MOST UNDER-RATED QUALITY IN SPORT

IT'S THE ONE SIMPLE THING YOU MIGHT NOT BE DOING ENOUGH TO BE COMPETING AT YOUR BEST...

Dr. Randy Pausch, the American professor who wrote "The Last Lecture" as he was dealing with the cancer which took his life, said" "Never EVER underestimate the importance of having fun!"

I was recently watching the famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang on TV and noticed that during the entire performance a smile never left his face.

It is of course true that - unlike in sports - a musician has nearly complete control over the situation. But when you look at the facial expressions of so many athletes in their most demanding moments, consider what retired tennis champion Andre Agassi said in reponse to an interviewer who asked him what he would say to himself to remain competitive if he found himself in the 5th and deciding set of a match down five games to love. Agassi replied: "I would be thinking, 'THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE I WOULD RATHER BE.' "

No matter what is happening at the moment, making the mental shift in competition to having fun and treasuring the moment can make all the difference.

I was working with a college athlete who I used to tell after games, "You don't look like you're having fun out there." Although he was a gifted athlete he was not performing to the full extent of his talents. Once he took this to heard and started having more fun it made a real difference in his game. He finished his college career as a Division 2 second team All-American.

So in your next competition, you might want to ask yourself if you are having fun. IT JUST MIGHT MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE.

MORE CONSISTENT CONFIDENCE, Part 1

William is a volleyball player who had a very successful college career and is now beginning the next chapter as a professional player with a European club. William had read my blog entry about Simon, a basketball player also just starting his pro career.  (Click here for that article)
With his own season just getting underway, William contacted me. This is what he had to say:

I think I am in a similar situation as Simon. Since arriving here I've felt less and less confident with my attacking and it's something I struggle with every practice. For example, whenever I am given a set I have a sudden uncertainty in myself to put the ball away on the other side of the net. I have found myself making more errors, hitting the ball into the net or several feet out of bounds.

It's a very strange feeling that comes over me as soon as I jump and leave the ground to attack the ball. A million things rush through my head at once, and the more times throughout practice or in a match that I fail at attacking, the less confident I get, until I've dug myself in such a deep hole that I make mistake after mistake. I've read many articles on mental toughness, but it always feels useless once I'm actually in the moment right before I attack the ball.

You said that a million things rush through your head. Can you describe one or two of them?

I'll tell myself to contact the ball high, swing deep, I'm looking at where the block is, trying to find the holes in it to hit through, telling myself to just put the ball in, be aggressive and swing away, don't make a mistake.

These are all good self-instructions.  But for you it becomes a problem.

There are a lot of important things that a hitter needs to practice in order to be proficient. But all of those things seem to be a distraction at this point.

If I think back to some of my earlier days in college, I don't remember ever thinking of those things. I just played and I was successful. Now I'm just worrying about all those factors. I think I am afraid to fail and be taken out of the game.  I may tell myself I'm not worried and tell others that I'm nor worried, but maybe that is the case right now.

What things are different now that might be causing this situation?

Well now that I am playing at a higher level I am putting more pressure on myself.  And I might be trying to earn the approval of my new teammates and coaches by succeeding in my position.

Didn't you put pressure on yourself in college?

That's the thing. I definitely did. If anything I should place less pressure on myself now. In college I had my best friends, my girlfriend, lots of school buddies, and my family all watching my matches. Now that I am in Europe none of them are watching or knowing how I am doing other that what I tell them.  Maybe I just had more fun back then, and I didn't get stressed when I failed. Or maybe I didn't feel as judged by my peers at school.

Click here  for Part 2.

MORE CONSISTENT CONFIDENCE Part 2

William, the first year professional volleyball player (from Part 1 of this post) wanted to shift his mindset from one of FEAR (of making a mistake) to one of FUN, which would allow him to be more aggressive and likely more successful in his game.  He came up with the thought "I may make a mistake (like hitting the ball into the net or out of bounds) but I'm still here to have fun."

I shared with him that the greater his conviction in saying this sentence to himself the more likely it would be to help him shift his mindset.

"I do think that having fun is the first thought that comes to mind because I have always told myself it's just a game so have fun. But now volleyball has become more than a game to me, it is my job - my life. So if I can convince myself of the truth of that phrase before each play or before I serve, I will give myself less to fear and be happier regardless of the result?

Yes ... but it's not really so much IF you can convince yourself of the truth of that or any particular phrase as much as trying to figure out what phrase you hear yourself saying to complete that sentence when you basically clear your mind - rather than trying to "force" any particular ending.

Still, that is the first thought that came to mind for you, so it may not be so much you have to convince yourself as much as let yourself identify with this idea.

If you are looking to be playing volleyball professionally for some years, then if you are not having fun it will be a rather stressful journey! Do you think you can see yourself having fun in a way that will remove a good part of the pressure yet still focus on the demands of this career path?

If I am not successful then it will be a struggle.

It is natural to equate success with fun. In general when we are not good at something it is not fun for us and we lose interest. That being said, I would challenge you to re-think what success means for you at this point in time.

I guess I've indentified success in volleyball with winning. I've always had the "go-to" guy role on my high school and college teams. And I've proven effective as that person in the past. So when I'm not leading the team in points I feel as though I have let both myself and my team down.

I can certainly understand that.  Let's just widen the picture a bit. Can you think of some additional aspect of success that isn't tied to whether you win or lose.  After all, not even the best teams win ALL the time. That doesn't necessarily make them "losers" the other times (except in the technical sense of having lost that particular match).

Well, I feel I have succeeded when I have peace of mind in knowing I performed to the best that I am capable of. If I am contenct with the output of my performance on the court that day, then (and probably only then) was it a success.

So you could have a match where you gave the best you had and even if your team lost you could consider it a personal success.

In that respect yes.

And do you generally have a good feel after each match if you performed to the best or your ability?

I do.

So returning to what we were saying about "I may make a mistake but I am here to have fun," don't you think that if you focus on giving your best effort as ONE important measure of success then you can tie that with having fun?

Yes, I could definitely do that.

And perhaps you could sometimes just say to yourself "I may make a mistake but I am here to give my best effort, which will include some mistakes."

That being said, you could also add as a goal GIVING YOUR BEST EFFORT TO TRUST YOURSELF more than you are doing at the moment, because now you are second guessing yourself or otherwise driven by fear of making a mistake. ***

With this in mind, I have two specific action steps to suggest to you. The first is to track after each match you well you are doing in giving your best effort and trusting yourself, and giving yourself a score from 1-100 on each of those, and also writing 1-2 sentences describing what you did or didn't do that you based this score on. 

The second thing is to find a way in practices to work on being able to trust yourself more, at the same time that you are woking on the technical parts of your game. In other words, having a MENTAL training goal as well as the PHYSICAL goals your have for practice.

If you follow through on these ideas I believe you will start to see a difference in your situation.

Thanks!! I am positive that I can start to feel less pressure. This has been very insightful for me and I really appreciate it.

*** (See "When the Pressure is on Which Will Triumph: Fear or Trust?"

VISUALIZATION: NOW THAT'S USING YOUR HEAD!!!

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MIND AND BODY TO PLAY YOUR BEST

    A player with 3 years' experience playing professional recently contacted me with the following question:

    “I would like to use visualization in my mental approach.  I have tried it before a bit but would like to improve on this and become more consistent with it.  Do I visualize myself doing drills and such - or do I try to picture game situations and actual play? How often should I visualize? And for how long?”

ANSWER:

   First, keep in mind the goal of visualization – which is to recreate or imagine in your mind an actual experience you have had or might possibly have on the court. The benefit of this experience is to improve and strengthen your physical skills by building stronger connections between the mind and the body … between the PHYSICAL and the MENTAL.

  Next, what is it that you want to improve?

  For example - a player who has been doing drills every day to get better in some part of his game could visualize doing the same drills in his mind.  As he does this, he could notice what is happening when he does this drill in his mind. Does it feel like it flows well or is there hesitation? Does it feel like he is getting it precisely or that he is struggling a bit.  After doing this a few times – he will get a good idea of WHAT HE NEEDS TO DO to get that move or play just right.

The next step is what we call MASTERY – that is, doing the drill over and over in his mind with the proper moves, timing, and feel of his body.  There is research that athletes who use visualization in this way ALONG WITH doing the drill itself in the gym perform better than players who ONLY do the drill itself without spending time using visualization.

   A player can also use visualization for actual games. One very effective thing a player could do the day before a game or the morning of the game is to picture certain situations that might come up and see himself making successful moves to pass, score or block in BEST FORM.

   He might use visualization with regard to MISTAKES made in previous games – seeing what he did wrong - then “rewinding the tape” to the moment just before he made the mistake, and then picture executing better moves this time. Doing this a few times can really help a player LEARN FROM HIS MISTAKES  (or missed shots, missed rebounds or missed defensive moves) and IMPROVE HIS LEVEL OF PLAY.

   Another use for visualization is to picture various situations where he wanted to work on RESPONDING and DECISION MAKING in various situations, seeing himself  making STRONG MOVES and FEELING CONFIDENT and IN CONTROL.

   The value of visualization might be seen in the fact that over 90% of Olympic athletes report routinely using visualization in their quest for an Olympic medal. Athletes who use visualization with consistency report improving such things as going strong to the hoop, feeling confident in being able to outplay their defender, and quickly finding their game rhythm when they are on the floor.

KEEPING PERSPECTIVE IN SPORT AND LIFE

  Few of us live our lives free of adversity, challenges and disappointments. Likewise, few athletes compete without adversity, challenges and disappointments.  Two thousand years ago, a philosopher and sports enthusiast named Philo who lived in Alexandria Egypt, wrote the following words: "It rarely happens that God allows a man to run life's race from start to finish without stumbling or falling, and to escape fouls by rushing past them with a sudden and violent burst of speed."    

 A mark of champions is their ability to face those challenges and disappointments in such a way that they are able to rebound from them and resume a spirit marked by energetic enthusiasm and a competitive attitude.  

  The following parable offers an insight into that wisdom...

   IN THE COURT OF KING SOLOMON there served a loyal officer named Joseph, who took upon himself any task that was required to minister to his master.  Often he could be heard bragging to the others: “There is no assignment the king could ask of me that I would be unable to fulfill.”

   When word of this reached the king, he thought to put the braggart Joseph to the test.  He decided to ask Joseph to fetch him an item that did not exist!

   Summoning Joseph to the royal chambers, King Solomon said to him:  “There is a ring that I have had my heart set on owning for some time.  It is a special ring that can make a sad person happy, and yet make a happy person sad.   I want you to find this ring and bring it back to me within the next 6 months.

   Joseph accepted his assignment eagerly.  First he went to the camel traders, certain that in their journeys across the deserts, one of them would have surely come across such a ring.  But, alas, none of them had knowledge of such a treasure.  So he turned to the seafarers, hoping that in their voyages to far off lands, one of them might have knowledge of this fantastic ring.  But none of them were of any help to him, either.

   SO JOSEPH DECIDED that he would have to go off in search of this special ring himself.  He traveled from country to country, from bazaar to bazaar, but nowhere was he able to find the ring he had been asked to locate.  Nevertheless, the knowledge that his king depended on him to fulfill this mission kept him devoted to the task.

   Month followed month, and after Joseph’s searches brought him no success, he arrived at yet another country, yet another bazaar, at yet another jeweler’s stall.  Here he found a young lad, and asked him, as he had so many others, if he knew perhaps of a ring such as the one he had been assigned to bring back.  Hoping against hope that the lad might offer encouraging words, he learned that the boy knew of no such ring.  Deeply disappointed by the news, and with the six months coming to a rapid close, Joseph turned to leave the shop when the boy’s grandfather, who had overheard the conversation, came forth and said, “I know of such a ring that truly has the power to make a sad man happy, and make a happy man sad.  Wait here and I shall produce it for you.”

   AS JOSEPH WAITED with great anticipation, the old man went into the back room of his shop, took a simple gold band, and inscribed something on the inside of the ring.  This he then brought it out to Joseph.

   Joseph examined the ring, smiled, and said, “Yes, this is certainly the ring I have been looking for!”

   Upon his return to Jerusalem, Joseph proceeded to the palace of Solomon.  When the king asked if Joseph had succeeded in his task, imagine his shock when Joseph replied that indeed, he had located the ring as requested of him.

   He handed the ring to the king.  As the king examined it, a strange expression came over his face, for he was reminded that both his greatest accomplishments and his deepest sorrows were but fleeting occurrences.

   “Yes,” said Solomon, “this is truly a ring that has the power to make a sad man happy and a happy man sad.”  For what was written on the ring were the words: THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS.

   The king put the ring on, and wore it from that day forward.  And every time he felt sad or depressed, he would look at the ring, whereupon his mood would change and good cheer would come to him.

                                © 2017 by Dr. Mitch Smith, Certified Sport Psychology Consultant