msa referees december 18, 2014. laura ceccarelli psychology honors student at the university of...
TRANSCRIPT
MENTAL PREPARATIONMSA Referees December 18, 2014
WHO AM I?Laura Ceccarelli Psychology Honors Student at the
University of Manitoba
Soccer, track and field and everything in between!
Passionate about sport!
FOCUS FOR TODAY:Why we’re here: Breaking it down Ideal Performance State: Who do we want to bring to the field?
Mental Preparation: What do we need to do to be that person more often?
Refocusing: Using these tools in the thick of things
WHAT IS SPORT PSYCHOLOGY?
What happens in your head! The mental aspect of sportThe body/mind connectionLike any skill, it takes practice!
WHY MENTAL PERFORMANCE TRAINING? The more high level sport, the more the game becomes mental (more pressure, more distractions/ elements in competition)
Keeps us connected to WHY we are playing sport!
Important component when we are unable to participate physically (ex: injured)
The mind as a muscle…. Use it or LOSE it!
WHERE TO START? At the END!
Break it down, simplify
REFLECTION: WHY ARE WE HERE? What do we value when we are on
the field?
What is important?
Why do we do what we do?
How would you want to be remembered?
DISCUSSION:What do we value as a referee?
What is important to us?Why do we continue to show up game after game?
Who do we want to be in the good, the bad and the ugly?
IDEAL PERFORMANCE STATE: Knowing what success is for YOU!
Before we can prepare, need to know what we are preparing for!
Need to know where we are going!
Who are you when you are your best?
WHO DO YOU WANT TO BRING TO THE FIELD? What does success look like for you?
What can the players count on you for?
How do you handle adversity? Success?
How do you feel, move, etc?
NOW THAT WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING…What can we do to be that person more often?Mental Preparation!
YOUR MENTAL PREPARATION?How do you currently prepare your mind and body for a competition?
What challenges do you face?What do you find works well for you?
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PREPARATION
Pre-performance routine: preparing the mind and body
Planning for competition: for what is to come (emotions, distractions, scenarios)
PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE
What we do to prepare ourselves prior to performance
Competition is not a warm up, want to be ready for game time!
PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE
Facilitates…1. Familiarity2. Order3. Consistency4. Control 5. Preparation6. Confidence
ELEMENTS OF A PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE
Self TalkImagery/ VisualizationPhysiological adjustmentMotivation/ Readiness
PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE: SELF- TALK
What you say to YOURSELF
Ability to gain control over your thoughts
Be a good teammate to yourself!
Important! Body is very responsive to our self-talk
SOME THINGS TO NOTE: Say something that has MEANING for you! You are looking to adjust
emotional reaction on a mind and body level!
PLAN this!! Important to have these things easily accessible
Think about what you WANT vs. what you DON’T WANT…because the mind can’t distinguish
ex: pink elephant
RORY MCILROY Rory McIlroy Open Championship:
“Process” and “Spot”
“With my long shots I just wanted to stick to my process and stick to making good decisions, making good swings,” he said.
“And ‘spot’ was for my putting. I was just picking a spot on the green and then trying to roll it over my spot every time. I wasn’t thinking about holing it. I wasn’t thinking about what it would mean or how many further clear it would get me. I just wanted to roll that ball over that spot.”
DJOKOVIC: WIMBLEDON FINAL Had a conversation with himself
Came back to defeat the 7-time Wimbledon champ in 5 sets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI6VnD0DHbo
TOOLS FOR PRE-COMPETITION: IMAGERY/VISUALIZATION
“Every time Steve Nash goes to the foul line, he shoots five or six free throws. Sure, there’s the two that really count, but the NBA’s all-time free throw percentage leader always takes several imaginary shots before getting the ball. He says it helps him not only visualize the ball going through the net but also gets his brain and body prepped for the upcoming motor skill. After almost 3,400 regular season attempts, his 90.4% success rate seems to work”
Lindsay Vonn, US Alpine Ski Racer:
“just getting another run in”
WHAT THIS COULD LOOK LIKE
Competition scenarios
Imagining what rattles you. Working through it, correcting errors
Imagining yourself at your BEST! What this looks like, highlight reel
High jumpers: increased form and success rate by 45% from doing dynamic mental imagery alone!
THINGS TO CONSIDER: You need to visualize everything out of
your eyes (in the 1st person).
Use all of your SENSES!
You have to be there: FEELING, SEEING and HEARING what is happening!
Start with strengths, build on those
Practice!!!! Use timelines similar to that of competition
PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE: PHYSIOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT
Physical actions to adjust our level of arousal
Ability to adjust energy levels to what is called for in any performance situation
Do you need to be brought up (flat) or down (anxious)?
Breathing, PMR, Pump UP
BUILD into sport
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING Takes the foot off the gas pedal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okrdaqcDte0
Practice! Incorporate into sport gradually
“Research shows diaphragmatic breathing is an effective way to manage stress, focus the mind and improve overall health, counter your mind and body’s reaction to stress and increase overall resilience”
TENSE AND RELEASELoose muscles vs. tenseCooked and un-cooked spaghetti
Loose muscles are more in sync with the mind, flow more freely
Body Scan Do in unison with breathing routine
PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE: MOTIVATION/ READINESS
What ELSE do you do pre-comp?
Ex: specific active routines, music, watch videos
BUILDING A PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE
Keep it unique to you!
PLANNING FOR WHAT IS TO COMETalking about EMOTIONS and DISTRACTIONS here!
NOT ONLY YOUR EMOTIONS BUT…..
EMOTION IN SPORT Very natural and often POSITIVE part of
sport:
Ex: nerves, passion, comradery, joy
Will ALWAYS be a part of sport!
HOW EMOTION WORKSWe try not to think about something
Ex: emotions, distractions
We just think about it more!
Body responds accordingly (knowingly
or unknowingly)Ex: tension
Performance Follows
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy“I knew it!”
PLANNING FOR EMOTION Self-awareness is key! Know how you
REACT and how you WANT to respond
PLAN for emotions and prepare to PROCESS Emotions
Let them run their course in a way that is HELPING vs. HARMING (all emotions naturally rise and fall if you let them)
****Repression and denial lead to reduced performance!
Jill Officer
SELF-AWARENESS
PRE-PERFORMANCE CHECK IN
Don’t go out until you’re ready!
Because WE are responsible for who we bring to the line!
Check in!
What do you want to bring? Where are you at?
Times to do this
Red Ligh
t
• Stop! What kind of self talk goes here? Is this going to improve your performance?
• What can you do to ensure you are fully present and ready?
Yellow
Light
• Proceed with caution! Almost there but not quite!• When would this be the case? What can you do?
Green
Light
• Green means GO! • You are ready to perform! Notice what this feels like!
What are you saying to yourself in this state?
REFOCUSINGFirst step of refocusing: NOTICING when you aren’t where you want to be!
Acknowledge, non-judgmentally
All of these skills can be used as REFOCUSING response for mind and body
The more you PRACTICE the easier/ more accessible in games
USE THE PAUSESUse the pauses in the game to refocus, get centered
Ask yourself: what is most important right now? Where does my focus need to be?
Promotes bigger picture thinking vs. tunnel vision, downward spiral
DISCUSSION:Past experiences: What have you done to refocus?
MOVING FORWARDPreparation doesn’t guarantee performance…learn to enjoy the PROCESS!
FAIL HARDER http://youtu.be/vEVd0QMjCc8
FINAL THOUGHTSKnow what you want to bring, why you are there, what success looks like
Do what you can to be that person more often: prepare and plan what that looks like!
Use those skills to refocus in times that you are rattled, distracted
ENJOY the PROCESS!Reflect and learn from every performance
