For Podium Sports Journal by Stephen Walker, PhD, CC-AASP and Alec Baker, PsyD

What happens when you combine the speed of five great athletes in helmets and pads sprinting on ice skates straight at you? Oh yeah, they’re also bearing weapons. A simple collision, of which there are many, often sends metal blades and long sticks every which way. Their real target is you—the one thing keeping them from their objective—the one guarding the net. You are a goalie—and you must learn to thrive on stress.

The goalie has one of the most mentally demanding positions in any sport. When you combine the speed and mental skills required of a goalie with the danger of the sport, ice hockey is tops. Each goaltender has different strengths and triggers for both optimum and lackluster performance. Here are six mental conditioning skills that distinguish big time goalies….

Coaches can really help or hinder a goalie and there is no substitute for a coach knowing the right buttons to push. The problem is that many coaches rarely interact with their goalies because they don’t know how to coach them. Few coaches have actually played the position. With the emphasis on scoring and offensive play, some coaches minimize drills that emphasize defensive support. Goaltending is a solitary enterprise. When the team’s success is measured against your performance between the pipes, the stakes are undeniably high.

Many factors contribute to a goalie’s abilities and competence. Physical conditioning, preparation, nutrition and fueling, stretching, warm-ups, skating ability, shooting, passing, stick handling, rebound control, net location sequences, etc., are all important to the making of a great goalie. Every goalie at every level has great days and off days, but consistency is the hallmark of greatness in this endeavor.

Here are six mental conditioning skills that distinguish big time goalies. They are studied, practiced, and rehearsed on and off the ice, and instinctively integrated into the arsenal and mindsets that define greatness in goaltending.

Tip #1: Goaltenders must learn to be mentally alert, yet physically relaxed to enhance their speed, quickness, focus, accuracy and rebound control.

Arousal control is the key to developing optimal physical relaxation and mental alertness. This type of stress control involves the use of controlled breathing patterns that self-regulate the autonomic nervous system (see this article on controlling arousal and use of the centering breath). Neuromuscular bracing responses to stress often contribute to poor performance because they contribute to chronically tense muscles, fatigue, slow reaction time, lost precision and an inability to focus.

The centering breath, specifically, and breath control in general, is highly underrated. These skills are not easily mastered. Multiple practice sessions on a daily basis contribute to enhanced breath control in a variety of situations both on and off the ice.

Many mind/body practitioners are familiar with biofeedback and various monitoring systems for physiological functioning. Sometimes biofeedback can be used to improve the goalie’s awareness of both subtle physical sensations and different levels of arousal. Techniques like progressive muscular relaxation (PMR), threshold relaxation, autogenic training, yoga, tai chi movement, somatics and other disciplines can help an athlete relax and acquire expert arousal and motor control.

Speed and quickness can also be developed through certain neuromuscular mental preparation techniques designed to maximize fast-twitch motor unit recruitment. These mental skills are practiced and rehearsed daily if they are to be performed instinctively. (See: Ross, C, Journal of Sports Medicine 2001;31(15):1063- 82).

Tip #2: Goaltenders must learn, practice and employ routines for
pre-game preparation, net location sequences, focusing drills, and refocusing progressions that enhance consistency in performance.

Spatial ability and multitasking are crucial to the goalie’s performance. The ability to focus on and integrate several factors simultaneously separates the great goalies from the good ones. Positioning and efficiency are key at all times. Goalies must systematically develop the ability to keep track of where the men are off-the-puck. They must integrate how well their teammates are reacting to the attacks and positioning of the opposing team. Goalies are ultimately responsible for managing the efficiency of defensive play. Threat awareness is but one part of the many factors processed and accounted for by a competent goalie.

No one questions the role of a quarterback in directing play for a football team, but people often misunderstand the importance of a goalie directing traffic in and around the crease. Coaches with varying experience regarding goalie play can either facilitate or impair how each goalie prepares and practices the drills, routines and communication patterns that help establish their team’s cohesiveness and overall success.

Goalies, like athletes in many other sports, can create successful mindsets and pre-game routines. Sometimes these routines are regarded as superstitious. Certain routines that they believe contributed to a great game one time might become incorporated into that athlete’s standard operating system for game preparation. High performing goalies seeking consistency tend to employ refresher drills—on and off the ice. They do them to boost eye-hand-stick coordination, visual tracking exercises, spatial relations and efficient movements centering on the net. Some of these pre-game routines are physically practiced while others employ imagery, written reminders or sound files recorded on MP3 players. These may include:

* Pre-Game study—relaxing the “butterflies,” review of confidence boosters.
* Know Your Net Drills —Ritually performed net location sequence for every rink.
* Focusing Drills—Visual focusing, threat awareness, movement senses
* “Now” Practice —Analyze a mistake—Integrate (correction)—Forget
* Read —Read—React—Recover—Reposition
(From McDonnell’s Technogoaltending Vol. 1 “Cobra in the Crease.”

All athletes experience jitters before a game. Some may characterize this sensation as anxiety and find it unnerving. Some might say they are excited and happy to get on with the game. How an athlete defines that experience may dictate the proper structure of their pre-game preparation. Even if an athlete is jittery, don’t assume that he is mentally alert. Nutrition, blood sugar metabolism, emotional maturity, life balance, the ability to keep things in perspective, and the ability to manage distractions are key factors for readiness to play. Drills, routines, and rituals can be developed to enhance these factors. There is no substitute for daily practice of these mental skills!

Sean McCann, sport psychologist for the USOC states boldly, “Thoughts impact behavior…and consistency of thinking results in consistency of behavior.” If one seeks to perform reliably between the pipes, then his preparation should guide his thinking and game behavior accordingly.

Tip #3: Goaltenders must learn the art of letting go of mistakes. Perfection and shut outs are what we strive for, but they are never expected.

Perfectionism can be a good friend or your worst enemy, depending on how it is used. Any goaltender who expects to win by shutting out the opponent may be remarkably confident or just plain naïve. Shots ricochet off of traffic in the zone, teammates misplay a clear, power plays create position dilemmas, poor defensive support can leave you without backup, rebounds can bounce in any direction. All of these things and a dozen more happen to a goalie in the course of a game. In order to be effective, goalies must learn from their mistakes and disengage from the emotional angst that accompanies failing to protect the goal. A proper sequence for letting go of mistakes and implementing corrective measures will keep the goalie focused in the NOW—which is essential to success.

Coaches and teammates play an important role here, as well. Coaches often simply demand that the goalie keep the puck out of the net. This speaks to how little most coaches know about the position itself. It also illustrates that goals are frequently attributed to the goalie alone. In ice hockey, the goalie is often treated as a scapegoat.

When a head coach approaches goalies in this way, the goalie will have a much harder time shaking goals off. The goalie may be thinking about whether or not he will be pulled after letting in some goals; he will end up playing tentatively. This preoccupation can only impair his performance and increase the likelihood that he will let in goals.

A goalie’s response to giving up a goal reveals a lot about him as an individual and about the team as a whole. What lesson will they take away from the situation? Will it shake the team’s confidence? Will a teammate’s mistake erode the unit’s cohesion? How long will the mistake eat at the goalie, distracting him from his task? Robin Vealey proposed the use of “P3 Thinking” to keep the athlete focused on his purpose, productively engaged and striving for the possibility of success. A goalie schooled in this routine will be able to disengage from a mistake and reorient to competition quickly. Other tools for letting go might include the Thought Pattern Interrupt (see: http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2007/02/04/the-thought-pattern-interrupt-tpi/) or Target Thinking where an individual systematically reviews his intention, focus, and chosen attitude (optimistic vs. negative) following a mistake.

Tip #4: Goaltenders must learn how to keep their self-talk productive and positive—and exercise the discipline to keep their internal conversations centered on their performance, confidence and team focus.

Goaltenders have more than their share of surges and flats depending on how efficient their team may be offensively and defensively. Self-talk is a constant for almost every athlete. When productively engaged in the task at hand, and strictly focused in the moment, self-talk is characterized as a key component in the peak performance zone and is routinely helpful.

Problems occur when goalies engage in “could-a, should-a, would-a” self-talk berating themselves on a mistake made in the past. Athletes whose self-talk is focused unproductively in the future, as in “What if this happens?” or “What’s going to happen next?” put themselves at a disadvantage and can actually cause themselves to panic by anticipating the future. Some athletes think too much and engage in self-talk that reviews a thousand and one details on all the things to remember. Athletes who tend toward this type of internal dialogue put themselves at a disadvantage by analysis paralysis.

Overt criticism from teammates and coaches can often undermine positive self-talk. Even well-meaning coaches who don’t understand the role of goalie as quarterback directing defensive traffic in the zone may lose an opportunity to enhance team cohesiveness by ignoring suggestions and input from their goalie when developing defensive schemes.

Tip #5: Less is more: efficiency and positioning are key. Goaltenders must incorporate spatial integration, focus and anticipation in their mental preparation and execution.

Goalies are responsible for filling in the holes in their team’s defensive scheme. This is almost instinctual in goalies that compete at the highest levels. They always seem to be in the right place at the right time. These athletes appear to have a supernatural ability to anticipate the flow of the game. While they are rarely considered to be flashy or acrobatic in net, their success commands respect. Think for a moment about your favorite goalie. What do you notice about his efficiency and positioning? Spatial abilities combined with an ability to control, divide, and prioritize their focus is what sets these individuals apart and makes them masters of anticipation.

Efficient use of practice time is the best way for a goalie to improve in this area. Goalies must use the repetitive nature of practice drills to their advantage. This means observing the tendencies of the other players (e.g. how subtle differences in shooting angle and position of defenders influences an attacker’s decision making) and experimenting with different strategies for reacting to them effectively. It is imperative for coaches to help their goalies work on this skill. This means designing drills that incorporate three main elements. These are:

1) a variety of shot locations and pre-shot puck movement patterns
2) the recreation of a variety of game situations that involve different numbers of skaters
3) progressively increasing drill difficulty.

These elements speak to the power of exposing goalies to as many different and challenging situations as possible. Over time this exposure will help them learn to recognize and focus on what information is most important to their decision making—and use it efficiently to become masters of anticipation.

Tip #6: Develop teammate and coach communication skills: goaltenders must learn how to be a vocal team leader.

Great goalies recognize their role as quarterback in the defensive zone. They have to let defensemen know if they have men on them when they come back to get the puck, tell them to clear a screen in front of the net, and remind everyone when a power-play ends among other things.

Coaches need to encourage these behaviors and also tell their goalies how they want them to do things like handle the puck during breakouts or manage the clock and tempo of the game by covering the puck. Goalies should expect this type of instruction and solicit it if they are unclear about what their coach expects of them. It is also a good idea for coaches to make a habit of checking in with goalies about these things during period breaks and practices so that the goalie can continue to focus on them.

Coaches should look to their goalies to be leaders on the ice and initiate communication with their teammates. Goalies are the only players who have the opportunity to experience every minute of a game from the ice. This gives them a unique perspective on what is happening throughout the course of the game and puts them in the best position to make strategic adjustments on the fly. For goalies, maintaining this sort of communication requires solid knowledge of the team’s strategy and the confidence to be a vocal team leader.

About the authors:

Dr. Stephen Walker is a therapist, coach, athletic and personal performance consultant who has consulted with world record holders, national champion and All-American collegiate athletes, Olympians and professionals in IAAF, USATF track and field, USA Cycling, USATriathlon, UTI triathlon, USA hockey, PGA golf and other team sports. He has done considerable consulting with Mark Sample of GDI Hockey and continues to enjoy the special challenges goalies face. For more information visit his website: www.drstephenwalker.com

Alec Baker, PsyD is a recent graduate of the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology. In 2005 he earned a B.A. in psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. Since that time he has worked as a goalie coach in the Philadelphia and Denver areas. This work has been with goalies of all youth ages and skill levels from Mite to Midget AA. As a goalie Alec spent 4 years with the Philadelphia Junior Flyers and was a member of the USA Hockey National Championship Tournament quarterfinalist team in 2000. He was also a two time member of the USA Hockey NTDP Select Festival team from the Atlantic/Southeast Region (1998–1999). This team was awarded the bronze medal in the Select Festival in 1999.

By Larry Lauer, PhD, CC-AASP

Michigan Youth Sports Institute
Named one of the NSAPE Top 100 coaching educators of 2007

For a number of years I have worked with athletes as a coach and mental performance consultant. Self-confidence is usually the reason why athletes first contact me. They have hit the bottom so to speak and are willing to try something “alternative” in their minds to find their games. With these I clients I have talked a lot about staying positive and thinking productively. Yet, I notice a phenomenon that many athletes struggle to overcome. And, that is self-handicapping.

Allow me to describe one case to make my point. I have consulted with an elite tennis player for several years. He is a very talented player but lacks the confidence to truly excel meaning he often leaves matches thinking he missed an opportunity or was unable to perform well. At first, he described this as being unable to focus at times on the court. He would think about random things, and become distracted on things he could not control such as line calls. Even worse, things he could control, such as his arousal or energy level during the warm up, he perceived to be out of his control. It was indicative of “waking up on the wrong side of the bed” and “it is not my day” thinking…..

At the time we worked on his ability to focus on stimuli that would enhance his focus and performance (e.g., the racket strings, his game plan). We also examined his thinking before and during matches. What was undermining his confidence? Off the court he is a very confident young man. What was eroding his confidence on the court? Then, he described to me how he compares himself to his opponent. He attempted to predict his chances of winning. This would occur hours before the tournament once the draw was announced or during the warm up once he began to see how his opponent was striking the ball (especially the serve).

Self-Talk is Key and Can be Good or Bad

This has been an ongoing battle for this player over the past few years that he manages well and not so well at times. And, the effects of self-handicapping are not limited to just playing very good opponents and doubting his chances to win and play well. To this day he will examine the draw and say “This guy is not that good, it should be easy.” Now, I don’t mind a player believing he or she can win, however, this overconfident comparison also sets him up to perform poorly. In fact this occurred in the last tournament I attended. In a first round match he expected to win he lost handily after leading by a break in the first set. He described his performance as “lazy” and “not being able to get the feel.” To me these were descriptors of not being at an optimal level of arousal due to his overconfident state and subsequent lack of preparation.

Self-handicapping is not confined to this one player or the sport of tennis. I have noticed the tendency for players to compare themselves prior to competition in soccer, football, ice hockey, figure skating, baseball, you name it and it occurs. That is why some football coaches will line their reserve players along the middle of the field; so the starters will not be looking at their opponent!

Know “How” Your Mind Races

It seems very hard for athletes to keep themselves from handicapping a competition. Several tennis players I’ve consulted talk about how they are negatively affected when family or just other players talking about the draw. For professional athletes reading the paper, listening to and watching sports shows would definitely tax one’s ability to avoid too much self-handicapping. Prior to the 2006 World Cup of soccer there were endless predictions about each of the pools and which teams would make it to the round of 16 matches. At this year’s Wimbledon injuries and upsets opened the draw for several players to make a deep run for the first time in a grand slam. You would think what a great opportunity! However, for some players this creates a great deal of pressure because their expectations rise and losing is more of a disappointment. Their mind races to what could be (the breakthrough of one’s career) and what they could lose (the opportunity of a lifetime). Certainly, these thoughts can overtake even the most mentally disciplined athlete.

Develop and Rehearse “Proxy Thoughts” to Keep it Real

How can athletes overcome their tendency to self-handicap and be their own worst enemy? First, they must develop awareness that they are self-handicapping and how it affects their mindset and preparation for competition. Going back to the case of the tennis player, he identified self-handicapping thoughts that occurred during the warm up such as “this will be easy.” Next, he attempted to stop these thoughts immediately. One technique previously presented in Podium is that of the “Thought Pattern Interrupt.”  Not only does this technique result in thought stopping, it can be used to reroute thinking.  For example, he replaced his self-handicapping thoughts with thoughts focused on how he was feeling – “powerful, strong, confident, loose”, etc. At the same time we did want him to learn about his opponent during the warm up. We talked about observing his opponent for tendencies and for strengths and weaknesses but to treat it like a coach. His goal was to understand his opponent’s game and not to judge his chances of winning. A tough thing to do, but nonetheless important!

Use Rhythm and Routines To Your Advantage

Finally, we spent a great deal of time working on routines and getting into a rhythm. By getting into a comfortable routine our hope was that he would get “his feel” and begin to flow into competition. This would allow him to focus on productive thoughts and minimize handicapping thoughts. Sometimes athletes need a trigger to able to go from evaluating to just reacting. In tennis players can use the strategy of thinking “bounce” when the ball bounced on their side of the court, and “hit” as they are striking the ball to find rhythm and feel.

Overcoming the tendency for athletes to self-handicap is not easy. It is difficult to avoid handicapping one’s chances because the brain has a natural propensity of comparing and judging. In addition, parents and other players often handicap and predict match-ups which lead the athlete back into a comparison thought process. In some ways you want to teach athletes to use self-handicapping sparingly and to their advantage. They should believe in their chances and yet not become overconfident. Great coaches have been manipulating self-handicapping for years. If a team is entering competition overconfident the coach will find ways to remind them that they must prepare and compete – “because on any given Sunday…” any team can win. And in the opposite case where a team is lacking belief, coaches will build them up and focus on their strengths and playing their game versus worrying so much about their opponent. In this way, athletes should think like shrewd coaches and manipulate their thoughts purposefully.

Ultimately, athletes must be aware of how their self-handicapping is affecting their preparation and performance. Then, they have an opportunity to implement strategies at appropriate times and minimize self-handicapping.

Dr. Larry Lauer, PhD, CC-AASP, USOC Registry – is a coaching education specialist at Michigan State University and a valued member of the Michigan Youth Sports Institute.  He was voted one of the top 100 coaching educators in the country and was winner of the prestigious “Dissertation Award” by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology for his work:  Playing Tough and Clean Hockey: Teaching Emotional Management Skills to Reduce Aggression in Youth Ice Hockey

by Simon Hartley

Be World Class

Your performance is entirely within your control. Your performance is not dictated by anyone else or anything else. It’s not dictated by circumstances or external factors. Your performance emanates from your thoughts and your feelings. Nobody can influence your thoughts or feelings, unless you let them! No situation or circumstance can impact on your thoughts or feelings, unless you allow it. Fundamentally, you have ultimate control over how you think and feel. Therefore, you have ultimate control over your performance (Manz, 2000; Jauncey, 2002).

Stephen Covey said, ‘Between stimulus and response is our greatest power – the power to choose’. (Covey, 2004)

So why is it that many people’s performances are so inconsistent? Even elite athletes often struggle to control their mindset and emotions. Many elite athletes are affected by external influences and other people. The fact is we all have the power to control our mind and emotions. However, most people give their power away.

I have recently started working with a squad of elite junior fencers. The Director of Fencing initially approached me because the athletes were displaying a great deal of frustration and anger on the piste (the piste is the fencing equivalent of a pitch or a court. It is the narrow strip that they compete on). The problem is that if they display their frustration during competition, they risk being ‘black carded’ (disqualified) and banned from the competition for several months.

I started by talking with the fencers about the things which made them frustrated. They listed a host of factors that affected them. One athlete said that when the opponent celebrates, it really winds him up. Another said that if he was fighting an opponent who he was ‘supposed to beat easily’, he would get really frustrated when they scored a point against him. Others were affected by the referee, the opponent’s supporters or the opponent’s trash talk. At the end of the discussion, I asked them who had control over their mindset and their emotions. It was obvious that the fencers had given control of their own thoughts and feelings to just about everyone else. As a result, they were being ruled by other people and by circumstance. They had strapped themselves into a mental and emotional rollercoaster because they had given up control.

Job number one for the fencers is to start taking control back.

We have control until we give it over to someone else or something else.

If we control our thought and our feelings, we can control the performance. So where do we start? There are 3 key element that help us to ensure we achieve our peak performance consistently. Our magic trio are:

-          Control Confidence

-          Master Motivation

-          Hone Focus

If we can do these 3 things, we stand a great chance of performing at our best! So, how can you get started? Perhaps the best place to start is focus. Find something really effective to focus on. It’s normally something very simple. Often it’s best to find something that you see, hear or feel when you perform at your best. Here are some real life examples from some elite athletes I’ve worked with recently.

Martial Artist

-          Watch the opponents eyes.

International Squash Players

-          Watch the movement on the ball.

-          Feel the shots.

-          Hear the sound that your shots are making or the sound of your footwork.

Hammer Thrower

-          Feel the balance in your feet.

-          Hear the sound of your rhythm.

-          Feel the smoothness in your movement. (Hartley, 2010)

There are other examples and tips in Athletic Focus & Sport Psychology: Key To Peak Performance (published in Podium Sports Journal, Dec 9^th 2010).

For more tips on how to hone your focus, control your confidence, master your motivation and maximise your performance, download the Maximum Performance webinar at http://www.be-world-class.com/webinars/maximum-performance-in-soccer-webinar .

References

Covey, S.R. (2004) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, New York: Simon & Schuster.

Hartley, S.R. (2010) ‘Athletic Focus & Sport Psychology: Key To Peak Performance’, Podium Sports Journal, December 2010. Available Online. HTTP. < http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/12/09/athletic-focus-sport-psychology-key-to-peak-performance/> (accessed 21^st December 2010).

Hartley, S.R. (2011) Peak Performance Every Time, London: Routledge.

Jauncey, P. (2002) Managing Yourself & Others, Brisbane: CopyRight Publishing.

Manz, C.C. (2000) Emotional Discipline: The Power to Choose How You Feel, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

Simon Hartley, MSc, BASES Accredited Sport & Exercise Psychologist.

Simon is a freelance sport psychologist & performance coach at Be World Class. In recent years he has worked as a consultant performance psychologist to the English Institute of Sport as well as working with a range of professional sports in the UK. Simon has worked with Premiership and Championship football clubs, international teams including England Squash and professional golfers.

Simon Hartley is the author of Peak Performance Every Time. For details, visit www.peakperformanceeverytime.com

Photo credit: Dominik Walker

from Sports Illustrated’s 2004 article on Bloom’s lawsuit against the NCAA

Jeremy Ryan Bloom (born April 2, 1982) has long been known as an athlete of some repute in the Rocky Mountain Region.  Originally from Loveland, Colorado – Bloom was an all-star football player who thrilled crowds through his “lightning in a bottle” punt returns and, as a quality receiver for the University of Colorado Golden Buffaloes and later the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.  But Bloom is most widely known as a three-time World Champion, two-time Olympian and eleven-time World Cup gold medalist in FIS freestyle moguls skiing … whose speed and quick reactions earned him the titles and established him as the premier competitor in his event for several years running.

Podium Sports Journal is pleased to have Dr. TC North on its professional advisory board.  TC contributes regularly to the site and was gracious enough to shoot these interview segments with Jeremy Bloom.

Jeremy Bloom’s understanding of many key mental skills and the acuity of his descriptions of competition is telling.  Do you think Bloom encourages the use of mental conditioning as well as physical training in preparing for competitions?

Segment 1 – Mind Like a River

Bloom is widely read and very attuned to the mental skills training many of our athletes work on regularly.  His first segment speaks to the flow of thoughts and how to regulate them in a productive fashion, without getting stuck in an unproductive thought process.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Segment 2 – The Power of Intention – The Inner Mountain

Jeremy Bloom offers credit to Dr. Wayne Dyer and his book, The Power of Intention. The recognition of intermediate steps toward the accomplishment of large goals is big piece to Bloom’s success.  Here he explains how and why this is important and what the inner mountain signifies.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Segment 3 – Clarity of Focus

In this segment, Bloom discusses his preparation in the starting area for how we would limit distractions and develop his laser like focus at the top of the run.  The specificity of his description is important to note and in this video – he literally places himself in the starting gate describing in present tense what he sees, hears and feels.  This level of focus is huge and a clear component to success in competition.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. TC North is a well known executive coach whose work with entrepreneurs has been characterized through the use of the mental skills of Olympic athletes.  His new program “Blast through Fear for Women in Business” has garnered critical acclaim for its practical yet cutting edge approach toward helping successful women in business.

by Dr. Stephen Walker, PhD, CC-AASP, USOC Registry of Sport Psychogists

What do you get when you employ a positive mental attitude, strong self-motivation, well managed goal-setting, effective self-talk, a disciplined visualization of your upcoming performance, competent stress control, determined focus and concentration, and an ongoing dedication to establishing and maintaining productive relationships with both your teammates and your coaches?

You get success.  And when you combine those ingredients with physical skills and a well trained athlete – you get medals….lots of them.  Successful athletes at this years Olympics in Vancouver demonstrated skill and tenacity that was both physical and mental….
….. – and for most – their success was the culmination of years of practice, dedication, and conditioning.

Bode Miller will leave the Olympic Games having accomplished what no other American alpine skier had done.  After a disastrous games in Torino, Italy – Miller refocused himself on his goals, shook a bad attitude, settled down and dedicated himself to perform his best.  His self-talk was relentlessly positive and drew his focus to concentrating only on those factors under his control.

Joannie Rochette, the Canadian figure skater, and Chad Hedrick both overcame personal losses, managed what were clearly strong emotions, and channeled the added inspiration to motivate themselves beyond expectations – achieving medal winning performances.  Julia Mancuso was reminded of her friend, CR Johnson‘s, “love of skiing” to overcome a disappointing GS and comeback strong.  Although she didn’t medal in the event she was the defending Champion in – she was able to let go of a zillion distractions and love skiing just as CR did.  Overall, she performed beautifully – winning two silver medals in the games – and staked her claim as one of America’s premier alpine skiers.

Every athlete sets goals, but sometimes they are focused on outcomes…rather than dedicating themselves to attend to the “process” of the performance.  No one country was more guilty of this than the Russian Hockey team – anticipating Gold from their world cup successes – but not attuning to the fundamentals in play that got them there.  The Soviets underperformed and finished 2-2 as they were eliminated in the preliminary rounds.  Their results as contrasted with the upstart USA and juggernaut Canadian Hockey teams was noteworthy.  Both the USA and Canadian teams have emphasized playing “one period at a time”, maximizing their strengths and training their weaknesses as they finished 1-2 in the medal count.  The Gold Medal game was arguably the best Olympic hockey game of all-time as Canada took the gold with a 3-2 win in overtime.

Positive self-talk coaxed many of these athletes to success even when the odds were against them.  Johnny Spillane and Billy Demong illustrated this better than most as they experienced success both individually and as a team in an event Americans had rarely been close enough to sniff at a medal.  They supported themselves admirably by constantly offering up reminders of their strengths and focusing on “how” they could make up for time differentials lost in ski jumping on the nordic track.  They talked to themselves and each other throughout the competitions, and created a positive momentum that launched them onto the podium.

Visualization techniques were evident in more events than any other as athletes like Lindsey Vonn appeared to be ‘dancing’ with her eyes closed in the que leading up to the starting gate.   But no athlete did a better job than Jeret “Speedy” Peterson as he not only wrote out his goals on paper – but – he incorporated a very focused form of visualization (PETTLEP) in preparing for and landing the “Hurricane” – a here-to-fore never performed aerial in Olympic competition.  Peterson landed the most difficult aerial in the event to claim a Silver Medal.  His focus and concentration proved to be stellar as he took a calculated risk, planned for it consciously, and succeeded.

Controlling stress was at a premium throughout the entire Olympics as speed skaters fell at the start, half-pipe artists “forgot” their routines, and gifted athletes succumbed to the pressure in every venue.  The best conditioned athlete proved to not always be the most successful – as time and time again – emotional and mental control proved to be an essential ingredient in determining who made the Podium.  Congratulations to them all.  Thanks for reminding us of the importance of training the “WHOLE” person.

]]> http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/28/mental-training-pays-off-vancouver-olympics-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/26/sport-psychology-at-the-vancouver-olympic-games-2010/ http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/26/sport-psychology-at-the-vancouver-olympic-games-2010/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:23:16 +0000 Stephen Walker, PhD http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/?p=1803

by Stephen Walker, PhD, CC-AASP, USOC Registry of Sport Psychologists

In a previous article involving a “From the Field” interview with Dr. Stephen Walker, Podium Sports Journal answered several questions with respect to the mental conditioning these great athletes engage in prior to their competition performance.  Those questions focused on preparation under the best conditions.  However, the Women’s Giant Slalom event placed these great athletes in extraordinary circumstances.  Read on…..

Part 2 – Julia Mancuso’s Giant Slalom

The second run of the Vancouver Olympics Giant Slalom was run yesterday in conditions much improved over Wednesday’s fog, poor visibility and snow flurries.  In Part 1 of this article - we featured the trials and tribulations of the event’s defending Champion, Julia Mancuso, whose day included an aborted run, the death of her skiing buddy and friend, and innumerable other distractions that left her in 18th position when the event was suspended by Olympic officials.  We outlined WHAT she would need to do to recover from the debacle – and – suggested HOW Mancuso might do just that.  Not only did Mancuso recover, but she posted the 3rd best run of the day climbing 10 spots to finish in 8th place.

Adding to what was an already difficult day she found herself in the midst of a media frenzy over her purported feud with Lindsey Vonn – whom she allegedly blamed for her aborted run.  Vonn is America’s most decorated skier on the women’s team and long time rival on the tour.  Vonn had crashed on the course just as Mancuso took off from the start, but got tangled up in the netting and couldn’t get off the course in time for Mancuso to get a clean run.  “You know it’s really not her fault, of course.  Like I said before, the fact that the whole thing came across the media like an attention fight is just ridiculous.”

For her run on Thursday, the foremost difficulty Mancuso had to overcome came in the form of grief.  The loss of her good friend and Squaw skiing buddy CR Johnson was huge.  He was fatally injured in a crash on a run the two of them had skiied many times.  Johnson was no stranger to injury and had suffered a serious traumatic brain injury in 2005.  Mancuso was reminded of how he battled back from his head injury and returned to the mountains as quickly as he could.

“Just hearing the news and knowing …how much he loved skiing and being able to… overcome those battles, coming here today for me and after everything yesterday was just, like, go out there and love skiing, the way CR did,” Mancuso said, with her voice cracking with emotion.  She dedicated the run to Johnson.

The simplicity of Julia Mancuso’s goal can not be understated.  She decided to go out there and LOVE SKIING.  No expectation, no pretense, no pressure, completely in the “now” moment with her friend on her shoulder as she powered through her run.  Yeah Julia.  Mancuso ends her Olympic Games with two Silver Medals in the Downhill and Super Combined.  To learn more about CRJohnson, read about him in FreeSkier.com.

]]> http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/26/sport-psychology-at-the-vancouver-olympic-games-2010/feed/ 1 http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/25/julia-mancusos-day-who-said-luck-time-and-circumstance-dont-factor-in/ http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/25/julia-mancusos-day-who-said-luck-time-and-circumstance-dont-factor-in/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:46:25 +0000 Stephen Walker, PhD http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/?p=1773

by Stephen Walker, PhD, CC-AASP

In an excerpt from a previous article in PSJ on goal tending in hockey, the author said,

“What happens when you combine the speed of 5 great athletes in helmets and pads sprinting on ice skates straight at you?  Oh yeah, they’re also bearing weapons.  A simple collision, of which there are many, oftentimes sends metal blades and long sticks every which way…but their real target is just about your size.  And, the one thing keeping them from their objective…well, that would be you, guarding the net. You are a goalie – and you must learn to thrive on stress.  Playing goalie is arguably among the most mentally demanding positions in any sport.  When you add the speed, danger and mental skills required in goal – ice hockey is tops.”

It is never my intention to take anything away from another athlete – and Bode Miller’s performance in the Super Combined is truly an accomplishment that deserves its own coverage….but I must say I was amazed at Ryan Miller’s stand out execution in net as the USA defeated a loaded Canadian team 5-3 in what will probably be the most talked about game in hockey this year….unless we are treated to this match-up again in the Gold Medal round.

Miller was relaxed, yet mentally sharp as he demonstrated speed quickness and amazing control by managing one frenzied attack after another.  He stopped a whopping 42 shots on goal.  His threat awareness, eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head net location sequences, focus, and rebound control were stellar to say the least.  But what was most remarkable was his ability to “refocus” after letting in a goal.  Miller had control over the crease and quarterbacked a sensational defensive effort for the USA.  He was truly “in the zone” each time and upstaged Martin Brodeur, Canada’s ‘Hall of Fame’ destined goalkeeper.

On the night of the power play – Canada could not penetrate Miller’s wall, even when they pulled Brodeur and levied a spectacular attack.  The last two minutes of this game are for the ages.  Hats off to Miller and team USA – they will need this level of intensity to bring home the gold.  But one thing is for sure – they’ve got game and Miller is on top of his.

To see video highlights from the Olympics hockey rounds click here:

NBC\’s top 5 Goals of the Vancouver Olympics Hockey to date.

]]> http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/23/vancouver-olympics-2010-the-mental-toughness-of-ryan-miller/feed/ 1 http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/17/%e2%80%9cthe-gold-medal-secret-sauce%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-mental-techniques-and-preparation-strategies-used-by-olympic-gold-medalists-2004-olympics-part-2/ http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/02/17/%e2%80%9cthe-gold-medal-secret-sauce%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-mental-techniques-and-preparation-strategies-used-by-olympic-gold-medalists-2004-olympics-part-2/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:31:11 +0000 Stephen Walker, PhD http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/?p=623

Podium Sports Journal’s Podcast of the Week – An interview with Drs. Noah Gentner and Vanessa Shannon

by Dr. Stephen Walker, CC-AASP

This podcast was the second of a two part podcast with Drs. Noah Gentner and Vanessa Shannon on qualitative research they conducted with Olympic Gold medalists from the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.  The interview was given at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky October 2007.

This study evolved over a number of years in a series of interviews focused on identifying and describing the mental techniques and preparation strategies used by world champions.

The key exploration focused on how these premier athletes differed from those less successful athletes in their preparation and mental conditioning.  A total of nine male and female athletes from six different sports comprised the sample for this qualitative research effort.

Some of the techniques employed included self-talk, attention cues, process focused physical moves, smart “techniques”, short-term and long-term goals.

Dr. Noah Gentner is a sport psychologist consultant from the Georgia Southern University and Dr. Vanessa Shannon is a coaching education specialist at West Virginia University.  Both were students of Dr. Craig Wrisberg  and Leslie Fisher Gould at the University of Tennessee.

Click here to view the embedded video.

aasp-oct07-gentner-shannon-gold-medal-secret-sauce

Foreward by Dr. Stephen Walker – Editor:

“Confidence is a factor that can influence an athlete’s performance in remarkable ways.  It can cause the cocky to make tactical and strategic errors.  The lack of it can mess with the performance of  talented athletes because they fail to channel their focus in the most effective manner – or worse – they give less than their best in the effort….because it won’t matter anyway.  This article reviews some of the geminal work on the topic by Vernacchia, McGuire & Cook in their book Coaching Mental Excellence (1996.)  There are many choices each athlete must make from the very beginning of their season throughout each and every competition.  These choices can make a pivotal difference in who succeeds and who doesn’t.  Thanks, Conrad for your excellent review and treatment of this subject.”

by Conrad Woolsey, PhD

Possibly the greatest gift we could ever give someone is teaching them the power of choice and how to develop internal confidence. The first step for an athlete to develop internal confidence is to understand what it means to be a true success and the choices that go along with it.

Choose to Build Internal Confidence

Possibly the greatest gift we could ever give someone is teaching them the power of choice and how to develop internal confidence. The first step for an athlete to develop internal confidence is to understand what it means to be a true success and the choices that go along with developing the C’s to success (McGuire, 2009). Once athletes understand that they are in control of the choices they make, we can teach them how to choose to develop internal confidence.

The formula for athletic success used in the book Coaching Mental Excellence is “SUCCESS = Ability x Preparation x Effort x Will” (Vernacchia, McGuire, & Cook, 1996, p. 18). Ability is our genetics or natural born talent and cannot be changed. However, what we can do is develop our natural abilities into our capabilities through our preparation. Preparation for success is working as smart as we can, and includes what we do in practice, our planning and training strategies, our mental and physical routines, our nutrition, and all of the other factors that go into developing our capabilities. Effort for success is “hustle” or giving our best effort in each and every situation. Will for success is continuing to give your best effort even when things are not going your way and to choose to dig down deep to give just a little bit more when the game is on the line (Vernacchia et al., 1996, pp. 18-22). In short, true success comes from preparing to the best of our abilities by working as smart as we can, giving our best effort in each and every situation, and having the will to choose to dig down deep to give more ‘when the going gets tough.’ Regardless of the outcome, when an athlete follows the formula for success, they should feel good and be proud of themself. As coaches, we should do the same and make sure that our athletes feel this way.

The C’s to success all begin with making a CHOICE, and what we choose to think about makes a big difference in our performance effectiveness. It is crucial that we know what the choices are, and how we can clearly teach these choices to athletes. Some of the choices in the C’s to success are Confidence, Concentration, Composure, and Commitment (Vernacchia, 2003). When athletes realize these choices are under their control, they will consistently perform better and be on a path towards developing internal confidence.

In the sport world, a common motivational technique used is the “outside-in” approach, in which confidence is based on performance effectiveness and evaluations of others. Often unintentionally, what coaches are doing by using this approach is controlling confidence rather than building it (Vernacchia, 2003, pp. 182-183). This technique is effective because athletes feel that no matter how well they perform they are not quite good enough, and that they are only as good as their last or next performance (Vernacchia, 2003, p. 183). In this approach, the coach emphasizes comparative self-worth and uses guilt or the fear of failure to motivate his or her athletes. While this approach works and can work well, it is not recommended because it sets athletes up to feel bad about themselves and to fail in pressure situations. If an athlete performs poorly, they can’t wait to redeem themselves, and if they perform well, they are relieved but apprehensive about future performances (Vernacchia, 2003).

An athlete’s self-esteem and self-worth are intimately related to their self-confidence. When athletes feel good about themselves, they are more likely to perform well, especially when the pressure is on. An essential key to developing an unbreakable self-confidence is to cultivate an “inside-out” approach to confidence. This begins by teaching athletes to feel good about who they are and how they do things and ends with them feeling good about themselves regardless of outcomes (Vernacchia, 2003). This does not mean that athletes are not disappointed with ineffective performances. However, “athletes retain their feelings of competence and look forward to performing again, since future performances are seen as self-enhancing rather than self-threatening” (Vernacchia, 2003, p. 183). As a result, athletes have a lot more fun competing and perform better in pressure situations because their fear of failure has been eliminated or reduced. It allows athletes to be more successful by helping them concentrate on “the task at hand” or what they want to have happen (Vernacchia, 2003).

Conversely, in the “outside-in” approach to confidence, athletes are constantly reminded of the consequences for negative outcomes and they waste time and energy worrying about factors that are out of their control. The more time athletes spend concentrating on positive thoughts and factors that they can control the more confident and successful they will be. What we concentrate on makes a big difference in our performance effectiveness. To improve concentration in the performance environment, teach athletes to use mental routines and to have a clear and present focus on the task at hand.

Many athletes have an “outside-in” orientation and base their confidence largely on external sources that are inconsistent or out of their control. When athletes are asked what they base their confidence on, many will cite external factors such as: having recent success, a good week of practice, having a great warm-up, liked their lane assignment, liked the site of competition, the weather was in their favor, played well here the year before, or they received a positive comment from their coach. All of these factors are external sources of confidence, in which the athlete has little or no control.

If one’s confidence is based on internal factors, it is possible for an individual to feel confident despite any unfavorable external factors. Therefore, the question is, how can we help athletes develop internal self-confidence? There are five main components to developing internal confidence: Belief in Method, Positive Self-Talk, Positive Visualization, Trust, and Mapmaking (Vernacchia et al., 1996, p. 74). The central theme to each of these elements is the athletes’ will to choose.

You must believe in your method

The first choice athletes must make on the path towards developing internal confidence is to believe in their method. In athletics, there is usually more than one correct or effective way to do things. There are several different techniques, training programs, and strategies that will lead to success, and with all of the good choices available, “it becomes clear that the critical choice is not the method chosen, but believing in the method chosen” (Vernacchia et al., 1996, p. 75). Therefore, an athlete must first understand and believe that his or her technique and training is the best method for him or her. Today, with easy access to all of the information about technique and training, the days of blind allegiance are over. As the coach, we must take the time to educate athletes as to why the method chosen is the best one for them, and to emphasize the importance of believing in one’s method.

You must control your self-talk

The second choice that will enhance an athlete’s confidence and performance effectiveness is to decision to control self-talk. In our mind, we can only think one thought at any specific moment, and what we decide to think about is under our control. Therefore, in order to increase confidence and performance effectiveness, athletes need to choose positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is being our own best friend. It’s reminding ourselves of our strengths, great past performances, and the things that make us successful. We may not be able to stop all of the negative thoughts from creeping into our minds, but we can decide to replace negative thoughts with positive ones that will help our performance and increase our confidence. Every action is first preceded by thought, and what we choose to think about makes a big difference in how well we perform.

You must be able to see what you want to happen

Choosing to visualize success is the third choice that an athlete must make. Positive visualization is seeing what you want to have happen, before it happens. “It has been said that we cannot become what we cannot see ourselves becoming.”  We have also heard the saying, ‘What you see, is what you get.’ Both are truisms” (Vernacchia et al., 1996, p. 76). What we see in our “mind’s eye” has a big impact on our motor responses and performance effectiveness. Positive visualization is energizing and presets the mind and body for a successful performance. When we are thinking and seeing the right thoughts, good things are more likely to happen. Positive visualization fills an athlete up with confidence and allows them to show up for any competition expecting success.

You must trust the process

The fourth choice that an athlete must make is trust. Trust is the opposite of doubt, worry, and fear.  In order to be confident, athletes must choose to trust their ability, preparation, and strategies that they have spent time practicing and visualizing. Genuine trust can not be faked; it comes with consistent preparation and practice. In order to increase trust, athletes should use mental and physical routines on a regular basis. An example of a mental routine that will increase an athlete’s confidence and concentration is the “See it, Feel it, Trust it” mental routine (Vernacchia et al., 1996; Vernacchia, 2003, p. 154). While using this routine before each race or attempt, athletes should see what they want to have happen, remember the feel of a great performance, and choose to trust that they are ready to deliver their best. When athletes learn to trust their set routines, they will be successful regardless of outcomes because deep down they will know that were thinking the right thoughts. Our performance may not always be what we wanted, but if we were “thinking right,” then we have been successful (McGuire, 2009). Lack of trust locks an athletes potential inside. When athletes fall into a “slump” talent is generally present, but trust is lacking (Vernacchia et al., 1996, p. 77). Trust is a choice, and in order for an athlete to be successful one must choose to trust her or his preparation and let the performance happen. “Flow” which is possibly the greatest experience one can have in sport, is the ultimate example of trust (Jackson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). Choosing trust is a mindset, and is not dependent on circumstances or situations (McGuire, 2009).

You must set clear goals

The fifth choice that an athlete must make is the decision to set clear goals. These goals should “begin with the end in mind” and act as a map or “blueprint,” in which goal setting for goal attainment is the focus (Vernacchia et al., 1996, p. 78). Just setting goals does not accomplish goals. Choosing a specific blueprint helps athletes to be committed to achieving their goals. When setting goals for goal attainment, goals should be “S.M.A.R.T.” with the smart acronym standing for specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic, and timely (McGuire, 2009; Vernacchia et al., 1996). Athletes should write out clear goals that are measurable, take action to complete, are reasonable, and have a specific timeline for completion. Athletes should keep sight of their goals on a daily basis. Having a clear blueprint to follow increases an athlete’s confidence by helping him or her monitor their progress.  Some additional guidelines for effective goal setting are:

(1) Set goals which focus on the process rather than the outcome

(2) Long term goals should be supported by both intermediate and short term goals

(3) Goals should emphasize improvement of one’s performance

(4) Don’t try to do too much too soon

(5) Keep goals flexible

(6) Keep in mind the performance paradox of sport – the better we get the harder it is to improve

(7) Leave goals open-ended – I will jump 7 feet or better in the high jump

(8) Have your athletes set goals outside of sport – teach them to become a whole person. (Vernacchia et al., 1996, pp. 79-80; Cook, 1996; Gould, 2001; Vernacchia, 2003, pp. 91-93).

When teaching athletes goals – have them “ink ‘em and think ‘em, view ‘em and do ‘em, believe ‘em and achieve ‘em” (Vernacchia, 2003, p. 91).
When athletes understand the formula for success and the choices that go along with it, good things happen. As the one who is called coach, it is crucial that we give athletes opportunities for success and help them build internal confidence. The five main components to help athletes build internal confidence were: Belief in Method, Positive Self-Talk, Positive Visualization, Trust, and Mapmaking. The central theme to all of these elements is the athletes’ will to choose. When athletes choose to invest in each of these components they will have earned an unbreakable confidence.

References
Cook, D. L. (1996). The composition of confidence. In R. A. Vernacchia, R. T. McGuire, & D. L. Cook, Coaching mental excellence: “It does matter whether you win or lose…” (pp. 81-89). Portola Valley, CA: Warde Publishers.

Gould, D. (2001). Goal setting for peak performance. In J.M. Williams (Ed.), Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance, (4th ed., pp. 190-205). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co.

Jackson, S. A., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). Flow in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

McGuire, R. (2009). Thinking right in sport. Track and Field Coaches Association.

Vernacchia, R. A., McGuire, R. T., & Cook, D. L. (1996). Coaching mental excellence: “It does matter whether you win or lose…” Portola Valley, CA: Warde Publishers.

Vernacchia, R. A. (2003). Inner Strength: The mental dynamics of athletic performance, Pala Alto, CA: Warde Publishers.