Let’s start with a few questions.
How old was Joe Montana when he won his first Super Bowl?
You probably think you know. And would probably bet money on it. Wouldn’t you? Don’t put the
money down yet. The answer will be towards the end of this article – the real answer that is.
How old were you when you reached the height of your success
or will be when you do? Whether it’s business, football, hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf or
whatever – think about that question for a few moments.
How much of your game / sport is physical?
And how much is mental?.
According to Yogi Berra – “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the
other half is physical.”
Most athletes tell me their sport is at least 50% mental. But how much of
your time is spent doing mental practice? And how much physical?
The difference between an elite athlete and one just one notch down the ladder is just one step.
The elite athlete spent more time on the mental game than the one on the next level down.
Athletes have a sports coach and many use personal trainers for the physical.
But how many utilize a Coach to help them with the mental game?
Only the ones who really want to be on top of their game. The ones who really want to move to
the next level above their teammates and opponents.
And in this article, I want to teach you some of the techniques I use with my athletes during individual or group
sessions when I’m working with them to help them reach their sports goals.
“Be careful of the words you use and the questions you ask yourself, because
your SubConscious is listening!” William C. Smith
Now let me ask you another question. Think about it before you answer. Are you ready?
Who is your competition? Write it down.
Let me introduce you to your competition.
Look in a mirror. That’s right, a mirror!
If you’re not competing with yourself to improve your talents and skills,
to be stronger or faster, or have more stamina – then those other athletes, whether they’re on another team, or
maybe even on your own team, but competing with you for position or playing time – they’re not going to have to
worry about you.
Decide today –
YOU HAVE NO COMPETITION! You’re only competing with yourself to improve YOUR performance. To do better than
you did yesterday and to do better tomorrow than today!
Since we were talking about mirrors, let me teach you a way to make a mirror a tool you can use. While you’re
looking in the mirror. Say this to yourself:
Every day, in every way, I’m getting _______________.
What would be an effective word or words to use to finish this sentence? Maybe stronger,
more accurate, faster, more confident? Does it have to be only one? No, how about stronger and more confident?
Would that be good for you?
“Every
day, in every way, I’m getting stronger and more confident!” Say it right now to yourself.
When you’re deciding what to say, make sure you have
a positive statement, one that works for you.
Now
how many times a day do you see your reflection in the mirror? I’m not talking about the vain ones that do it
out of narcissism, but just on average. Once, twice? Several times?
Wait a minute! Are mirrors the only time you see your reflection? NO! How
about glass windows / doors in office buildings, schools, mirrors in gyms or public restrooms, or your reflection in your
car or truck – either the window or the door if your car’s nice and shiny (mine’s not).
What if you were to say the suggestion – some people
call them affirmations or statements – EVERY time you saw your reflection? At least once! Or even twice
or more!
Do you have to say
it out loud? No. But you can if you feel comfortable with it. If you’re in public – people will
just think you’re talking on your phone. You can at least say it in your mind.
And the more you say / repeat it, the more it will become your positive self talk, and will
become your new way of thinking.
This
is one of the ways I teach my athletes to talk to themselves properly – and that’s a lot of what mental practice
is – self talk.
We all
do self talk on an ongoing basis. Did you know research says we give ourselves suggestions (self talk) thousands and
thousands of times EACH day? And how much of that do you think the average person says in a Negative way to themselves
– 70 – 80%!
I’ve
got news for you – you don’t have to put yourself down – others will do it for you! It’s your
job to build yourself up! – Not just physically (although it is important), but mentally too. You’ve got
to give yourself positive encouragement.
Here’s
an example of what I’m talking about. After a workout, or a tough practice, you may hear athletes complaining
about how hard it was, how hard the coach or trainer pushed them.
Guess what, they’re giving themselves negative feedback. If something’s
hard, we generally don’t like it and don’t want to do more – even if it’s necessary. Our SubConscious
Mind rebels and in a whiney voice says “that’s hard” You know the kind of voice I’m talking
about.
It amazes me how many
times I see college athletes complain on Facebook about how tough their workout was that day or how tired they were afterwards.
There’s one in particular
though, he always says something positive. And this guy really pushes himself – a lot further / harder than most
guys. He’s a quarterback and his team and coaches respect him.
It’s paying off. This man is going to achieve his goals – not just in football,
but in Life too. How do I know? Because he has the right Mental Attitude. He sees it as a challenge to make
himself better – stronger / more confident. I don’t know who this athlete uses as a Mental Coach, but I
would be very surprised if he doesn’t have one.
And then there are those (especially those I’ve worked with) that after a hard workout or practice,
will be telling themselves “That got me pumped! That’s really making me stronger, more confident!”
Let me give you another tool I teach my athletes.
During a workout, when you really want to build your stamina and endurance and make the workout even better, talk to yourself
– but in a special way.
Let’s
pretend you’re lifting weights. And with each upward move you say “Bigger” and each downward move
“Stronger”. Maybe you misunderstood when I said “say”. I don’t mean like a wimpy
“bigger”. I mean a real “BIGGER!!!”
Do you have to do it out loud? Sure, why not? Are you really that worried about
what someone else will think? If you are, can you scream in your head? You can – either way, whichever suits
you best. When possible, I would suggest doing it out loud – VERY LOUD!
But I know some of you are thinking “what will other people think?” or one of
my athletes pointed out to me that by saying it out loud, maybe other athletes would start doing it too and improving.
OK – if they’re on the same team and it’ll
get you closer to a Super Bowl or Stanley Cup, then it might be worth it.
But here’s what you’ll have that they don’t. You’ll know why
you’re doing it and you’ll be using that as only one tool in your mental toolbox to begin to change any negative
self talk to powerful, Positive Self Talk.
You
may be wondering how I came up with that. One of my pro athletes invited me over to his home to visit and do a session
with him there.
His wife let me in because he was still doing his workout. He has his own gym, probably
bigger / more expensive than most. She took me to his gym, and he asked me to watch him work out to see if I could spot
any ways he could improve.
Now
remember, I’m an Alpha Process Coach – a mental trainer, not a physical trainer. But I said “Sure,
go through your regular routine and let’s just see what I notice.”
He was lifting weights and doing his self talk with each up / down, but instead of “Bigger”
/ “Stronger”, he was saying “Yeah” and “Ummmph”. Not just saying, but LOUDLY!
When I asked him why he was doing the “Yeah / Ummmph”,
he said it helped him focus. That’s when I suggested using “Bigger / Stronger”. He really liked
it and you know what? He said it kept him focused even better, and he could also see the benefit of using the positive
words. And he began to see even more excellent results quickly.
A funny thing happened not long ago. Two of my high school clients were working out
at a gym in their neighborhood. They didn’t know each other, but noticed that each were doing the “Bigger
/ Stronger”.
They
got to talking to each other after their workouts and found out they were both my clients. One played football, the
other hockey. They became good friends and started working out together. They both reached their goals.
Here’s another question. Do you do your workouts
once, or a practice once, and say “that’s enough – just once will get me all the results I need”.
Would you really go to the gym only once and think one workout would get you the strength and stamina you need? Would
one practice give you the skills you need to win?
It’s
the same with mental practice. Just like you do physical workouts and practice for your sport over and over, you need
to do your mental practice over and over as well.
It’s
about repetition – physical and mental!
Let
me know what you think about the concepts I’ve taught you in this article. I really want to hear from those of
you who actually use the concepts and see the changes you’ve been looking for.
If you're 100% satisfied with your sports performance, you don't need to contact me about
Sports Hypnosis. But if you're not, will you wish you did later in the season? Or will it be too late then?
If you want me to work with you personally, there are several
ways we can do this.
• Individual sessions in my office in Dallas – one on one – or maybe you and
a teammate, friend, or brother / sister
• your high school / college / pro team can hire me to work with your
team at training camp, or campus
• Does it have to be in my office? No, if you’ve got the money
to spend, you, or your parents, or your team can pay my expenses to come to you – maybe even make it a working holiday
– Cabo? Colorado? Costa Rica? Australia? Sure I’m willing to travel.
• If
your high school / college coaches want me to do a workshop – we can even talk about that – either in the Dallas
/ Fort Worth area or another location. I’m flexible.
Did we forget something? Oh yeah, how about that question about Joe Montana?
How old was he when he won his first Super Bowl?
Here’s
how Joe Montana responded when after he finished a speech, someone in the audience asked him how old he was when he won his
first Super Bowl.
“Twelve
years old, and I’ve won a thousand of them since. All but four of them, I explained, took place in our backyard
in my hometown of Monongahela, Pennsylvania, a few miles down the road from Pittsburgh.”
“Winners, I am convinced, imagine their dreams first.
They want it with all their heart and expect it to come true. There is, I believe, no other way to live.” Joe
Montana
You see, Joe Montana
knew the secret of making dreams come true. He played every game, every scrimmage, every practice as if it was a Super
Bowl. He started preparing for a Super Bowl in his Mind when he was twelve years old! And he was always competing
with himself to do better than he had before.
And
that’s my story and I’m sticking with it!
Now think of someone else who would benefit from reading this article and forward it to them!
Just imagine how good you’ll feel.
William
C. Smith, Alpha Process Coach, BCH, CI
www.sportshypnosisrc.com www.successrc.com www.hypnosisrc.com
"If winning isn't everything, why
do they keep score?" -- Vince Lombardi
"Winners,
I am convinced, imagine their dreams first. They want it with all their heart and expect it to come true. There is, I believe,
no other way to live." -- Joe Montana
"No
one has ever drowned in sweat." -- Lou Holtz
