Mental Jumping Jacks

Athletes are familiar with warming up before a game or competition. They run, stretch and perform drills to get their physical bodies ready. Most mistakes, however, are mental and are a direct result of mental tightness before game time. While it is important to physically warm up, failing to prepare your mind results in mental mistakes during competition, especially in the beginning. Athletes and coaches must learn and perform "mental calisthenics" before games to make certain their mental motors are as primed as their bodies.

Get Off to a Great Start
Every athlete and coach knows that getting off to a quick start in competition means a rapid increase in confidence and an edge over opponents. It does not always guarantee success, but it dramatically improves the likelihood of it. If you look at sport statistics, there is a higher win percentage among athletes and teams who take a quick lead. Don't ever underestimate the importance of getting off to a great start - it sets the tone for the rest of the game, week, season and year.

Mentally Stretch Before Bedtime & On the Morning of Competition
Although mental training must be performed throughout the week, the night before and morning of competition is a critical time for mental preparation. Athletes must practice visualization during these times and get their minds in the right place to compete. They may see themselves executing skills, implementing the game plan, or remaining relaxed when under pressure. For example, a tennis player will see great serves right from the beginning; a quarterback will imagine perfect passes in the first series; or a basketball player will picture being an aggressive defender. Athletes' skills are set the day before competition; the only remaining factor is mental. Make sure it is ready.

Perform Mental Jumping Jacks During Physical Warm-UpWhen athletes are going through physical warm-up before games, they should be mentally preparing as well. The mental warm-up needs to be just as efficient and routine as the physical one. Yet many athletes fail to warm up their minds and forget that the majority of their mistakes will be mental ones. Athletes must be thinking about their role, visualizing success, and simplifying the thought process for competition. They need to write their cue word and begin to hone their mental state. For example, baseball players must think about their first at bat, basketball players their first five minutes of defense, golfers must play the first three holes on the range, and tennis players serve out the first game during warm up. These mental calisthenics make certain that athletes' minds are as ready as their bodies.

Play Smart, Play Hard, Play Well!

Book of the Month

According to The Power of Story: Change Your Story, Change Your Destiny in Business and in Life , each person has a story they tell themselves about themselves, which is often flawed and misunderstood by the conscious mind telling it. Loehr shows how these stories define our reality and shows us how to rewrite them and fix ours stories gone awry.

Athletes Have Mental Health Issues Too!

Because we see athletes in the media as bigger than life, we also tend to view them as super human and devoid of problems. Just recently, illegal behaviors have surfaced among some high-profile athletes. Athletes in trouble with the law is certainly not breaking news, but it is important to understand that many times mental health issues drive these behaviors. Although criminal activity may be recent, mental health issues have been there all along, sometimes for many years.


High-level athletes – professional, college, high school and youth - are viewed with such god-like qualities that we often forget they are human beings. This does not excuse their illegal and/or inappropriate behaviors, but it is important to realize that athletes and coaches – no matter how talented – possess mental health issues. The field of sport psychology has been expanding its focus in the "clinical" area, in which mental health and personal problems among athletes and coaches are being addressed. Some of the issues include depression, anxiety, burnout, career transition, marital and family problems, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse and anger management just to name a few. As one can notice, however, these are common problems faced by millions of people throughout the world every day, not just athletes. Thus, because athletes possess incredible physical skill does not make them immune to depression, anxiety or a host of other emotionally-related challenges.

Mental health issues are frequently ignored by athletes and coaches because of the stigma being attached to "having a problem" or "seeing a shrink." "Having issues" is viewed as a sign of weakness, and weakness has no place in sports. Although greater acceptance of emotional problems exists in society today, it is not so in athletics. Sports are about winning, success, and not showing weakness. The problem with this mentality, however, is that athletes and coaches ignore mental health issues, and as a result, they grow like bacteria and become worse. Their mental health issues do not go away, and only continue to become worse in most cases. Anytime an emotional difficulty worsens, problematic behaviors resulting from that issue can become more severe. But it is the same with non-athletes – if they struggle with depression or anger management and do not address it, the problem only grows worse and can result in more severe and frequent inappropriate and/or illegal behaviors.

Thus, coaches, athletes and society need to realize that mental health issues are common and not a sign of weakness. In fact, it takes far more courage to address emotional issues than it does to ignore them – talk about strength in athletics! We all need to realize the mental health issues have always been and will always be a part of the human condition, including high-level athletes.

Are You Committed?

The level of commitment you possess and display as an athlete is directly related to your amount of success. All athletes like to think of themselves as committed, dedicated, and willing to do what it takes to succeed. The fact is, however, most athletes are not as committed as they would like to believe. In this article, is it your job to honestly assess whether you are truly showing commitment when it comes to your sport.

"Committed" athletes are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful despite the obstacles. They are dedicated to success above all else and are not deterred in the face of adversity. You may think this is you, but keep reading...Another type of athlete is the "committed until" athlete. They usually do not go to all lengths to be successful, especially where their ego is involved. These athletes show intense dedication, but back down when things do not go their way. They are committed "until" they do not getting the starting position; committed "until" they do not get the minutes they think they deserve; committed "until" one of their teammates calls them out; committed "until" their role on the team is not what they want. Get the picture?

Now that you know the difference, right now, are you a "committed" athlete or "committed until" athlete? It is critical to be honest. Without honesty you will not improve.

It is hard to be a "committed" athlete and we all fall short at times, but you can take the first step today to make the commitment to be committed. This is difficult in the same way that marriage is difficult - you pledge "commitment" no matter what you might face. Unfortunately, many marriages fail because individuals are "committed until" people - committed "until" the pain is too great; committed "until" their partner is not who they thought; committed "until" their partner does not make enough money; committed "until" their partner is not as neat as they want. The list of "untils" goes on and on. 

To be successful, make the commitment to be committed. End of story. To help you remember what commitment looks like, here is a breakdown of what to look for:

Committed Athlete

Dedicated at all costs

Commit to team mission

Commit even when ego bruised

Commit despite pain

Committed Until

Dedicated until not getting what they want

Committed to self over team

Commit only on their terms

Commit only when convenient

Play Smart, Play Hard, Play Well!

What is Your Athletic Vision?

Successful athletes and coaches have a clear vision. This statement is probably not surprising. However, there is a special distinction in the vision of the most elite performers - their vision is not only clear, but they take ownership of it. Anyone can have a dream, but most are afraid to own it because there is a real risk involved in doing so. In owning your goal, you are declaring and acting in a manner in which you are accepting responsibility for the outcome of your goal - for better or worse. You are willing to make mistakes and look the fool, and yes, even in the end, not achieve your vision. But it is inevitable that if you do not take ownership of your vision, you will never accomplish it.
Now is that time of year when many coaches and athletes begin think hard about their goals, and it is now that you have the opportunity to ensure you are not one of those individuals, who, at this time next year sits in regret thinking of what you did not do. So get off your butt and make it happen! Here are some important keys to remember:

1. Find and prioritize your vision - reflect and decide the vision most important to you, the dream or goal that makes your heart beat.

2. Take ownership of your vision - make it clear and vivid. Write it down and share it with important others. If you vision is like a 55-inch High Definition Plasma TV, then you got it. If not, get back to the drawing board and make it clear.

3. Address self-doubts or fears about your vision. Do not run from fear and doubts - bring them into the light and embrace them.

4. Act and behave in ways required to achieve your vision. There are certain things you must do even though they involve risk.

5. Enjoy the ride!

Play Smart, Play Hard, Play Well!

Sports at Christmas Time Can Hurt Family Connections

    The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy, love and family closeness, but that is not always the case as many of us realize. Families at this time of year can be a blessing and a curse. It is a time of getting together, eating, drinking and being merry. But it can also be a time where togetherness brings up resentments and past hurts. And then add sports into the mix – they can be a cause for celebration, but also a way to avoid communication, maintain emotional distance, and reduce opportunities for love and openness.
   
    Sports are a part of the daily world. I should know – I am a sport psychologist. I do sports for a living. At this time, however, I am left with the question of how sports can be a detriment for families during the holidays. Professional sports are on television during the two "big" days of this holiday season. Many times, instead of talking and sharing with people you have not seen or just spending quality time with people you see regularly, the world of sports takes center stage on the 55 inch flat panel television. Even youth athletics get into the picture with many parents traveling to their child's sporting events on Christmas Day.
   
    Can we give sports a break for even one day? Maybe your family truly enjoys sports during these times and is healthier in functioning, but for numerous people, televised sports is a barrier to healthy family connection and communication (television creates this same block every single day of the year for families, but when is there a good time to communicate and connect if not during this time of year?). I myself will be with family during this time of year and sports will be on the television, but it will be in the background and not center stage. This needs to be a time of connection, not disconnection. I am not suggesting having family therapy, just spending time truly together. I know this can be difficult as television helps to avoid the "pink elephant in the room," but think about connecting – it is closeness with others that is continuously the number one thing that makes people happiest – not money, fame, power or sports.

Sports and Christmas – To Consider

1. Use this time to connect with family, not avoid or block. Sports are easy distractions, but they are on television every single day of the year. Think about giving them a break altogether.

2. Plan games and activities where eye contact and communication are more likely. It may be best to even turn off the television all together.

3. Balance – it is okay to watch sports during these days, but keep your time in check – balance your sports watching with CLOSE human interaction.

4. Step out of your comfort zone – connecting with family can be challenging, but anything valuable usually requires some hard work.

5. Reward – making a positive emotional connection with someone is far more rewarding that any sporting event could ever be.

Sidestepping Common Goal-Setting Mistakes - "Sports Psychology for Dummies" #4

In the last Sports Psychology for Dummies post, (#3), goal setting was discussed. This is an important aspect of increasing mental toughness and athletic performance. However, many individuals encounter problems when setting goals, and four problems in particular seem to be the most common. In order to set effective goals, as previously mentioned, these tips are especially helpful in sidestepping common goal-setting mistakes;

• Setting too many goals: When you set too many goals, in usually results in an inability to accomplish any of them. All of these goals may motivate you and make sense, but too many goals at one time confuses the brain and diffuses energy. Opt to choose the goals that are most important and/or relevant for you and tackle them each in turn. Master one, move on to the next. Avoid trying to accomplish four or five goals at once.

• Failing to set process goals: Setting outcome goals like winning the championship or achieving a certain number of assists is fun, but process goals are the way we make our outcome goals a reality. Process goals, the goals that give us the best chance of reaching our outcome goals, should be the primary focus. If they aren't the desired outcomes simply won't happen.

• Leaving your goals in a drawer: While loads of athletes take the time to set good process and outcome goals, if they fade in to the background once the season begins, they are useless. When you lose focus on the set goals, the chances of accomplishing them are seriously slim. Goals must be a living, breathing part of the individual and team mission. They must be tended to, monitored, adjusted as needed, and revisited at least once a week. Don't lose sight of what you are working so hard for.

• Focusing too much on ego and not enough on mastery: Focusing on ego goals, like the outcome goal of winning, takes vital time away from focusing on mastery goals, or those goals that are all about improving skill and performance, regardless of the outcome. When you focus on mastery goals, you get continually better, even if it doesn't result in a win. These improvements are quantifiable and with this sort of success, the wins are bound to follow! 

For more information on this topic, see chapter three of the book Sports Psychology for Dummies or call me at The Athletic Mind Institute, http://www.athleticmindinstitute.com/.