Quote of the Day:

"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time."  -Vince Lombardi

Get in the "Zone" Part VI

 Part 6 of a 7 part series on helping athletes and coaches get focused, achieve flow and "get in the zone".

 

 

Do not try at trying

Falling into the trap of trying too hard when you want to achieve a desired result is easy. It occurs frequently in sport, when you get an athlete desperately trying to regain their past form. Unfortunately their attempts to get back to winning ways are usually in vain. The rule is, if you over-try to reach a particular outcome your efforts push your target further away from your grasp.

The key to entering the zone is to find the middle point between over-trying and under-trying. This state is probably the most important factor in determining how successful you are at staying in a zone-like state for extended periods of time. 

The reason you often drift in and out of the zone during a performance is because of a failure to maintain the equilibrium between under-trying and over-trying. Sometimes when things are going against you, you will try to force the issue, tipping the scales towards over-trying. The moment this occurs you leave your zone-like state. 

‘Don’t force the flow. When you push, things tend to push back.’ Neil (2006)

Quote of the Day:

"I always turn to the sports section first.  The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures."  -Earl Warren

Get in the "Zone" Part V

Part 5 of a 7 part series helping athletes and coaches focus, achieve flow and "get in the zone".

Enjoy the game

Focusing on enjoying your sport will increase the chances of entering the zone. 

Feeling good causes the release of a set of chemicals into the body known as endorphins.

Endorphins are naturally occurring hormones that are secreted within the brain in order to carry information around the body. Endorphin secretion is associated with an increased sense of well-being and heightened receptiveness, improving the body’s functioning on a physical and a mental level. During zone-like states athletes often report heightened feelings of well-being and pleasure, much like the states associated with an endorphin release. 

Therefore it is advisable that you get yourself feeling good before you perform, because there is a strong likelihood that being in the zone could well be a by-product of generating an increased amount of endorphins. Common ways to do this may include listening to music, using visualisation techniques, and using deep breathing exercises.

Quote of the Day:

"Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable." -Lord Chesterfield

Get in the "Zone" Part IV

 Part 4 of a 7 part series on helping athletes and coaches get focused, achieve flow and "get in the zone".

Play for someone who you love

Making the commitment to play for a cause beyond yourself  will inject inspiration, drive and determination into your performance.  

Athletes often dedicate performances to loved ones, admired individuals who have recently died, and sometimes for charities and other worthwhile organizations.

The effect on athletes who use this strategy is often miraculous. They appear as if possessed by a force greater than themselves, helping them to attain a zone-like performance.

Answering the following question before competitive performances may help you to enter the zone before performances.

How would you play if you wanted to express your love to someone close to you?

By directing your attention and focus to how you would play if you were dedicating your performance to someone special, the mind fills will positive thoughts and actions to increase the likelihood of playing at your best.

The power of process

Athletes are often distracted by performance outcomes. In professional sport winning is more important than anything else.

However its important to remember that consuming yourself with the outcome of winning does not tell you how to win. It is therefore essential that your focus is directed towards the processes that creates the winning result.

Outcomes are just a by-product of the quality of the processes that you have followed. If the quality of the process is poor, this will be reflected in the outcome.

Work out the key processes that form the backbone of performing well. For example, in basketball, some of the key processes may include maintaining an athletic stance, shooting hands/feet ready, timing cuts perfectly, etc.

The key processes depend very much on the sport that you are playing. Sometimes it is useful to sit down with your coach to identify these key processes.

During a performance if you direct all your focal powers towards these processes, you increase your chances of producing a strong performance.

Positive Teaching Techniques That Inspire Improvement

Some snippets from an excellent article by Sheri Jeavons! 

If you’ve ever tried to coach someone to stop doing a particular behavior or to change a certain action, then you know how difficult it can be to break bad habits and alter their ways. Why is it often so hard to help people improve, even when you specifically point out what they’re doing wrong is hurting them? Because most (young) adult learners are self-critical, and they typically don’t learn by hearing negative feedback.  

 

In fact, the natural tendency for most people is to defend their existing behavior, no matter how disruptive or self-sabotaging it is.  If you really want to motivate someone to go to their own next level, then you have to do so in an authentic way, with positive, solutions-oriented language.  Here are some coaching techniques that inspire people to improve:

Coach the positive rather than critique the negative: In order to build your (team members) to the next level, you need to first identify what you want them to achieve. Once you have determined the positive behavior, you can then determine the skill sets that can build the team/person to the desired outcome.

For example, in a selling situation, most new salespeople will naturally want to tell all they know about their company. They talk about the company, about the product, and about all the reasons why someone should buy from them. In the midst of all their talking, they neglect to ask the prospect open-ended questions that prompt dialog and encourage the prospect to reveal wants and needs.

In order to get the salesperson to change his or her approach, a typical manager might say, “In that last call I noticed that you did most of the talking and then ran out of time to ask questions.  Do you really feel you know what the prospect needs?  Next time ask some questions before giving an explanation and see if you can get them talking.” This kind of feedback focuses on the negative first, which could result in the employee shutting down prior to hearing your suggestions. 

A better approach, and one that will motivate the salesperson to be more open to change, is to say, “For the next call, let’s talk about how we can facilitate more discussion with the client.” 

See the difference?  Instead of criticizing what you don’t like, you’re stating what you’re going to help the salesperson achieve. With the criticism gone, the salesperson is automatically more open to your suggestions. Some other lead-in statements you could use are:

• Let’s have you experiment with this process…
• Let’s talk about taking you to your own next level…
• Let’s discuss how we can engage the customer to create more conversation…

After the salesperson hears your willingness to build their skills, then you can give specific suggestions to help them facilitate discussion with the client. Keep it positive so they are motivated to listen to your advice.

Ask the other person what he or she needs to learn:  Asking people for their input regarding their own performance engages them about skill sets they want to fine tune and potentially learn.

After you ask someone what he or she would like to improve, have the person clarify in two or three statements some very specific things they would like to learn. This enables you to get agreement that change and improvement are necessary. Next, have the person prioritize what he or she feels the most pressing learning objective(s) should be. Lastly, give some coaching tips and learning ideas so the person feels they have some power in the learning process. Now you’re empowering the learner to have a say in their own change. 

What should you do if one of your teammates often gets defensive during meetings? Instead of saying, “That meeting didn’t go very well. You were a little defensive,” simply ask, “How do you think the meeting went?” Most people will know (and admit) that the meeting didn’t go well. Then immediately ask, “How would you have handled that meeting differently?” Listen to what the person says and coach to those points.

If the person doesn’t seem to say anything of value, then refer back to the first point and say, “For the next meeting, let’s talk about how you can take your skills to the next level. In particular, how you effectively facilitate a meeting.” 

 

Focus on the future: During your discussions with the person, always talk about “next time.” Never go back and recreate the bad situation. For example, with the person who becomes defensive during meetings, rather than point out when he or she became defensive, you could say, “Next time, when you find that you’re getting in a defensive conversation with someone, immediately put on your facilitation hat. At that moment, stop defending your position and start asking questions.”

Begin the coaching dialog directly after the behavior has occurred – within 24 hours – so the event is fresh in the person’s mind and he or she can grow from it. Never wait until a yearly performance evaluation to give someone feedback.  

 

By using these coaching techniques on a regular basis, you will motivate and inspire people to improve. By providing feedback with positive language, people will look forward to your coaching sessions. When that happens, you’ll have professionals eager to change and achieve to their own next level of performance.

Quote of the Day:

"Athletics, to be more than athletics, has to be a contributor to the University. It has to be a contributor to the community. A team that just plays without involvement with people isn't really what I think of when I think of what's best in intercollegiate athletics". -Bob Knight

Get in the "Zone" Part III

 Part III of a 7 part series looking at how to help student-athletes and coaches "get in the zone".

 

Focus outwards

There are only 2 directions focus can take: inwards and outwards. 

Inward focus consists of attending to your internal thoughts. In the context of sport, planning your routines and set-plays is an example of inward focus. Dwelling on past mistakes, and worrying about up-coming events are also examples of inward focus. 

Outward focus involves attending to the physical events that are going on around you. Being consumed with the physical actions of your sport would be a prime example of outward focus. 

Do all your inward focusing before a performance. This may involve planning your strategic approach to the game, and creating a positive internal state to go out and compete. 

Once you enter the competitive arena, become totally absorbed in the physical actions of your sport, and allow your internal thought processes to function automatically. The moment that your focus goes inwards during a performance, you run the risk of paralysis by analysis. This is a state that arises when you over-think automatic actions. The moment that you think too much about the specific action you cause it to unravel, and become cumbersome. 

Find a comfortable seat in front of a clock and spend as long as you can focusing on the movement of the second hand, with a clear mind. The moment a thought enters your head, stop and start again. Time yourself and see how long you can last. Over time your performance on this task will begin to improve. This will help you achieve a very effective outward focus system. 

Filling up your tank

The brain does not distinguish between real and imagined events.

Take full advantage of this by filling  your mind and body with powerful energy to get into a zone-like state. 

We ask our student-athletes to get warmed up and mentally ready before a game. How do we, as coaches, get warmed up, mentally prepared and focused before a game?

A good time to use this exercise is in the locker room before competitive performances.

Get yourself into a comfortable and relaxed state by taking as many deep breaths as you need in order to achieve this. Close your eyes ...visualise and identify any negative energy that may currently reside in your body. This could be in the form of anxiety, nerves, apathy, or a number of other negative emotions. Now imagine opening your body to drain the negative thoughts and energy. Do this until your body is free of negative thoughts, nervousness, etc. Now imagine your body filling up with positive energy -use positive memories and visualize yourself performing successfully. Notice how it feels when it enters your body. Keep doing this until your body is filled to the brim with power and positive energy. Open your eyes when your mind and body feel energized and ready for action.

Get in the "Zone" Part II

Part II of a 7 part series.

 

As a junior in high school, I was fortunate to experience one basketball game when I was "in the zone". I remember it very clearly- I scored off a lay-up off of the opening tip. Throughout the rest of the game I felt like I couldn't miss a shot; all my movement and basketball mechanics seemed perfectly in sync and I could perform optimally with very little conscious thought. The game seemed slow; I felt like everyone else was operating in slow motion and I was one-step ahead of them. I finished that game with 42 points on 60% shooting and attribute the performance to the technique of focusing before the game by reciting several key words that were important to me (endurance, excellence, strength, commitment) and visualizing a successful game for myself and team.

 

Intuition

Intuition is an ability that involves feeling how events will unfold. In order to enter a zone-like state it is important to begin to trust and act on your instinctive feelings. However there is a huge gulf between intuitive knowing and intuitive acting. How many times during a performance have you said to yourself ‘I knew that was going to happen’ and not acted on this foresight?

Top athletes who enter zone-like states regularly do so because they are prepared to let go, and act on their impulses without fear.

'Intuitive knowing' and acting is especially important for fast paced sports that demand the co-operation of the mind and body.

A powerful way to develop and strengthen your intuition is to regularly train as if you are performing in the biggest match of your life. This strengthens your sense of focus and discipline that is required to perform well at the highest level of sport. By practicing with such intensity and commitment the brain is trained to work automatically under greater levels of pressure, allowing your intuition and instinct to take control.

State

The biggest predictor of behavior is state. If you feel good then this positive state will be reflected in the quality of your performance. Spend a few minutes before every performance getting yourself into a resourceful state to dramatically increase your chances of performing well. Emotional rehearsal is one way to do this.

Emotional rehearsal uses the power of imagination to create a positive emotional state. By mentally recreating positive personal experiences, productive states are produced encouraging the deliverance of zone-like performances.

Some athletes create internal pictures of their loved ones; some imagine the end product of feeling good after a strong performance, while others often reminisce about some of their best times in sport.

The subject material that is mentally rehearsed is irrelevant as long as it creates positive feelings.

Be aware, the  more intense your internal experience are, the stronger the impact will be on your subsequent behavior.

Quote of the Day:

"Never try to be better than someone else. Learn from others, and try to be the best you can be. Success is the by-product of that preparation." -John Wooden

Get in the "Zone" Part I

Former sprinter Mark Richardson talked about being in the zone in the winter of 1996: 

‘It’s a very strange feeling. It’s as if time slows down and you see everything so clearly. You just know that everything about your technique is spot on. It just feels so effortless; it’s almost as if you’re floating across the track. Every muscle, every fibre, every sinew is working in complete harmony and the end product is that you run fantastically well.’ - Extract from ‘Mind Games,’ Grout and Perrin, 2006. 

Most athletes at some point in their career will talk about the phenomenon of ‘being in the zone’. Unfortunately getting in the zone and staying there is not as easy as most athletes would have hoped. 

Over the next few days, we'll talk about what "getting in the zone is", how it feels and how we can best prepare our athletes to work effortlessly, think minimally and perform optimally!

Quote of the Day:

“I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot .. and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why... I succeed." -Michael Jordan