The Mental Prep Playsheet

In developing the Mental Prep Playbook, I have designed a simple tool to help athletes visualize and mentally rehearse specific plays or game-time situations. Here is the overview for the Mental Prep Playsheet.

Take a piece of paper and do the following:

1. Write down the specific play or game-time situation that you want to work on.

2. Write down the primary role and responsibilities of your position for that play.

3. Write down a list of visual and verbal cues that provide an overview of your                           successful performance for that play.

4. Write down the positive feelings or emotions that you will experience from that successful      performance.

5. Before each practice session, sit down and read this playsheet. Then go back and review         the visual and verbal cues/prompts. After reading and reviewing this list, close your eyes,       and visualize and mentally rehearse this play.


Tone Lanzillo
Mental Skills Coach
risson1954@gmail.com

The Anchor

Find a word, phrase, image, piece of music or positive experience that you can use whenever you want to feel more relaxed and composed. It will help you to refocus, feel re-energized and remain steady.

Given the intensity and speed of playing sports, along with the physical demands and emotional stress of playing in a game, there will be times during that game when you may need the "anchor". It is a visual or verbal cue to steady yourself when you feel like you are struggling to keep your head above the turbulent waters of a very competitive and emotionally challenging game.

During any practice or training session, when you begin to feel emotionally stressed out, frustrated, angry or afraid, visualize yourself lowering the "anchor" as you replay that special word, phrase, image or music.  

Stephen Francis and the Success of the Jamaican Sprinters

Last weekend, I was watching both the women's and men's track teams from Jamaica win the 4 x 100 M relays at the Track and Field World Championships in China. Given the success of the Jamaican sprinters over the past 10 years from such a small country, I wanted to find out what has contributed to the success of these Jamaican athletes.

In a book entitled "The Gold Mine Effect: Crack The Secrets Of High Performance", author Rasmus Ankersen interviewed Stephen Francis who had helped establish the MVP Track and Field Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica in 1999. Francis told Ankersen that he believed that the Jamaican athletes should remain in their home country to train instead of going to the United States. Even though Jamaica didn't have the finances and training facilities of the U.S., Francis thought that he could develop successful sprinters at the international level.

Francis talked about what he would look for in a potential athlete to train and coach. He was looking for athletes who had a compelling story to compete and succeed. Francis stated that he wanted to know the personal stories of these athletes. He wanted to know what they were all about and how they had become who they were. Also, he was looking for athletes who had a strong desire to learn, using what they learned to get better, and then keep on learning.

For Francis, the success of these sprinters depended a lot on their mindset and motivation. He wanted athletes who had passion and perseverance to compete and succeed. And he wanted athletes who were never satisfied with their current performance, and continuously wanted to get better.

Francis believed that the ability to succeed was indicated by an athlete's passion and hunger to be better today than he or she was yesterday. He wanted to work with athletes with "cunning and resilience", and were able to bounce back from adversity.

What Do You Need To Know?

There are 9 things that athletes need to know to be mentally prepared to play their best game:

1. Know what you control
2. Know what you want to do
3. Know how to stay in the moment
4. Know what to ask
5. Know what makes you stronger
6. Know how to visualize your performance
7. Know what to tune out
8. Know how to respond to a mistake or difficult moment
9. Know what you're playing for

To be mentally prepared to play their best game, athletes need to know what to think and how to think when they step onto the field or court. It helps to mentally position themselves so that they are able to make the best decisions in any play or game-time situation. They become mentally stronger and smarter players.

If you would like to know more about the "9 things", and the mental prep test and mental prep playsheet, that are presented in the Mental Prep Playbook, drop me an email at risson1954@gmail.com. It can be presented as a workbook or in a mental skills workshop.  

The Mental Peak
How Exceptional Athletes Play at the Highest Level

In sports, there is the physical game and the mental game. While most athletes find themselves focusing on and preoccupied with their physical game, it's the exceptional athletes who know how important it is to invest the necessary time and energy into developing their mental game. They understand that the mental game is essential to being a competitive and successful athlete. Exceptional athletes know that mental preparation is the only way to play at the highest level. They have learned to play with a sense of purpose, the right perspective, presence of mind, poise, passion and perseverance. 

Exceptional athletes know why they are playing, what they are doing at every moment, and where they want to go with their game.

Exceptional athletes know how to think positively and constructively about every moment of their athletic careers.

Exceptional athletes know how to stay focused in the present moment, and think clearly and objectively about that moment.

Exceptional athletes know how to stay composed and keep their emotions under control.

Exceptional athletes know how to motivate and inspire themselves.

Exceptional athletes know how to keep playing and giving their best even in challenging or difficult moments.

Tone Lanzillo
Mental Skills Coach
risson1954@gmail.com 

The "Mental Prep" Playbook

For all the coaches out there who will be using their playbooks to teach the players how to run and execute various plays in games, make sure that you dedicate some time in your team practices to helping your players be mentally prepared to play their best game. Besides having the players physically run through the different plays from the playbook, it would be very beneficial to show your players how to "mentally run" through these plays in order to keep themselves composed, focused and perform with more confidence.

Once the team has physically run through a designated play several times, you could then introduce the following mental prep exercise for all the players in that designated play. First, have the players get into their positions for this play. Then, tell the players to close their eyes and take a deep breath. After the deep breath, ask the players to visualize each step that they are going to take to successfully execute their role in the play. And as they visualize their performance, tell the players to positively talk themselves through the series of steps. Then, after they have finished the visualization, ask them to identify the positive feelings from visualizing their successful performance.

If you are handing out playbooks to the players, encourage them to invest some time after practice to write down their visualizations for each play and attach them to each play in the playbook.

Are Your Players Combat Ready?


"...since initiative vis-a-vis the enemy is the key to successful battlefield outcomes, the side that can make the best decisions more quickly usually wins."     

Christopher D. Kolenda 
Discipline: Creating The Foundation For An Initiative-Based Organization

One of the most valuable lessons that a coach can teach his players is to be able to think for themselves or on their own two feet - especially when they are playing in a game for their team. Given that a coach can't be on the field or court with his players during the game, and telling them what to do at every moment, it's important for each of them to be internally directed and driven to perform to the best of their abilities. There are two different mindsets that a player needs to develop in order for him to take the initiative and make the best split-second decision in any game-time situation. 

The R-3 mindset is all about reading the situation, recognizing the opportunities that are available in that situation, and then responding by choosing the right option for that situation. Players need to keep their minds in the present moment, clearly see what is happening without any negative judgments or emotions, be mentally focused on what they control, and then identifying how they can use their personal strengths to make the right move.

The 3-D mindset requires players to be deliberate, disciplined and decisive. Being deliberate is knowing what you want to do or accomplish. Being disciplined is keeping your focus on what you want. And being decisive is acting on what you want. Without knowing what they want to do and not being able to stay focused on what they want to do, they won't successfully play or perform their role in the game.

Learning and integrating these two mindsets into the players' mental preparation is essential to helping your players take the initiative and make the best decisions at game time.    

If you would like to learn more about the R-3 and 3-D mindsets, drop me an email at risson1954@gmail.com. 

Building Your Inside Game
The Mental Prep Blueprint

There are five components to the mental prep blueprint for any athlete who wants to build his or her inside game, and play at a higher level.

* a compelling story about your life as an athlete
* a strong belief system
* specific performance (task-oriented) goals
* visualization skills
* a student's perspective

If you would like more information about the mental prep blueprint and the five components to the blueprint, drop me an email at risson1954@gmail.com. 

The Mental Peak 

An athlete reaches his or her mental peak 

when he or she is playing with a sense of purpose, 

the right perspective, presence of mind, 

poise, passion and perseverance. 

 Do you have the mental skills 

to reach your mental peak, 

become an exceptional athlete 

and play at the highest level?

What Are You Playing For?

"...I hadn't come that far to quit. And we hadn't come that far as a team to quit either. We could have lamented our misfortune, packed up, and headed home. But something was brewing. Something going on that the fans at Lambeau and the people watching on television couldn't see. They had no idea how hard we had worked to get where we were. They had no idea of the desire burning in the belly of each player on our team. And they had no idea how much the people of New Orleans meant to us. We were playing for them."
Drew Brees - "Coming Back Stronger"

"Pienaar, the twenty-eight year old general, reminded his teammates of their higher purpose in the interval before play resumed. 'Look around you', he told his weary troops.    'See those flags? Play for those people. This is our chance. We have to do this for South Africa. Let's be world champions."
John Carlin - "Playing The Enemy: Nelson Mandela And The Game That Made A Nation

So, who or what are you playing for? When you play for something bigger than yourself, you will feel more empowered and will play with greater passion and perseverance.   

Is Winning The Only Standard For Success?

An athlete who becomes a member of a newly established team faces a unique challenge. The challenge is how to mentally prepare oneself to play on a team which may take some time, maybe several years, to develop and grow before it begins winning games or has a winning record. Whereas, more established teams, teams that have been competing for maybe three, five or ten years, will simply base their success on a win-loss record, athletes on a new team must use a different measuring stick or standard to define success if they want to feel a sense of empowerment and enjoyment. 

Being part of a new team can be mentally and emotionally difficult. With so many athletes having a short attention span, and therefore are impatient with putting in the necessary physical and mental work to becoming better players and teammates, there is the real possibility that they will become easily frustrated, angry and depressed during the first and/or second year of a new team. Because they can only measure their success by their win-loss record, these athletes will begin doubting themselves, and could very easily give up on themselves and the team.    

For athletes who are not in the right frame of mind, and are not mentally prepared to join a new team, every experience with the new team (including practices, scrimmages, games and even team meetings) will become mentally and emotionally draining. If they can only measure success by wins, and have no understanding or appreciation for the learning curve and all the small steps that team will take to grow and develop, these athletes may self-destruct and become unhealthy distractions to the overall welfare of the team. They need coaches who can show them that winning is not the only standard for success, and being part of a new team offers many rewards; including a great opportunity to become mentally stronger and smarter athletes.  

If there is any group of athletes who need to make mental skills training a priority throughout every aspect of their season, it is definitely those with a newly established team. The team's coaching staff should develop a mental conditioning program that gives their players the necessary tools to play with greater concentration, composure and confidence as they learn how to become a more competitive team. The following are several components to that mental conditioning program.

First, the players need to understand the concept of control, and the difference between what they control and don't control. In a team-oriented sport, winning a game is not something that one player controls. There are so many factors that can contribute to the outcome of any game, including the coaches' decisions, performance of various players, calls by the refs and game-time injuries. The only thing that a player controls is himself: his attitude, thoughts and beliefs, as well as his behavior and choices that he makes at any given moment. By talking to the players about knowing and only focusing on what they control, they are learning how to take personal responsibility and ownership of themselves. So, instead of a player asking "Will we win today?", he is asking himself "What am I doing today to become a better player and teammate?"

Second, players must recognize that a newly established team will probably make a number of mistakes in practices and games; especially with players who may have no or limited experience in that sport. Instead of responding to each mistake as a sign that a player or the team is bad, unsuccessful or a failure, it's important to look at each mistake as a teaching moment or learning experience. A player should not mentally beat himself up with a negative judgement call about what just occurred but take a moment to ask "What did I see, what can I learn and how can this make me a better player?" If players become too worried about making mistakes, they may start pulling back and not take any risks to develop their skills. They become more concerned about looking good, with their current playing skills, instead of thinking about what they need to do to improve their game and focus on future playing skills.

Third, each player should identify his personal strengths and how he can use these strengths to help himself and the team. For one player, it may be his intensity and passion for the game. For another player, it could be his capacity to encourage and support his teammates. Then you have a player who is a quick learner and is able to share his knowledge with other players on the team. Not only should the coaches help players find and use their personal strengths but all the players should be recognized for having the personal integrity and strength that led to their decision to join and play with a newly established team.

Fourth, players need to set goals for themselves. They should be goals that are specific and can be measured. Whether it's about developing and improving one's athletic, physical or mental skills, each goal needs to have a timetable as well as identifying a series of steps that the player will take to reach that goal. You may have one short-term goal for a particular practice and one long-term goal for the season. Learning how to set and reach these goals can help a player stay focused in the present moment as well as remain positive and proactive as he moves forward in his sports career.

An athlete who becomes a member of a newly established team can find success on many different levels. From learning how to take personal responsibility and ownership of himself and focusing on what he controls, identifying his personal strengths and using them for a greater good, embracing every moment in sports as an opportunity to learn and grow as an athlete, and setting and reaching meaningful goals, this athlete has already found success. The athlete will find a great sense of empowerment and enjoyment, become a mentally and emotionally stronger athlete, and contribute to the long-term health and welfare of his team.

Play With Poise

"What Hurley had begun to instill in his team on that first day was poise - the constant theme in his teaching. And poise for a St. Anthony player was never reacting to a referee, an opponent, and most of all, a trying circumstance. St. Anthony players didn't argue with officials. They didn't get into trash-talking with opponents."   Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season With Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty

"When we lose control of our emotions, we aren't thinking anymore, we are worrying...When we worry, our minds are not paying attention to the reality of the moment, and making good decisions can be very difficult, since important information is not being recognized and considered..."    Craig Manning - The Fearless Mind: 5 Essential Steps to Higher Performance

"Successful athletes are able to control their emotions and behavior. They focus on what they can control and don't allow things that are out of their control to affect them."  Gary Mack - Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

When you worry about what you can't control, you lose control. 

Upon arriving for a game, you look across the field or court and see the other team. They are taller, bigger and maybe have more players. When you look at the other players, you begin telling yourself that they must be a better team and you start worrying about how you are going to be competitive and not lose the game. Or a ref calls two penalties on your team and you start thinking about how the ref is stealing the game from your team. In these two different situations, you are worried about elements of the game that you don't fully understand and have control over. And by projecting negative thoughts and images in your mind, you have lost your focus and ability to concentrate on what you do control - your attitude, thoughts, beliefs and actions. When you only concentrate on yourself, you will become more composed. You will play with poise.

 

If you are interested in playing with poise, and reaching your mental peak, drop me an email at risson1954@gmail.com. 

Play With Purpose

"I wanted every drill to have a mental purpose to it. I made it mandatory for the players to have a clear objective and a plan to achieve the objective before every match."  Craig Manning - The Fearless Mind: 5 Essential Steps to Higher Performance

"Every ride I've done for the last 20 years has had a purpose..."    Robbie McEwen - One Way Road

"Your life is only enriched when you live it for a purpose bigger than yourself. That's why we talk about playing for each other...You perform at a higher level."   David Thomas - Remember Why You Play

"Without purpose, we can do nothing truly meaningful; our actions have no real point to them."   Jim Loehr - The Only Way to Win

Know why you're doing what you're doing.

Think about everything that you do to become a better athlete. Do you know why you do each of these things? Whether you are stretching or exercising, practicing with your team, watching game film, reading the playbook, participating in a scrimmage, preparing for an upcoming game or lifting weights, know why you are doing each one. Know the purpose of each activity and how it helps you getting closer to your daily, weekly, monthly or seasonal goals. 

If you play with purpose, you will become a more disciplined, determined and driven player. If you want to learn how to play with purpose, and reach your mental peak, drop me an email at risson1954@gmail.com.