these examples intimidation may work if it does one thing – takes an opponent off his or her game. For example, if an inside fastball prompts the batter to give up more of the plate on the next pitch, most baseball purists would say that makes perfect sense.  Similarly in boxing, if the pre-fight stare down leads to the opponent being anxious and scared (and subsequently “off” his game), then most would agree the intimidation “worked.”  Conversely, examples of crossing the line would be when a pitcher intentionally throws at a guy’s head, or a boxer takes an unobstructed  cheap shot at his opponent during the pre-fight instructions.

Whenever an athlete is able to throw his or her opponent off by legal, sportsmanlike intimidation, then it is left to the individual to decide whether he or she would find it appropriate to do.  The potential “payoff” in using intimidation in sportsmanlike ways occurs when the opponent stops thinking about what he is supposed to do (and loses focus and confidence), and starts thinking about how afraid he is of the opponent (and thus increases sports anxiety).  In sports, this is known as taking a player “off his game.”

Are sports intimidation tactics good, and do they “work” by increasing the chances for sports success?  As you can see there are different ways in interpreting that question, ranging from intimidation being inappropriate and possibly illegal on one end of the spectrum, to smart sports strategy on the other.  What we do know is that when an opponent is far more worried about you than he is about what he is supposed to do on the next play, then you can make an argument that intimidation “works.”  This does not mean to imply that every athlete should look to intimidate his or her opponent, but to instead illustrate how the mental aspects of sport competition can enter into and impact the outcomes of games.  Many factors go into how an athlete should prepare for his or her sport, including how their personality traits are best used to both stay within the rules of the game and get in the head of their opponent (if they feel that is even necessary).  Even the type of sport enters into whether to develop intimidation skills — meaning you are far less likely to see evil stare-downs in bowling than you might in football.

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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.

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Summer sports are just around the corner, and before you know it millions of kids across the country will be playing baseball, softball, soccer, and a host of other sports. Most youth sport leagues are run by volunteer coaches and administrators, and officiated by amateur referees who might be paid a nominal fee for their efforts.  Obviously your son or daughter is not playing professional sports, yet there should be a few minimal expectations you should have from the umpires, referees, and other officials that work your child’s games.

First, keep in mind that most youth sport officials do a really good job — they show up on time, work hard to be fair in their judgments, and attend to potentially dangerous situations in a timely manner.  Still, there are always going to be some officials who don’t do the job they are expected to do, resulting in a less-than-optimal experience for your child.  So what expectations should you have for officials this summer?  Below are a few quick thoughts to consider:

• Hustle. Sports officiating requires hustle, and officials know this going into the job.  Of course, you should be reasonable with your expectations (especially on those really hot summer days), but you should expect that officials are doing all that they can to make the right calls on the field.
• Wrong calls vs. bad calls. Wrong calls are made when an official doesn’t understand the rules of the game (which should not happen very often).  In these instances try and make your point to the official in a tactful way, and not in a manner designed to embarrass or humiliate the official.  Bad calls, however, happen more regularly — these are the types of judgements that happen in a moments notice and are sometimes missed by officials.  Try to be more tolerant in these instances, as even professional officials make mistakes (after all, we’re all human).
• Fairness. Good officials treat both teams the same – with dignity and respect.  You should not see the official going over to one team during a game and joking around and giving the impression of playing favorites – instead, good officials make it a point to stay objective and measured in the ways in which they interact and communicate with both teams competing.
• Responding to dangerous situations. Good officials will keep an eye out for potentially dangerous situations and immediately respond to injuries on the field when they occur.  Of course, you should not expect the official to provide medical attention to an injured player, but he/she should have an emergency protocol to follow (like knowing who to call) for when injuries occur.

Make sure to do your part this summer by showing respect to officials, and thanking them for all the hard work they do so that kids can have a safe, fun, and meaningful sports experience.  Also make sure to be patient and understanding for when bad calls are made (as they will be), and try to remember how difficult a job it is to be perfect with judgement calls (like calling balls and strikes in baseball and softball).  Sports officials don’t usually make much money for their hard work, and they are often under-appreciated — making it even that much more important to tell them “thanks” for all they do!

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Athletes commonly experience an emotional roller coasting while competing — perhaps put no better than the late ABC Wide World of Sports weekly introduction that depicted the sport experience going from “the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat.” The point is that sports prompt athletes to become emotional — and herein is where aggressive and unsportsmanlike acts often originate (Sport Success 360).

Examining the recent Ron Artest incident where he blind-sided James Harden with his elbow —moments before the elbow, Artest felt excitement — and subsequently made a cognitive decision about how he would demonstrate his emotion. Rather than giving a positive and emphatic fist pump to the crowd, he decided to channel his emotion into a terrible cheap shot.  Think about what a “teachable moment” this can be for kids when they begin to learn that the emotions they feel from playing sports are great, but how they channel their emotions makes the difference between being a positive leader or getting thrown out of a game for displaying unsportsmanlike behavior.  Ironically, and simplistically, the direction in which Artest threw his elbow made all the difference — had it gone in the direction of the crowd rather than the back of Harden’s head, he likely would have helped his team continue to pick up energy, confidence, and mental toughness – variables linked closely to sports focus and athletic success.

Sports parents and coaches can teach student athletes to develop the sport psychology mental toughness skills needed to control emotions while competing and re-direct negative thoughts (that often lead to negative actions) into positive, facilitative, team-building emotions and actions (like giving high-fives to teammates).

Young athletes can learn early in their careers that how they think on the field will directly impact how they play.  By understanding that mistakes will happen, games will be lost, and possibly injuries will be experienced at some point, kids can prepare emotionally ahead of time by developing positive thinking routines to use when these situations eventually occur.

When adults take time to process with kids the teachable moments commonly experienced in sports — like effectively handling adversity — many really terrific things usually occur.  Perhaps the biggest change you will notice is a surge in confidence, which often triggers motivation, focus, and goal commitment. As you might guess, these are the athletes that reach their full athletic potential as a result.

The next time you go to your child’s game, keep an eye out for when a young athlete throws a glove, curses, or pushes an opponent after a play ends.  Remember, that same energy you witnessed in those acts could have all been turned into much better outcomes, like smacking a glove emphatically, telling the team “lets get them next time,” and helping an opponent up in the spirit of sportsmanship. Your child can learn vicariously from these experiences (meaning she can learn by watching others rather than being directly involved in the unsportsmanlike act), and quickly improve her mental toughness through your teachings.  As you help kids make these pro-social thought-behavior connections, talk about the many other ways these skills can be applied (or transferred), like toward academic success.

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Sports channeling occurs when young athletes are slotted for specific sports or positions based on factors like height, speed, overall athleticism, and even race.  For example, when a youngster is above-average in height he is almost always nudged and encouraged to play basketball (what chance do you think current Harlem Globetrotter  7’8″ “Tiny” Sturgess had to not play basketball?).  The erroneous assumption many adults make is that if a youngster has a talent, skill, or attribute that would help in a particular sport, then the kid must also love and want to play that sport.  Think about it — how many times have you witnessed a tall kid (boy or girl) be immediately directed to start playing basketball?

Sports channeling also crosses racial lines, as African American kids – especially in predominately white communities and schools – are regularly slotted in skilled football positions, like running back or wide receiver.  To date, there does not appear to be any scientific empirical evidence suggesting black kids are better than non-black kids at those positions, yet you regularly see this happening in schools and youth football leagues across the country.

It’s understandable that people like to make shortcuts (called “heuristics”) when making decisions and appraising talents, but some of the shortcuts that are being made are quite fallible.  In the previous examples, not all tall kids are good at (or even like) basketball, while not all black kids are the best for skilled positions in football.  Similarly, not every flexible kid wants to be a gymnast, nor does every tough kid want to go into wrestling.  Still, many people use these markers to make these decisions for kids.

The best thing to do is to keep open communication with kids interested in sports, and listen closely to what they say interests them (even if it goes against your sports logic).  Keep in mind it’s very possible that a tall kid may not want to play basketball, and a black kid might actually like to play on the offensive line.  You might even meet a tough kid who likes a relatively passive sport (like baseball), or a flexible kid who enjoys a sport like bowling more than gymnastics!

Regardless of what sport(s) a kid plays, the most important thing is that it’s a fun, safe, and meaningful experience – do your part to maintain an open mind and help kids reach this goal.

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The reality is that very few athletes will go on to play college, much less professional sports, making the sport experience a very temporary life endeavor for the majority of young athletes (Sport Success 360).  Still, there are countless skills that can be used beyond sports that can help with personal development, academic pursuits, relationship building, and career success.  Unfortunately, far too many kids “bottle up” and compartmentalize their sport experiences, often distilling them down to fun childhood memories without ever identifying the utility of their sport skills beyond the baseball diamond, soccer field, or swimming pool.

Aside from the countless athletic transferable skills that can be used in every experience in life, youth sports also teaches kids how to work with others on a team, how to develop self-confidence and mental toughness, and how to win and lose with dignity and respect.  In fact, it could be argued that participating in sports may be the best life “primer” when it comes to adequately preparing youngsters for many of the future challenges in life that they will inevitably face.

When young people cull from their sport experiences and apply what they have learned toward academic challenges, difficulties with interpersonal relationships, and various other life difficulties, they may be surprised to learn about the utility of their sport skills.  In essence, the sport experience can serve as a vehicle for future life success.

Have fun this summer with youth sports, but don’t leave all the life lessons behind at the field after the game has ended.  Sit down and process the sport experience with your child, and work together to come up with creative ways he or she can use the lessons learned in sports to become a more successful person, and not just a better athlete.

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A common question I receive from youth sports parents is why some kids who display above-average athletic skills seem to struggle with focus and motivation.  Of course, there are many reasons why this may occur, but one reason that is usually overlooked is the interest level the kid has in playing sports.  In other words, some kids are good at sports, but simply don’t love playing them!

Admittedly, it’s difficult to accept that a talented young athlete might have little (if any) interest in playing a particular sport, but this actually happens more than you might believe.  Kids who are especially good at a sport, yet are indifferent about playing that sport, seem to present the most frustration for parents.  The faulty assumption some parents make, unfortunately, is that if the kid is good at playing sports, he must also love playing sports.

There are a number of reasons why an otherwise athletically talented kid might not like playing sports, including the following:

• For some, it simply doesn’t interest them – there’s nothing more to read into it than this.
• Some kids like playing games, but do not enjoy the commitment to practices, extra training, travel, and all the other responsibilities that often come with being an athlete – in fact, the child may even be experiencing sports burnout.
• Some kids feel as though the time commitment with sports take away time they might have devoted to other things, like academics, other activities, and social endeavors.
• Some kids don’t “connect” with their sports friends, and would rather spend their time with their friends who might not be involved in sports.
• Some kids do not enjoy all the intensity around sports these days – in other words, they like playing the sport, but don’t like how it feels like a job to them because of all the outside expectations by others.

Kids who don’t enjoy playing sports (even if they are good at them) are not good or bad, right or wrong.  Just like how we as adults like to do some things and don’t like others, kids are the same — and in some cases kids show a natural talent toward something, yet have little interest in the activity.

Of course, a little parental coaxing to get a kid to have more fun playing a sport isn’t a bad thing, but be careful to not push too hard, or to continue signing your kid up for sports if it’s clear he doesn’t want to play.  While it might not be the easiest thing to do, it’s almost always a better move to work with your child on future decisions rather than continue pushing him because he has an above-average athletic talent.

Sport Success 360 is a great tool to use when helping provide your child with the best sports experience possible – pick up your copy today!

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If you were thirsty, would you eat a piece of bread?

If your feet hurt, would you buy a new shirt?

If you didn’t have much money, would you go out and spend more money?

In all of the examples above I have given silly potential “solutions” for the problems that were presented — obviously none of the answers provided make any logical sense.  There is a sports connection in these examples, however, and one that applies specifically to the question millions of athletes face nearly every day of their lives.

“If I struggle with mental toughness, then I should do _______ to fix the problem.”

Ironically, what people put in the blank is as varied as there are people who compete in sports — and in the vast majority of cases, the “solutions” they come up with work just about as effectively as eating a piece of bread when you are thristy.

In other words, the solutions most people come up with when it comes to mental toughness don’t work.

Common Errors

When it comes to mental toughness, loosely defined as an athlete’s ability to develop self confidence, improve focus, and strengthen resiliency, I can provide a short laundry list of common things people do that simply do not work:

• Practice more. Sure, more practice is usually a good thing when it comes to skill improvement, but if you think simply increasing practice time in an empty gym will help an athlete better perform under pressure in front of thousands of people you are likely mistaken.  As we all know, practicing alone is not a “pressure” situation, so the challenge of performing in front of crowds will not improve by just adding more practice time.
• Yell at the athlete. Usually after seeing an athlete choke enough times most coaches will eventually respond with some kind of heated verbal communication – which can be encouraging or belittling.  Sure, this might get a kid’s attention, but it does nothing to teach him how to improve his confidence the next time he is called upon to help his team.
• Try any and all unorthodox ways to magically help the athlete improve mental toughness. Rather than obtain authentic sport psychology mental skills training, some coaches and parents will resort to literally anything for some kind of a magical answer, including hypnosis, energy drinks, power bracelets, and just about any other new craze or fad that sounds good.

What’s really interesting about this discussion around improving mental toughness is that the overwhelming majority of athletes today (especially youth and interscholastic athletes) regularly experience challenges when it comes to confidence, motivation, focus, and resiliency — yet only a small fraction of these athletes are able to actually find (and use) good sport psychology-based scietific training that specifically address these concerns!

So if your feet hurt, would you buy a new shirt?  Of course not — but that’s exactly what you are doing if you think your son will magically all of a sudden learn how to control his emotions by simply having him shoot 100 more times in an empty gym.  In this example, the extra shooting might help his hand-eye coordination, but it will do little, if anything, for how he responds negatively when he misses shots in games.

Why Mental Toughness Matters!

What’s even more interesting about the concern of improving mental toughness is how invaluable it is as it applies to athletic proficiency and success.  Without perfect mind-body synchrony (that can only be achieved by controlling arousal, attention, and focus), thousands of athletes each day perform below their capabilities not because of their potential talent, but rather their inability to successfully improve their mental toughness!

If you are a coach or parent of an athlete, have you witnessed mental breakdowns, “choking,” struggles with anxiety, anger outbursts, or athletes who perform much better in practice than they do in games?  If you answered yes to any of these, what have you done to help improve the situation?  Did you pick up a piece of bread when in fact you needed something to drink? If you told the kid to “practice more” or to start wearing a power bracelet, in essence, you did.

Help the kids you coach and parent with their mental toughness by checking out our entire line of sport performance products, only at Advanced Human Performance Systems

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