Your Competitive Edge

The NBA Playoffs: A Case Study in Team Dynamics

With Philadelphia and Boston all knotted up at 3-3, Miami one game away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals, and let's not forget San Antonio and Oklahoma City already waiting in the wings for the Western Conference Championships to start. Let's not forget the ongoing tabloid and TV dissection of the Los Angeles Lakers: the aging Kobe and the controversial Andrew Bynum. 

The one thing these teams have in common is how differently they conduct themselves on the court. Just as each individual athlete has their style and personality, so does a sports team. Like individual athletes, teams have their strengths and they have their quirks. It is up to the leadership (coaches, administration, and the players themselves) to use what they have as a cohesive unit in order to be consistently successful. 

It is often in high-pressure situations where these characteristics are manifested the most. One thing that we can learn from high-stakes athletic competition is this: talent is often not enough. 

If talent is not enough to win championships, then what are the ingredients? In my opinion, here's the non-exhaustive list:

1. Strong leaders. Not just coaches, but the players themselves. These individuals know when to push and back off and how to utilize everyone's unique strengths. Examples: Coach Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. 

2. A problem-solving approach to tough situations. Together, these teams figure out how to win. It may not be flashy or entertaining, but it gets the job done. Example: Indiana Pacers. 

3. Perhaps the most obvious: players putting one players needs aside for the good of the team-whatever it looks like for the player in question. This one invloves not just what they typically call "selfless play" but these players know their role on the team and are comfortable with their strengths. A team full of adaptive athletes is often a successful one.

Paul Pierce, perhaps one of the most talented members not just in the Boston Celtics organization but in the entire league, knows when to push and elevate his game in order to help the team win. Pierce is comfortable with his role as a team leader and takes it seriously, according to various interviews over the years.

4. Successful team dynamics often includes having common goals and a shared vision. Not only do these objectives exist but are commonly reviewed, analyzed, and adjusted as needed unanimously. 

Next playoff game you see, take note of what you see on the court and the sidelines. What examples of team dynamics and positive leadership behaviors do you see? 

What Makes a Good Coach?

The importance of a good coach and their respective attributes is a frequent topic in my professional, athletic, and personal life (which is perhaps most important). Personally, I have been very fortunate to have run with a coach since late 2008 and recently gaining some advice for swimming, as I am entering the sport of Triathlon.

 Both coaches are awesome guys; very knowledgeable and have somewhat different styles (as different sports obviously call for difference in approaches). And it is working for me so far. I think I'll continue to become a more physically and mentally tough athlete by experiencing multiple perspectives.

On the running side, I now have a few years experience and now know what kind of coach I work best with-open, innovative, and somebody I can collaborate with. In the water, however, I need that guidance, direction and being told "no" from time to time when I ask for more rest in between intervals. No pun intended, but I'm trying to be a "sponge" with what limited time I have in the water and learn as much as I can. I was once that 'sponge' when I received my first running schedule leading up to the 2009 Houston Marahon....


So, what makes a good coach? Definitely not a one-size-fits-all question. I’ll attempt here to unpack some of the tools I find helpful based on professional and personal experience; plus some principles from a recent article in the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action (2011).

When we think of a good coach, the following are often true of him or her….

• Possesses leadership qualities. Perhaps the most obvious trait-a good coach can utilize both transformational (i.e. ability to motivate and inspire) and task/skill-focused leadership. Even better ones know when and where to use exercise these facets.
• Fosters autonomy. Guides the athlete, but empowers them to think for themselves.
• Knows his or her athletes. As a sport psychology consultant, I am always advocating for coaches to be as athlete-centered as possible. Depending on the size of the team or group, this aspect varies, but coaches who are most in tuned with who their working with and know their tendencies elicit the most consistent success.
• Communicates clearly. Progress comes faster from those who best explain clearly the objectives at hand. 
• Educates the athlete. I find it highly valuable when I know the purpose of the workout I'm doing. For head cases like me, knowing the purpose of why I'm running x:xx pace helps me keep things in perspective.
• Knows when to push and when to dial an athlete back-and sticks to it (see communication). 
• Brings out the best in their athletes. This is one of the biggest intangibles, but I can think of a handful I have worked with who fit that mold.

 

What are your experiences coaching either coaching or being coached? What are some of the qualities you look for? Sometimes it’s all about the ‘fit” in the athletes’ journey.

Source: Watson, J., Cannole, I., & Kadushin, P. (2011). Developing young athletes: A sport psychology based approach to coaching youth sports. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 2, 113-122.

 

The Masters: Where anything can happen

Each April, the PGA's best congregates upon Augusta, GA's fabled greens for a shot at the Green Jacket and one of professional golf's most prestigious titles. This year's event promised more drama than a Shakespearean epic on Broadway, with Tiger Woods coming off his first win in several years and of course Phil Mickelson's relatively consistent play over the past few seasons. The interesting thing about golf is, however, is how anything can seemingly happen on any given day. Everyone at the tourney has the talent to be on that stage but it is up to the strongest mentally to close the deal. 

This year's tournament brought the "feel good story" of Bubba Watson. Watson- a relative unknown among the ranks of Woods, Mickelson, Scott, and McIlroy-won using his own unique style. A self-professed Christian, father, and owner of the General Lee (his claim to fame perhaps moreso than as a golfer) used the lack of expectation to his advantage. Watson in fact seemingly exceeded his own expectations. Perhaps there is a lesson any athlete can learn from Bubba Watson: whether you have won one or one-hundred tournaments, play for enjoyment, play like nobody is watching you, and play your own game. Every athlete I work with I emphasize enjoyment of their sport first and foremost, but more importantly-being themselves whatever their discipline. 

Next time you compete, remember who you are and where you are coming from. Your consistenttraining will take care of the rest. 

Who's pressure is it anyway?

So very often athletes come into my office telling me that they're feeling "pressure". After hearing the dreaded 'p' word, I usually promptly ask: "who and where is it coming from?". What I still find surprising is that they struggle to find origins of these negative feelings, at least at first. Typically, when an athlete seeks outside support, pressure to perform has been present for an extended period of time and regularly interferes with their performances and in some cases-their relationships and daily lives. 

The good news is, while there is some stress (often of more positve nature) associated with being an athlete, managing pressure feelings is a skill that can be learned. 

First, an athlete must search to identify what induces or 'triggers' feeling of pressure. Is it self-induced, from a coach, parent, significant other? Knowing the source is important.

Next, what does being "under pressure" look and feel like? This response is different depending on who you ask. Does the athlete fret over mistakes? Are there exchanges of heightened or unrealistic expectations with others? Are the athlete or coach's standards unrealistic? How does the stress manifest: inhibited concentration, somatic (bodily), or in general enjoyment of the sport? How do the feelings of pressure affect mood? 

Also, what does the athlete say to themselves that perpetuates this negative cycle? "Don't mess up", "I don't know if I can do this", or "coach/mom/dad will be mad if I don't succeed" are common negative internalized messages that hinder performance.

Once some possible triggers and awareness have been identified and sorted out, the athlete can start to counter these negative thinking patterns. A simple exercise is to "check in" with their thought patterns during a game or practice with what their thinking of, and insert a positive message when they usually are   and negative.  Use of deep breathing and a few minutes of relaxation is also recommended, especially before competition and when the athlete begins to feel most stressed. 

Over time and with practice, these techniques help a great deal with athlete perspective and creates a greater sense of control of a situation. 

Enjoy the process!

Wave-Making

In brainstorming what topic to explore for today's post. A conversation with a colleague and my own personal athletic musings brought up Jim Loehr's classical recovery principle of wave-making. What exactly is making waves, you might ask?? I'll provide a brief definition here and go into some ways you can incorporate it into your training. 

As many of you are aware, I work with several and am myself an endurance athlete. We're a driven bunch by nature; often driven to push hard all the time, no matter what. We tend to expect improvement for our hard, relentless efforts day in day out, but when we don't see progress, we often find ourselves frustrated. Why? Because recovery is oftentimes neglected. Not just chocolate milk after a run or swim, but by practicing systematic rest and psychological recovery. 

Solid training is designed to ebb and flow. Wave making encompasses the principles of working in hard, high volume training and mental focus with a period of lighter intensity and demand-as the wave crests, a period of relaxed energy follows, collecting energy for the next crest. Notice how the energy cycles nicely in the concept of a wave and rest period. Loehr provides a nice description of how we can maximize our gains in sport by applying this analogy. Being one inclined to constantly press by nature, I am always reminding myself to release a bit, relax and refocus for my next effort. Riding the wave....

Everyone is different in their respective sport training and fitness levels, but the principle of recovery is as important for the mental aspect of the game as it is physical. We can train our brains and focus intensely for a while, but our minds need rest and recovery just as our bodies do. I encourage all athletes I work with to train their minds in a periodization format, just as they do for sport. For example, an athlete visualizing intensely for an upcoming meet gets a built-in "mental break" day, where they merely do their affirmations or don't think about sport at all! Coaches often incorporate a "fun" day after a big competition to help the athletes mentally refresh-for example swim teams getting to play water polo or soccer players getting an afternoon of kickball.

By practicing both physical and mental recovery on a regular basis, athletes find themselves energized and focused in competition on a more consistent basis and enjoy more stable energy levels. Train hard, focus, and learn, but take time to absorb the process as well. Ride the wave! 

Source: Loehr 2003

Perfectionism: Indicators in Sport Performance

This morning I was going over a brief article written by Dr. Patrick Cohn of Peak Sports in Orlando. Dr. Cohn is an expert in perfectionism in youth sport especially, but these factors I've seen in all ages and levels. Theses characteristics occur in different levels depending on the athlete in question, however the pattern appears farily common. 

According to Cohn, perfectionistic athletes often do the following:

* Generally perform better in practice than game situations.

* Want to excel badly, which makes them anxious and afraid of
failing.

* Are afraid of making mistakes.

* Worry too much about what other people think about them.

* Try too hard to ensure their performance is "perfect."

* View performance as either good or bad, with no middle ground.

* Harbor unrealistic or very strict expectations about their
performance. Everyone messes up sometimes. Period.

* Are fearful of letting others down if they make mistakes; including coaches/teammates, family, significant others, etc.

It's not the perfectionism itself that is negative, but the product of over-focus on getting things absolutely right and the resulting fear of failure.

Fear of failure can cause them to fold under pressure; this is likely related to focusing on "what not to do" instead of what 'to do'-the skills they've been practically perfecting in practice !

For those perfectionistic athletes out there, here's a challenge: try to perfectly accept a mistake in your next practice or competition! You'll be surprised how good it feels to let go of a mistake.

For more, visit www.youthsportspsychology.com. 

The Psychology of Racing: Early Adjustment

The following is a reposting of an article I recently wrote for "Deer Tracks", the monthly newsletter of  The Woodlands Running Club in The Woodlands, TX. Given the marathon season is in full swing with triathlon soon to follow, I thought I'd share a response to a question posed in February's "Ask Adrienne" column:

Q: I was talking to my friend who when he was racing was the king of the early adjustment. What I mean is for a particular event his goal pace might be in the 6:40 range (depending on the distance and most of the time he was very close to his goal pace) but on occasion he might hit that first mile in 7:10. His first reaction would be that the mile marker was off (pre-Garmin) so he would continue through mile 2 and if that mile was in the 7:00 range he would immediately say to himself...."today this is the pace" he would adjust and finish the event at the adjusted goal pace.

 

The early adjustment kept him from ever having a disaster race.....he was a 2:50 marathoner who would make that early adjustment and finish an event on an off day in 3:12. He was amazingly consistent.

 

My question isn't about his consistency but rather the fact that he accepted all of his times as what the course and conditions gave him that day. He was always happy with his performance whether a 2:50:00 or 3:30:00 marathon or running a 17:30 or 19:30 5K. He never questioned his training, his diet, his strategy...he had fun with an event and was on to the next.

 

My question:  How do you learn to accept and be happy with a personal performance on that "off day" ?

 

A: *After several attempts to shorten I decided to post this question in its entirety because it helps provide a good background to formulate an answer but more importantly provides an example for runners to follow should they choose to do so. Much of this article is a combination of author opinion and experience with opinions of other field professionals.

 

First and foremost, I will be honest on this one, for many of us accepting something we have in our minds originally as “sub-par” is difficult to do. So don’t sweat it if you cross the finish line upset at your time at your next race. It happens. I tell the athletes I work with (and myself) that they’re not going to thread the needle in each race he or she runs. The personality of the athlete is also a factor-it is easier for some to let things slide than others. But…can we still run well for the day and walk away with something positive-absolutely.

 

Let’s first take a step back as I encourage the reader to think deep down about their own personal meaning of running. Why did they start in the first place? To nail a 22:00 5k consistently? Probably not. Many runners started for fun, fitness, camaraderie, and doing something so many others do not do. A lot of the time, after that first “breakthrough” performance you see where your potential lies. It’s a great place to be, but it is not without potential pitfalls. Expectations may start to form, and oftentimes runners find themselves setting fairly rigid goals for themselves. According to my colleague Cindra Kamphoff, PhD, these rigid goals are one of the top issues that runners face mentally. Obviously, the athlete mentioned previously has worked through this obstacle. Adjusting early is a part of tackling this phenomenon and leading to more rewarding racing experiences.

 

While goals are what often keeps us going, it helps to begin practicing the skill of self adjustment in racing situations. The key here is early adjustment. This can be achieved through many avenues.

 

Before the race, myself and Dr. Kamphoff both recommend setting a range of goals: Your ‘A goal, something solid but challenging, and one you are confident you can reach. This goes both for pacing and finish times. For more see athletesaudio.com/blog.

 

Athletes can start learning to adjust early by putting the clock in its proper place. Just as you trust your car to get you to work, sometimes you run into traffic or the weather conditions make it difficult to make it in your usual :30 minute commute. Sometimes you get there in :37 minutes, sometimes you get there in :28 minutes. This has no real bearing on your driving skills, there are just things for the day that you can’t control. This same principle can be applied to running. You trust your vehicle, why not your training?

 

Part of being mentally tough is being able to tell that either weather, fatigue, or other factors are going to hamper the pace or goal time you want to run. The lesson here is to “know your warning signals”. For me, thos races where even after talking myself through the first two I don’t feel rhythmic, I then dial in appropriately and remind myself to stay tough and give what I have today (or shut off the Garmin and feel the pace). The previous example would say “this is the pace today” and go with it.

 

Another thing to realize is the big picture, especially if racing longer stuff, such as marathons and half marathons. The quality of the race experience comes from having that line you tell yourself and the subsequent energy levels you save by dialing the pace to accommodate the uncontrollable of the day. All good runners will have off days. We many not run what we set out for, but by choosing to be reasonable with your body for that day, the “disaster” is averted because you’re being realistic. “Challenging and realistic” may be a good idiom for anyone racing on any given day.

 

In summary, if we were to put some tools in our mental toolbox to help us adjust early in the race when needed, here’s my short list of what to bring to the race:

 

1. Knowledge of the course and climate as well as knowledge of the effects (ask a good coach or refer to a trusted volume) of various aspects on performance is quite helpful. It’s a lot easier to not judge your performance if you know that there’s a 10% drop in performance if the temps are at a certain range.
2. A list (can be mental) of ‘red flags’ that may be signs to adjust. Note: these should be noticeable with no need to do a “full scan” of systems during the race as that can be distracting. Have a “decision point” to keep or adjust pace, such as mile 2.
3. A go-to self-talk line such as “this is the pace today”.
4. An educational perspective. Use each race as a learning experience.
5. Regular self-reminders of why races and running are fun. Coaches can convey this by emphasizing quality over quantity and having fun while working hard. The clock has its place, but enjoyment has been shown to produce the most consistency over time.
6. Find somebody like the aforementioned athlete. Watch what they do in training and racing and try to adopt some of their characteristics. Remember mental toughness can be learned.
7. Use imagery for pacing to adjust; such as picturing tachtometer to see where your RPM’s are at so you don’t “burn out too early”.
8. Work on defining success as something more fluid than X:XX time. Coaches can emphasize this as well. Success in its purest form is all about balance.

 

Hope this helps pin down a concept that is simple yet difficult to learn sometimes. Challenge yourself to be a more flexible racer, and you’ll be surprised at how much more enjoyable and rewarding your running will be.

 

Stay the course.

 Questions and comments can be sent to adrienne.langelier@gmail.com

 

 

Athlete's Audio: Streamlining the Visualization Process

..."For the next 15 minutes of so...it's mental training time..."

This is typically how the run-focused audio prompts begin voiced over by Bob Kinnison-the voice behind Athlete's Audio.  As simple a line as that might be, I find it to be a helpful in cueing a relaxed athlete get into their performance zone while seated in the comfort of their own home/dorm room/airplane seat, etc.

Some of you may have been already introduced to Bob through this interview posted a few months ago. Working in conjunction with practitioners all over the country, a series of sport-specific pre-recorded imagery exercises were created. As a practitioner, I find this concept very helpful and time-efficient. As much as I'd like to do so, it takes time and equipment to create quality recordings to provide to athletes. 

One of my favorite things about the AA series is that my mental training has been enhanced by using the exercises. While I nurse a bum leg, I'm able to visualize my run mechanics as I would like to see them in real life. I'm even able to feel the emotion of a late surge in a race and the recording provides prompts to review racing tactics and common scenarios in distance running. As the literature states-our brains see images as if they are actually present and happening. 

Some athletes I work with agree that these exercises are effective and time-efficient:

"These are really neat-you are basically coached the whole exercise but you provide the pictures in your head". -college swimmer.

"This taught me how to use imagery and helps me picture my performance". -HS athlete.

While imagery is just part of a complete mental game-athletes audio provides a helpful tool. I will likely use more of this in conjunction with athletes I see needing a "workout from the neck up". 

Thank you athlete's audio for providing the images. 

For more, see athletesaudio.com or contact Adrienne L.  for more info. or to set up an appointment. 

Athlete's Audio Interview

Interview 1 0f 2 from December, 21, 2011 with Bob Kennison of Athletes Audio.  Also featured at athletesaudio.com. Enjoy!

 

 

"Parental Pressure": A Two-Way Concept?

....According to an new study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, there  may be.

This post looks to dissect this article in a more user-friendly manner in order to dial in on what may be some of the best directions parents can go in terms of successfully supporting their young performers. O'Rourke and Colleagues (2011) took a look at a fairly large sample of youth swimmers and provided them with questionnaires on the perceived behaviors of their respecitve parents and athlete reactions based on these behaviors.  Given that I work with a substantial number of swimmers and swim parents at my practice in The Woodlands, I had to give this article a thorough read...

Before getting to the findings, something I found interesting about this article is that the term "parental pressure" is used with a more open connotation; it is examined as both negative (as one typically would associate parental pressure) and positive. Interesting concept, don't you think? 

A common topic in research yeilding consistent findings is negative parental pressure (NPP). Obviously, this can result in a range of effects, from competitive anxiety, burnout, underperformance, and a learned fear of failure. NPP occurs in what experts call an "ego climate";meaning that success is often defined by terms of outperforming others and winning. Mistakes are seen in an ego climate as negative and sometimes punishment results because of them. When too much emphasis is placed on how an athlete performs instead of how much they improve, enjoy, and master a given set of skills, they run the risk of never achieving their true potential. 

What has not received much attention is the notion of positive parental pressure is analogous to encouragement and pushing a young athlete to be their own best performer, versus practicing and focusing on beating others, times, and placements. I myself tend to view this as more of 'guidance' rather than 'pressure'. According to my own interpretation, these parents are quite invested in their young athlete's success; but take an approach that is more in the athlete's best interest and emphasize growth and enjoyment. This type of parental pressure occurs in what is often called a "mastery climate" which is an environment where effort, enjoyment, are emphasized and mistakes are viewed as chances to learn and grow.

Could there be times when a little "positive" pressure is a good thing-such as when a young basketball player asks to skip practice following a bad game?  Results of the study found the definition of "parental pressure" to be a behavior pattern of complex processes that differs along a positive-negative continuum depending on environment, amount, and perceptions of the young athlete.

The researchers found lower levels of anxiety in those athletes who's parents were considered "high pressure/high mastery" and "high pressure/low ego" (meaning high emphasis on learning and self-direction). Fancy terms aside-across all groups, it was those parents who were high in mastery orientation and low on ego orientation that resulted in greater enjoyment and lowest anxiety over time in their young athletes. 

How can this be put into practice? Some typical characteristics of positive sport parenting include the following:

• Avoidance of punishment for mistakes and losses.
• Comparisons used in a constructive manner; emphasizing individual improvement and not against other competitors or teammates. each athlete develops at their own rate.
• Encouragement and investiture in the child's success with a sensitivity to "how much is too much".
• Willing to provide a "push" when needed, for example: making sure the young athlete keeps their commitment to their team and season, even when they'd rather sleep in.
• Ask their children what they learned following practices and competitions.
• Emphasize and model themselves the enjoyment of sports.
• Remember each individual athlete is different-know which approach produces best, most consistent results.

In short and with definitions of "pressure" aside, parent approaches that allow their athletes to improve without fear of failure, letting their parents down, of losing creates higher instances of success and lower overall levels of anxiety in and out of the sport context. Call it what you want, for a young athlete to continue to enjoy their sport with minimal anxiety levels, proper emotional support and direction are necessary.

Source: O'Rourke, D., Smith, R., Smoll, F. & Cumming, S. (2011). Trait anxiety in young athletes as a function of parental pressure an motivational climate: Is parental pressure always harmful? Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 23 (4), 398-412.