NLP sport pro

“For those who want to know, I am a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession(which to me is an expressive revelation and/or learning of myself), and I am actualizing myself daily to be an artist of life as well” Bruce Lee

As I wake up today I reflect on how I can bring my energy into the world  to create something unique which brings me closer to goals, serves others and grows me as a person. Athlete and artist of life are one…

What will you focus on today ?

Sign up for your free programme  “7 Keys to playing the game of your life”

Go to http://www.donmacnaughton.org

The Best Team Won

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” Pele

The ‘healthy mind, healthy body’ philosophy dates back to ancient Greek and Chinese civilisations. The study of sport psychology and how the mind affects a sportsperson’s body has developed in much more recent times but, even without such deep historical roots, it has grown quickly into a recognised and significant part of the science of sports performance.

In its widest sense, sport psychology encompasses all areas of exercise, fitness and leisure, not just competitive sport, but in terms of competition results, what are the factors that lead us to the conclusion that the best team won on the day?

The team holding the trophy are undoubtedly the winners but there’s much more to getting your hands on the prize than simply turning up on the day and hoping you play better than the other team. Without appropriate levels of fitness and physical preparation, the chances of playing well are instantly limited but equal emphasis must also be placed upon mental fitness and preparation if a top performance is to be realised.

Here are some frequently heard comments made by sports commentators:

Ÿ “He seems to be struggling to find his form today.”

Ÿ The winner, “…just wanted it more.”

Ÿ “They’re all over the place; there doesn’t seem to be any spirit in the team.”

Ÿ “There’s no sparkle; she seems to be just going through the motions.”

Ÿ “His focus would appear to be on picking fights with officials rather than on his game.”

Ÿ “That missed shot seems to have shaken his confidence; he’s struggled to regain concentration since then.”

Now here’s a list of proven sport psychology, or mental skill, techniques that can help to ensure those comments are never true of your own or your team’s performance:

Ÿ Goal Setting

Setting a course towards the ‘big event’ and progressively working through a series of lesser events, or smaller goals strategically placed in a training schedule, will ensure you achieve your peak performance when it really counts.

Ÿ Understanding Motivation

By learning what motivates you, you can prepare a training schedule that will keep you going even when the going gets tougher! Understanding motivation is an important part of the goal setting process.

Ÿ Understanding ‘Mindset’

In a nutshell, the term ‘Mindset’ describes an individual’s view of who and what they are. A person with a ‘fixed mindset’ holds the belief that they are what they are and nothing will change that. A person with a ‘growth mindset’ holds the belief that change is always possible and that nothing is set in stone. In a sports environment, a fixed mindset leaves no room for learning new skills or improving performance through making changes. It could also lead to a successful athlete resting on their laurels in the mistaken belief that they don’t need to work at their skills - as they’re a given! Promoting a growth mindset is therefore of vital importance if athletes are to thrive through continued learning and the mastering of new skills.

Ÿ Developing Team Spirit

‘There’s no I in team,’ or so the saying goes. There’s also a great comedy come-back to that line that goes, ‘But there are four in platitude quoting idiot.’ It goes without saying that an effective team must devote a large proportion of training time to the actual physical practise of perfecting their skills as a unit. However, an effective coach will also recognise the need to utilise the learned skills of goal setting and understanding motivation for each individual player if a winning team is to be formed.

Ÿ Visualisation

Learning how to visualise a positive outcome under any set of circumstances is key to preparing any sportsperson in any sport for the pressures of competition. A vision of exactly what it takes to create a winning performance must be clear in the athlete’s mind’s-eye and there should be no surprises on the day! Negative external factors such as poor weather or noisy crowds will no longer have the power to break concentration or focus when visualisation techniques, along with the ability to use positive self-talk, have been mastered.

Here’s the question, “Why are some athletes able to rise to the occasion and perform well under pressure when others seem to lose the plot?”

The answer? Ask a sports psychologist!

© Don MacNaughton 2009

Visualisation One of the 7 Keys to Peak Performance

Usain Bolt, gold medal winner in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has just confirmed his status as the fastest man on earth by sprinting to victory at the 2009 Athletics World Championships in a new world record time of 9.58 seconds.
In a track side interview, he said of his seemingly effortless performance, “I just visualised and then executed my plan.”
Visualisation is a technique used by many top class athletes and could be described as skill training for the mind. Basically, you get to relax in a comfortable position and just think about your sport - sounds easy! Obviously to be effective, visualisation must be practised alongside a physical training programme for the rest of the body.
Also known as mental rehearsal or imagery, thinking about an activity stimulates the brain to send electrical signals to the muscles involved just as if the action was really taking place but without any actual movement. We all know the saying, ‘practise makes perfect,’ so one of the major benefits of using visualisation is that the pattern of movements needed to create a successful action can be practised without the muscles suffering physical fatigue in the process.
As in all areas of life, the key to success is combining thinking positive thoughts with powerful actions. Competitive athletes use visualisation to prepare themselves for every eventuality at an event so that nothing on the day can throw a spanner in the works! They can prepare for noisy crowds, poor weather, and even for their performance not being up to scratch by creating a positive outcome for every situation. British javelin thrower Steve Backley is reported to have prepared by imagining himself to be in the last round of a major competition, in a losing position and with only one throw left. This could be viewed as a fairly negative situation but visualisation allowed him to ‘see’ his final throw being technically perfect and winning him the medal.
Another benefit of learning this technique is that ‘training’ can continue throughout the year. Most sports have a season but visualisation can be practised at any time and is particularly useful during periods when physical training may be less intensive. Athletes tapering for a major competition can reduce the risk of over-training by using mental imagery to remain focussed and injured athletes can keep ‘muscle memory’ active by continuing to train through their minds. Champion golfer Jack Nicklaus has often said that he never takes a shot, in training or in competition, without first of all seeing that shot through his mind’s eye and there are many other top players in a variety of sports who all agree that their winning performances are ‘seen’ many times before they become realities.
Visualising yourself crossing the finish line ahead of Usain Bolt may not be entirely realistic but it’s not impossible: train appropriately, think positively and what you see is what you get!

The Winning Edge - How to Play to Win
A one-day course for all athletes and coaches exploring the edge that separates great performance from good performance; Masters from Apprentices and that makes the difference between participating and competing. So often, the difference in sporting excellence is the mental edge. In this one-day course, you will be given cutting edge NLP skills, techniques and models that will raise your performance to the next level, in a way which will show you how to learn, develop and succeed in a competitive environment.

The course will cover:

• Visualisation for performance success
• Managing your emotions to enter “the zone”
• Greater confidence and self-belief to blast through limitations
• How to overcome performance anxiety
• The secrets to setting and achieving goals

Course to be led by Donald MacNaughton and co-trainer Robbie Steinhouse with Tony Felix

Robbie Steinhouse’s take on NLP and the human dimension of performance stems from his career creating and running businesses in recruitment, property and insurance - now run by an independent management team. A dynamic entrepreneur and motivator, he is an NLP University Certified Trainer and an ICF Certified Coach.

Tony Felix - 33 years of martial arts training and 20 years teaching the arts led to him represent the UK in Kung Fu and Tai Chi. Tony attributes his success to using modern sports performance coaching techniques to enhance traditional martial practices.

Donald MacNaughton

Donald’s’ approach utilising group work and one-to-one sessions supports teams and individuals to perform at their absolute best and unleashes potential to achieve powerful and lasting results. His own personal energy, humour and ability to empower sports coaches and players from youth through to 1st teams has won him work with some of the UK’s top sports organisations including the Scottish Football Association, Rugby Football League, Loughborough College and Snowsport GB. As well as world and national class athletes in sports such as football, skiing, golf, sailing, rock-climbing, snowboarding, rugby and football

Eric Black - First team coach with Sunderland AFC. Explains what Donald MacNaughton was able to do for him.

“Working with Donald MacNaughton of Zoned In Performance has added another dimension to my football coaching. The feedback model has given me a tool to use which allows players to take self-responsibility for their performance. Zoned In Performance takes Sport Psychology theory and turns it into usable and effective skills for any coach.”

“I met Donald in July 2005 when I was in the most crucial stages of getting back onto the slopes and qualifying for the Olympics after severely damaging my left knee. I had talked to other sports psychologists and not found them very helpful so I was not convinced Donald could help me either. However, from the first meeting, I knew this would be different. By putting a system to my thoughts and making me realise why I was thinking or feeling how I was, he made me incredibly stronger mentally. This, together with a range of techniques to help me focus before and during my race; he has definitely been a deciding factor that helped me get to the Olympic Winter Games 2006. Thank You!”
Roger Cruickshank Team GB Turin Olympics 2006 Downhill and Super G

“The redesigned BASI theory module for International standard ski instructors and coaches was a resounding success. Completing the week, Donald gave an inspiring, interactive presentation on mental skills for performers and teachers that was pitched perfectly.”

Dave Murrie - British Association of Ski Instructors (B.A.S.I.)

I met Donald 6 years ago and his psychology session on competition preparation really impacted me. He is responsible for me helping to produce 5 British Champions.
Ruaridh MacKenzie Rock-Climbing coach

Date 19th September 2009
Time: 9.30am -5pm

Location: Regents College London

Cost: £95 (Inc vat)
Early Bird discount book by 31st August £74.75(Inc vat)

For more details: e-mail Donald@zonedinperformance.com
Phone: 020 7428 7915.
Web: www.nlpschool.com or www.zonedinperformance.com

“Fatigue makes cowards of us all” Vince Lombardi

The great American Football coach Vince Lombardi reminds us that performance comes not just from what is happening on the pitch but is the result of total preparation of which rest and recovery is an important aspect.

How can you create space for quality recovery  time in your life and sports schedule ?

Coaching Questions: What are the signs you notice when you are fatiqued ?

What  can you do to recharge  ?

Here is natural instinct, and there is control. You are to combine the two in harmony. If you have one to the extreme you will be very unscientific; if you have another to extreme, you become a mechanical man, no longer a human being. So it is a successful combination of both. It is not pure naturalness, or pure unnaturalness. The ideal in unnatural naturalness or natural unnaturalness” Bruce lee

An eighth dan karate black belt told me last summer that

Bruce Lee once said ” I don’t do martial arts I am martial arts”

Humans beings not human doings ?

The picture above of my friend Noel Baxter brings alive the excitement of sport. When you dare to really go for your goals an incredible energy is released. Through discipline, courage and skill you can focus this energy  like a welders torch on your performance. Like Noel,keep your eyes on the goal and allow your body to respond to what’s underneath your feet. Trust the inner athlete …. What is your vision for your future ?