Look Good Or Play Better?

In his book, The Goldmine Effect, Rasmus Ankersen talks about his travels around the world looking for what he calls the "secrets" of high performance in sports. From the female golfers of South Korea to the sprinters of Jamaica, Ankersen is searching for what makes these athletes so successful. There was one question that he asked which really got me thinking about how athletes mentally approach their participation in a sport: "...do I want to look good, or do I want to get better?"

 

Think about it. If I am an athlete, and I am more concerned about looking good, then how will I approach my practices and games? First, I will probably hold back from trying anything new because I don't want to make a mistake. Next, I will experience more anxiety and stress because of this internal pressure that I am putting on myself. Third, I will be concerned and worried about things that I have no control over, like what the coaches and other players are seeing and thinking. And, maybe more importantly, I will definitely not be enjoying myself or having fun. So, actually, being more concerned about how I look is the recipe for disaster.

 

Focus on how you want to get better. Begin to set short-term goals for how you want to improve your physical conditioning, develop your athletic skills or elevate your mental preparation. Being more concerned about getting better puts you in a more productive and proactive state of mind.  You will understand that learning something new to improve your game will involve making mistakes and mistakes are simply part of the learning process. Things outside of your control will not bother or frustrate you. Essentially, you will practice and play with more energy and enthusiasm.

The 3-D Mindset

If you want to take a "multi-dimensional approach" to being mentally prepared to play your best game, then your thinking must be deliberate, disciplined and decisive. It's all about knowing what you want, keeping your focus on what you want, and following through to get what you want...at any given moment of the game. The success of every decision that you make in any game-time situation will be based upon your ability to play with the "3-D Mindset".   

Being deliberate is based upon understanding your role and responsibilities for the position you are playing with your team, and in particular, being clear about your intentions of what you want to achieve or accomplish  in the present moment. If I am playing center field for my baseball team, and there is a man on second with one out, then I know that I have to cover my ground to hopefully catch a fly ball and throw to second to keep that runner on second. Or if the ball is on the ground, then I need to get that ball and deliver it to third to keep that runner from scoring. Likewise, if I am up to bat and I have a teammate on first with no outs, then I may want to lay down a bunt and get my teammate to second. Being deliberate is taking what the game is giving you and identifying your best options or opportunities to make a positive impact for your team in that game.

Being disciplined is all about keeping your mind in the present moment, and knowing how to tune out any visual or verbal distraction that may prevent you from achieving or accomplishing what you plan to do. If I am playing defensive middie on a man-down unit with my lacrosse team, and I can hear the coach from the other team telling one of his players to take the ball and cut around me because I can't stop him, then I must block that comment out and concentrate on keeping that player from being able to shoot on goal. Or I am in transition and bringing the ball down the field, and the player from the other team who is trying to defend me starts to verbally taunt me and yells out that I have no chance to getting by him. I don't even hear this player because I am focused on watching his eyes, his hips, the movement of his stick and how he is holding stick. I will only focus on what I control, and what I control at this very moment are my eyes, my hands, my stick, my feet and how I decide to defend this player.

Being decisive is making a split-second decision and making a specific move or maneuver based upon what I see happening and what opportunity may be available for me. As the defensive middie, I can distract the offensive player with the ball or disrupt the focus or attention of this player with my voice, body or stick. Then I may have the opportunity to disarm this player by getting the ball out of his stick, on the ground and pick up this ball to begin a transition to the other end of the field. As the centerfielder on the baseball team, I could get myself into position to catch the fly ball and be prepared to rifle that ball to second base to get that runner from advancing. Or as the batter, I see the ball coming in a little high, and I get ready to bunt that ball down and in between the pitcher and first baseman.    

THE MENTAL PEAK

PLAYING YOUR GAME AT A HIGHER LEVEL

  

Play With Clarity
Create a clear vision and image of what you want to achieve or accomplish, and where you want to be in the future. 

Identify your goals for this season, this month, this week, and today.

Know the purpose of everything you do at practices and trainings.

Acknowledge your personal strengths and how these strengths can serve the needs of the team.  

 

Play With Concentration
Learn how to focus and give your undivided attention.

Keep your mind in the present moment.

Identify what you control in a game.

Know how to tune out distractions.

Break down the game into smaller time segments. 

 

Play With Composure
Choose a verbal or visual cue that will keep you steady and help you refocus when there is a challenging moment in a game.

Find the lesson or teaching moment in every mistake you make.

Identify everything that you are grateful for and say "thank you".

Refrain from complaining or blaming.

Smile.

 

Play With Confidence
Practice visualizing how you want to play in a game. In your mind, take yourself through every step or move for each maneuver or play. Use all of your senses, including self-talk, in developing this picture of your performance.

Ask questions that put you in positive, productive and proactive state of mind. Only ask questions about things that you have direct control over.

Act like a champion - on and off the field or court.
 

Play With Character

 Play big and believe in greatness.

To play big is to think big. To think big is to see the big picture.Seeing the big picture is being able to see everything that your team needs to succeed, and using your talents and gifts to support your team's success.

To believe in greatness is to believe in the potential and power of any moment. To believe that at any moment, at a practice or in a game, you will have the opportunity to help your team succeed and be great. Your team's success depends upon your desire and determination to step up, seize the moment and serve the greater good.
 

Play With Courage

Remember why you love this sport and the joy you get out of playing this game. 

 

Produce a highlights film in your mind of all the positive and meaningful experiences from being a part of this sport.

 

Create a compelling story about yourself: how you got into the sport, all the challenges that you have faced and successfully risen above, how playing the game has made you a stronger person and athlete, and what you want to contribute to the sport and your team. 

 

 

Do You Have Your "Act" Together?
Are You A High School Student-Athlete Who Wants To Play In College?


"...we want high character kids with the proper attitude to reach their potential on and off the court. Character/Attitude is a huge part of our evaluation process."
Josh Schartz - head men's basketball coach at Lincoln Memorial University (TN)

"Attitude and character are the main pieces of recruiting. I don't care how good a player you are, if you throw your stick or stand off from your team, I am done talking."
Frank Rogers - head women's lacrosse coach at Aquinas College (MI)

"College coaches want to see recruits who are mentally tough. They need players who can handle disappointment and frustration, who compete fearlessly. They don't care if you make a mistake, but they do care how you react to that mistake. They watch closely to see who can deal with negative feedback from a coach or referee. They watch how a player reacts to pressure during the final minutes - her shot selection, decision making and leadership - more than whether they make or miss a last-second shot. They pay attention to how a player treats her teammates in the midst of adversity. They see who plays to win, even when they lose."
Lindsey Wilson

"Character, how hard they play or how competitive they are become very important qualities for the young men we recruit to possess."
Dave Pietramala - head men's lacrosse coach at Johns Hopkins University (MD)

"I'm truly looking for talent, passion, attitude, a good person and a good student. Attitude is really important to me, as it is what we will have to deal with on a daily basis. The skills you only deal with on the field, but attitude encompasses everything. This is why it is critical to have student-athletes with quality attitudes."
Rudy Garbalosa - head men's baseball coach at Lynn University (FL)

"Attitude and skills level are extremely important to us, we want students who are positive on the court and bench...The ideal college recruit is a student who has great grades, is highly skilled, and a person of great character."
Bob Burchard - head men's basketball coach at Columbia College (MO)

If you are a high school student-athlete who wants to play at the collegiate level, do you have your "act" together? Do you have the right attitude, character and mental toughness that every college coach is looking for in a high school student-athlete? Are you mentally prepared to meet any challenge or test that you may face so that you can excel in the classroom and on the field or court?

If you would like to figure out how to get your "act" together and prepare yourself for collegiate sports, drop me an email. We can design a mental assessment and see what aspects of your mental game you need to work on. Then we can develop a mental conditioning program to build and strengthen your attitude, character and mental toughness.

A (attitude) + C (character) + T (mental toughness) = the competitive formula for success in college sports.

Anthony (Tone) Lanzillo
risson1954@gmail.com 

Slow The Game Down

"The great players see the game in slow motion, and you could see him doing that - not that he played in slow motion, but he thought in slow motion. I always thought he slowed that game down so much that he saw a shot opportunity before the defender saw the possibility that he would shoot it."

- Phil Martelli - 
Head basketball coach at St. Joseph's University  (Martelli was speaking about Creighton University basketball player Doug McDermott in an interview with Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mike Sielski for an article posted on 6/24/14.)

You will often hear coaches talk about a specific quality that great players possess when they are competing and playing in a game. It's the ability to slow the game down in their minds and thereby are able to see the game unfolding in slow motion. Coaches have stated that players who can do this are more effective and successful in any game-time situation.  

So, how does a player learn to "slow the game down"? Here are several mental skills drills that any coach could have his players practice and review throughout the season:

Be and play in the present moment.

Players who find their thoughts bouncing back and forth between what happened ten minutes ago and what is going to happen in about five minutes can not mentally slow the game down. In fact, the game will probably feel like it is actually moving faster. As a coach who wants to promote this mental skill, you could stop practices at various times and simply ask the players to identify what they are seeing and hearing at that exact moment.  

Take a deep breath and "check" in.

Players who experience any stress or anxiety in a game often take shallow and small breaths. By doing this, the player has less oxygen going into the lungs and to the brain. And with the stress, anxiety and now less oxygen for the body, the player will probably become more tired, think less clearly and be less focused. Have your players take a deep breath. When they inhale, have they say "check" to themselves as a reminder to mentally check back into the game. And as they exhale, have them say "ok" to themselves as an affirmation that they are present and aware of what is happening.

Focus only on what you control.

Players who get easily distracted by things that they don't control will feel as if the game is speeding up. And by focusing on what they can't control, these players will become frustrated, angry and begin losing track of themselves and what they can control. At various times in a practice, bring out a hula hoop and place it at the feet of the   player who is getting upset or frustrated about things that he can't control. As the player stands in the middle of the hula hoop, have the player review all the things that he doesn't control and the few things that he actually has control over - mainly himself.    

"Attaining and sustaining success in sports always comes down to a survival of those most mentally fit. A strong commitment to excellence in training intensity and time over the long haul is required to progress as an athlete and to achieve your personal best. If you want to succeed and to move through difficult times, it is crucial to make an ongoing commitment to achieving superiority in your sport through the daily practice of cultivating a champion body and mind."

Jim Afrenow

The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, And Thrive 

"When we lack the mental muscles we need to perform at our best - if we have too short an attention span, too pessimistic an outlook, or too rigid and narrow a perspective - we must build capacity by training systematically."
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal




Would you like to develop and carry out a daily mental conditioning program to build your mental muscles, cultivate a "champion's mind" and elevate your performance?

Anthony (Tone) Lanzillo

risson1954@gmail.com

The Mental Game of Rafa Nadal

For any athlete or coach who is looking for ideas and information on mental skills (especially if your sport is tennis), I would highly recommend RAFA by Rafael Nadal and John Carlin. Nadal does an excellent job of sharing his personal story about his development as a tennis player and athlete, and how he mentally prepared himself for every practice, game and tournament.

The following are some quotes from his book along with several questions that you can ask yourself in developing your own mental skills training and mental conditioning program. 

"...what I battle hardest to do in a tennis match is to quiet the voices in my head, to shut everything out of my mind but the contest itself and concentrate every atom of my being on the point I am playing. If I made a mistake on a previous point, forget it; should a thought of victory suggest itself, crush it."

How do I focus my mind, tune out distractions, and play in the present moment?

"...you had to think better than your rival to succeed. And to think straight, you had to keep your cool."

Do I know what mental or emotional triggers could force me to lose my cool? What can I do to be mentally prepared before and during the game or competition to keep my cool?

"Some players rage and despair when they are aced, or when they are the victims of a magnificent passing shot. That is the path to self-destruction. And it is crazy, because it means you believe yourself to be capable, in some kind of ideal tennis world, of subduing your opponent's game from start to finish. If you give your opponent more credit, if you accept that he played a shot you could do nothing about, if you play the part of the spectator for a moment and generously acknowledge a magnificent piece of play, there you win balance and inner calm. You take the pressure off yourself. In your head, you applaud; visibly, you shrug; and you move on to the next point, aware not that the tennis gods are ranged against you or that you are having a miserable day, but that there is every possibility next time that it will be you who hits the unplayable winner."

How do I mentally and emotionally respond to a good move, maneuver or play by my opponent? Do I overreact and therefore destroy my composure and confidence? What can I do to refocus on myself, what I control and concentrate on what I want to achieve and accomplish?