Chapter 6: Commitment to Excellence

Chapter 7: Confidence

Chapter 8: Focus

Chapter 9: Controlling Distractions

Chapter 10: The Power of Routines

Chapter 11: Get into the “Zone”

“It takes commitment to throw yourself at an incoming ball. A half hearted player who only gives a half hearted effort will find

himself very far away from “closing the gap” to their true potential.”

- Closing the Gap

“The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. Commitment is healthiest when it's

not without doubt but in spite of doubt.”

- Dr. Rollo May

The Great Separator between the great from the rest is one’s unwavering commitment to excellence in all areas…including relationships toward a greater

good.

Why is commitment important?

Because a committed person will do whatever it takes.

• Commitment to self.•Commitment to team.

•Commitment to teammates (relationships )•Commitment to your sport.

There are NEVER any guarantees (remember uncontrollables?), but, commitment gives you the best chance to be successful.

How can you tell if someone is committed?

Are they invested in the preparation?

Watch them train/prepare.Is the intensity/effort there?

Is it consistent?

The Big 8 of Commitment

1. Accept Criticism.No need to be defensive or be apologetic. Learn from the “critique”. Stay positive.

2. Don’t be afraid to fail.Let it fly! Do something…don’t let perfection hold you back.

“ A good plan, violently excecuted today, is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”General George S. Patton

3. Maintain ComposureBe the master of your feelings…the major controllable.

4. Set Specific Daily Goals.Have a plan and look to accomplish something. Be better today than yesterday!

The Big 8 of Commitment

5. Mentally Prepare before practice.Take some time to focus and be thoughtful. A mental warm up.

6. Commit to Rest Correctly.It’s not always about the hard work. You need both rest and work.

7. Learn Something from Everything.Even negative experiences can present teachable moments.It’s easy to be negative…can you get past the temper tantrum?

8. Stay Positive.Negative thoughts and emotions will hurt you more than help you. Being in a positive state gives you the best chance to perform well and find solutions when faced with obstacles. Believe it.

Class & Journal Activity:

Partner Up. Outline or make some “bullet points” & make a 30-60 second TV public service commercial for one of the Big 8 of Commitment. This can be for radio or television (audio or video).

The Big 8 of Commitment

1. Mentally Prepare before practice.2. Commit to Rest Correctly.3. Learn Something from Everything.4. Stay Positive.5. Accept Criticism.6. Don’t be afraid to fail.7. Maintain Composure8. Set Specific Daily Goals.

“It’s a lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself”

- Muhammad Ali

If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.

~ Carl Lewis

Hyperlink to Video

One word answer: Confidence equals ???TRUST

Trust in:•Your own potential. You have greatness inside you.•Your ability to overcome obstacles. (Try to cut down on the worrying).

•Your training/preparation.•Your focus/concentration.•Your teammates.•Your choices.

You will do your best with what you have to work with.

How to Increase Confidence Level

Tap into any past success.You’ve done it before…you can do it again.

Act confidently on the outside.Body and Spoken language. (No bragging, please, a quiet confidence.)

Improve your Physical fitness.We live in a physical world.Helps with stress from fatique.

Positive Self Talk.We all have a little voice in our head. Let’s try to train it.Let’s control that voice.

We also get much of our confidence from…our PREPARATION…

Simulation Training: Replicating your performance environment during training.

•Can You think of ways to “replicate” your performance environment during training?

Areas to consider to simulate? Simulate distractions like:- Crowd noise.- Bad calls from officials.-- Weather conditions: heat/cold/rain/etc.-- Too little warm up time.-- Playing when tired. (overtime)

Visualization & Mental Rehearsal

Practice in your mind in addition to physical practice.Practice all different scenarios and situations.

Journal/Class Activity:

Fill out and score Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale & Reflection.

(Download from Forms & Docs)

The Most Important Mental Skill? Focus.Paying attention to the task at hand while not being distracted from your plan. Concentration.

Mastering focus will help you avoid:* Choking.

* Performing below your ability level.

* Experiencing fear, panic, or anxiety

* Getting “psyched out” or something getting “inside your head.”

What is FLOW?Satisfaction and enjoyment that allows you to be totally

absorbed in what you are doing with no distractions.

Two Components of Good Focus:

•The Right Time

•The Right Place

The Right Time

Stay in the Present, Stay in the Moment, Stay in the Now.Made a great play? Forget it…it’s over…the game is still going on.

Made a mistake? Forget it…it’s over….the game is still going on.

The moment is all you have.

The Right Place

The boundaries of your field or performance area.Crowd, friends, school, work, family are not in the right place.

Stay in the Here.•

Why would you get “ Psyched Out?”

You are allowing distractions to pull you out of focus.

•Thinking TOO much about your opponents?

•Are you thinking too much about the weather? The fans? Your opponents? About Winning? About Losing? Worried about the

opponent’s ranking? Boise State did not.

•

Focus is a skill that needs to be practiced!!

FOCUS TEST

TRIAL # 1 (Internal)

(2 minutes)

1. Close Eyes

2. Focus on breathing.

3. On start, Focus on the number 1.

4. When distracted move to number 2.

5. Continue until teacher says “stop”

6. Write the number down you were focusing on

FOCUS TEST

TRIAL # 2 (Auditory only)

(2 minutes)

1. Close Eyes

2. Focus on breathing.

3. On start, Focus on the number 1.

4. When distracted move to number 2.

5. Continue until teacher says “stop”

6. Write the number down you were focusing on

FOCUS TEST

TRIAL # 3 (Visual only)

(2 minutes)

1. Open Eyes

2. Focus on breathing.

3. On start, Focus on the number 1.

4. When distracted move to number 2.

5. Continue until teacher says “stop”

6. Write the number down you were focusing on

FOCUS TEST

TRIAL # 4 (Audio visual)

(2 minutes)

1. Open Eyes

2. Focus on breathing.

3. On start, Focus on the number 1.

4. When distracted move to number 2.

5. Continue until teacher says “stop”

6. Write the number down you were focusing on

Exercises to Practice Outside of Competition

•Listen to someone speak and clear your mind. Fully connect. Don’t be thinking about what to say next.

•Hold your focus on something for short periods. Gradually increase.

•Do a body scan: focus on sensations in a part of your body (feet meeting the floor)

•Focus on a specific positive thought.

•Look at something and fully focus on it.

•Line up several objects and focus on all of them. Zero in one, then, the center piece; then the center on the center. Practice Narrowing your focus. From general focus to specific focus.

•Scan this page and pick the last three words in this sentence and focus on them.

Exercises to Practice During Competition

Focus on being connected to your moves.

Examine perfect execution of skill and do it.

Feeling stressed? Slow everything down….breathing.

Step out to take brief moments to “gather” yourself: use words or triggers.

Simple Reminders: “smooth”, “see the ball”

Wipe the Slate Clean. Start new!

Embrace the joy of the sport. Isn’t this GREAT!

Let it go. Do not judge yourself.

Visualize.

More tips to regain your focus during performance:

* Return to the basics of your game plan.

* Focus on the target or the step right in front of you.

* Positive Self Talk: reassure yourself.

FOCUS PRACTICE

Scan this sentence and pick the last three words in this sentence and focus on them.

FOCUS PRACTICE

Journal Activity:

Practice Focus outside of class and Log your practice.

Log can be found at Docs & Forms

Hyperlink to Video

“Sometimes, you cannot control what happens around you, but, YOU can always control how you react to it.”

“Sometimes, you cannot control what happens around you, but, YOU can always control how you react to it.”

Distraction is the opposite of focus.

If you become distracted and you don’t perform well, did you suddenly lose your ability?

NO….you lost your focus. You allowed something to move you off your plan.

Two kinds of Distractions: Internal & External Distractions.

Internal Distractions are caused by internal thoughts.

A Wandering mind.

Thinking about winning.

Thinking about losing.

Thinking about what others expect of you

Thinking about the score

Thinking about a mistake

Worrying about a future event (mistake)

Two kinds of Distractions: Internal & External Distractions.

External Distractions are caused by outside influences.

Bad officials call

Behavior of teammates or coach

Opponents

Getting tired

Crowd noise

Special person as a spectator (parent, friend, scout)

Media

Someone getting injured

How to Control Distractions?Recognize that they WILL happen, but, resolve to not allow them affect your performance.

* Make a commitment to stay positive

Write it down

Say it often (Performance statements) “I work best when the crowd is loud”

* Make a conscious effort to look for advantages in everything

* Remind yourself YOU are in control of your mind, thoughts, and reactions

* Do mental rehearsals before hand

* Expect conditions to be different: big game, weather, and get your mindset ready:

“I will not make weather an issue because the weather is the same for everyone”

* Use a simple word or focal point or image to shift attention and regain focus

* Prepare a re-focus plan and stick to it.

Write down your biggest distractions (“demon stressor”) and what you will do to refocus.

What is a routine?

A procedure (or ritual) you perform to get you ready for your performance.

Having routines will help with focus and help with anxiety since you will feel familiar. We are treating our performance opportunity consistently the same way.

A routine will serve as a “trigger” to get you to a proper mindset to be ready for competition.

The key is CONSISTENCY. Find a routine that works and then use it.

Why Do Routines Make You Play Better?

Classical Conditioning (Behavioral)Cause/Effect…Pavlov’s bell was the “trigger”

Senses are powerful triggers to produce mental states…

Attributes of a Good Routine?

* Starts early…a day or more before performance.

* Continues up to performance.

* Moves from general to specific.

* Same routine whether the event is “big” or “small”

* Elements can be used during performance.

Why Do Routines Make You Play Better?

Increases FocusRoutine should be general to specific

Gives you a sense of the here and now due to narrowing of focus

Alleviates AnxietySense of doing something familiar and consistent is comforting.

Positive mental states moves you away from anxiety

What to Include in Your Routine

* Routines are personal in nature and may be different for peopleQuiet? Loud? Music? Visual? Sensory? Pertain to both mind & body.

Physical Elements of a RoutineWhen and what to eatWatch and ListenGo to bed, wake upRest (naps?)Warm up routine?? pertaining to your sport

Mental Elements of a RoutineVisualizationPre-image successMental Rehearsal of game planA focal point or cue

Being “in the Zone” is the Holy Grail of sport competition.

Everyone seeks “it”

“Ideal Performance State”

“Peak Performance State”

“Flow”

“Zen Zone”

The Zone is when EVERYTHING seems to be working together and performance flows freely without any effort.

According to researchers, the common features of being in the Zone include:

Body feels free and unhampered

Speed, strength, and agility are at a higher level

Feeling of no fear

Body is on autopilot and performance is automatic without thought

Attention is focused on the here and now

Movement is unforced, effortless

Time may seem to slow down or speed up

A feeling of connection

Everything just feels right

More than anything else…the Zone is a feeling…a mental state….

How Can I Enter the Zone?

It is difficult to attain because you cannot force it

“To analyze is to paralyze”

“Let it happen”

To point you toward being in an Ideal Performance State:

* Try to create a positive, calm state

* Trust your skills are good enough

* Stay in here and now

* Think positively

* Not focused on winning or losing

* Focused on the experience; don’t let obstacles deter your experience

Things to avoid to point you toward the “zone”:

* Focusing on winning & losing

* Being a hot dog (“show off”)

* Trying to scare or intimidate

* Being reactive only…play the game with joy

* Forcing yourself into the zone

In a nutshell: Be Calm, Focused, & Relaxed

Stay away from distractions