Your Competitive Edge

The PRACTICE of Mental Training

The benefits of mental training on athletic performance have been shown in research study after study. Evidence for popular techniques such as visualization and guided imagery increase consistency of perforamance, confidence, and precision of movement (Sheikh & Korn, 1994; Rodgers et al, 1991); positive self talk and goal-setting also get a lot of research support (Thelwell et al., 2010; Crust et al, 2011). What's interesting is the focus on what it does in competitive settings? 

But what about practicing mental training...in practice (as opposed to game time)?? An interesting study in 2003 by Frey and Colleagues  with baseball and softball players looked at the differences in those players who used mental training techniques in game situations versus in game situations and regular practice. Guess which group performed more consistently and was more satisfied with how they did? You got it-the ones who practiced their mental games. 

You see, just as with practicing new skills and techniques, there is a learning curve with the mental game as well. To effectively learn to focus and control thought patterns, an athlete practices these things just as they practice their physical skills. All too often, though, this is not followed through enough with athletes.

Why? It depends on the individual athlete; but common limiting factors include a lack of knowledge in how to best use the skills (as the concept learning to focus more effectively is harder to pin down than learning to catch a ball), lack of emphasis by coaches, lack of consulting services/ineffective consultants (hopefully not the case in my neighborhood:)) , and so on. 

What can you do to improve the 'practice of mental training'? 

1. Read up! Recommended user-friendly books include Kay Porter's "The Mental Athlete", Rob Bell's "Mental Toughness Training for Golf",  and "The New Toughness Training for Sports" by Jim Loehr. The more you know, the easier it is to apply.
2. Find what techniques work for you or what you need (ex. imagery, suitable mantras, relaxation) and commit to using them regularly.
3. How best
   to commit? It can be as easy as scheduling it in just as you schedule your sports practice. Set aside a regular time. Coaches and programs can also incorporate this into their regular practices with their teams. 
4. Write it down! If you already use a training log of some sorts, it's easy to include.
5. Utlilize a consultant to design the most effective program for the individual athlete, coaching staff, or team. 

Note: a little mental practice is better than none at all, however, for maximum benefit, spend a few minutes daily working on the inner game. Over time, you'll be surprised. 

Stay the course and do the work!

Sources: 

Frey et al. (2003). Collegiate Athletes' Mental Skill Use andPerceptions of Success: An Exploration of thePractice and Competition Settings. The Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.

Crust & Clough (2010). Developing Mental Toughness: FromResearch to Practice. The Journal of Sport Psychology in Action.

Sheikh & Korn (1994). Visualization in Athletic Performance.

Small Cues, Big Dividends

"Keep it simple".

How many times have we been offered that advice and for whatever reason, failed to heed its message? Sure there are many workable solutions to any one issue- but at what cost? This post aims to illuminate why incorporating simple tricks and cues into an athlete's technique can often yeild huge benefits to energy management and perhaps more importantly, injury prevention. 

In high-impact sports such as running, having a sound technique is of utmost importance in the injur-prevention game. Runners are often mostly unaware of how their posture and technique actually looks and this costs them often valuable energy; not to mention heightens injury risk. Too often equipment, such as shoe design takes the brunt of the blame for when pain and injury strikes. Don't get me wrong, proper footwear is absolutely necessary and does help with enregy transfer and foot protection; however, instead of spending money and time searching for the "right equipment", consider the skeleton, sinew, and musculature of the person sliding into those shoes. 

Along with time and money spent on the "necessary" equipment, injured athletes also spend  more time and money on rehabbing if they become injured (i.e. devices and braces, prescriptions, therapies, etc). Prevenation of injury and enhancement of performance requires a global approach in terms of nutrition, rest, safe training practices, however a simple a psychophysiological skill may just be the foundation for all the rest of human movement : simple proprioceptive cuing. 

Okay, what exactly does "proprioceptive cuing" mean and what can it do for me?  

Before we can give our bodies cues, we need to become aware of what your body's doing in the moment, whether it's standing still or mid-stride. How's your posture? Where are your shoulders? Where should everything be. Now that we can take a quick snapshot of one's own basic biomechanics, then a simple cue can be applied to correct and potentially clear up a number of form discrepancies. 

For running and basically any sport the involves running of any lenght (even if just to first base) is to "run tall". Top running coach and exercise physiologist Greg McMillan, MS wrote a useful article in Running Times magazine about how important it is to cue oneself to "run tall" and creating a proper spinal alignment. Regardless of complaint-foot issues, inefficency of mechanics, etc-telling oneself periodically to go into neutral spine (as best you can, anyway) can place the body where it needs to be. NOTE for those who find this difficult, please see a qualified practitioner for assistance. 

The take home lesson from this post is to have a self-reminder system ready to go to enhance your form and technique. Sometimes it just takes a word or two. Practice it early and often-soon enough it will become automatic. All it takes is a simple cue.