Having watched last week’s match between Rondebosch and Bishops, and reading the subsequent reports my thoughts turned to what changed from last term’s encounter to this. As someone who does mental coaching for teams and individuals and has worked a lot at schools level I often look at alternative reasons, rather than that of poor scrums, handling errors or incorrect tactics, for the reason behind results. Whether rightly or wrongly I offer some opinions, but I hope to give some thought on issues of the mind in sport on this site going forward.
A 28 point turnaround is certainly a significant one, and although the weather was far different this time around, had some other things changed that perhaps influenced the big derby game? Firstly, did complacency have a part to play in Bishops not winning the game? Statistically Bishops were the stronger side this year and there is always a danger that too much importance is placed on these stats. Perhaps this could have led to Bishops not totally ‘turning up’ mentally on the day. Secondly, when preparing sides for derbies I always emphasise the importance of sticking to what works for you. Sportsmen can learn a lot from past successes and failures, to work out how best to approach games in the future, and one of the powerful things of mental coaching is to unlock what exactly works best for teams and individuals alike. Bishops’ change of approach (yes, conditions may have decided this) was uncharacteristic to say the least and in a pressure situation, it is always best for teams to stick to what they know and to where they feel comfortable. Sport is an uncomfortable space in that it creates pressure and hard-work and thus finding comfort in areas such as preparation, tried and tested game plan, the warm up etc is always advisable. The pressure created by change in an environment like that can be big.
From a Rondebosch point of view, I think a few things worked in their favour mentally too. For starters a good run of form, and the return of their kingpin player made a huge difference and would have injected confidence into them. A settled build up to a big match can have a huge impact, as the things that work for a team are fresh in their minds. Most people gain their confidence from their results in the recent past and thus RBHS’ confidence was higher than usual. However due to recent form, Bishops do seem to have a mental upper-hand on the Bosch lads, which is difficult to overcome. My sense is, had Bishops started down-wind, the result would have been largely different – in fact more like the 1st term result. Often teams like to start into the wind and then have the wind at their backs as players get tired, however I thought it was a blessing for Bosch to have the wind in the 1st half, as it gave them confidence and belief that they could win the game after having that dream start. I often talk about an attitude of ‘owning the field’ in a big game. This is difficult to describe, but it is a sense of one team having a cocky sense about them where they expect things to go their way and back that up with maximum effort, physicality and swagger. I have always felt that Bishops have been one of the best exponents of this, but this seemed to be missing for large parts of the game for some reason.
As I said, without interviewing the players and coaches one cannot decide on exactly what happened in the players’ minds last Saturday, but I have offered some thoughts as to what may well have occurred. The intrigue of big sporting battles keeps many a Saturday evening round the braai going, and will continue to do so. From a mental point of view it will also be interesting to see the Springbok story unfold and to see if they can return to their dominant ways as well, as not all appears 100% well there. I look forward to writing again soon.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Getting a Head Start
Over the past few years in my dealings with sportsmen and teams as well as the greater sporting fraternity I have seen the massive influence that emotion, the mind and thoughts have on sporting performance. Just this last weekend I witnessed a few huge games of rugby that stirred up large amounts of game-changing emotion in both men and boys alike. The psychology of sport is a fascinating field, and for those of you who have followed my Think Tank you will have seen that I like to question methods of coaching, approaches to games, and what the best ways to go about creating happy, winning atmospheres are in sporting teams.
A top mental coach in Australia, Wayne Goldsmith talks about mental coaching by saying,
“The ability to perform under pressure, the capacity to remain confident and resilient when competition conditions get tough, the skill to be able to relax and stay focused when feeling pain and fatigue in competition, concentration, visualization are just some areas of focus. Coaches and athletes are unanimous that spending time developing mental skills is time well spent. However, figuring out the best way to develop mental skills – particularly mental skills which can directly enhance the competition performance of athletes is another matter.”
What is also interesting is to hear coaches and mental coaches alike talk about the need for the two to work hand-in-hand and not as separate entities. The maximum benefit comes in forming partnerships with coaches and players and seeking the best possible route to excellence. Mental coaching is also is not necessarily done ‘on the couch’ nor is it done exclusively with ‘problem teams/individuals’. Everyone has capacity to improve in some way, and often what is needed is the key to unlock that potential.
Here are some key statements that could indicate a need for some mental work to be done.
After an injury, you are physically 100% recovered but cannot perform the same way as you did.
You feel anxious when performing in competition
You perform far better in practice than in competition
Your team has so much potential but doesn’t quite reach it in games
Your team lacks confidence and belief
You maintain doubt about your sport before and during games
You lose focus at crucial times
Having worked at a number of top schools, with some senior sportsmen and coaches and across a number of sporting codes I have decided to formalise my offerings through my company, Head Start Sport. We will aim to work with aspirant teams, individuals and organisations to enhance their performance, through superior preparation from a mental point of view.
Please visit our website at www.headstartsport.co.za for more information or contact tom@headstartsport.co.za. You can continue to follow my articles here on tomsthinktanklive.blogspot.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
“The mind is the athlete; the body is simply the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further, or box better”. Bryce Courtenay
A top mental coach in Australia, Wayne Goldsmith talks about mental coaching by saying,
“The ability to perform under pressure, the capacity to remain confident and resilient when competition conditions get tough, the skill to be able to relax and stay focused when feeling pain and fatigue in competition, concentration, visualization are just some areas of focus. Coaches and athletes are unanimous that spending time developing mental skills is time well spent. However, figuring out the best way to develop mental skills – particularly mental skills which can directly enhance the competition performance of athletes is another matter.”
What is also interesting is to hear coaches and mental coaches alike talk about the need for the two to work hand-in-hand and not as separate entities. The maximum benefit comes in forming partnerships with coaches and players and seeking the best possible route to excellence. Mental coaching is also is not necessarily done ‘on the couch’ nor is it done exclusively with ‘problem teams/individuals’. Everyone has capacity to improve in some way, and often what is needed is the key to unlock that potential.
Here are some key statements that could indicate a need for some mental work to be done.
After an injury, you are physically 100% recovered but cannot perform the same way as you did.
You feel anxious when performing in competition
You perform far better in practice than in competition
Your team has so much potential but doesn’t quite reach it in games
Your team lacks confidence and belief
You maintain doubt about your sport before and during games
You lose focus at crucial times
Having worked at a number of top schools, with some senior sportsmen and coaches and across a number of sporting codes I have decided to formalise my offerings through my company, Head Start Sport. We will aim to work with aspirant teams, individuals and organisations to enhance their performance, through superior preparation from a mental point of view.
Please visit our website at www.headstartsport.co.za for more information or contact tom@headstartsport.co.za. You can continue to follow my articles here on tomsthinktanklive.blogspot.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
“The mind is the athlete; the body is simply the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further, or box better”. Bryce Courtenay
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Make them feel Special and reap the rewards
Over the last two weeks I have worked with 5 different school boy sides from two different sports and some interesting things have occurred to me. In fact numerous things have, but the most marked thing for me therefore, is that if you treat people like they are special, they will often produce special things. Simplistic as it may sound; it rings incredibly true in my mind. Although these guys are at a youthful stage in their life, and you may feel that it is not relevant in the stressful adult environment I feel some common traits can be identified. Pushing new limits, and making it appear that people are gaining extra insight, or are just plain made to feel like superstars, can often have a massive effect.
Psychological studies have been done indicating that just by giving special attention to people, the results that they produce are often of a greater quality. The Hawthorne effect is a known piece of research that shows that people will often perform to greater heights in an experiment situation, as they know that they are being studied, and not for any reason of ability. This has similarities, in my mind, to the notion that increased attention, more specifically positive attention, can produce better performance. As mentioned in a previous article, the more work you put in, the more you are likely to get out, but now I’m also saying that the more positive attention given to players, the more they are likely to put out.
The teams I have recently worked with have done fairly well in the short term. As much as I’d love to attribute this solely to my influence, I’d be a fool to do this. In fact, just by the fact of the team getting someone new in who has a field of expertise that they believe helps their play, their play will improve. On a conscious or subconscious level they feel that they may indeed be better prepared than their opponents thus increasing their confidence. Obviously the information they have learnt about themselves and the added motivation such sessions often bring will also play a part in the improved performance, but I believe the idea of increased attention and making them feel special may be the key factor.
Having seen these teams being pampered and given everything they can possibly want, has shown me that although some people battle to give out too much praise, or don’ t like to have to put in too much ‘extra’ work, this can often be the difference between success and failure. Yes, technical expertise is crucial, but in a competitive world you often find that the more special you can make people feel and the extra mile that you go for your players and colleagues, is far more likely to produce the desired results. Therefore I say - do things differently and make people feel more special with new ideas, harder work or just plain praise and you will be amazed at what comes out.
T
Psychological studies have been done indicating that just by giving special attention to people, the results that they produce are often of a greater quality. The Hawthorne effect is a known piece of research that shows that people will often perform to greater heights in an experiment situation, as they know that they are being studied, and not for any reason of ability. This has similarities, in my mind, to the notion that increased attention, more specifically positive attention, can produce better performance. As mentioned in a previous article, the more work you put in, the more you are likely to get out, but now I’m also saying that the more positive attention given to players, the more they are likely to put out.
The teams I have recently worked with have done fairly well in the short term. As much as I’d love to attribute this solely to my influence, I’d be a fool to do this. In fact, just by the fact of the team getting someone new in who has a field of expertise that they believe helps their play, their play will improve. On a conscious or subconscious level they feel that they may indeed be better prepared than their opponents thus increasing their confidence. Obviously the information they have learnt about themselves and the added motivation such sessions often bring will also play a part in the improved performance, but I believe the idea of increased attention and making them feel special may be the key factor.
Having seen these teams being pampered and given everything they can possibly want, has shown me that although some people battle to give out too much praise, or don’ t like to have to put in too much ‘extra’ work, this can often be the difference between success and failure. Yes, technical expertise is crucial, but in a competitive world you often find that the more special you can make people feel and the extra mile that you go for your players and colleagues, is far more likely to produce the desired results. Therefore I say - do things differently and make people feel more special with new ideas, harder work or just plain praise and you will be amazed at what comes out.
T
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