catching the ball was a difficult challenge

fighting for the ball and focus

With the recent weekend sports in NZ two of the national teams certainly faced their fare share of criticism with the number of errors that occurred in their respective performances.  It is certainly true that we should expect the odd mistake in our performances, but it is in the way in which we respond to the errors that sets us up for a good performance or one that we would rather forget.  That is perhaps the most disappointing experience for any sports person is not being able to pull yourself out of a difficult situation and just getting sucked further into it.

In saying that, the Silver Ferns had contrasting performances in Games 2 and 3.   In game 2 against Australia they started poorly and then rallied in the final quarter, however, in game 3 they started well and then steadily dipped under that of the opposition.  Another contrast was in the performance in different parts of the court with the Silver Ferns midcourt being more competitive in the 3rd game after struggling a bit to combat the Australians in the 2nd game.  Then the Silver Ferns shooting circle having an uncharacteristic off day in their shooting percentages.  What all this points to is that the ability and fitness is generally well tuned but the ability to remain consistent and focussed still needs work and practising this is key.

For the All Blacks, the contrast appeared to occur with the early second half-try by the Springboks followed by some generally fluent attack with good retention of possession.  Almost enough to turn the game (even with a goal kicking freak in the opposition) which had otherwise been an error prone gift for the visiting Springbok team.  Steve Hansen (All Blacks forward coach) pointedly stated that the physical ability to successfully complete the processes of winning a line-out are not learnt in a half of rugby.  Perhaps it is the communication, or the pressure and standard of the opposition or the coordination of lifters and jumpers in that intense environment.  In the end it still points towards practising the mental skills of coping and refocussing on what needs to be done to achieve the desired outcome. 

Without promising wins for each of the national sides, my video on refocussing provides very simple and great tips on how to deal with a mistake or with a moment of success.  Remember that all mental skills need to be practised just like physical and tactical skills so decide how you will implement them into your current training regime.

Oudin is doing it Mentally Tough

I was lucky enough to catch the end of the game between the new US rising star of tennis, Michelle Oudin, and Nadia Petrova.  She again lost the first set and was in danger of losing the match while Petrova was dominating the match in the way that their respective rankings would imply.  However, strangely enough it was Petrova that stalled with the win in sight while Oudin continued to play strong positive tennis.  Even in the final game where Petrova saved 3 match points Oudin was the one playing for the winner and eventually coming up with the win.

This would not normally be such a suprising story except that this is the third time in as many matches that she has come back from a set down and won her way through.  Her opponents each time have been vastly more experienced on the woman’s tour and in open events.  She has now shown herself to be mentally tough against the quality opposition of Olympic Champion Elena Dementieva, three time Major champion Maria Sharapova and now 13th seed Nadia Petrova.  A lot of comment has been made on her self-belief due to the TV cameras picking up on her shoe having ‘believe’ stamped on it.

Key words are a fantastic mental skill to assist athletes with anything from confidence to focus, to managing activation levels to reasserting determination.  Then having them in easy to access places can act like just the helpful support required in a critical moment.  One of the sailors I worked with used to write her keywords for the race at the base of the mast housing so that it was always in her view.  Another athlete would always use a key phrase at the start of a race and then use another word to reactivate that intensity.  They would often comment on how simple it was to do this and yet have such an effective result.

The major point is to ensure that you use key words or phrases that have a strong response with yourself.  So the hard work is finding the right cue words and the easy part is applying it to the training and playing environment.  You don’t have to be Michelle Oudin to ‘believe’ in your ability to compete against the best!

Black Caps make the mental switch and carry over previous limited over confidence

After a tough few weeks in Sri Lanka the NZ Black Caps have found that winning feeling again.  It is interesting that the NZ team has had a consistently good limited overs record for the past 10 years or so and yet they have been unable to apply that consistency or success to the 5-day version.  It would appear that for the most part there is a difficult mental switch between the long and shorter versions of the game, although, these days it is common to have half a dozen specialists that enter/depart the team as the tour progresses.  These specialists should be able to maintain their own mindset and help their teammates to find that other rhythm.

Obviously the mechanics of bowling, batting and fielding remain the same but the technical ability to be able to play some of the shots now seen in T20 or the variety of deliveries in a bowlers arsenal are much more varied.  With that said, it all comes down to practise, and a lot of it, before any cricketer will unveil it on the international stage.  So the mental skill and agility of the cricketers that perform well in the long and short versions of the game and the routines that they set should be closely observed by their teammates. 

Getting the right focus is obviously one of the keys to performing well in any sporting arena and what an athlete does before hand has the greatest influence in that desired outcome.  Well thought out and well practised Pre-performance routines are an important part of any serious athletes desires to perform consistently well.  Not only do they ensure optimal activation and confidence in preparation but they also help the athlete to focus on the right skills to start their performance.  For more on using Pre-performance routines to attain correct focus watch my video:

Will Bond focus himself and the team?

The NZ test series with Sri Lanka played out pretty much as predicted by the test rankings. The NZ batsmen unable to apply themselves for long periods in the challenging environment while the well performing Sri Lankan team enjoyed playing at ‘home’.  However, the limited over version of cricket should bring about a level competition as the NZ Black Caps team bring confidence from an extended period of previous good performances.  They also enter specialist players to the team, including the return of Shane Bond, who will bring renewed energy and won’t have to deal with the 2-0 test series loss.

For the Black Cap fans there is great hope that Bond will be able to provide the form and venom to balance the NZ bowling attack which always seemed to toil hard but was unable to deliver knock out blows without his presence.  He was certainly the most devastating NZ bowler in recent history and has an incredible record to show for it.  However, Bond will need to keep his focus on his bowling processes, that is,  finding the right rhythm so that his technique flows and he puts the ball in the places that he is aiming for.  Focus is such an important aspect of sport, and with cricket the focus should normally be narrow, that is, as a  bowler, batsmen or fielder your primary concern is where the ball is and moving yourself accordingly. 

Certainly keeping ones focus on those sorts of processes also helps to manage activation levels when the reputation of an opposition player might otherwise overwhelm you.  There will be some star players in both sides as there almost always is, however it is the way that the team gels and keeps focused on the various plans set up for opposition players that will generally provide the best performance.  There are a number of mental skill methods that will assist with keeping focussed and each can be helpful for a particular situation, for more on this see my Introduction to Focus:

Rookie Tall Blacks excited with their win over fancied Boomers.

The Tall Black NZ Basketball team had a victory to savour last night when they defeated their much higher ranked opponents, the Australian Boomers, by 100-78.  This victory earned NZ the number 1 seeding for the World Championships next year and left the Boomers wondering why they did not learn their lesson from the well matched first game played in Sydney.  The result is as much an advert for the mental preparation and self-belief of the NZ team as it is an endictment on the Australian team’s mental preparation.

Self-belief has certainly been a hall-mark of the NZ Basketball victories in the past 8 years which was instilled by the then coach – Tab Baldwin and seems to have flowed through with current coach Nenad Vucinic (assistant coach to Tab Baldwin).  The first series win over Australia in 2001 that sent the Tall Black to the World Championships instead of the Australians was reinforced with a stunning run to the semi-finals and eventual 4th placing in 2002.  Since then however, the Boomers have tended to treat the Tall Blacks with a great deal more respect and usually dominated them at the same time.

Possibly the Boomers looked at the current Tall Black squad filled with 5 rookies and thus missing a lot of experience from the previous 2 world championship campaigns.  Three of these rookies recently lined up in the U19 World Championship NZ team that raised a lot of hope but ultimately disappointed by not making it through to the 2nd round.  Since then they have been taken through a difficult campaign through Europe and obviously gelled with the rest of the Tall Black team.  This campaign will also have given the team the chance to establish good pre-performance routines and refocus routines that allowed them to play well through the 4 quarters of the game and tellingly to ensure the lead remained beyond the 8 points margin which resulted in the series win (games were tied at 1-1).

Maintaining focus when momentum is with you and when it is against you is imperative to perform consistently and that goes hand in hand in maintaining optimal activation.  It is only human to react to a particularly decisive moment, or a questionable referee call, which is fine to some degree, but it is essential to have the skills in your repertoire so that you can quickly return to your optimal activation and therefore focus.  As it is only then that you will be able to consistently perform at your peak and that was a welcome theme in last night’s victory.  For a simple technique to reduce your activation level watch my video – Optimal Activation through Centreing.

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So the Usain ‘Lightning’ Bolt continues his rampage through the record books.  What a great way to start the day to see another World Record fall.  When you watch the video you will see that no one appears able to challenge him at all over this distance, at least he did appear a little tired after this fantastic effort.  Now I think Bolt moves into a new place of expectation amongst sports fans in that is he should easily win the races that he competes in and run close to world record times each outing.  After all he is still just 22 and his coach believes that there is more potential yet.

However, with the expectation comes a lot of external pressure that can be a significant hurdle for an athlete to deal with and still perform brilliantly.  There are instances in history of athletes remaining undefeated at major events for quite a few years – Michael Johnson (previous 200m and current 400m world record holder) and Edwin Moses (400m hurdler) were undefeated for 8 years and 10 years respectively over the 400m distances of their events.  Both of these athletes completed uniersity degrees and were tireless in their attention to detail and planning.  This effort in planning and preparation would have supported their confidence and meant that they had strategies to elevate or subdue personal activation levels as required.  See my free resources for more on how you can build your confidence and contol your activation.

With Bolt’s enjoyment of fast cars and the obvious accolades that he will receive for his incredibly impressive running he will need another focus to keep him grounded and focussed if he wishes to emulate the records of the above legendary sprinters.  In any case he has already provided much joy through his incredible running performance and I, for one, hope he is able to continue with his record breaking runs.

'Lightning' Bolt checks out his World Record Breaking time!

WOW, hard to believe that in under 12 months Usain Bolt has introduced the World Record books to two new zones of the 9.6 and 9.5 seconds.  It was only 2 years ago that breaking 9.8 seconds was a world-record breaking event and a time in the 9.8’s would almost assuredly be a winning time.  Incredibly, the second placed Tyson Gay ran a personal best of 9.71 seconds and was still trailing Usain Bolt by about 2 metres while Asafa Powell rounded out the top 3 in a more ’sedate’ 9.84 seconds.

Perhaps the most intimidating aspect of this race was that Bolt (who usually has a slow start) was level with the field after only 20 metres so  it was almost as if he had won the race already with his trademark finish, watch video .  However, in saying that, he did not look as smooth over the final 20 metres as he usually does but that is probably because he pushed himself through to the finish instead of easing up (like he did at the Bejing Olympics). 

In the semi-final he definitely eased off and recorded 9.89 seconds and he has stated that he will be resting up now for the 200 metres on Tuesday where I am sure the excitement and anticipation of another world record breaking event will have everyone transfixed to the news.  One thing is for sure, Usain ‘Lightning’ Bolt was at his optimal activation today as were Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell.  For more on how to get to your optimal activation check out my video on ‘Ready for Action using Music’:

Tiger keeps an eye on his own game - not his placing!

Tiger Woods is leading after shooting 4 under the card in the the 1st round of the US PGA and, ominously for the other players, he is not happy with how he played.  Tiger’s playing history indicates that he tends to win the Major tournaments when he leads after the 1st round however instead of celebrating his lead he was disappointed with the putts that he missed.

This disappointment indicates that he really puts little stake in his outcome, that is, where he is placed in the field.  He knows that he could have easily lowered his round by another 3 shots if he had made some regulation putts.  Therefore, he reiterates what sport psychology teaches, always review your performance on the aspects of your game that are controllable then your confidence will be much more consistent and you will play to the course as opposed to the opposition players.  Again, this will mean that you are playing towards your handicap and garner more confidence.  To learn more about how structured performance evaluation solidifies your confidence watch my video – Confidence through Performance Routines. 

Seems like a great time to be blogging about Golf as I just interviewed the Sport Psychology Consultant for NZ Golf – Vicki Aitken who spent 7 years consulting on the Women’s European Tour.  Now based back in NZ she has released a fantastic guide to all golfers and caddies called ‘Caddy Talk’, focussing on that important relationship between the player and bag carrier who is often a parent, a partner or even a stranger.  Yet the communication between the two is vital in supporting the player tobe at their best and keep their mental game at the best level.  Vicki generously gave me an hour of her time where we discussed the three major attributes that she has seen in elite Mentally Tough athletes she has consulted to in golf as well as other sports.  Next week I will post the link where you can have the opportunity to listen to this interview and that of 5 other top sport psychologists and mental skills trainers in NZ.  Have a great weekend and keep an eye on Tiger’s march towards another Major.

Can Flintoff perform well on a desensitized knee?

Schumacher injury rules out a return to F1

In two varied sports, injury to high profiled sportsmen and their dealing with the symptoms of injury has caused two contrasting outcomes.  Michael Schumacher has pulled out of replacing Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team as he has not yet recovered from a neck injury sustained in February.  Whereas Andrew Flintoff has stated his commitment to undergo whatever pain killers are required (and has been selected) to play the final and deciding, Ashes test.  Both individuals are retiring or have retired from their sport and so have a great deal of experience in understanding their bodies and what levels of pain and distraction they can perform through.  Weighing up against that is a fierce competitive desire to help their respective teams be successful in very trying situations.

I would expect that Schumacher would know a number of strategies to help him focus and be at the best activation level to perform at his best with a less serious injury but he also recognises the dangers of an unwell driver travelling at over 300km/hour where other lives are also at stake.  In this sport the smallest lapse in judgement can have catastrophic outcomes and as much as he would love to help Ferrari retain the manufacturer’s trophy it will not happen with him behind the wheel.

It would appear that Flintoff is ready to undergo pain killers and rely on his passion to play and adrenalin to perform at the level required to assist England in their attempt to wrest the Ashes trophy from Australia.  He will also have to use significant focus to keep his bowling action and rhythm tidy and effective so as to be the threat that he was at Lords.  It is often difficult to maintain optimum activation levels when experiencing pain but routines can assist to some extent.  A more common benefit of well practised routines is that they allow the athlete to perform the same in pressure situations where anxiety and worry can distract focus and in low pressure situations where boredom or complacency can reduce intensity, both situations can otherwise led to an impaired performance.  The following video provides an introduction on how to put routines into place and what to construct a routine around.