By Peter Guare

An athlete’s mental set is often the difference between success and failure. Mental imaging, affirmations, hypnosis and other techniques have been employed, often successfully, to reduce anxiety and encourage optimal sports performance. Recently a new technique has been added to the arsenal. Emotional Freedom Technique™, a system devised by Gary Craig, a Stanford engineer, uses tapping on acupressure meridians while focusing on key issues that might disrupt performance, to balance the body’s energy system and defuse these issues. The system, although somewhat strange by mainstream science standards, has a number of advantages. It is very fast. It has no side effects. It is painless. It is free. And it works. I have used it to eliminate an athlete’s cramps before a race, to break a basketball player out of a shooting slump in a pressure packed game, to improve the focus, flexibility and endurance of a prep school state championship pentathlon medalist (http://www.emofree.com/articles/performance-gold-medals.htm), and more. Rens Blom, the 2005 Men’s Pole Vault World Champion credits the technique with allowing him to overcome not only his doubts about himself but also the unfavorable weather conditions at the world championships that did in his opponents:

http://www.emofree.com/performance/performance-pole-vault.htm.

The system is very simple. First, you identify the problem that you want to deal with. It can be physical or mental. One of the ways I convince my clients of EFT’s effectiveness is to improve their flexibility without any stretching. The demonstration would go something like this. First I would have the clients close their eyes and twist their upper body to the left or right as far as they comfortably could without moving their feet. Then they would open their eyes to see how far they went. They would untwist, keeping their feet fixed. Next I would make the following statements and have the client repeat them while tapping with the pads of the index and middle fingers (either hand) on the appropriate locations. While tapping on the “Karate chop” point—the fleshy part of the hand below the little finger where one would strike a board to break it—I and the client would say “even though I have this tension in my back and legs, I love and accept myself completely.” We would do this three times. Then, while tapping about seven times on the following locations, we would say “tension in the back and legs.” The locations are:

1. on the beginning of the eyebrow near the bridge of the nose
2. on the cheekbone outside the eye
3. on the bone below the eye
4. between the nose and upper lip
5. between the lower lip and chin
6. inside the junction of the collarbone and the breastbone
7. on the side about four fingers down from the armpit
8. on the crown of the head

Where you have a choice you can use either right or left side.

Then the clients would repeat the twisting test. Almost invariably they can go farther, sometimes markedly so. Then we would move on to the problem at hand. First the client rates his subjective level of discomfort or concern on a 1-10 scale. We would then go through the same tapping procedure, substituting “my foul shooting is off” for “tension in the back and legs” for example. Then the client would take a breath and rate the issue again. If it is still present, but at a reduced level, we would repeat the procedure, substituting “remaining concern about my foul shooting” to reflect the change in perceived intensity. This is what is called “the Basic Recipe.” A skilled practitioner will frequently get more involved, perhaps alternating positive statements in the 8 point procedure, or refining the statements to concentrate on particular aspects of the problem, and there are extensions of the technique that are used when the Basic Recipe is not producing satisfactory results, but very frequently one or two rounds will have a decided effect. It is very important to BE SPECIFIC about the problem. With our pole vault world champion, we would treat the inclement weather separately from the self doubts. Frequently, a lack of success with the technique is due to being too general. With my foul shooting athlete, we went through both mechanical (my rotation is off) and mental (I get nervous when I have to shoot) aspects. Since the process is so quick, it’s better to be overly thorough than too general.

EFT is effective on a remarkable range of issues. I’ve used it for psychological trauma, food cravings, math anxiety, smoking cessation..the list is as long as my client roster. Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised. After all, there’s no charge and you can do it in a minute or two. What could be better than having an edge like this in your pocket at your next competition?

About Peter Guare

B.S. Psychology, Union College, 1974
Winner, John Lewis March Prize
Nominated to Membership in Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society
Awarded Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Connecticut, 1975-6

16 years as Head Coach in Track and Field at Scotia Glenville High School, 1987-2002
17 Team Sectional Champions, 10 Teams Runners Up
3 Teams finished #1 in scoring at the State Championships
Scotia Athletes won 10 individual and relay State Championships
4 Athletes finished Top Ten at the Indoor Track National Championships
4 other Athletes ranked #3 Nationally for 2003 in the Boys DMR
Scotia Athletes set Section II Records in Girls 2000m Steeplechase and Girls Pole Vault

Attended, by invitation, the first International Developmental USA Track and Field Sprint and Hurdle Camp (1998), Chaired by Brent McFarlane, Olympic Head Coach, Team Canada, Sydney 2000

Founded Human HyperFormance, 2003

Became certified in Optimal Breathing Development, 2004. One of six instructors worldwide to have trained at the third level.

Became level 2 certified in Meridian Flexibility, 2005

Earned status as EFT Advanced Practitioner, 2006

LAURYN WILLIAMS Career Highlights: 2005 World Outdoor 100m champion; 2005 World Outdoor 4×100 relay gold medalist; 2004 Olympic 100m silver medalist; 2004 NCAA 100m champion; 2003 Pan Am 100m and 4×100 relay gold medalist; 2002 World Junior gold medalist 100m, silver in 4×100 relay; 2002 U.S. Junior 100m champion.

Schienberg: You’re coming off a personal best in Bost at 7:13. How do you feel coming off that meet and coming into Millrose?
Williams: Very nervous last week. Being the first one out is always the hardest. You don’t know where you are even though your training has been going well. You think you are going to run fast but you don’t know what is going to happen when you step up to the line. My start was not as a great as I would like it to be and that’s what we worked on all week. If I get a better start, I’ll get another deal this week.

Schienberg: What is the 7/11 tee-shirt? What’s that about?
Williams: Anything under 11 seconds. Anytime I run under 11 seconds, I will donate $1000 to a female who has applied for a scholarship to my website. The tattoos on my left side are something else. I am donating the sales of the tattoos to my favorite charities.

P: Explain the charity work you did over the holidays in the Miami area.
LW: After the hurricanes, I saw people who needed help. Give $20,000 to families in the Miami area.

P: Tell us about the great field that you will be running against.
LW: It’s like the Olympics indoors. Very excited. It will take a 7.0 to win. I’ve never run Millrose.

It is the best meet in the country. I like indoor.
P: How is the training going?
LW: Very good. There are training days where you feel you can’t do it anymore and it’s not going well. Suck it up and keep going.

P: Do you use visual imaging in the training?
LW: Very little. I did do it in my junior year of college. I tried while I was running, in the blocks and so on. Then I did terribly and said I’m not doing visualization any more. Sometimes I close my eyes a little, but I don’t rely on it.

P: Is it all athletic?
LW: Yes. You can’t get it all out of your mind. It comes whether I want to or not.

P: Do you do anything besides practicing your running?
LW: I do dance. Nothing else.

P: Are there days you are more or less confident?
LW: Whatever your vibe is it is. If you have a negative attitude, it’s just the way it will be. But, mostly I’m concerned about my focus. Like if I notice someone in the stands with a red shirt on, I’m not focusing the way I should. It’s a done deal. Might as well not even get in the blocks because if my mind is over there, bad things are going to happen. Keep the focus on the blocks. One time I remember I was heading towards the blocks and I was thinking about the night before. Some guy had done something funny and I was laughing.

JOANNA HAYES Career Highlights: 2005 USA Outdoor 100m Silver medalist; 2004 Olympic 100m hurdles gold medalist; Olympic 100m hurdles record holder; 1999 NCAA 400 hurdles champion; 2003 Pan Am 400m hurdles gold medalist; 2003 USA Outdoor 400m runner-up; 1995 USA Juniors and Pan Am 100 hurdles champion; 2004 Jesse Owens Award winner.

She will compete in the women’s 60 meter hurdles.

Psyched: This is your first time in the Millrose Games. Tell us about your preparation for tomorrow.
Joanna Hayes: So far so good. Better than last year. I’m not really an indoor runner coming from the West Coast. I’m very excited. If you get a bad start on the 60 meters hurdles, it’s a done deal. I’ve been struggling with my start. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

P: What made you decide to compete indoors here?
JH: Planned on competing. I wanted to compete last year. It is a way to improve your start. Have fun and work on start. There is more depth to the field. Look at winning. Not great times.

I haven’t beat Gail Devers yet. I worked hard and got to the top. There is always coming after you so you got to watch your back. I love the 100 meters hurdles. After I was off for two years due to injury, I shot to the top of the pack again.

P: Do you use mental imagery in training and running the hurdles?
JH: I watch myself winning. Morning, night, when I go to sleep, I see myself winning. If you can’t see yourself winning, you won’t win. When I’m working out, I do it before I run. I go through the whole race in my head. I count. I go through every step in my head.

P: You mean you actually see yourself running?
JH: Exactly. I see myself and count my steps.

P: Do you ever think your visual imagery needs to be improved?
JH: Sometimes I get side tracked doing the imagery. I could improve it. I’m not great at it. Most of the time, I do well.

P: Moses said it was the flexibility that kept him from injury.
JH: Yoga didn’t work for me. I hated it.

P: Gaining confidence after you have an injury – is it just getting out there and seeing what it is like.
JH: Different injuries cause different healings. It is harder to recover from losing a race than an injury.

P: What makes it more difficult to recover from a loss.
JH: Well, if I loss and I’m not injured, it is more of a loss of confidence. As long as I can make it the fault of being injured when I lose I can get over it easier because I can blame the injury. If I’m 100% and I lose then I’ve got more work to do.

P: Can you imagine winning the gold.
JH: I have no problem in imagining the gold. I can’t even see the silver or bronze medals.

P: Good luck.
JH: Nice to meet you.

Bernard Lagat: Thank you very much for having me here again. My baby boy is doing really great. My wife is doing well too. My wife had some complication and now things are resolved.

Psyched: Are you getting sleep?
BL: A little. People said go to sleep early now because later you will not.

P: Last year you ran your first 5000 meters.
BL: Yes, in 12:59. I’m going to stick with the mile though. I was really happy. In the next years I will start with 5000 meters. I give Bekele a lot of respect for trying the mile. He can do anything.

P: This is a shorter track.
BL: Yes, it feels like you are running longer. Shorter people can run the corners easier than taller runners.

P: Are you going to tell him how to run the corners?
BL: No. He will have to watch us from behind.

P: What is your mental approach to training or when you are walking up to the starting line to begin a race?
BL: For competition I run the race before I step up to the starting line. I imagine all the possibilities of what will happen before the race so I know what to do. I do this so I don’t panic. I know what can happen. For my training, I train by myself. It is more boring. I run with an object ahead of me in my mind – like a motorcycle. I follow my motorcycle. Pick object that I like. I pick an image or a shadow. It gives me focus. It gives me stamina. It helps me get out of boredom.

P: Do you use an image of you winning?
BL: Yes. But, not one set image.

P: Do you hear the sound of the crowd? Environment?
BL: No, in competition I don’t even hear the crowd. I think about the competition. For warm up, I am sitting one hour before or lying down, quiet, imagining competition. I am imagining the whole race. Train my mind. The crowd pushes me on. The crowd is part of the race in the beginning. But, then half of the race you are tired and the crowd becomes handy – it supports you.

P: Do you run better from behind or in front?
BL: Both. I can follow fast pace. In training I like to run from in front. Competition I can just be off the front. I like rushing with everyone at the end.

Response by Editor: It’s coincidental that I was having thoughts about this issue a couple of weekends ago. You might be wondering what I’m referring to. The professional golf tour was in Florida…at the Doral. The last hole was a killer. Tiger Woods was leading by two strokes. I was watching the last round in my easy chair and thinking it’s all over. He will drive it straight and long and probably birdie this hole. He’ll win by three strokes. I get up from my chair and pick up the remote control to turn the set off. I needed to get going to an Oscars party at a friend’s house. With the clicker in hand, I took one more glance at Tiger setting up for his drive. You see I always like watching Tiger set up – it’s like a ballet. He proceeded to go through his swing and drove the shot very close to a large banyan tree on the far right side of the fairway. Now what do I do. Well, I did what any golf addict would do, I sat back down. He started his march towards his golf ball. You could see Tiger was not happy with the shot.

What might be going through your mind if you were in his predicament? Maybe some of the following thoughts: I’m so disgusted. I was so close to winning. I had to hit that shot? My most reliable club and I blew it. What stupid thing am I going to do next? I should have hit a three wood and put myself safely in the fairway. What was I thinking? I’m going to lose $480,000. My wife is going to be a little more than just annoyed at me. I’m so embarrassed. The crowd is making a weird noise. If only the couple before me had finished their second shot faster, I wouldn’t have gotten so much out of kilter. If I hear another soda can opening, I’m going to hit someone with this darn driver. Do these thoughts sound familiar? All these thoughts make your muscles tense, heart race, hands sweat. Just the opposite of what you want.

Notice that all these thoughts focus on the negative events of the past and the potential negative results of the future. Ok? You get the idea.

Now, let’s get back to Tiger. He walks up to the ball, and he starts walking around the area. He’s relaxing. Then, he starts talking to some official. What’s going on? He’s focusing on the situation. Tiger is employing his creative ability to get the best possible result out of his next shot. He’s not berating himself. He’s not mentally back on the tee. He’s figuring something out. The drive he hit to get him there is a long way in the past. Now they are standing over the ball. He’s being allowed a free drop. How’d he come up with that? The rules are in his mind. Again, by being in the moment, his mind let him see an opportunity. So, he drops the ball and it roles closer to the hole. He has to drop again. So, he does and again it goes towards the hole. Tiger saw the land was sloped that way. He figured it would happen. Now, he could just place the ball down. This gave him a perfect lie. Now he had room to swing normally and a ball laying on top of the grass. With that taken care of he would enter his familiar, calming pre-shot routine. Of course, the result was that he put it on the green and allowed himself to puts so he could win by one shot.

Tiger went from an awful drive and a potential disastrous last hole to seeing opportunities to use his creativity and skill to make his wife happy.

How do I transform my mind and body from being troubled about things gone by and things to come? By quieting our minds and loosening our bodies. Try meditation, yoga, anything that works for you. Tiger found his way to his creative and skillful self. He works on it. It is an art and a skill. You can do it. If you can find your way, it will keep your motivation high. It will help you change troubles into opportunities. You will consistently believe in yourself and your ability to meet all situations and challenges on the course with fun and success.

Good Luck,

Paul Schienberg, Ph.D.
Editor/Publisher

By Paul Schienberg, PhD

Sport psychologists have been able to derive several guidelines for athletes interested in implementing imagery techniques. The most important of these are discussed below.

Practice Imagery on a regular basis. More coaches and athletes should believe that psychological skills such as imagery require the same practice that physical skills require. Proficient use of imagery requires a commitment throughout the training season. It will only be effective if it is practiced at other than competition times. It would be best to have it be a part of daily practice.

Use all Senses to Enhance Image Vividness. The more senses that gets employed into the imagery, the more effective it will be. Draw from senses other than sight to increase the quality of the imagery. In skiing, familiarization with an upcoming race course; experience the kinesthetic feeling of passing through a touch gate, sense the wind and listen for the ski edges to slash through the snow.

Develop Imagery Control. It is important that athletes control the content of their images. Negative images can have a detrimental effect of performance. It is important to know the extent to which athletes are able to influence the content of the imagery. With practice, most athletes can learn to control the content of the imagery.

Use Internal and External Perspectives. Some athletes imagine themselves from the perspective that they are inside their bodies actually experiencing the imagined sensations. Others imagine themselves from the perspective of watching their performance on a movie screen. Some sport psychology research suggests that an internal-imagery perspective is superior because of the importance of kinesthetic awareness in sport performance. Other research suggests the use of external imagery with tasks in which perception and decision making are important.

Facilitate Imagery Through Relaxation. Imagery combined with relaxation is more effective than imagery alone. Relaxation strategies (passive progressive relaxation or deep breathing) before imagery rehearsal, clears athletes’ minds of distractions. Therefore, it allows them to concentrate on their imagery. This is especially true with athletes who are new to developing their skills.

Develop Coping Strategies Through Imagery. Positive imagery is, for the most part, preferred over negative imagery. But, sometimes negative imagery can be helpful. If an athlete only has positive imagery, he may be setting himself up for failure. Athletes need to learn to cope with adversity as well as success. Coping imagery can help turn a poor performance into a successful one. Negative images should not be used before a competitive event or too frequently.

Use Imagery In Practice and Competition. Imagery rehearsal should be used in practice as well as before competition. It helps athletes get in the right “zone”, both mentally and physically. This can create focus for practice goals and when an athlete does not feel motivated to practice. The image of losing to a rival can also create motivation in practice sessions. When a coach is teaching a new or different offensive or offensive maneuver for his team, the athletes should imagine the correct flow of movement of the team’s play.

Use Videotapes or Audiotapes to Enhance Imagery Skills. Athletes can find videotapes and/or audiotapes helpful to develop and reinforce constructive imagery. Success tapes can be made from clips of an athlete’s actual performance in practice or competition. Favorite music can be dubbed into the tape to be used as a trigger for excellent performance in the future. If it is inconvenient to use a videotape, the music on a portable headset can help as a trigger for feelings of success.

Use Triggers or Cues to Facilitate Imagery Quality. Triggers are words or phrases that help them to focus on appropriate cues during imagery. Triggers can also include specific sensory experiences, such as how a technique or movement feels. The trigger must be able to conjure up the appropriate image.

Emphasize Dynamic Kinesthetic Imagery. Have the athlete focus particular attention on the kinesthetic feel of a movement. The athlete should actually try moving during the imagery. For example, the golfer can actually swing a club while imagining the ball traveling through the air and landing near the hole.

Imagine In Real Time. The large amount of imagery should happen in real time or actual conditions of play.

Use Imagery Logs. Imagery logs can help assist the athletes in monitoring imagery practice and progress. It should be noted which images were helpful. It can also be used to help identify which triggers are better at getting into the imagery.
Source: “Imagery Training for Peak Performance” by Daniel Gould, Nicole Damarjian and Christy Greenleaf.

Self-hypnosis is a technique that is often used by athletes for the purposes of pain management, anxiety reduction, or maximizing exertion. Hypnosis is a temporary, trance-like state, which is characterized by the individual being exceedingly suggestible. If a hypnotized individual is told that he/she can not move his arm, then he/she will act as if that limb has been paralyzed. Typically, people enter this state with the help of another individual (the hypnotist) but some people can hypnotize themselves (self-hypnosis).

This article is the second of a two part series focusing on the topic of hypnosis. The first article focused on some of the misconceptions and uses of hypnosis and this one will provide instruction for individuals who want to use this often misunderstood technique. You should be aware that not everybody will benefit from it. In some instances it may be necessary to consult a specialist in this area.

Pick A Goal

First and foremost, it is important to pick the goal of using self-hypnosis. That is to say, will you be using the technique in order to reduce anxiety that you have prior to a competition or for pain management? This decision is critical since it will impact the post-hypnotic suggestions that are used. Without having a goal, this exercise amounts to little more then guided imagery (which can have beneficial impacts as well but is clearly not self-hypnosis).

Entering the “Trance”

In order to enter a self-hypnotic state, it is important to create an environment that is conducive to it. This means that you should find a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be disturbed. Ideally, you will find a comfortable chair where you can sit without having to cross your arms and legs. Pick a spot on the wall in front of you and count backwards from ten. As you do this, slowly close your eyes so that they are wide open when you start the countdown and close just as you end it. You are now ready to use the imagery portion of the technique.

Imagine yourself standing at the top of a darkened staircase looking down towards a door that is open with a light coming from the room just behind it at the bottom of the steps. Begin walking down the stairs towards with the light at the bottom of the steps progressively getting brighter as you get closer. When you reach the door, push it open. Inside, there is a plain white room with a black leather reclining chair that is facing away from the door. You walk over to the chair and sit in it. As you sit down, you are aware of the pleasant leathery smell of the chair. You are surprised by how cushiony yet supportive the chair is. It is the most comfortable chair that you have ever sat in. You begin to feel relaxed and are amazed at how this room is the perfect temperature, not too hot or cold. You should make positive self statements such as “I feel calm. I feel relaxed. I feel at peace.” Repeat these several times pausing between repetitions and taking a cleansing breath in through the nose and out through the mouth until you feel completely relaxed. Once you do this, you should go on to the post-hypnotic suggestion of the technique.

Post-hypnotic Suggestion

The suggestion that you use is what is at the core of the technique. Make sure that it is not something that is overly complicated. The simpler the goal, the more likely that you will reap the rewards of self-hypnosis. If the goal of entering the hypnotic state is improving focus through out a golf match then you would make a statement such as:

“I will focus on the task at hand. All distractions can wait until after my match has ended. The only thing that matters to me is the upcoming competition. I will remain focused until the last putt has been sunk on the eighteenth green.”

It is important that you repeat the suggestion at least two to three times so that it is ingrained in your memory. In addition, it is important to try and repeat the suggestion verbatim. Other post self-hypnotic suggestions can be made as well. For example, if the goal is pain management for a sore arm then you would make a statement like the following: “My arm feels good. It is light and powerful. It is healthy and strong.” Again, repeat the statement several times in order to maximize the benefit of the suggestion. You are now ready to exit the self-hypnotic state.

Exiting the “Trance”

It is important to leave the room that you have imagined for yourself in order for the suggestion to become part of your sub-conscious memory. In order to do this, imagine yourself getting out of the leather chair. You should try to be aware of the absence of the leathery smell. Walk towards the door and turn to look at the room one last time. Imagine the how the back of the chair looks and be aware of the approximate dimensions of the room. You might even want to try shutting the door behind you. Slowly begin to climb the stairs. As you do this, slowly begin to open your eyes (it should take you a ten count just like when you closed them to begin the exercise).

Suggestions

Self-hypnosis often takes a great deal of practice in order to achieve maximum benefit. It is important that the post-hypnotic suggestions are always framed positively. That is to say, never make a statement such as “I feel no pain” or “I will not loose my focus.” You may want to try and write out exactly what you want your post-hypnotic suggestion will be. This has a two fold effect in that it will allow you the time to make up positive self-statements as well as improve the likelihood that you will repeat it verbatim. Finally, if you would like to further explore the benefits of hypnosis on your athletic performance, we strongly suggest that you consult an expert. If you would like a referral to a qualified professional in your area feel free to contact us using the link at the bottom of this page.

Diaphragmatic Breathing:

Often times when an athlete becomes anxious (nervous), the person stops breathing. This is a typical mistake but one that needs to be avoided. By breathing we are breathing oxygen to our brain so that we are able to take all the information from the environment and make appropriate decisions and actions. This usually results in a reduction of the anxiety since the more information we have at our disposal the less anxiety an athletic situation can generate.

This exercise teaches the athlete to relax through diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm is the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the belly. Essentially when it contracts it creates a space in the chest causing air to rush in and fill this space. When it expands it forces the air out of the lungs. When we are at rest we do not use all of our lungs. Think of your lungs having three parts: top, middle and bottom. At rest, we are typically using the top, and maybe some of the middle of the lungs. When an athlete is in an anxiety-provoking situation, we may not use any part of our lungs since there is a tendency to stop breathing. By filling the lungs completely we are providing the maximum amount of oxygen to our body thereby allowing the brain to function properly and thus reduce the nervousness we feel. At first, it is important to put your hand on your stomach in order to ensure that you are using all three parts of the lungs. Once you understand what this feels like, you can stop placing your hand on your stomach.

It is also important to breathe in a specific way for this exercise. After you have practiced this exercise for a while and seen its benefits, this will act as a signal to your brain that it is time to relax. First, breathe in slowly through your nose for five seconds. This will maximize the amount of oxygen to your since your nose contains capillaries that begin the process of oxygen absorption. Next, hold the breath for a split second and breathe out slowly through your mouth for five seconds. Your mouth does not have the same capillaries as your nose so this too helps to maximize the oxygen absorption. If you breathe out through your nose, those capillaries will absorb waste gases such as carbon dioxide and negate the benefit of having breathed through your nose.

The more that you practice this exercise the better it will work. Initially, it helps athletes out to use imagery (see below) before they engage in diaphragmatic breathing. Once you have gone through the imagery exercise move directly into diaphragmatic breathing repeating it five times with your eyes closed. You want to breathe in through your nose for five seconds, hold it a split second, and breathe in through your mouth for five seconds FIVE times. Once you feel that you have gained some confidence in using the technique (typically about a weeks time but it may be more or less depending on how often you practice) you can drop off the imagery portion of the exercise and just do five repetitions. As you gain more mastery over it, you will want to reduce the number of breaths that you take. Most athletes usually drop off one repetition each week., but again some people master it faster while others are some what slower. The goal is to eventually be able to control anxiety with just one repetition of the exercise.

At first you will want to practice this technique twice a day. Typically, athletes find that in the morning and early evenings are good times to practice. Mornings are good because you may have a lot of anxiety about events that are coming up that day. Evenings are also a good time because this exercise should alleviate some the anxiety that you may have developed as a result of athletic events that have happened that day.

Finally, it is important to realize that different events cause more or less anxiety depending on their importance. For example, taking a baseball player taking the position on the field may be a one breath event, bunting to move a runner into scoring position might take three breaths to quell the anxiety, batting with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning might be a ten breath event. If the exercise does not help to reduce your feelings of nervousness, try doing another repetition, the event might be more important to you than you thought.

Imagery

Sometimes as athletes we find ourselves in situations that make us so nervous or upset that we were someplace else. The reason why we do this is because we think it will replace the negative feelings that we are experiencing at the time with more pleasant emotions. Most athletes have experienced a time in their lives when they felt completely relaxed; perhaps it was a day at the beach or at a park. Imagining ourselves in that relaxed situation frequently works to reduce our anxiety about upcoming sports events or situations. This is because in theory your subconscious will remember the relaxed feeling that you had at that time and bring it into your present consciousness.

There are a couple of important points to remember when using imagery. First, you should find a quiet place to do it. This is because your brain is able to direct attention to a limited number of events. When there are noises around us, a portion of our brain is working to decode these noises. Imagery, like so many other things, works best when all of your attention is on the task at hand.

Second, you should use self-statements in order to tell yourself how relaxed you are. Our bodies are easily fooled with enough practice. You can talk your body into thinking that it is relaxed by making self-statements such as the following: I feel very warm, very relaxed, calm, and at peace. You should try to make these statements throughout your imagery exercise.

Finally, try to make the scene as real as possible. This is done by including as much sensory information as possible. You want to try to use as many of your senses as possible. For example, if you choose a beach scene as your relaxing image, then you would want to include the following senses: touch (feel the sand on your back, the feel of the towel), smell (smell of the salt air or sun tan lotion), sight (the sights around you such as the blue sky, the color of the sand and ocean), sound (the sound of the ocean waves, children laughing, and the seagulls). By making the relaxing self-statements mentioned above after you go through each of the senses, this will facilitate your becoming relaxed.

The more that you practice this exercise, the easier it will become for you to relax. Different people have different experiences, so try to make the scene as personal to yourself as possible, that way it will seem more real.

Here is a brief breakdown of what to do:

• Close your eyes
• Imagine a relaxing scene from your past
• Use different senses to try and make the scene as real as possible
• Make relaxing self-statements alternating them with your use of senses.

Definition: When you have trust, faith, assuredness and belief you have confidence. Now confidence in yourself reflects the belief and certainty you have in your ability to be successful in a particular athletic situation that requires a particular task. A synonym for confidence is a self-belief.

Theoretical Models of Confidence

The initial theories of self-confidence were based on theories of motivation developed by McClelland and Atkinson. They believed the motive to achieve success and the motive to avoid failure are primary considerations of whether a person will approach or avoid an achievement situation. These ideas are very much related to the construct of self-confidence. The confident athlete will have high motivation to succeed and high expectation of success.

The theory of Self-Efficacy offers another perspective to an athlete’s belief of competence and likelihood of success at a presented athletic event. High levels of self- efficacy at a competitive situation will create enthusiasm and self-confidence. The level of self-efficacy will determine whether the athlete will approach or avoid an achievement situation. In competitive athletic events, the higher the level of self-efficacy the higher the performance achieved and the lower the emotional arousal.

Self-Efficacy is enhanced by successful performance, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and emotional arousal. If an athlete focuses on performance accomplishments it enhances both efficiency and subsequent performances. Preparatory modeling of athletic tasks tends to increase athletic performance as well. Verbal persuasion is a very low contributor to improving performance levels. Lastly, the control of emotional arousal, like physiological symptoms of anxiety, does not by itself increase self-efficacy.

Techniques in Developing Confidence with an Athlete:

1. Make positive statements that emphasize the qualities and attributes.
2. Act in a confident manner by imitating a confident performance.
3. Create reward comments and deliver them with emphasis, directed at and immediately following a successful accomplishment or attempt at an athletic task.
4. Offer immediate feedback which relays information about a performance – of an objective nature like time it took to do an event or subjective like improvement of skill.
5. Set goals that are accomplishable. This involves working on skills that are already strengths, fine tuning aspects of a sport that you are already good at and setting new tasks to add to your repertoire.
6. Focus on thoughts that reflect physical preparedness and readiness. Examples include facts about training and support ideas that arousal is a sign of an athlete’s competitive edge.
7. Frame instructions in a positive style (i.e., do it this way). Do not deliver information in a negative manner (i.e., don’t do this or that).
8. Visualizations can be used to picture the re-living of a successful athletic action or seeing a forthcoming event.
9. In analyzing a particular performance, it is best to think of it as a result of ability rather than effort. Ability is a more stable factor than effort.
10. Focus on the abilities that are superior to your competitor’s skills.
11. Emphasize the athletic skills that have resulted in success rather than the success itself.
12. Get into the mind-set that expects success (previous successes and preparation for the athletic event).

Techniques to build self-confidence maybe helpful to one athlete, but not to another. In fact, a technique could be so wrong that it becomes disastrous to the self-esteem of the athlete. Should one of those techniques continue to be employed by a couch, bad feelings may create interpersonal conflicts between them. There is no technique that is more important than knowing the personality of the athlete. In order to teach a particular self-confidence building technique, the couch needs to believe in its effectiveness. Therefore, self-evaluation as well as evaluation by another couch could be helpful in applying the correct techniques to the right athlete. In other words, the couch needs a couch. Putting together a couching staff that will be honest with each other can eliminate the “getting stuck” phenomenon.

One of the best sources of information regarding what techniques will work with which athlete is the athlete him/herself. The athlete knows himself better than the couch because the athlete has lived with himself longer. The couch should be open to feedback from the athlete. Ask the athlete what has worked or not worked in the past. A closed off couch will likely create an impasse. The couch/athlete relationship needs to open and mutually helpful. An athlete can help a coach become successful. As an athlete matures, techniques that work may go through changes.

Summary:

1. Know your athlete. Know yourself. The more specific you knowledge, the more likely helpful confidence building techniques will be chosen and employed.
2. Performance profiling helps athletes generate their own skills inventory and characteristics that are useful in enhancing their own performances.
3. Coaches and athletes should have similar viewpoints so that mutual goals and objectives are set.
4. Monitoring performance successes and failures early in training can highlight problems before a disaster strikes.
5. Despite bad performances there is always something positive to highlight.
6. Athletes should employ only those techniques that make them feel good.