Playing From The Inside Out
Being Internally Directed & Driven To Play Your Best 

"Achieving inner excellence is a process. Building mental muscle, like building physical muscle, requires time and effort. The more you work on the inside, the more it will show on the outside."

Gary Mack

MindGym

"The better you are within yourself, the better your chances of playing well."

Rafael Nadal

RAFA

The most competitive and successful athletes play from the inside out. They have an internal sense of ownership with regards to being mentally prepared and conditioned to give their best performance. And while they will take direction and guidance from coaches, they understand and appreciate that their performance on the field or court is ultimately a result of making the smartest split second decisions in any game-time situation. These decisions come from athletes who are internally directed and driven to play their best game.

Athlete-centered coaching proposes that giving the athletes a sense of ownership over their learning will give them the ability to become more self-aware and self-sufficient, and thereby provides them with the necessary skills to make informed decisions; especially when they are competing (Kidman, 2005). By being able to make choices and having some sense of control over what they are learning, these athletes become internally motivated to discover the most relevant and useful ideas and information to successfully perform. And because they are internally directed and driven, they are capable of making the best decisions in a competitive environment. This is essential to athletes who find themselves in fast-paced games where coaches have fewer or limited opportunities to directly speak to their players during the game.

"...informed decisions by athletes are essential to performance success..."

Lynn Kidman

Athlete-Centred Coaching: Developing Inspired and Inspiring People

Mental conditioning, and asking meaningful questions, should be a part of all training and practice sessions throughout the season. These questions will help enable the athlete to appropriately respond and make any necessary mental adjustments because he has identified and practiced those mental skills which give him the ability to make effective and informed decisions on the spot. This commitment to mental conditioning will provide the coaches with a unique opportunity to develop empowered athletes who truly understand and appreciate that their power "comes from within, not from without", can develop a sense of self-efficacy, and, at the same time, will commit themselves to elevating their performance to a higher level (Kidman, 2001).

In scheduling and presenting the training and practice sessions, the coaches should develop and implement a mental conditioning program that shows the players how to mentally prepare themselves for any challenging game-time situation. By collaborating with the athletes, the coaches identify various scenarios in a game that could put the team at a disadvantage, and together, they begin to explore how to mentally control the emotional effects of the pressure and stress which they will encounter during these different situations (Kumar & Urs, 2012). After these scenarios have been identified, the coaches and players will then prepare a series of mental rehearsals in order to practice how they plan to mentally respond and recover.

Learning how to be resilient and resourceful, the athlete is developing the mental capacity to effectively manage any challenging situation that he will encounter during the game. Being mentally tough at that critical moment requires the athlete to be mentally sharp and emotionally strong. He is learning how to be confident and condition his mind to cope with any frustration or negative feelings (Yukelson, 2010). It's being patient with himself, keeping his poise, maintaining the right perspective and persevering until the challenge is over or has been resolved.

In their quest to become better players, these athletes can acquire six internal gears that will set them apart from the average athlete. They can develop these special gears by learning how to use a specific set of questions to improve their overall approach to playing the game and how to use various mental skills for different game-time situations. By taking a proactive approach to thinking, the athletes provide themselves with the necessary tools to play with confidence and composure, thereby giving them the opportunity to make clear and concise decisions.

An internally directed and driven athlete knows how important these gears are to maintaining his concentration and elevating his competitive spirit. These internal gears compel an athlete to think on his own two feet, and will undoubtedly give him a sense of empowerment at any given moment during a game. He has positioned himself to become a more attentive and proactive player, and thereby has the opportunity to effectively respond and play a pivotal role in changing the outcome of any game-time situation.

1st Gear: Being Intentional
Being intentional is all about being focused. Knowing your goals and understanding the purpose of everything you do. It's being clear about what direction you are headed in and how each step that you take will get you closer to your chosen destination.

2nd Gear: Being Inquisitive
Being inquisitive is about being curious and asking questions that will help improve your game. The more questions you ask, the sharper and stronger your mind becomes. Each question builds your concentration in order for you to play with a clearer and more concise mindset.

3rd Gear: Being Insightful
Being insightful is simply knowing and acknowledging what it takes to successfully play the game - including what you control as an athlete and what you need to tune out to keep your concentration in the game. It's keeping your sights on what's most important to gain a clearer perspective of where you stand in any game-time situation.

4th Gear: Being Intuitive
Being intuitive is learning how to accurately anticipate what may happen and to have the appropriate response to a given game-time situation. In making the best decision in any situation, the athlete begins to assimilate what is happening in the game, anticipates what could happen in the next moment, and then to choose an action that reflects what he sees, what he expects and what he wants. By doing this, he will be able to focus, put things in a productive frame of reference and become a proactive player.

5th Gear: Being Inspired
Being inspired is finding whatever motivates you and pushes you to give your best. It's tapping into anything and everything that fuels your desire to play, and will drive  you to play with great intensity and focus. Maybe, it's a certain word or phrase, piece of music, past performance in a game, visualization or verbal commitment you made that energizes and engages you.

6th Gear: Being Influential 
Being influential is asking yourself how you can serve and support your team. It's believing in yourself and your role to help the team. It's knowing that your team's success depends upon your desire and determination to use your strengths and step up, seize the moment and serve the greater good.

References:
Kidman, L. (2005). Athletic-centred Coaching: Developing Inspired and Inspiring People. Christchurch, New Zealand: Innovative Print.

Kidman, L. (2001). developing decision makers: An Empowerment Approach to Coaching. Christchurch, New Zealand: Innovative Print.

Kumar, B.T. & Urs, S.R. (2012). Relationship of Selected Physiological and Mental Toughness of College Men Volleyball Players with the Game Performance. International Journal of Health, Physical Education and Computer Science in Sports, 7 (1), 119-122.

Yukelson, D. (2010). What is Mental Toughness and how to Develop it? Morgan Academic Support System; Penn State University. www.leaguelineup.com/ridgevb/files/MentalToughness