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Does the idea of playing your best without fear, negativity and
self-sabotage holding you back sound desirable to you? Performance
Coach David Breslow offers you some advice to make this become a
reality.
When I first began competing in tennis and hockey I became frustrated
at my inability to perform up to the level I knew I could play.
I had little self-confidence, poor esteem and basically found myself
playing tight, nervous and tentatively. Everybody told me the same
basic things and it didn't help. Of course, I lost more than I won.
I looked good…but when it came to competing and really playing the
game…I didn't perform very well! I began to question what I was
doing and why I would perform so far beneath my physical talents.
On my search for the answers I learned how each of us are influenced
by this amazing mind/body wiring system that is in constant operation.
This search led me not only to overcome my own performance obstacles
but to also become a Performance Coach helping all kinds of athletes
do the same thing.
Recently I spoke with several athletes of all skill levels including
those who were locally, regionally, nationally or professionally ranked..
While most athletes think their issues are only happening to them they
found out that almost everyone has the same or similar obstacles in front
of them. I was particularly struck by the fact that every one of the athletes
believed that their mental skills were very important but that only a
small percentage actually formally worked on that part of their game.
As an average they believed the mental skills were connected to about
75% of performance while they admitted only spending 5% of their time
developing them. When they saw these numbers they realized why they were
having difficulties! I asked them what was holding them back. Here are
the most common answers:
1. I don't want to be psychoanalyzed
2. It's embarrassing; I should know what to do on my own. I've heard it
all before.
3. I'll get better if I just keep practicing and playing…that's where
I'll develop it.
WHAT ARE YOU PRACTICING?
My clients have told me that they can't believe the difference in
how they think, feel and act once they've finally decided to work on this
aspect of their game. It's a totally different experience than what they
thought it would be. The "Wired To Win" program is not psychoanalysis.
It's about the mind/body relationship and wiring that is already producing
results for you. Many players are simply running around in circles practicing
the same thing time after time and getting pretty near the same results!
Players quickly realized they weren't effectively developing themselves
AND they weren't using all their weapons in to the best of their ability!
.
- Are you performing as well as you already know you can?
- Is competing fun or is it a struggle to excel?
- Would you like to improve your mental skills to compete better?
- Why wouldn't you practice your mental skills the way you do your physical
skills?
I often tell my clients; "What you practice you will master". Everyone
is mastering something. Unfortunately what some athletes' master are doubt,
confusion and negativity because that is what they practice.
4 WAYS TO USE PRACTICE
- Redefine your practice philosophy. A new definition can be; practice
is a time to develop ALL the habits of success"
- Have a plan to develop your mind and emotions in practice…and DO it!
- Make a list of the performance areas you are working on and
rate yourself in each category from 1 - 5 in effectiveness each
time you practice (ex: fun, focus, emotional flexibility, etc.)
- Use a Journal to record and track yourself
IS IT DIFFICULT TO CHANGE?
Not when you have a formal plan that makes sense to you. Why keep
doing the same thing and getting the same outcomes that aren't what you
want? Your intentions may be good but your outcomes might not be. It's
actually more difficult doing what's not working because you're literally
reinforcing poor habits! First you need to understand that SOMETHING must
change for you. Then you need to realize that YOU can change it. When
you start there you can begin to move forward.
HOW DO YOU BEGIN?
You begin by realizing that there is a gap between what you know,
what you are doing when you play and what you want. You begin to set goals.
Be very specific about your goals. For example a goal to be more confident
is very vague. A specific goal like "Next time I play I'm going to go
for 2 shots I might not normally go for because I'm usually to tense.
I'm going for them no matter how I feel." Then…DO IT! Disregard the outcome
for the moment. The more you do it the easier it gets. At first some of
your goals may seem hard to achieve or you may have doubts about them.
- Ask yourself is it doable? Is there anything REALLY stopping
me?
- Is there a benefit to doing this regardless of the outcome?
- Decide when you will do it
- Once the decision is made…stick to it
- Record your outcome in a journal
WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK?
The thought of challenging yourself can be somewhat scary for
some. Think about what's holding you back though. Are you holding
on to any of the reasons listed earlier in this article? If something's
not working for you now, not changing it will only provide more
frustration down the road.
THE TOP 7 BENEFITS OF CHANGE
- When you change one area you positively affect other parts of
your game
- You stop losing energy, focus and confidence
- You think, feel and do things differently
- You free yourself to play the way you know you can
- You enjoy yourself more
- You are able to handle situations more effectively
- You develop an inner sense of confidence and faith
WHY DEVELOP YOUR MENTAL SKILLS?
Many athletes think that just playing the game makes them mentally
tougher. For some it does, for many though it keeps them stuck in the
same ruts asking the same questions. What's wrong? Why do I keep doing
this? When will this change for me? If you want to feel, think and play
better working with a Performance Coach is not a sign of personal weakness!
It's a sign of strength because you are wise enough to realize something
isn't working and that you want to find someone who will support you in
achieving your success. Don't wait until you're totally fed up or want
to quit!
BUT I'VE TRIED AND NOTHING CHANGES!
Have you taken steps to really change your mental game? Have you read
books, listened to tapes or even met with someone only to have little
or no change take place? Don't let this deter you. Some approaches are
effective and some aren't. If you've tried to change by applying "tips"
from books or other people you may not be addressing the "root cause"
factors. There are factors influencing your outcomes that you may not
be aware of yet. This is what you will learn when you decide to work on
your mental skills. You can make the changes you need. Decide what your
ideal performance would look like. Close your eyes and envision this picture.
What do you see? How does it feel? Create the dream first…even if you
don't believe it right now. Decide on something you can do right now about
it. Define the steps you need to take to make that picture a reality and
find out who can support and encourage your movement toward that goal.
Go ahead and do it now. Take one step.
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David Breslow-- Performance Success Strategies 847.681.1698 urwiredtowin@aol.com
David offers a unique "root cause" approach that teaches athletes to create
new outcomes rather than coping with old ineffective patterns. He's worked
with athletes locally, nationally and internationally using his Wired
To Win program that players can take part no mater where they live
or play. He also offers an on-line assessment in that measures your strengths
and development areas in 10 key and critical performance traits. Contact
David for more information .
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