Maximizing Sports Performance Through Mental Conditioning
Also see
"Coaches Guide to Mental
Conditioning"
Facts:
At the elite athletic level, mental conditioning becomes one of the most important
differences between top performers
Visualizations and affirmations can dramatically improve overall performance
All performance is self-fulfilling. You get what you expect as an athlete
Champions use their failures as stepping stones to success
Mental conditioning must be apart of your overall conditioning program because focus and
concentration are learned and practiced skills
Primary Components of a Mental Conditioning
Program
autogenic also known as self-generated training has the
power to actually alter your neural pathways as you change your behavior. Autogenic
relaxation is a kind of self-hypnosis that enables you to root positive phrases and mental
images in your unconscious. It brings your mind and feelings into harmony with your body
as you take on and adjust to new behaviors.
Visualization visualization is your ability to imagine in your mind
certain situations. It not only includes visually seeing the events happening but also
allows you to feel like you are almost in the situation. All five senses are present in
the visualization including sound, smell, touch, etc. Visualization is a powerful tool
when used in a positive matter. However, in many cases athletes replay negative events
causing a negative effect on performance. The more vivid the visualization the more it
attaches to your memory.
Visualization must be practiced on an on-going basis to become effective
Affirmations Affirmations are positive statements that you can use to replace
your negative mind-chatter. Using affirmations can be a powerful way to transform many of
your old attitudes and expectations into positive and vibrant ones.
There are some very important points to remember when you are writing/creating an
affirmation:
- Always use the present tense when writing affirmations.
- State your affirmation as if it already exists.
- Always phrase affirmations in a positive way. It is very important that you affirm what
you do want instead of what you dont want.
- Try to keep your affirmations short and simple.
- Choose/create affirmations that feel right for you. What works for one person may not
work best for you.
- Neuromuscular coordination
muscle/brain imprinting through controlled
plyometrics, body and motor control training helps "train the brain" to react
naturally and unconsciously when brought into a real playing situation. Slow motions that
imprint movements that are consistent with the sport will improve overall efficiency.
How to integrate mental conditioning into your
training routine:
- Focus and build on fundamentals
. Especially at an early age (under 14) the major
emphasis of sports training should be on practicing techniques and fundamental to allow an
imprinting to occur. Rapidly instituting complex or specific training techniques before
the basics have been mastered deter overall performance. A good example is how each level
in Judo or karate learns progressively difficult techniques. Once one reaches a black belt
master stage, techniques are not required since they now have been engrained into the
subscious.
Develop a personal list of affirmations and visualizations - develop a positive list
of affirmation statements that will inspire and motivate you. Create visualizations that
are positive and motivational and ones that are calming. These can be used in appropriate
situations to increase motivation and energy or relief during a stressful situation.
Practice relaxation exercises - Put your affirmations in writing and review them
daily. By practicing on a regular basis autogenic training, progressive muscular
relaxation and visualizations your sports performance is guaranteed to improve.
Build rituals into practice and pre-game establish a set of rituals that
helps you focus. Moving all outside distractions away and narrowing your concentration.
Every great athlete in every sport goes through the same routine before every performance.
Practice techniques and rituals to develop confidence use positive affirmations
by posting on walls of your room for constant reinforcement. Control negative self-talk by
saying "STOP" to your self the instant you become aware of a negative message.
Practice concentration
you cant expect to achieve peak physical
performance without training so why do you assume you will be at your top mental
performance with no practice? Some exercises you can practice include:
Ball stare practice focusing on a ball (one for your sport) and maintain
concentration and focus as long as you can. Study it carefully, examine stitching, color,
etc. Quickly bring your focus back to the ball every time you find yourself drifting.
Blocking Distractions sit up close to your TV screen with the set on and no
volume. Hold your thumb against the screen and focus only on the center of your thumbnail
for about 10 seconds. When you can do this without being distracted by the pictures,
increase your time to 20 seconds. When you can go a whole minute without being distracted,
turn the volume up and try to focus for 10 seconds. Continue to increase your time until
you can go 12 minutes without losing focus.
The Bottom Line
Losers are negative, winners are positive. You choose the attitude, the attitude creates
the results
- You must practice and train the mental aspects and techniques just like you practice
skills and spend time on physical conditioning
- Mental rehearsal is one of the most powerful mental skills you can use as an athlete to
overcome setbacks, effectively handle pressure and lift the level of your physical game
- At the elite sports levels, mental conditioning plays a more important role to overall
success than physical.
References:
Chang, John, Sports Psychology, Wright State University, 2001
Bompa, Tudor, Total Training for Young Champions, Human Kinetics, 2000.
Goldberg, Alan, Playing Out of Your Mind, Reedswain, Inc. ,1997
Harvey, John, Total Relaxation, 1998
Earle, Richard, Reduce your Body Age, 1998
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