NLP sport pro

Mind’s-eye of the Tiger

Well, let’s be honest, Tiger Woods is unlikely to win ‘Husband of the Year’ in the near future but how do you rate his chances of winning the Masters when he returns to competitive golf after nearly five months away from the game?

Tiger Woods is one of the most recognisable figures in the world, known to sports fans and non-sports fans alike. As an outstanding golfer, he’s no stranger to media attention but after a very public scandal, he knows the eyes of the world will be on him for different reasons. With media and public attention focussed on his personal life, will he be able to remain focussed on his golf?

In terms of career victories, Woods is in third position in the all-time PGA Tour rankings, with only Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus ahead of him, so his ability as a player is beyond question. However, he has twice before come back to the game after a lengthy lay-off and with mixed results. In 2006 his performance suffered after the death of his father but in 2008 he won, despite playing on a seriously injured knee. This highlights how important it is for competitive sports players to be mentally prepared as well as physically prepared before making a return to play.

Mind Control

American golf writer Ian O’Connor believes that Tiger Woods’ return to golf will create unprecedented interest in this year’s Masters at Augusta. With this being the case, it begs the question why Woods should choose such a major event to make his return? According to former golf pro Arnold Palmer, Augusta is in fact a wise choice as the venue affords the organisers, and the players, a great deal of control over external factors that might affect the game.

“Augusta is the one place in the world where you can really have control. They will control everything from the crowds to the situation that will be facing Tiger”
- Arnold Palmer

A mentally prepared competitor knows that worrying about external factors out with their control is counterproductive. But, with the potential for intrusive media interest, Tiger Woods no doubt views Augusta as his best opportunity to focus on his game without distractions.

With external factors under control, Woods will then need to utilise a number of sports psychology techniques to remain in control of internal factors.

 Visualisation Tiger Woods will have played every hole on the course countless time through visualisation. He will know the best course of action to take under every set of circumstances - no shot he plays on the day will cause a surprise (not to him anyway!), allowing him to feel in total control of every aspect of his performance. He will not only have seen every shot in his mind’s-eye, he will have felt every tiny detail of his body position through every swing he takes, and he will have heard the sound of the ball as it rolls into the cup each time.
 Positive self-talk When you already know that not everyone in the crowd is on your side, positive self-talk becomes invaluable. An ability to boost your own confidence and to keep yourself motivated, even in a potentially negative environment, allows you to remain totally focussed on the job in hand.
 Positive mental attitude / Winning mentality Tiger Woods knows what he’s capable of, he knows he has prepared, he knows he’s ready, and he knows he’s in winning form. Positive thoughts lead to positive actions - he’ll be letting his actions do the talking.

“I can promise you he’s not going to come out if he’s trying to play his way into shape, especially at Augusta - he will be ready, mark my words”
- Jay Townsend, BBC golf pundit

Having recently apologised to just about everyone on the surface of the earth - and their dog - he’ll be out there making sure he doesn’t owe himself an apology for playing anything other than his best.

http://www.sportspsychology2.com/

“The earth seemed to move with me…a fresh rhythm entered my body. No longer conscious of my movement I discovered a new unity with nature…a new source of power and beauty, a source I never knew existed.” Roger Bannister

One of the iconic images and ground breaking moments of  20th century sport was Roger Banister breaking the 4 minute mile barrier. His description of what it is like to find that place inside you, that is calm, in the midst of the storm of competition only re-inforces the power of sport and performance as a vehicle of self expression and freedom of the spirit. NLP and  Sports psychology encourages you to explore those internal barriers that may be holding you back from smashing through or even gently easing into flow and your next level.

What is your four minute mile ?

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