mental plans: developing mental toughness thru systematic planning
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Matt Vaartstra University of Idaho Edited from Damon Burton. MENTAL PLANS: Developing Mental Toughness Thru Systematic Planning. What is mental toughness?. DEFINING MENTAL TOUGHNESS. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
MENTAL PLANS: MENTAL PLANS: Developing Mental Developing Mental Toughness Thru Systematic Toughness Thru Systematic PlanningPlanning
Matt Vaartstra
University of Idaho
Edited from Damon Burton
What is mental toughness?
DEFININGMENTAL TOUGHNESS
Playing your best in any situation, even when you encounter problems, hassles, adversity, or failure.
When is mental toughness
at a premium?
SITUATIONS DEMANDING MENTAL TOUGHNESS
Playing on the road in front of a hostile crowd
Fighting illness or injuries
Suffering through a slump or losing streak
Confronting adverse playing conditions
Against difficult opponents
During really important competitions
When the situation is critical or the game is on the line
What are the benefits of Mental Plans?
BENEFITS OF MENTAL PLANS
• Create a Flow mindset
• Enhance performance quality
• Increase performance consistency
• Promote mental toughness to deal with adversity
CREATING & MAINTAINING THE IDEAL MINDSET
In-the-Zone confident focus intently on
key process cues keep thoughts
positive and limited
maintain poise and control arousal
execute automatically and “let it happen”
Choking diffident, stressed,
and anxious distracted or focused
on outcome and product
let thoughts get negative and intrusive
lose poise and get overaroused
try to control performance and “make it happen”
THE FLOW MINDSET
Unshakably confident
Totally focused on key performance cues
Optimally aroused or “psyched up”
Motivated to push your limits
Poised with a positive mental attitude
Performing automatically
How do we create the Flow Mindset in
practice and competition
necessary to promote mental toughness?
CREATING MENTAL TOUGHNESS Develop mental
plans to deal with any situation
Work your plans to perform your best under any circumstances
MENTAL PLANS Systematic mental strategies to
help athletes perform their best by attaining, maintaining, and regaining a Flow Mindset.
TYPES OF MENTAL PLANS
Mental Preparation Plans
Mental Performance Plans
Mental Recovery Plans
Mental Preparation PlansMental Preparation Plans
attain Flow mindsetattain Flow mindset
Optimal Optimal PerformancePerformance
Mental Performance PlansMental Performance Plans
maintain Flow mindsetmaintain Flow mindset
Mental Recovery PlansMental Recovery Plans
regain Flow mindsetregain Flow mindset
PRIMARY MENTAL PLAN STRATEGY
One plan for both practice and competition
Make practice more like competition
Make competition more like practice
MENTAL PLAN OBJECTIVES
Attain a Flow Mindset (FM)
Maintain that FM during practice and competition
Regain your FM if you lose composure
What are . . . Mental Preparation
Plans and how do they
work?
PURPOSE OF MENTAL PREPARATION PLANS
To promote optimal performance by utilizing a structured personal mental warm-up routine that creates a Flow Mindset
MENTAL PREPARATION PLANS
MENTAL PREPARATION PLANS
What are . . . Mental Performance
Plans and how do they work?
PURPOSE OF MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS
To promote optimal performance by helping athletes maintain their Flow Mindset throughout practice and competition to achieve their goals.
PERFORMANCE PLAN ALTERNATIVES
Standard plans
Backup plans
STANDARD MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS
Goals you want to accomplish if everything goes perfectly
Action plans for focusing on and achieving goals
BACKUP MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS
Plan for dealing with obstacles and roadblocks to stay in a FM and remain focused on achieving your goals
Plan for performing well by overcoming problems or things that go wrong.
3 TYPES OF MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS
Competitive plans or routines
Pre-performance or between-performance routines
Interactive sports
STANDARD RACE PLAN FOR 1500 METER RUNNER
Chunk 1500-meter race into 3-7 meaningful parts (e.g., start, first 400 meters, middle part of race, & last 400 meters)
Develop goals and action plans for achieving them during each race segment
Identify cue words that trigger correct focus during each race segment (e.g., race start-- “explode & push,” “let it flow!”)
400 METERS RACE PLAN
PURPOSE OF PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINES Pre-performance routines (PPR’s) create
consistent, high-level performance on repetitive, self-paced tasks such as free throw shooting, serving in tennis or volleyball, kicking in football, or all shots in golf, archery and shooting.
PPRs promote FM, particularly focus, confidence, and trust so performance becomes better and more consistent.
Consistent pre-performance routines are effective because they allow athletes to trust their bodies and execute with greater automaticity.
PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE COMPONENTS Relax your body and remove unwanted
tension
Adjust your arousal to its optimal level
Utilize a “confidence cue”
Create a positive, stress-free and productive mental attitude using a “thought cue”
Use multisensory imagery to experience successful performance
Execute automatically using “feeling cues”
TOM AMBERRY FREE THROW PRESHOT ROUTINE Step 1 – relax your arms and legs by
taking several deep knee bends while clinching fists and shaking them out and set feet square to the free throw line.
Step 2 – bounce the ball 3 times using the inflation hole as a focus cue while bouncing the ball deliberately.
Step 3 – put your thumb in the channel with your index finger pointing at the inflation hole while boosting confidence by imagining the perfect shot.
TOM AMBERRY FREE THROW PRESHOT ROUTINE
Step 4 – elbow in the shot pocket while imagining perfect touch and feel throughout the shot.
Step 5 – use an initiation cue such as cocking your wrist to automatically initiate the shot by bending your knees while keeping your eyes on the target.
Step 6 – repeat cue word “nothing but net.”
Step 7 – execute automatically, following thru completely with “your hand in the cookie jar.”
BETWEEN-PERFORMANCE ROUTINES
For sports where there are regular breaks in the action (e.g., tennis, volleyball, football, shooting, archery, field events in track, etc).
Goal is to employ a 3-step process to ensure that the down time between plays, points or trials is used productively deal with previous performance and effectively prepare for upcoming performance.
3 STEPS FOR BETWEEN-PERFORMANCE ROUTINES Step 1: React – develop a composed
reaction to previous good or bad performance to remain emotionally stable.
Step 2: Relax and Reflect – learn from previous performance without dwelling on mistakes.
Step 3: Refocus and Ready – cue a pre-performance routine to refocus on the task at hand and get ready to perform automatically.
STANDARD INTERACTIVE SPORT PERFORMANCE PLAN
Beginning of each quarter or half
End of each quarter or half
Against the press (situational)
After a run of points
BACKUP INTERACTIVE SPORT PERFORMANCE PLAN
When officials make a bad call When opposing fans become
rowdy Following a turnover or major
mistake When the coach yells at you When opponents get a run of 3
or more baskets
What are . . . Mental Recovery Plans and how do
they work?
PURPOSE OF MENTAL RECOVERY PLANS
To help athletes regain their Flow Mindset during practice and competition when they totally lose their composure.
WHEN YOU MAY NEED MENTAL RECOVERY PLANS Prevent hassles
Non-ideal conditions
One-sided and/or poor officiating
Physical or illegal play
Poor early performance or critical mistake
Subpar overall performance
MENTAL RECOVERY STRATEGIES
Initiation cue (e.g., clap your hands)
Relax physically
Identify new goals
Counter negative thoughts and develop a constructive perspective
Image new objectives
Trust body’s ability to execute automatically
IMPLEMENTING MENTAL PLANS1. Write out each plan in as much
detail as possible.
2. Use imagery to rehearse each plan.
3. Try out plan in practice and refine.
4. Employ plans in low-stress competition.
IMPLEMENTING MENTAL PLANS
5. Evaluate plans’ effectiveness to develop, maintain, and regain Flow Mindset before & during competition.
6. Refine and extend plans based on evaluation.
7. Continue using, evaluating and refining plans until satisfied.
EVALUATING MENTAL PLANS
Did you stay focused on your process and performance goals?
Did you develop and maintain a Flow Mindset? “State in which you perform best
rather than feel best or most comfortable”
ULTIMATE IMPACT OF FLOW MINDSET
Put mind on automatic pilot
DON’T THINK! -- JUST REACT!
Play In-The-Moment.