Do you feel confident?

Ultimate Sports and Su'a Sport Psychology will be presenting a FREE sport psychology workshop entitled:

"How to Develop Confidence in Yourself and in Others"

Where: Ultimate Sports Lindon (930 W 410 N Lindon, UT 84042)

Time: 8:30-9:15pm

When: Thursday, February 25, 2010

For more information email: justin@suasportpsychology.com

3 things that are getting in the way of your performance

Thank you all for joining us in tonights workshop! Just-in-case you missed it, here's what I talked about:

Gabcast! Su'a Sport Psychology Workshop #0 - 3 things that are getting in the way of your performance

In this episode I will discuss three fundamental mental training skills that the average performer leaves to chance which in turn negatively affects their performance.

Where's Your Zone?

Thanks to President's Day, my wife and I were able to spend some time together and enjoy a few events of the Winter Olympic Games. As we turned on the television we were immediately captivated by a high-adrenaline, high-risk, and high-speed event called Snowboard cross.

These athletes are gliding down the slope at 30 mph making turns, adjusting to moguls, and landing jumps, trying to be the first one to cross the finish line. Oh yea, and if that isn't difficult enough, they must do this while maneuvering through three additional snowboarders who are racing down the course at the same time!

After seeing a number of snowboarders perform their qualifying run down the less-than-favorable course, we were introduced to the defending Gold Medalist, Seth Wescott. It was fascinating for me to hear the broadcasters comment on how relaxed Wescott is before each run.

Wescott's state of relaxation is known in the sport psychology world as his Zone of Optimal Functioning (ZOF), or in other words, the state of arousal he performs his best. Think about your top performances, did you play best when you were pumped up, or did you perform at the top of your game when you were relaxed like Wescott?

Becoming aware of your ZOF and putting yourself there, as Seth Wescott does, puts you in a position to experience peak performance.

To get in the zone you need to know where it is and how to get there.

Sport Psychology Workshop

To all athletes in the Orem/Lindon Utah area, Ultimate Sports and Su'a Sport Psychology will be presenting a FREE sport psychology workshop entitled:

"3 things you're doing to get in the way of your own success."

Where: Ultimate Sports Lindon (930 W 410 N Lindon, UT 84042)

Time: 8:30pm

When: Thursday, February 18, 2010

For more information call: 801.735.5444

Super Bowl XLIV: Getting ready for the Big Game

Yesterday I saw a Sport Center interview with NFL Analyst Mark Schlereth. He has been a part of 3 Super Bowl teams and shared some insight as to what the Colts and Saints are doing two days before kickoff. His comments intrigued me as he discussed principles of sport psychology that some people tend to overlook.

First, Schlereth talked about keeping things in perspective. What some performers and coaches tend to do is make a game a lot bigger than it really is. When this happens, anxiety rises, muscles tense, and focus can become dangerously narrow, meaning athletes focus on the magnitude of the game rather than the fundamentals that got them to the big game. During media day this past week, it wasn't uncommon to hear, "We aren't going to do anything different, we are going to stick to the same game plan we've had all year". Yes, this is the Super Bowl, yes the world will be watching, and yes this is the most important game of their lives, however, if they don't remember to keep things in perspective they will lose focus of the things that matter most, such as execution, fundamentals, precision, etc.

The second principle Schlereth talked about was preparation, both physical and mental. Research has shown that confidence is one of the most important components to an elite performance, and preparation precedes confidence. My father once gave me some sound advice on how to prepare for the big game, "know yourself, know your opponent, make a plan, and execute". Come Sunday when the day of the big game arrives, preparation for the Colts and the Saints is over and they will transition into trusting their preparation, committing to their game plan, and making adjustments.

If you are reading this article and have a big game, performance, or test coming up, remember this wise council from Mark Schlereth: Keep things in perspective and thoroughly prepare.

What's your routine?

An integral part of performing on purpose, with purpose is having clear set goals and performance routines. I have written before that the average athlete leaves to chance what an elite athlete does on purpose.

Distractions are detrimental to flow and having a routine you stick to facilitates focus and helps you commit to the task at hand. In my last 'tweet' I said, "you cannot fully control your performance if you cannot control yourself". Having a routine and clear set goals are good ways to control your performance.

Consider the following questions:
-Do you go into a performance with clear set goals?
-Do you have a pre-performance routine?
-Do you plan your reaction to adversity?

If you answered 'no' to any of these questions, take some time to create clear goals and develop routines that will help you focus and perform on purpose, with purpose.

The principle of clear goals and routines can also affect performance outside the athletic arena. Here are some more questions:

-Do you have daily routines?
-Do you have your day planned out so that you are living on purpose?
-Do you find yourself regretting how you used your "free time"?

Once again, clear set goals and routines will put you in a good position to experience peak performance.

How do I experience flow?

Do you understand this chart? Chances are you do but you don't even realize it. A man named Mihaly Chsikszentmihalyi (try saying that name), is the leading expert on the theory of FLOW, or in other words peak performance. According to his findings, there are nine dimensions contributing to a person entering this optimal state. One of the key dimensions if not the most important determinant of someone entering flow is illustrated in this chart.

Flow occurs when our perceived abilities match our perceived challenge. If your perceived abilities are greater than your perceived challenge, the outcome is boredom. On the flip side of the coin, if your perceived challenge is greater than your perceived abilities then anxiety rules. Now, when your perceived abilities is equal to your perceived challenge, you're probably "in-the-zone". Notice how I have italicized the word 'perceived', the reason I did this is because perception is everything. What you believe your abilities and challenges to be, is more important than what they actually are.

So what!?

If you aren't currently experiencing flow, your abilities aren't equal to your challenge. If you are bored at school, practice, or even during your games, you need to challenge yourself. You're probably going through the motions doing just enough to get by without experiencing flow by pushing yourself to the next level.

Or, you might be trying to do more than your perceived ability is able to handle. Take it down a notch, you don't have to be the best player on the team right now, but you can be the best player YOU can be right now. Focus on what you can control and the anxiety will drop.

The theory of flow also works for performance outside the athletic arena. You could experience flow at work, in your relationships, at school, or at church. Flow is not something you can force, however, by making sure your perceived abilities match your perceived challenge, you put yourself in a better position to experience it.