Your Competitive Edge

Visualizing A Performance

It's a brisk morning, you feel the cool, damp breeze as it passes by you. You hear the other athletes talking amongst themselves and you find a quiet zone to finalize your mental preparations. You see, hear, and smell the crowd as it gathers around you and the  other competitors. You make brief eye contact with your fellow competitors, just enough to acknowledge them. You look at the clock: it's 5 minutes until the start of your competition. You take a deep breath, stretch, jog and repeat your affirmations "I am strong", "I am prepared"s, "I will do my utmost". Then you assume your position on the start line, court, field, etc. You feel energized and a little nervous; an electric feeling is traveling down your limbs, however, you take a deep breath and steady yourself gazing purposefully forward. The competition has now started and now you are in motion. You are a model of control executing your moves, breathing easily and looking ahead of you and at your teammates. You hear the crowd, you smell the foliage, you see the field or course. You use your skills and training effectively, going smoothly through every step, every movement you so carefully learned  and exercised through consistent training. 

This vignette is an example of a visualization that can be done before competing from a couch, desk, bed or your typical training venue. Visualizations are intended to guide the athlete step-by-step through his or her given activity, incorporating these scenarios into the neural circuits of the brain, working through the entire context of the competition: performance, sights, sounds, smells, thoughts, emotions and sensations.

This process can activate several different brain regions such as the cortex, amygdala, and limbic system-all play a role in emotion and/or memory. By going through each of these sensations, different regions of the brain are activated and the information can be stored in memory. The more an athlete visualizes successful execution during competition or training, the greater the incorporation into the mental processes, increasing potential of a successful session. Just like in physical training, mental training takes repetition as well.

Good visualizations are as detailed and realistic as possible, and can include the following considerations:

• The athlete's goal for the event
• The athlete's role or position played
• Specific things the athlete wishes to incorporate, such as: focusing, breathing, using good form and technique, keeping anger under control, etc.
• Preparation and training
• Emotions and thoughts (can use the mental training log as a aid)
• Going through various scenarios, including the ideal performance to adversities, such as weather or taunting from others.
• What the athlete does as a warm-up routine through post-competition.

The athlete can include any multitude of things in a visualization, but it is important to incorporate thinking in the here-and-now and use as many of the senses as possible (smell of the grass, seeing the whole field, listening to the coach's instructions). Also, these mentalizations should always focus on the positive and what one realistically can achieve. The idea is create an experience as "real" as possible in relation to competition. Once actually competing, the athlete can then gain an advantage after practicing being present and working methodically through their objective.

Porter, K. (2003). The Mental Athlete.

The Art and Science of Positive Self-Talk

As she prepares herself for the first big competition of the year, she is understandably anxious. It has been a long break since her last event and she is facing one of her top rivals. She puts on her shoes, carefully places the rest of her gear in her bag, and takes one last glance in the mirror, looking in her own eyes. Her eyes reflect a calm, steady intensity and focus. "It is time. I am strong. I am powerful. I am prepared." She repeats these statements several times to herself. In the events that follow, those statements become reality.

The above vignette is an example of an athlete taking herself through a pre-competition mantra. She uses concise positive self-statements, often referred to as affirmations, to steady and ready her mind to compete. Affirmations, when used consistently can bridge the gap between potential and reality.

Affirmations are tools one can use to fend off performance-robbing negative thoughts and destructive false beliefs about oneself. They may not immediately be true, but they support things about yourself you want to be true. Over time, these positive statements enter the brain circuitry and become more automatic.

According to Kay Porter in The Mental Athlete (2003), affirmations are always positive, personal and occur in the present tense; the here and now. They later come to operate at a subconscious level, an awarness level that does not process negatives.

Examples of some affirmations include:

• My mind and body are at peace.
• I performed to the best of my ability at this time (affirmation after a loss).
• I am capable. 
• I am steadfast.
• I believe in myself.

The art is to find what works for you and use it repeatedly in training and competition. Over time, negative energy is replaced by the positive. A good exercise to try is listing things that are or can possibly be true about yourself. Repeat these before, during, and after training and competition, regardless of the outcome. Take inventory of the statements that seem to work. Notice the negative ideology slowly leaving your mindset and potential becoming reality.

Source: Porter, K. (2003). The Mental Athlete. Human Kinetics.

The Basics: Keeping a Mental Training Log

As competitors or dedicated exercisers, we often log our progress, type of workout or event, and how we felt during. It's fun sometimes to go back and look at how far we have come in our sport training. Logging your training can also provide concrete evidence of how you are performing while possibly eliciting possible areas for improvement. By striving to pinpoint  both our strengths and weaknesses in our sport, we can become better, more disciplined athletes.

When it comes to our mental processes in training and competition keeping a mental training log of your feelings and thoughts further unleashes your potential as an athlete. Suggested constructs to track include: overall mood, event or training session/date, goal for session, successes, hindrances, and related emotions. Issues such as overtraining can also be monitored through consistent tracking.

It is also advised to pay extra attention to the positive aspects of your performance and what they did for you; therefore you have it on paper and are better able to repeat your good performances. You can also make it your own-you just may get to know yourself at a deeper level as a result.

The Basics: Nutrition to Enhance Mental Performance

Many athletes are often aware of how what they put in their bodies affects their physical performance. The old credo (and forgive the language) "eat like crap, play like crap" is often instilled in competitors at an early age. High level athletic programs, such as college and elite teams, have nutritionists on staff ready to address the athletes' most specific nutritional needs.

Quality of nutrition also plays an important role in how one focuses during training and competition. The cleaner and less processed the diet is, the better. Certain nutrients have important benefits in sharpening focus.  Perfection is not warranted, however mindfulness regarding what we take in and how it affects our thought processes should be noted. Here are a few focus-enhancing dietary strategies to try:

• Protein: already a staple in many athletic circles for muscle building and recovery; it also contributes to building key neurotransmitters in the brain, such as Dopamine (DA) which guide attention. Choose lean sources such as chicken, soy, beans, and fish. A 150-lb individual may require 90-135g per day.
• Amino Acids, including Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's) include Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine) help balance out energy levels and balance serotonin levels-another neurotransmitter affecting concentration.
• Foods containing few extra ingredients (i.e. non-processed or organic) allow for less free radical damage and focus-compromising blood sugar spikes. Reading labels becomes a must for this. The closer to the Earth, the better.
• Back to the topic of fish, Omega 3's also play an important role in mental clarity and focus. Aim to get in at least 2000 mg per day in the form of fish or fish oil, flax, avocados, nuts and/or pharmaceutical-grade supplementation.
• Antioxidants: free radical damage from training and life in general raise the body's level of inflammation, decreasing neural functioning and therefore affecting your concentration. This increased stress on the body's systems can destroy healthy cells in most bodily systems, the nervous system included. Increased intake of antioxidants fights this inflammation by protecting nerve cells from damage. Examples are Vitamins A (in Beta Carotene), E, C, and Selenium.
• • Other powerful antioxidant nutrients include quercetin and anthocyamin. Quercetin can be found in apples with skin, cruciferous vegetables (spinach, broccoli, etc), and leeks. Anthocyamins can be found in berries, egg plant, beets, and apples with skin.
  • Teas also can also enhance focus with their antioxidant properties; notably green and white teas.
• Also, to combat otherwise unexplainable energy and concentration lags, water consumption is very important. Hydration is related to chemical reactions in the body and nerve impulses. I myself struggle with this, however it is vital and probably the most basic listed.

This was intended to be a short list of some things to try and incorporate into your nutrition and training regime. Implementing dietary changes to enhance your focus will take some time for effect, but are definitely worth it.

Blomstrand, E. (2001). Amino acids and central fatigue. Journal of Amino Acids, 20, 25-34.

Porter, K. (2003). The Mental Athlete. Human Kinetics.

Setting Up for Success

Our internal and external state of affairs are in constant interaction. What we think and feel affects our performance as much as physical training; for example believing you are strong and capable becomes a reality over time and fueling your body with whole, nutrient-dense foods produces positive results in performance.

How we manage our surroundings and environmental variables in relation to our training is also a powerful key in achieving short and long-term goals. When taking inventory of our environment, here are some things to be aware of which may be helping or harming your focus and performance:

• Are you prepared in advance for workouts with the essentials? For example, having your bag packed, sports drink pre-mixed and everything placed in an easy location is helpful to some and can reduce some time and stress of rushing around to get everything ready and helps you easily transition into training mode.
• Speaking of daily hassles, focus on removing or reducing the ones you can control, such as leaving earlier to avoid traffic and using good time management.
• Sleep is vital to one's mental and physical performance. Find a routine before bed every night and stick to it as best you can. If you have trouble turning things off, practice taking deep breaths or visualizng yourself in a calm environment. 
• Maintain a diet that balances lean protein, dark vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and kale. Omega-3 fatty acids found in most fish and flaxseed play a key role in maintaining attention and focus. Ensure enough calories to stay fueled throughout the day-spread out in 3-5 hour intervals.
• Surround yourself with individuals in which you share meaningful relationships. I think this one speaks for itself.
• Also, keeping a training or practice log is helpful as you can track your goals and progress. Some things to include are: specific workout, mood, sleep, energy level, who you trained with, if applicable and stress level.
• If additional help is needed getting started, see a mental coach or consultant.

If we gain a sense of control over our selves in terms of our contexts, concentration during activity comes easier. Be mindful that we cannot control everything and mastering these variables takes practice.

Best of luck as you set yourself up to reach higher!

Welcome to Your Competitve Edge!

"Sport performance is 80% mental." -in Kay Porter's The Mental Athlete (2003).

We are please to announce our new blog covering the often-overlooked, yet powerful mental/psychological side of sport and performance. The best athletes are not just on top of their game physically but also mentally; this is often the key factor in victory versus defeat. It is our mission to help athletes of all levels reach their goals and potential.

Please check back often, as future topics include: goal setting, visualization, dealing with adversity, relaxation, and maintaining focus.

Adrienne Langelier, M.A.

ADD Wellness Group LLC