by Rob Polishook, MA, CPC

The Athlete is a Person First and Player Second

There are three core mental-based principles of Inside the Zone Sport Performance Group which coaches can employ to help their players achieve peak performance.

The principles are:
! 1. The athlete is a person first and player second.
! 2. The big “why” is a key factor to success.
! 3. Focus on the process, not the outcome.

This article will focus on the athlete as a person first and a player second. This concept may seem obvious, since we are all born without a racket, hockey stick or bat in our hands!  (Since I’m largely a tennis guy, we’ll use the racket analogy for my purposes.)  The point is, years later, once the young athlete has held that racket in their hands and demonstrated ability in the sport…..the way others view the person often begins to change their identity from person to player.  Many times the child’s maturity level, self-esteem, and fears are overlooked because their talent transcends their age.

Wayne Bryan, father of Mike and Bob Bryan, talks about the importance of ensuring that tennis remains fun during the entire developmental process, and reminds us not to lose sight of the fact that tennis is part of the person’s life, not their entire life.

It can be helpful to think of your player’s development as a tree.  A tree starts from the roots. The roots can be thought of as the person’s values, belief system, cultural orientation, work ethic, and soul.  As an influential person in the young player’s life, the coach plays a role in how this person’s roots grow, by encouraging such traits as moral values, personal confidence, self-belief, personal resiliency and self empowerment that will carry the person through life’s challenges.  Jose Higueras stated in the USTA High Performance Newsletter (vol 10, No 1) “I’m a big fan of trying to make the player as independent as possible.”  The stronger the root system, the stronger the physical trunk and branches become. These symbolize how the player grows and develops on the court. Then the fruits come, representing results, trophies, and various rewards.
These fruits of the process garner attention from others and shift the focus from development to results. Yet make no mistake, the development all started from the root system.  Dr. David Grand, a psychologist noted for his work in the field of sports and performance, says “The foundation is the person – how you play is often a manifestation of yourself, including your weakest and strongest points.”

Now think back to a time when your student was having a bad practice, showed poor body language, or was just not him or herself;  how much of this could have been a result of a rough day in school, an argument with a friend, parental expectations, or even anxiety about an upcoming tournament?  Often times, it is off court issues or unrelated stresses that affect performance on the court.  Awareness to the complexity of the person player relationship can help you work with your student.  Make sure to ask questions and listen to the person you are coaching.  Ask yourself: “What does this young person need from me right now?   How can I best help?”  Simply asking a few questions about the person, and listening to the answers, may clear their path and help open the door to improved performance.

Another scenario is a player walking off the court after a heartbreaking loss, dejected and rattled.  Rarely is the player recognized for managing their emotions, challenging themselves, taking risks, competing under pressure, and lastly putting themselves on the line.  These are precisely the skills necessary to succeed in life, and isn’t that the main reason we encourage kids to take up a sport in the first place?   Paradoxically, when their coach has validated these attributes, players will recognize that you “get it.”  You understand where they are mentally and emotionally, and identify with their on-court struggle.  Having a shared foundation of understanding, your students are likely to become more open to any feedback you can give them regarding the strategic and tactical parts of the match.
From a coaching perspective, working with athletes ‘as persons first and players second’ will create a greater connection to your players on many levels. They will know that you’re interested in their well being and overall development.  It goes deeper than just helping them improve on the court. When players know you care about them, they will feel less threatened, more open to change, and more relaxed in pressure situations, thus freeing the path for reaching their potential – optimal potential both as a person and an athlete.

Furthermore, with awareness of how on and off the court stresses can directly impact a struggling or high achieving athlete, you will be better equipped to coach and maximize the performance and results of the holistic athlete.

Rob Polishook, MA, CPC

Mental Training Coach

Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group, LLC

973-723-0314

rob@insidethezone.com

www.insidethezone.com

Podium’s Podcast of the Week:   An interview with Andrea Becker, PhD, CC-AASP in Louisville, Kentucky – October 26, 2007

by Dr. Stephen Walker, CC-AASP

Dr. Andrea Becker is a sport psychology consultant and faculty at California State University – Fullerton.  She is one of the better known specialists in qualitative research in coaching education and has focused on the athlete’s experience in both NCAA Division I athletics and in Elite level competition.  She has long studied coaching behaviors that bring out the best in their athletes and applies these lessons in her consulting work.  We’re pleased to have her with us today, and look forward to some upcoming research for a future Podium Podcast.

Her study focused on how athletes’ experience great coaching and the components they appreciated most. She found 6 major themes that included methods of coaching, teaching skills, the ways they communicated, and the actions they took in the process of coaching them……

……Her sample included elite level athletes, both professional and Olympic and how their performances were enhanced through various experiences, methods and communications with their coaches that empowered them to do their best. Some personality factors are discussed, as well. Dr. Becker carried on several in depth interviews with over 18 elite athletes conducted in a qualitative research effort. Athletes in football, baseball, and basketball, both male and female, were interviewed over several months in a number of sessions so as to provide a rich review and adequately illustrated depiction of “great coaching” from their point of view.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click Here for Podium’s Podcast of the Week: aasp07-a-becker-athlete-experiences-of-great-coaching

Here Comes March Madness! The Mens and Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament

Today, the brackets for the NCAA Basketball Tournament are being announced….and everyone has dreams of winning. In my opinion, no sporting event on planet earth brings out the best in coaches like the road to the National Championship.

John Wooden, unprecedented winner of 10 straight NCAA Championships while coaching at UCLA, once said; “Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.” I’ve heard this quote in circumstances that questioned a bad break like that of the diagnoses of an unwanted affliction. Yet no better quote addresses the advantage of those given the opportunity to make the best of their success.

Will they revel in making the show?  Absolutely!   But the real question will reveal itself in how each coach prepares their team for the tournament itself and the fabulous competition they will see.

Chris Charmichael, Lance Armstrong’s famed coach – stressed that Lance race his strengths, but train his weaknesses.  His training for the Tour began many months before the first gun went off, and his mileage in the Pyrenees mountains is legendary.  But what are lessons for these coaches as they enter the post season?

The Best Coaches are those who bring out the best in their players at crunch time….and this tournament levels the playing field like no other in sport.  Those who are best at focusing on the “process” have the advantage. They will practice with purpose, focus productively in their preparation and prepare themselves to incrementally improve their ability to neutralize the strengths of their opponent, one game at a time.  Those who play every second of every minute of every game…emphasizing their strengths – while purposely strengthening their weaknesses – these are the coaches and the team’s who will succeed.  Whether they win the tournament or not, they will have “realized” success in performing to their very best.

And when all is said and done – they will remember the “process” of their preparation and their play…all along their road to success.  For some that lesson will last a lifetime, and provide the seed for never-ending confidence and many more successes in life.

by Stephen E. Walker, PhD, CC-AASP

To learn more about the importance of “process” vs “outcome” goal setting….read on. The examples will be seen as this tournament unfolds.