How to help an athlete who is afraid to win | The Mental Edge
?? David Charlton???♂?
Supports Ambitious Athletes to Achieve their Goals - Faster | Sports Psychologist | Mental Toughness | Resilience | Podcaster ?? | Blogger ?? | Executive Coach
Are you afraid of winning? Many athletes are!? Over the years I’ve had the fortune to support golfers who can get the ball round in 4 under par yet fear going really low to 7 or 8 under par.? Cricketers who when batting get to 50 comfortably, even 60 and 70 then the wheels fall off when they desire to reach the 100 mark.? Footballers and rugby players can be guilty too, when they’re team is winning, they can take their foot off the pedal a little and before they know it their team has allowed their opponents back into the game.
Why does this happen?
There are a few reasons I notice:
I’m going to refer to the last point now, as in nearly all of the cases I come across when the athlete doesn’t kick on from a good start, it is because they’re mind is preoccupied with the future.
The golfer will be thinking 3 or 4 holes ahead.? The cricketer of raising his or her bat when they complete their 100.? The footballer or rugby player might be praying for the final whistle.
?It is very individual what then happens to some athletes where these things can occur:
Often the implication is that the athlete’s performance levels drop and they begin to make some mistakes and then perhaps more mistakes.? Their focus and intensity levels then drop too and overthinking can well and truly kick in. ?
How do we help this athlete who gets carried away with predicting the future?
I’m guessing if you have got this far reading the article that you’ll have heard the words “being present” or “staying in the moment.”? It sounds easy doesn’t it! Moving away from future thinking or perhaps thoughts about previous shots or efforts but the reality is it is much more difficult to do, especially when you are feeling the pressure and uncomfortable bodily responses.
Here are 3 tips to help you:
There is an argument to suggest your brain is built for survival and that there are 2 ways that the mind works.? “Judgement mode” and “observational mode.” ? When we’re thinking a lot, we’re often forming judgements about ourselves, our rivals, opponents, team-mates or coaches.? Or we may be judging or predicting what is a good score.? You’ll have guessed we’re talking about judgement mode here. ? Are these helpful? Often not! Observational mode is very different and is grounded in Acceptance Commitment Training or Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness.? This is where we are able to take a step back and recognise that we are having some thoughts.? We don’t judge them, we don’t take them seriously, we simply accept we’re human and that we’re born to think.? To observe, we don’t have to meditate, all we have to do is imagine our thoughts are like clouds and drift along, and we let them come and go. ?
2. Be Purposefully Mindful
Again ditch the thought that being purposefully mindful is about meditating.? It doesn’t have to be that way.? You may have birdied the previous hole and feel excited if you’re a golfer, smacked the bowler for 4 as a batter in cricket, made a great pass in football or rugby so it’s about noticing what this situation means to you.? Noticing what you are telling yourself about the situation. ? Then intentionally slowly walking with your attention transfixed on your feet, or slowly sipping some water or perhaps looking up and focusing on the clouds in the sky for a second or two.
3. Flexing Your Attention
Then when your mind drifts back to the situation you accept it has happened, simply moving back to being purposefully mindful.? Obviously, different sports offer different types of opportunities to do so.? Some sports like golf, there is a lot of thinking time and no action.? Whereas cricket when you’re batting if you’re facing a spinner the game can move fast much like football, rugby or basketball.? In all sports, however there are brief moments which you can capitalise on.
What can then happen as a result is you lower your arousal and your perspective on the task in hand can change.? And for the better.?
BONUS TIP:
LISTEN TO THE MOST RECENT DEMYSTIFYING MENTAL TOUGHNESS PODCAST?
Where Trevor Jones a PGA Professional Golf Coach and Mental Performance Coach and I chat about this topic and he shares as a coach how he uses Acceptance Commitment Therapy or Training (ACT) to help golfers and other athletes deal with having an over-active mind.? ?
Enjoy tuning in!
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6 个月Excited to dive into this week's Mental Edge topic.