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.
All athletes know that mental toughness is largely dependent on self-confidence, and that when confidence is high, athletic success almost always follows (Sport Success 360). It is for this reason that it is important for athletes to develop their self-confidence – but how do athletes actually improve their self-confidence? Unfortunately, it doesn’t usually happen in a moment’s notice by simply saying “I’m confident,” but instead happens over time by developing a solid training program based on the following three principles:
1. Set goals. Confidence increases dramatically when we can actually see our progress, and when we set and achieve goals it gives us tangible evidence that we are improving. When we see improvement, it automatically boosts our self-confidence. Every athlete who is serious about improving their athletic abilities needs to set specific, measurable, controllable goals that are drafted in a way that lists long-, mid-, short-, and daily-goals.
2. Reinforce effort. Sometimes athletic goals are not reached, but it is equally important to reinforce the effort put toward the goals nonetheless. In fact, shaping sports behaviors largely depends on reinforcing efforts, with the idea that if we continue to put in the work we will eventually reap the rewards from our labor. Parents and coaches can help with this by making it a point to heartily praise hard work and effort, and reminding young athletes of the importance of motivation and perseverance and how these traits help with eventual goal attainment (and sports success).
3. Use constructive feedback. Most coaches are really good about providing feedback and instruction, making it important for athletes to temper their emotions during tough times and instead refocus on becoming a terrific “student of the game.” While feedback can sometimes bruise our ego, it can also serve as a road map and template for what we need to do in order to get better. Therefore, it behooves athletes to solicit feedback from their coaches and work the teachings into their everyday training schedule.
Of course, there are more ways to build self-confidence and mental toughness than just the three tips provided above, but setting goals, reinforcing effort, and soliciting constructive feedback will certainly help athletes in very big ways. Sport psychology studies regularly show that when self-confidence increases, so does focus, motivation, and resiliency — all things that lead to maximizing athletic potential.
Learn more about the importance of self-confidence (as well as many more skills that can help with athletic performance) by checking out Mind of Steel today!
Sport Success 360 is the premier sport education system on the market today, designed to provide coaches, parents, and student athletes with key information pertaining to today’s commonly experienced problems, issues, and trends in youth and interscholastic sports. Whether its youth sport burnout, dealing with irate parents, playing time, travel leagues, or the decision around sport specialization vs. sampling, Sport Success 360 delivers professional advice designed to help kids use sports as a vehicle for life success. Improve the sports safety at your league or school by delivering easy-to-understand tips and advice specific to coaches, student athletes, and parents – providing the “360″ advantage!
Benefits of Sport Success 360
Visit Sport Success 360 today and watch the short demo to learn more about individual purchases as well as school/league licensing. Do your part to help the kids in your league or sport organization have a safe, fun, and meaningful athletic experience – check out Sport Success 360 today!
Sport psychologists often recommend that athletes develop their own cue word to help with in-game focus, motivation, and resiliency (Sport Success 360). Sometimes action words are used (like “explode” or “dominate”), while other times acronyms are developed that have unique meaning to the athlete (like “WS” standing for “win state”). Cue words can also be instructional, like using the letters “R-S-F”) to stand for “ready-set-fire,” something a pitcher in baseball or softball might use to help with the focus needed to make a successful pitch. Finally, some athletes develop cue words that are merely reminders of important people, places, or events in their lives that they have attached important meaning to — like playing a season in honor of a recently deceased loved one.
While cue words might seem to some to be nothing more than a waste of time, they can actually be incredibly effective and very worth the effort. One reason for this is that our minds cannot simultaneously think of two things at the same time. For example, it’s impossible for an athlete to think about the fans getting on his back when he is devoting his concentration to his cue word. Cue words are also helpful as they often serve as mini reminders of what to do — in the case of the pitcher example, “ready-set-fire” can be conditioned to muscle memory in practice situations and later used as a trigger during games.
Cue words can also help with resiliency by serving as a reminder to be strong (in fact, using the word “strength” is one way to focus on being tough in frustrating situations).
Once an athlete develops a unique cue word, it is important to write the cue word in places that will be regularly seen — like a locker, piece of equipment, or even a body part (like the hands). Cue words lose their value when they are not used in competitive situations, hence the importance of them being readily available by being written in observable places.
If you are an athlete, work on developing your own unique cue word and use it every time you go out to compete. Soon enough, you will see how the word automatically helps you improve your focus, motivation, and resiliency — three keys to maximizing athletic potential!
Learn more about cue words and other scientifically proven sport psychology mental training skills that help with athletic performance by checking out the AHPS product line and sport performance apps!
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:
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:
Take your game to the next level – check out Mind of Steel today!
I am very fortunate that I have had the opportunity to work one-on-one with many amazing athletes during the course of my career, and from those experiences I can emphatically state that in the vast majority of cases the success these athletes accomplished did not happen as a result of casual efforts, but instead due to a lot of hard work, mental toughness, and perseverance. Similarly, I have also been lucky to teach many college psychology courses over the years, and again, the most successful students I have had in class weren’t “naturally gifted,” but instead the hardest workers in class. Are you starting to see a connection here?
Nature v. Nurture
Often we make the mistake of attributing the success seen in others (athletes, students, etc.) to their natural abilities, and while genetics certainly do contribute to our abilities, it’s actually the work we put in that matters the most. In sports, some athletes do have an advantage over others because of their natural size, speed, or strength — but if they rely exclusively on those gifts and do not put in the work needed to continually improve, it’s very likely they will “max out” early in life and fall short of reaching their full potential. Conversely, and perhaps more interestingly, athletes who are average in natural abilities – but develop a strong work ethic and mental toughness – often make up for their average physical abilities through their motivation and effort.
Excellence in the classroom is really no different — simply having natural abilities in math, science, or foreign language will only take a person so far without putting in the work needed to continue to excel. Most students can only “show up” for so long before being awakened to the fact that if you want to acheive excellence, it won’t happen through casual efforts.
We often do not see all the extra time, work, and effort great athletes, students, and business people put into their craft that allows them to become the best. Instead, we tend to overlook or ignore all of these efforts, and falsely assume these people had God-given natural abilities that lead to their success.
The Value of a Strong Work Ethic
In my direct experience working with many outstanding athletes, as well as everyday people, the common denominator to their success has always been a strong work ethic. These are the people who are first to practice and the last to leave — and they are the most resilient when it comes to dealing with stress, frustration, adversity, and failure. They really don’t have as many natural advantages over the competition as you might think. Instead, they simply want it more.
Yes, it really is the “blood, sweat, and tears” that is at the core of champions, or everyday people who seem to excel at whatever it is they do. The reality is there is no substitute for hard work, and our natural abilities can compensate for causal work efforts for only so long. The good news, however, is that a strong work ethic will not only level the playing field, but it can actually lead to even greater success when compared to the individual with the natural talent but a minimal work ethic.
Find passion and purpose in what you do, and develop a conviction toward your future success. If you do, you will be amazed at how quickly things change for the better in your life, and how these positive changes will be a result of the efforts you put into your craft.
Having had the great fortune of teaching, counseling, and mentoring literally thousands of athletes in my career, one of the toughest things for me to watch is when an athletic career ends and the athlete (now former athlete) overlooks or disregards the importance of parlaying the athletic experience into new life endeavors and success. More simply, while some athletes use the athletic experience for future life success, far too many others compartmentalize the athletic experience and ultimately do not use it to get ahead in life (AHPS).
There are a few truths that every athlete should think about:
1. Every athletic career will eventually end
2. During this transition the athlete will need to decide how much he or she will cull from his or her previous athletic experiences and apply to future life experiences (including career)
3. Athletic transferable skills, or the skills learned in sports that can be transferred throughout life, are there for every athlete to use and help with future life success
Unfortunately, and likely because the sport retirement transition is often abrupt and unpleasant, the majority of former athletes miss out on the real value of sport participation — that is, to learn invaluable life skills that will help across every life domain, including interpersonal relationships, academics, and career. In other words, sports can serve as a vehicle for future success, rather than an experience that ends when the athlete has played his or her final game.
The point is to remind you to help remind your kids or the kids you coach that the sport experience is actually a “first step” on the road of life, and one that can help trampoline kids into really great future life success! In order for kids to learn this, we must be overt and direct with our teachings and praise, and help kids actively learn the many sport-life connections.
When young people realize that they already have many tools in their possession that will help them in the big picture of life (i.e. athletic transferable skills like motivation, resiliency, focus, developing mental toughness under pressure, and working successfully with teammates), only then will their sport retirement transition become a facilitating step in their life, as opposed to a debilitating one.
You can learn more about the sport retirement transition, as well as how to use athletic transferable skills by checking out Sport Success 360, or The Parents Playbook!
Players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care
That quote is one that has been around for a long time, although the author of it is in question (I have seen it attributed to a number of different people). Regardless of who first coined the phrase, it’s one that every coach should think about when developing their own unique coaching philosophy (Sport Success 360). Borrowing from the field of sport psychology, it’s clear that when players feel respected they are far more apt to pay attention to the coach, and they increase their motivation and mental toughness as a result.
Think about it for a moment – people care a lot less about your knowledge in most cases than they do your authenticity and true intentions. Similar to how we often hear the music before we take in the lyrics of a song, human beings more quickly “tune in” to see if you have their better interest in mind before they make an appraisal of your knowledge base.
Some coaches are masterminds of the X’s and O’s, but don’t seem to “connect” with their players. Other coaches, however, might be light on the strategies of coaching, but terrific at building strong relationships with players on the team – often propelling them to believe in themselves and reach new athletic heights as a result.
How a coach builds rapport with his players is a unique experience, but if he has genuine and true intentions the steps needed to do this really don’t need to be scripted. What I mean by this is that as human beings, it seems we have a built-in homing device when it comes insincere communication. With that said, coaches who truly believe in their players don’t really have to do anything except be their genuine, caring selves.
Developing plays and running practice drills are certainly important, but perhaps the biggest job for any coach is to build the trust necessary for his players to believe in him, and more importantly, through that coach-player relationship come to believe in themselves. It is in these moments where players will push out another set in the weight room, run another lap on the track, and study a few more minutes of film. Players who believe in their coach increase personal motivation, have more fun playing, and develop mental toughness for when times are tough.
Think about the significance of developing strong interpersonal relationships with the players you coach and watch how your team blossoms – if you need some help, check out our popular “Peak Performance for Coaches”audio pro0gram!
Winning the Mental Moments is an instructional video produced by Championship Productions designed to help athletes of all ages and skill levels improve their mental toughness. Dr. Stankovich discusses a number of sport psychology training skills, including ways to increase self-confidence, improve resiliency, and set specific goals for the future. Pick up your copy today and learn how to take your game to the next level!
One of the most challenging duties a coach is faced with is keeping his team upbeat, positive, motivated, and optimistic after losing a game (or enduring a losing streak). Coaching is a lot easier when the team is winning, but what about the times where the team is dejected, frustrated, and with little confidence for the future (Sport Success 360)? It is in these moments that the overall success of a coach is often measured.
I have always liked the saying “forewarned is forearmed,” with the implication that if we have a good idea of what is ahead we can responsibly prepare for the experience. In sports, it is inevitable that you will lose, so it is important for coaches to think ahead about the strategies that might be considered when dealing with dejected players who seem to have lost their hope and confidence for future team success. By spending a few minutes thinking ahead of time how to handle these types of situations, the likelihood for a faster bounce-back increases dramatically – as does the team’s resiliency and chances for future success.
As with most things in life, the way a coach handles defeat with his team is about as unique as each coach and his players. Still, there are a few important aspects of team dynamics as they relate to future team success that are worth considering, including the following:
To learn more about effective strategies for coaching kids, check out our popular audio Peak Performance for Youth Sport Coaches
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