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MST Curriculum

COUN 7445

Psychological Preparation and Mental Skills Training

Wendell Otto

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MST Introduction

“Mind is everything…muscles are just pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.” -Paavo Nurmi, 9-time Olympic Gold Medalist

The Mental game is not static and the following three characteristics of sport hold true in every competition: (1) we face an unpredictable opponent, (2) fast responses and decisions are pivotal, and (3) the situation is always dynamic (Colvin 2008).

The athletic role is an important social dimension of self-concept influencing experiences, relationships with others and pursuit of sport activity (Cornelius, 1995). Past research has indicated that strong athletic identity is linked to a greater importance of athletics in an individual’s life (Brewer, 1993).

Athletic identity is the degree to which someone identifies with the athlete role, and looks to others to acknowledge that role (Brewer, 1993).

It is part of how an individual view oneself, and the role that being an athlete plays in his/her life. As people, we are made up of several different identities, or roles that we hold. These different identities, or roles, have expectations and meanings attached to them – which come from ourselves and from others. Evaluations of how we live up to these expectations, and the meanings we give to them, forms our self-esteem.

Benefits of having a strong athletic identity include:

• Strong Sense of Self – Having a strong athletic identity can often lead to having a strong sense of self, and therefore, a sureness of who you are.
• Self-Confidence – Increased self-confidence, self-discipline, and more positive social interactions are traits that have been observed in those with a strong athletic identity.
• Health/Fitness – Those who highly value the athletic component of oneself are more likely to engage in exercise and fitness related activities.
• Commitment in training, and focus on sport related goals
• Motivation and discipline to sport
• Positive effects on sports performance, unless…

An athlete may be “too” invested in their athletic identity when they start to care too much, it becomes too important to them, and their sport becomes too much of a part of who they are.

This overinvestment in athletic identity results in every competition feeling like a life-or-death situation — the athlete is putting their identity, self-esteem, and goals on the line. This leads to being preoccupied with results, expectations, and pressure.

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In some sports, it is hard to identify a specific start and end for continuous skills (e.g., 50m freestyle event in swimming). You can adapt a pre-performance routine into more of a race plan, where the athlete performs the same skill throughout the event but may have different actions or thoughts used to prepare for different sections of the event (e.g., first 10m versus last 10m of a 50m event).

Pre-performance routines are different from superstitious behaviors. Pre-event or pre-game superstitions include behaviors that are not necessarily relevant to the task being performed and may not be completely controlled by the athlete (e.g., a baseball player’s superstition may be that he/she must be the first one to leave the locker room before the game starts in order to perform well). These behaviors may reassure an athlete but they can also cause a lot of anxiety if something prevents the athlete from completing the superstitious behavior. Therefore, we encourage athletes to focus on developing pre-event and pre-performance routines that are within their control and directly related to helping them perform at their best.

Performance routines are ultimately viewed as a way for athletes to improve their performance and consistency. More specifically, performance routines put the athlete in an optimal emotional, confident, and focused state both before and during skill execution. Researchers have suggested a number of beneficial outcomes that may result from performance routines. We have listed the benefits below. However, please be aware that with the exception of the beneficial effects of performance routines on performance gain and consistency, the benefits listed have not been thoroughly tested in research.

Potential Benefits of Performance Routines

• Improve performance
• Increase consistency
• Enhance attentional focus
• Improve concentration
• Decrease the effect of distractions
• Prevent athlete from dwelling on the negatives
• Direct athletes’ irrelevant thoughts to relevant thoughts
• Trigger automaticity of well learned movement patterns
• Enhance athletes’ recall of what it felt like to be in certain physiological and psychological states

How to Maximize the Effectiveness of Performance Routines

• (^) Ensure the sequence and timing of the behaviors in the routine are consistent
• The routine must be task specific
• Performance routines should be individualized to the athlete

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• Athletes should use the same generic template for their pre-performance routines, yet adjust behaviors depending on the skill being executed
• Athletes may spend more time on the pre-performance routine when the skill is more complex and should be practiced before the main competition.

Routines and Performance Readiness Part 2 Readiness Plan: Example

Readiness Plan for Female Cross-Country Runner

Event: 5000 XC Date: Oct 8 2017

Desired Goal: 18:

The Selected athlete I worked with to design and implement a performance and readiness plan is an elite high school female cross country runner. I provided the athlete with an outline of the routines and performance readiness and work through each component of the model with her. The thoughts and ideas were recorded in graphic shown below. The season for cross country in Oregon starts in September and goes until the first week of November. This athlete will run one race per week and focus on 3 major invitationals throughout the season. To be ready for the major invite in October we implemented a readiness plan to use and practice for the leading up races.

Preparation: Technical, strategic, physical & psychological readiness for training and competition

1. (^) Goal: I will race each mile as skillfully and efficiently as possible, taking full advantage of downhill segments, not going anaerobic on uphill’s, and focusing on balanced forward posture, compact are swing, pelvic tilt turnover rate.
2. Obstacle: The weather may be rainy and wet. Footing on the terrain will be slick.

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Behavior: Find somewhere quiet and cool-Lie down-Starting with the feet and working up to your head tense, hold for 5 seconds and relax each group of muscles one at a time (feet, calves, thighs, buttocks, stomach, chest, arms, hands, face). Breathe through your nose and become aware of your breathing. As you breathe out, say the word “one” silently to yourself. For example, breathe in…out, “one”, in…out “one”, and so on maintain steady deep breathing – Listen to music or relaxation tape. Visualize each part of the whole race – start, each part of each lap, finish

Part 3

Self-Talk

Self-talk refers to either covert or overt self-verbalizations used by individuals, which may serve both instructional and motivational functions (Hardy, 2006). In line with verbal persuasion from significant others, Bandura (1997) also posited that self-initiated, or internal verbal persuasion (i.e., ‘self-talk’) may further serve to promote self-efficacy beliefs, theorizing “that inner speech…serves as the principle vehicle of thought and self-direction” (p. 224).

Research shows that self-talk can be a key mental component to athletic performance. Collectively, research has indicated that athletes who use self-talk in the manner more appropriate for the type of activity they are exerting may perform more efficiently than their physically equal opponents. That is, using different types of self-talk is more beneficial and more detrimental depending on the nature of the sport.

A way athletes move from self-talk to performance with a quiet mind and responding to their visual information can be done through mindfulness. Many athletes confuse mindfulness with meditation and think the goal is to not have any thoughts. But you will always have thoughts. The goal is not to stop thinking but to have awareness of, and flexibility in your thinking. Through mindfulness, you will realize that you have choices and can decide which thoughts to focus on and follow. Did you know that you dialogue with yourself on just about every topic throughout almost every day? You have good thoughts, neutral thoughts, and critical thoughts. Thinking is a habit-something you do automatically.

Statistics vary, but the National Science Foundation put out a report that indicated we think between 12,000 to 50,000 thoughts per day (http://www. sentientdevelopments.com/2007/03/ managing-your-50000-daily-thoughts. html). We tend to dwell in the past or on the future, obsessing about mistakes we made, battling guilt, planning ahead, or worrying.

As athletes, we think constantly during training and while competing. Those thoughts can be helpful or not helpful, and we may not even know how our thoughts are influencing us from moment to moment. Many athletes hear from their coaches, "You need to think positive!" However, many athletes do not know how to move into positive thoughts.

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Thoughts: Think of them like a Traffic Light

Our minds can operate like traffic lights, switching from green to red and red to green. Green thinking means that you are in the flow, that you are present in your workout or competition. Red thinking is dwelling on what's wrong, worrying about events in the future, or focusing on all the things you don't like.

Research is showing a mind-body connection and it seems that the more stressful the thoughts we have, the more stress hormones we produce (Sternberg, 2000). This means that if you think negatively, your body experiences more tension, which may lead to a poor workout or competition. When you start thinking negatively, you likely begin to picture a less than ideal performance. Then you struggle inside, trying to eliminate the image mentally. This creates resistance or tension in your mind and body. By thinking "red" thoughts, you are basically holding yourself back and not using your mental tools in a helpful way.

Pushing Negative Thoughts Away Is NOT the Answer

When negative thoughts pop up, many athletes immediately try to push the thoughts away or cover them up with "green" or positive thinking. This may help, but sometimes the scales tip and the athlete may try too hard to be positive, resulting in an internal conflict. So, what can you do?

Think Yellow Thoughts

Yellow thoughts are neutral, such as counting steps or simply focusing on one task or action (e.g., breathing or pumping arms).

How can you apply yellow thinking and mindfulness?

Here are the steps:

1. AWARENESS. Be aware of what is happening (mindfulness).
2. ACCEPTANCE. Accept what is happening. Don't argue about it in your head.
3. ACTION. Leave positive and negative thinking-or judgment-out of it. Get off the teeter- totter between Red and Green. How? Engage in yellow thinking by giving your mind an action step. Become process focused.

Guidelines for enhancing self-talk Concentrate on the process

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Cue Word List General Cue Words Focus Ok Calm Do it Relax Control Tight Confident Add five more general cue words

Specific cue word examples Go Push Fast Explode Run Catch Swing Cast Up Steady Land Straight Twist Leap ' Power Explode Pull Stick Add five more specific cue words

2. ' 4.

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Part 4

Goal Setting

A goal is a specific standard or accomplishment that one strives to attain. Setting goals is easy, as it takes little effort to dream of accomplishments and triumphs. However, the term goal setting is more than just setting goals. The majority of athletes have goals, but

lack a systematic plan in place to reach their goals. Organizing, managing, and pursuing your goals in a consistent and dedicated manner is a much more difficult task.

Goal setting becomes an important mental skills tool to help you achieve what you want in your life. Effective goal setters establish many goals every day, all part of a well-designed plan to achieve success. Develop a goal setting mentality, a mindset in which you learn to set goals systematically in everything you do. A goal setting mentality promotes high levels of intrinsic motivation and steadily increases competence.

There are four different types of goals. You may decide you will use a combination of the different types. Leading experts in goal setting recommend the focus be on effort, process, and performance goals as opposed to outcome goals.

Four Types of Goals

Outcome goals: The emphasis is on winning or beating your competitors. Most coaches and athletes set outcome goals, which are highly dependent on the quality of one's opponents, such as winning the state title. These goals are not completely under the athlete's control. These are the most common types of goals set by athletes because they are easiest to set. However, they are the least controllable goal an athlete can set.

Performance goals:

The focus is on increasing personal performance. In track and field, this could be running faster, throwing farther or jumping farther or higher. Track and field is easily measured in performance statistics and we often speak of personal records (PR) or personal bests (PB).

Process goals:

Process goals are based on controllable thoughts and actions related to performance execution. The main focus is on improving form and technique. To achieve outcome goals, you must achieve a series of process goals. Examples of this could be to improve stride length or technique. The destination is the outcome goal, but we must take the proper path to arrive there. When Ryan Crouser steps into the ring to win the Olympic gold medal in the shot put, he is not thinking, "I have to throw far to win." His thinking is much more focused on the process. "Stay relaxed, square, power, explode." Process goals serve as stepping stones to achieve the performance levels that will lead to desired outcomes.

Effort Goal:

Aggressive goals challenge you to your limits. If goals are not realistic, they do not provide direction and inspiration. In fact, they may provide the opposite. The best goals are difficult, extremely challenging, and very aggressive to inspire you, yet they must be achievable at the upper limits of your ability. These goals should push you to get out of your comfort zone.

Relevant

Relevant goals are individualized and meaningful, thus capturing attention and motivating you. You should set goals with the help of your coaches. Coaches and athletes should set relevant goals for practice as well as competition within their goal setting. Many times, athletes set goals they wish to achieve in competition, but they forget that in practice and training, they make the most progress and spend the most time. Set, focus on, and evaluate both practice and competition goals as part of the goal setting process.

Time

Goals should be time bound, which means specify a target date for goal attainment. Goals that have no time frame for achievement do not facilitate focused behavior. Athletes tend to set unrealistic, dream oriented goals when they are not required to set a time for completing the goals. With a deadline, focus sharpens and the brain kicks in the urgency of the goal. Short-term goals with deadlines can be used as stepping stones on the way to achieving an important long- term goal.

Goal Continuum Effort Goals……………. Process Goals……………..Performance…………….Outcome………………

Goal Type Examples Effort Process Performance Outcome Run hard through the finish line

Obtaining the proper arousal zone

Increase leg strength by weight training

Qualify for the state meet Use a positive mental attitude at all times

Use trigger words of smooth, explode and kick

Hit take-off point on stride

Win the state title

Attack the approach every time

Visualize perfect technique prior to each jump

Progressively increase jump heights throughout the season

Go undefeated

Change Outcome Goals to Process Goals

1. Start with an Outcome

Choose an upcoming meet, and pick a challenging but not impossible outcome goal

(win,place, get a certain score or time, etc.) Write that goal down in detail here:

My outcome goal:

2. Moving From Outcome to Process Goals

How can you maximize your chances to achieve this goal? Write down three things (i.e. pacing, mental training, weight training, plenty of sleep) you can do in order to reach your goals. Be specific.

a. I will______________________________________________________

b. I will______________________________________________________

c. I will______________________________________________________

3. Practicing the Process and Effort Goals in Training

What can you do in practice between now and your competition to help you towards your process goals?

These could include effort goals. For example, if your competition task goal is to hold a specific pace, you might focus on that pace in practice.

a. In training, I will__________________________________________________

b. In training, I will________________________________________________

c. In training, I will________________________________________________

Writing Smart Goals

Column one lists negative goal. In column two change the negative to a positive goal.

Being Positive

Negative Goal Positive goal

I don’t want to get cut I will make the team

I don’t want to slow down I will finish the race strong

I won’t make any stupid mistakes I will use cue words to focus and be confident

Part 5

Mental Toughness

Mental toughness has become known as one of the most important determinants of peak athletic performance. Subsequently, sport psychologists and coaches have attempted to fashion programs for developing mental toughness. One potential problem with developing mental toughness programs lies in the fact that the components of mental toughness can potentially vary from sport to sport.

Mental toughness is the ability to perform at the upper range of one’s ability regardless of the circumstances (Loehr, 1986). Loehr’s (1986) framework for mental toughness consisted of self- confidence, negative energy control, attention control, visualization and imagery control, motivation, positive energy, and attitude control. Loehr later added that mental toughness depended on mental, physical, and emotional attributes (Loehr, 1994).

A mentally-tough individual has the capacity to deal effectively with stressors, pressures, and challenges (Clough, Earle, & Sewell, 2002). Fletcher (2005) added that mental toughness can be viewed as a moderator of stress, helping an individual to manage the demands of stressors in his/ her environment.

Using an approach similar to that employed by Patrick and Hrycaiko (1998), four psychological skills can be introduced to the athletes through various exercises. The four skills will be introduced sequentially throughout the intervention, starting with goal setting (intervention week 1), then positive self-talk (intervention week 2), followed by mental imagery (intervention week 3), and concluding with relaxation techniques (intervention week 4). Athletes will be encouraged to work through the exercises on their own time to develop greater competence for the methods of goal setting, positive self-talk, mental imagery, and relaxation.

Along with the weeks of interventions on strategies to improve mental toughness, the following

graphic shows traits and behaviors that will be highlighted to enhance mental toughness.

Becoming More Mentally Tough

I have now explained what mental toughness is, and you might now be asking yourself what you can do to become more mentally tough. Researchers have investigated the strategies and behaviors of the most mentally tough athletes. You can improve your mental toughness by

1. Adopting the mind-set, attitude, and behavior of a mentally tough athlete and
2. Engaging in the strategies used by the most mentally tough athletes.

Following are strategies 7 mental skills and strategies that can aid in mental toughness:

Mental Skills Inventory factors and performance success strategies

Mental Skill Mental Skill sub categories

Intervention strategies

1 Energy Regulation Ability to manage performance anxiety

Optimal Energy Energy

Performance Energy Centering: controlling performance energy

Energy Regulation 2 Preparation Ability to acquire and retain new information

Ability to Learn Preparation I Developing better practice habits

Practice Habits Preparation II Improving learning: overview of five lear mental rehearsal, prioritizing material and identifying ob

Overall Preparation 3 Confidence Self-belief Self-Talk Confidence I Improving self-talk, developing positive se Expectancy Confidence II Mental rehearsal Mental Rehearsal Overall Confidence 4 Courage Willingness to confront fears and take risks

Confronting Fear Courage Becoming a more courageous performer, overc Building Courage failure Confronting Failure Overall Courage 5 Focus Focus on command, not attending to distractions

Getting Present Focus Focusing past distractions Achieving Mental Quiet Focusing Past Distractions 6 Concentration Quiet mind under pressure of performance

Concentration Concentrating on demand, energy and co Building Stamina Concentrating on Command Overall Concentration

Success in track and field or in many of the sports requires the ability to focus your attention on the task. Unfortunately, you can't force focus. The harder you try to focus, the more frustrated you become. To focus, you need to relax and feel confident. Then you need to acquire the ability to block out distraction and become absorbed in the moment of what you are doing. How do you develop focus? Through much practice it becomes permanent. Different events require different types of attention. Robert Nideffer explains the Attentional Dimensions Theory as occurring along two dimensions: width (broad or narrow) and direction (internal or external).

Attentional width refers to how many stimuli athletes need to attend to at any given moment. Attentional direction refers to the athlete focusing inward on thought or outward on events happening around him or her. A broad attentional focus is needed when the runner analyzes the situation to decide when to begin the kick to the finish. A narrow focus is needed when a high jumper begins the approach. An internal attentional focus is important for analyzing what is happening in the event, planning strategy, and reading one's body. An external focus is needed in order to assess a situation and execute sport skills and strategies. Attentional width can be broad or narrow. A broad attention focus involves being sensitive to many things that are going on around you. A narrow attentional focus involves focusing directly in front of you and knocking out your peripheral vision. Attentional direction can be internal or external. An internal attentional focus involves focusing on your own feelings or thoughts. An external attentional cue involves focusing outwardly to other things and people around you.

Concentration Exercise

Practice these exercises on a daily basis for a couple of weeks. Do at least 10 minutes of the previous exercise everyday as your sport psychology homework. How else will you get better if you don't practice?

I. Listen to outside sounds (Broad External): Lie down with eyes closed and just concentrate on the sounds in the environment. (3 minutes)

2. Broad Internal: Monitor sounds of your body: Lie on your back with your eyes closed and fingers in your ears. Focus on all the1sounds of the body- growling of stomach, breathing, heartbeat, etc. (2 minutes)
3. Narrow Internal: Flowing thoughts. Lie down and pay particular attention to thoughts that your mind brings to the surface. Perform this with a passive attitude. Recognize the thoughts and allow them to come into and leave the mind at your own pace. (2 minutes)
4. Narrow External: Study an object. Take a small object that can be manipulated in the hand (such as a coin, paper clip, and ring) and focus internally on this object. If the mind begins to wander, refocus on the object. Each time you perform this exercise, change the object. (5 minutes)

5. Pick a problem (Narrow Internal): Pick an issue and ask your mind to give you as many solutions as it can. As the mind presents each solution, place it into a bubble and allow it to slowly flow away. Quietly wait on the next solution to appear. (5 minutes)
6. Narrow Internal: Listen to your own heartbeat. Close eyes while in a comfortable position and listen to your heartbeat. Attempt to hear nothing but your own heart beating. (3 minutes)

Where you put your focus is called focal point. Focal points can be something you feel, see, or hear. Developing a focal point allows you to place your concentration in a pre- determined place and will help distract you from anything negative that will adversely affect performance.

Focal Points Exercise: Use the examples in column one and then list 4 focal points that you can use in column two in a pre-meet/event situation.

Comment: Because the athletic performance happens quickly, it is difficult to be totally aware of the feeling during the actual flow of performance. Feeling focal points are most often useful before the event, in the pre-performance plan as a tool to stay calm and focused.

Feeling Focal Points Examples: Feeling Focal points

Feel the stretch of your muscles 1.

Feel your breathing-the air in and out 2.

Feel your feet on the track or the runway 3.

Feel the throwing implement in your hands 4.

Visual Focal Points: Visual focal points are points that you only look at before and during competition to keep in your proper arousal zone. Use the examples in column one and then list 4 visual focal points that you can use in column two in a pre-meet/event situation, then 4 you can use during the event. Examples Visual focal points Visual Focal Points Pre-event During Event