Look UP, Step UP, Play UP

"...become a person with unlimited power because you have the capability of achieving a level of thinking that pushes you beyond your circumstances to a higher level of being." 
Todd Duncan - The Power To Be Your Best

"One of the great powers we have is the power to choose. How you choose to look at an event is going to affect how you feel and how you perform."          
Gary Mack - Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide To Inner Excellence 

There are twenty-four hours in a day. And in that one day, how much time do you spend working on your mental game? So, think about this. How much could you elevate your performance, and find more enjoyment in playing, if you invested the time and energy in developing your mental skills?

 

Many athletes simply don't get it. Some will spend hours in the weight room, running on the track and building up their bodies. And then they will show up for the game, and "hoot and holler" as they run out on the field or court. These athletes feel pumped up and ready to play. Yet, they simply aren't mentally prepared or conditioned to give their best performance.  

If you want to elevate your game, then you must empower your mind. To empower your mind is to make a serious commitment to building your mental muscle. No matter how big your physical muscles are, if you don't work on the mental muscle then you aren't ready to play your best game.

If you are worried about looking bad or making mistakes, then you are looking down. If you spend more time thinking about what is wrong with your abilities and opportunities, then you are looking down. When you focus on how to get better, then you are looking up. When you acknowledge and build upon your strengths, then you are looking up.

If you show up late for practice, and can't wait for it to end, then you are stepping down. If you stop playing when you team is behind on the scoreboard, then you are stepping down. When you show up early for practice, and you have a goal for practice, then you are stepping up. When you tell yourself and your teammates not to give up but give more of themselves in a challenging game, then you are stepping up.

If you are only worried about your own success and statistics, then you are playing down. If you make mistakes and keep beating yourself up, then you are playing down. If you get upset about things out of your control, then you are playing down. When you think about how you can contribute to the success of your teammates, then you are playing up. When you stayed focused on the few things that you have direct control over (like your attitude), then you are playing up. When you go out of your way to encourage and support one teammate, then you are playing up. 

If you want to look up, step up and play up, and elevate your play and performance, let me know.

Anthony Lanzillo
risson1954@gmail.com

The Mental Muscle

"...mental training will not only enhance performance and improve productivity but also add to your enjoyment."

"Achieving inner excellence is a process. Building mental muscle, like building physical muscle, requires time and effort."

Gary Mack - Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence


How much time do you dedicate each day to your mental training? What are you doing today to build your mental muscle? When do you plan to develop your visualization skills or identify your goals for the coming week?

If you need some ideas on how to start your mental training or begin building your mental muscle, let me know. It can start with one simple mental skills tool or exercise.

Anthony Lanzillo
risson1954@gmail.com

"Take Five"

Here are the five affirmations or declarations that you take to each practice:

"I am (state two or three personal strengths or qualities)."

"I want (state your long-term and daily goals)."

"I see (visualize how you want to perform and compete)."

"I bring (think about past highlights and empowering experiences)."

"I control (state all the things that you have direct control over)." 

By reviewing and reciting these affirmations or declarations everyday at practice, you are developing a stronger and sharper mindset that can only build your confidence and self-esteem.  

Are You Combat Ready? 

"Mastery of fundamental skills leads to lethal projection of combat power."
 Robert W. Cone
 Battle Focused Training

"Given the importance of the moral dimension in war, the readiness of soldiers and units must include psychological preparation for combat....Soldiers must be prepared to make rapidly a psychological transition from peace to conflict, potentially without forewarning or indepth knowledge of the situation."
 Robert W. Madden
 Living on the Edge: Building Cohesion and the Will to Win by Robert W. Madden

 Both quotes are from Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Christopher Kolenda, Editor


The one group of fundamental skills that are overlooked by many teams and coaches are the mental skills. And if these fundamental skills are not introduced or practiced on a regular basis, then how can a team or its players be "combat ready" for any game? How many times have we seen teams that appeared to be physically or athletically superior and yet still lose their games? 

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.