Sports Psychology & Coaching Effectively: “I told you not to pull the kite in and drop the board!”

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Everyone learns slightly differently. However, there are some general rules of thumb for coaching and teaching sports that hold true for most people.

1. Keep it simple. Focus on one thing at a time until it becomes a good habit. Then add a new element. Avoid giving too much information and lists of things to think about or the athlete will become overwhelmed or confused.

2. Focus on the positive. It can be helpful to show the right technique in contrast to the wrong technique so you can really see the clear difference. But you don’t want to focus too much on what not to do. Otherwise those negative images are the ones that stay in the athlete’s mind.

3. Be encouraging.
Build on what the student does well rather than focusing on everything he or she did poorly. Avoid scolding.

4. Take small steps. Avoid foolish and overly difficult expectations. People generally learn best when they can have success and then build on their successes.

5. Be specific. People learn better when you are precise rather than vague and open-ended.

6. Have fun. Sports are about having fun and enjoying yourself.

by Dr. Alison Poulsen
Healthy Relationships and
Effective Communication

@alisonpoulsen
https://www.facebook.com/dralisonpoulsen

Watch “Couples should pursue their individual passions for happiness.”

Read “Sports Psychology: ‘I don’t want to fail and disappoint the coach.’”

Read “Performance Anxiety: ‘I want to be totally relaxed instead of anxious when I compete in sports or engage in public speaking.’”

Sports Psychology:
“I don’t want to fail and disappoint the coach.”

"On Fire" Steve Mahre by Mimi Stuart © Live the Life you Desire

“On Fire” Steve Mahre by Mimi Stuart ©
Live the Life you Desire

Fear of failure

Most coaches are more disappointed by people’s embarrassment and fear of failure than by their inability to perform well right away. Feelings of self-defeat and self-pity can be infectious. If you feel mortified, your body language will cause those around you to feel uncomfortable on your behalf. Feeling apologetic for your lack of prowess won’t help you improve and won’t make others feel comfortable with you.

By letting your fear of failure get the best of you, you also cheat yourself of the opportunity to try new things, improve, and have fun. If fear of appearing inept prevents you from trying new sports, getting the coaching you need, and being able to focus on improvement rather than on how you appear to others, you end up missing out on one of the great joys of life—enjoying sports.

Without accepting failure as part of the process, there can be no learning!

Objective analysis

The first step to being a coachable athlete is to discard self-defeating thoughts. Negative thoughts and emotions simply disrupt the clear thinking and body awareness you need to improve in any sport or activity. The best way to learn a sport is to objectively analyze both what you are doing well and what you need to do to improve. Think clearly about what needs to be done rather than judge how terrible you are.

Determination

You need to tenaciously practice those small changes to improve your performance. Don’t dwell on how long it takes to improve or on the fact that you may backslide from time to time. Remember Malcolm Gladwell’s findings that the key to excelling is to practice a specific task for 10,000 hours.

Focus

It is best to replace your embarrassment and shame with focus and determination. When you are truly focused, there is no room for feelings of self-consciousness or humiliation.

Some people are natural athletes. However, those who are not as athletic can also enjoy significant improvement if they persist in repeated and focused practice, particularly with the guidance of an observant, constructive coach.

I don’t care how challenging it is for some people to excel at a sport. If they persevere with focus and a good attitude, keeping a sense of perspective and humor, they will be able to enjoy great improvement and joy in some of life’s many opportunities.

by Alison Poulsen, PhD

Read “Peak Performance—in business, relationships or sports:
‘There have been highlights, but a lot of inconsistency in my relationships and at work.’”

Read “Sports Psychology: ‘I’m terrible at this sport. I can never get it right.’”

Watch “Quieting a Harsh Inner Critic.”

Sports Psychology IV—Gameday: “It’s pretty cold and windy today; I don’t feel like going.”

"On Fire" Steve Mahre by Mimi Stuart
Live the Life you Desire

Seth Stisher, Pro Slalom Skier & Coach:

Don’t just be competitive on “Game Day.” I hear parents always touting that their child is very competitive. Oftentimes I see these same kids getting frustrated because they can’t accomplish something in a performance-day setting without ever realizing that they didn’t do what it takes in practice to accomplish their objectives.

IF you or your child/student are sore losers on game day, oftentimes that is because you only want it bad enough on Game Day. “Want it” everyday and one day you will begin to have more success.

Alison:

Focus on the moment instead of thinking about the result you want or worrying about failure. Focusing on the present moment during every practice trains the brain to focus in the moment at a competition.

Yet, some people who are generally consistent with their performance have problems during competition because of their emotions and nerves. It helps to conjure up nerves during practice by imagining that you’re in competition. It also helps to use imagery to see yourself performing well under pressure.

Mix it up in training to conjure up some excitement and nerves. For example, in water skiing, go to different lakes, ski in different conditions, or have different people in the boat to get you used to the anxiety of skiing under different circumstances. However, there is nothing that beats getting used to the pressure by competing in a lot of tournaments.

by Alison Poulsen, Phd, and

Seth Stisher, Pro Slalom Skier and Coach
Owner of H2OProShop.com
To ski with Seth, checkout SethStisher.com

Toll Free: 866.213.7993

Read “Sports Psychology: Training and Practice.”

Sports Psychology III—Training:
“I messed up again. Oh well, I’ve got other things on my mind.”

"Emerald Paula" by Mimi Stuart
Live the Life you Desire

Seth Stisher, Pro Slalom Skier & Coach:

When speaking of water skiing specifically, I always urge skiers to “Think on the dock” when working in a teaching/coaching/learning environment. But of course rehearse enough prior to game-day to be able to get on the water and execute by FEEL.

Mental rehearsal is one of the most flawless forms of practice because you have more control over your performance. Don’t overlook the value of perfect execution through mental rehearsal.

Alison:

Observe other athletes whom you would like to emulate as much as possible. Visualize and imagine yourself doing the moves.

Get a lot of good coaching. Understanding your sport well will help you get out of a slump more quickly and enable you to self-correct during training.

Focus on the moment and learn coping skills to deal with distractions during your practice. Water ski world record holder Chris Parish’s dad would shoot paintballs at him during practice while Slalom Champion Jamie Beauchesne’s dad would drive the boat around to make the water rough for practice. Both Chris and Jamie learned to deal with distractions.

Finally, it always helps to be grateful for the chance to practice the sport, especially if no one’s shooting paintballs at you.

by Alison Poulsen, Phd, and

Seth Stisher, Pro Slalom Skier and Coach
Owner of H2OProShop.com
To ski with Seth, checkout SethStisher.com

Toll Free: 866.213.7993

Read “I never get to go skiing anymore. My partner doesn’t like to ski.”

Sports Psychology II—Attitude:
“We should have won. The referees don’t know what they’re doing!”

"Precision Line" — Mariano Rivera by Mimi Stuart
Live the Life you Desire

Seth Stisher, Pro Slalom Skier & Coach:

Positive attitude is good, but I believe there should be a good degree of realism in your optimism. As many mental coaches advise, setting unattainable goals is a recipe for COMPLETE failure.

On that note, accepting some failure along the way is necessary. How you accept this failure will separate you from the competition. Failure is merely a reminder that hard work and smart work are necessary for real gains.

Alison:

Our physical attitude usually reflects our mental attitude. Our bodies perform best when we are both relaxed and intently focused in the moment. Therefore, a mental attitude that promotes fluidity and power is optimal. Strong negative emotions can cause your muscles to stiffen. So, deal with errors without becoming frustrated.

Look at the attitude young children have when they learn to walk. They observe and practice. When they fall down, they get right back up and keep trying, taking physical or mental note on what worked and what did not work. The best learning occurs without whining or outbursts, but through calm awareness and presence.

by Alison Poulsen, Phd, and

Seth Stisher, Pro Slalom Skier and Coach
Owner of H2OProShop.com
To ski with Seth, checkout SethStisher.com

Toll Free: 866.213.7993

Read “Sports Psychology: I’m terrible at this sport. I can never get it right.”