HEADS UP
Being Mentally Prepared to Play Your Best Game

"If your head is not in the game before it begins, then you are already behind when the whistle blows."
                                                                                            Anthony B. Lanzillo



When you are watching a game, how often will you hear a coach yell out to one of his players "what were you thinking?" or "get your head back in the game!" Other times, you will hear that same coach tell another player that he is thinking too much and just needs to play his game. The coach is trying to help his players not make mistakes or miss opportunities to make a great play. The problem is that he is unintentionally confusing his players because they probably understand what the coach is saying but are still unsure of how to mentally approach their performance and get their heads into that game.

Either way, players like yourself, are going to be thinking and thinking throughout the game. The issue is whether or not your thoughts and mindset are elevating your performance or bringing it down. Being mentally prepared to play your best game is something that you should work on at every practice and training session. It's making a commitment to work on your mental conditioning and "building your mental muscles" every day of the season. You will develop the mental skills to play with greater concentration, composure and confidence.

Here are seven steps that you can take to get and keep your head in the game, and play with a presence of mind, sense of purpose, the right perspective, passion, poise and perseverance.


Honor Yourself
Acknowledge and celebrate your strengths.

Envison Yourself
Visualize how you want to play and perform.

Ask The Right Questions 
Ask questions about things you control and will put you in a positive and proactive mindset.

Deposit Your Positive Experiences
Hold onto your positive experiences in practice and games. and create a highlights film.

Serve The Greater Good 
Look for opportunities to use your talents and gifts to support your team.

Use What You Control 
Focus on what you control and make it work for you.  

Play On Purpose
Find the purpose to everything you do as an athlete.


If you would like more information on the HEADS UP approach to mental skills training, email me at risson1954@gmail.com.

What Is Your Commitment?

"Alexakos' greatest contribution came in the form of the white index cards that De La Salle players carry. The commitment cards Alexakos introduced became a staple of the program. Ladoceur was accustomed to setting team and offensive and defensive goals, but it was Alexakos who demanded that each of his linemen set individual goals before each game...Ladocuer expanded the concept until every player was required to make a least one weight-lifting goal, one practice goal, and one game goal, which are then written on index cards. Players give the cards to a teammate or coach who is responsible for determining whether the goals have been fulfilled. The findings are reported to the team the next week...Commitment cards fit Ladoceur's program perfectly. They teach goal-setting and accountability and keep nonstarters from giving up on their seasons."

Neil Hayes
When The Game Stands Tall: The Story Of The De La Salle Spartans And Football's Longest Winning Streak  

What Are You Doing Off The Field?

"He was the only Springbok to have sat down with Mandela one-on-one, and he was particularly anxious that his team project an image that would please Mandela. But he was also thinking, as he did always with relentless detail, what the team did off the field might improve their performance on it. And as he heard himself and his teammates singing, his rugby brain clicked into action. He understood that victory in a top-class rugby game was 50 percent psychology, and saw a sporting value in the song, beyond the politics. 'I made up my mind right there and then that this was an unexpected plus that Morne had given us; that it could give us something special going into the game, if we respected it and felt the energy of it,' Pineaar said, before adding, with a smile and a shake of the head, 'but...it's amazing to think about the Afrikaan boys singing that anthem!"

John Carlin
INVICTUS: Nelson Mandela And The Game That Made A Nation 

The Mental Tenacity of Larry Bird

"Riley poured over tapes of Bird, pointing out specific tendencies to his team, such as Bird's preference to bring the ball up left-handed and his ability to split the double teams by positioning his feet in between the trap. Yet, all the technical tips, Riley knew, would not offset the true strength of Bird's game: his mental tenacity. 'You had to deal with his psyche before you could even discuss the basketball aspect of it,' Riley explained. 'I always told my guys, you will never be able to beat Bird until you understand how much he wants to win and what he'll do to make sure he wins. We had to be above and beyond him mentally, and I wasn't always sure it was possible." 
Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson
When The Game Was Ours 


How mentally determined are you? 
Have you measured your mental stamina?
How are you developing your mental endurance?