One major issue performers claim to have is a severely impaired, if not, complete inability to sleep the night before a competition. I have not seen too many experts address this very important issue. We all know the importance of rest for our bodies and minds to perform at their optimal. Here are some tips to help you sleep like a baby the night before competition, so you can be at your best when you need it most. As with any good performance advice, they include both mind and body.
(1) Avoid sugar and caffeine the night before competition. This may not pose a problem for athletes who need to make weight the next day, but this is important for everyone to remember. A wrestler who can have a few ounces to drink the night before should probably choose something other than soda. This will give your body a biological edge in getting to sleep soon.
(2) Have a routine you perform every night before you go to sleep. This could include washing up, prayers, cleaning your room, deep breathing, or whatever (try to avoid physical activity which can wake your body up). Perform this every night, so the night before competition you have a set routine and you will not be pacing around endlessly thinking of competition. The more you do this routine, the better it will work for you when you need it. Do not make the night before competition the first time you do this.
(3) Include deep breathing as one of the final parts of your pre-sleep routine. Deep breathing is known to lower heart rate and improve relaxation. Remember: all breathing is done in your stomach (your chest and arms should not move) inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth for 3x as long as you inhaled. Think about nothing more than breathing.
(4) Use visualization and symbols to your advantage. As you lay in bed, picture yourself as a bear getting ready to hibernate (or use any symbol or idea you can relate to). The point is to see yourself as the symbol and put you in a relaxed state of mind. You can also imagine yourself stepping into a very comfortable environment (happy place, worlds most comfortable room,etc. etc. use your imagination) and see yourself at ease and slowly but surely drifting away into a completely blissful sleep. Incorporate this into your pre-sleep routine every night. The more times you pair this image to a peaceful sleep, the better it will serve you the night before a competition.
(5) Plan Ahead. Find out a week in advance what time you will need to be awake for your competition and what time you will need to go to sleep to be awake for that time. Start going to bed at that time a week ahead. This will get your body adjusted to feeling sleepy at the right time. Why do we always wait until the night before competition to go to sleep at a decent hour? Do you expect your body to be able to make such an adjustment in one night (especially while you have other hings on your mind). Your body has a rhythm you can use to your advantage.
(6) Accept. Accept that your mind may wander and you may feel some nervousness the night before you compete. This is natural. It is nothing to get into a panic over. We all get nervous, the trick is to stop worrying there. Do not worry about getting worried. We all do this from time to time. Remind yourself that your mind will often play tricks on you the night before to get you to over think things. Have a sense of humor with it. Be able to laugh at yourself and your mind's games. Accept that this is natural and you will gain control over your mind. When you do not accept yourself and your mind, you allow your body and mind to engage in a civil war against one another. Resistance causes tension and discord, acceptance causes peace and tranquility. Remember, it takes no effort to relax. Relaxation is the state of being your body and mind naturally want to be in. You have all the best drugs and tranquilizers already inside your body.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Mindset Monday 9/20/10 - 3 Purposes of Sport Psychology
The 3 Purposes of Sport/Performance Psychology
1. Help you determine what you want- Your Goal.
2. Help you create a plan of action to get to your goal.
3. Help you to get out of your own way.
Step 1 is to determine what it is you want to accomplish. Lou Holtz always says everyone needs 4 things in this world (1) something to do (2) someone to love (3) something to believe in (4) something to hope for. He was talking about goals. Determine what you love. What is your passion? Or, what is an area of your life you wish to get control over?
Step 2. Many people, and most athletes have step 1 completed. (If you don’t, that’s ok, just work on step 1 first then). They know what they love and what they want to accomplish. The next step is to write out a full and comprehensive plan of action that will take you from point A (where you are now) to point B (your goal). You must determine all the important aspects of your sport or activity- mental and physical. There should be several physical areas you must work on ie. technique, strength, conditioning, etc. as well as several mental areas you must improve ie. Confidence, staying relaxed, positive self-talk, etc. Then once you have all the areas of your field down, you must write out a very specific way in which you will improve them. You cannot just say “my conditioning needs to get better, so I will work harder.” This is a great goal, but the plan to get in better shape must be specific- I will run 10 sprints after every practice or I will make sure I am the hardest worker in the room- first one in, last one out.
Step 3 is a lifelong journey- stepping out of your own way. Believe it or not, we are the major obstacle between ourselves and our own success. We often think negatively, doubt our abilities, try to impress others, over think things, get distracted, lose focus, etc. etc. If we can overcome ourselves, we can accomplish anything. There are proven ways to help you succeed in Step 3, but they must be practiced and lived on a regular basis. We all battle demons in our own way. I always tell my athletes not to worry about beating their opponents. If they can win the battle within, they can beat anyone. Sport Psychology Experts main job is this step. Make sure you know how to master this area, or get someone who can assist you in doing so-
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
1. Help you determine what you want- Your Goal.
2. Help you create a plan of action to get to your goal.
3. Help you to get out of your own way.
Step 1 is to determine what it is you want to accomplish. Lou Holtz always says everyone needs 4 things in this world (1) something to do (2) someone to love (3) something to believe in (4) something to hope for. He was talking about goals. Determine what you love. What is your passion? Or, what is an area of your life you wish to get control over?
Step 2. Many people, and most athletes have step 1 completed. (If you don’t, that’s ok, just work on step 1 first then). They know what they love and what they want to accomplish. The next step is to write out a full and comprehensive plan of action that will take you from point A (where you are now) to point B (your goal). You must determine all the important aspects of your sport or activity- mental and physical. There should be several physical areas you must work on ie. technique, strength, conditioning, etc. as well as several mental areas you must improve ie. Confidence, staying relaxed, positive self-talk, etc. Then once you have all the areas of your field down, you must write out a very specific way in which you will improve them. You cannot just say “my conditioning needs to get better, so I will work harder.” This is a great goal, but the plan to get in better shape must be specific- I will run 10 sprints after every practice or I will make sure I am the hardest worker in the room- first one in, last one out.
Step 3 is a lifelong journey- stepping out of your own way. Believe it or not, we are the major obstacle between ourselves and our own success. We often think negatively, doubt our abilities, try to impress others, over think things, get distracted, lose focus, etc. etc. If we can overcome ourselves, we can accomplish anything. There are proven ways to help you succeed in Step 3, but they must be practiced and lived on a regular basis. We all battle demons in our own way. I always tell my athletes not to worry about beating their opponents. If they can win the battle within, they can beat anyone. Sport Psychology Experts main job is this step. Make sure you know how to master this area, or get someone who can assist you in doing so-
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
Monday, September 13, 2010
Mindset Monday 9/13/10- The 4 Rules of Sport Psychology
I created a simple set of 4 basic rules of Sport Psychology to make things as easy for people as possible.
(1) One thing at a time
(2) Keep it simple
(3) Write it down
(4) When in doubt, don't think, ACT.
(1) One thing at a time: There is usually alot going on in our minds at once (both consciously and unconsciously). When trying to correct your mindset, there is a tendency to come up with many things we wish to improve. This will only overwhelm you. Make a list of a few things you wish to improve mentally, and then try to prioritize your most important 3 things. Then, spend time on ONE of these at a time.
(2) Keep it simple: "Rome was not built in a day." Do not overwhelm yourself by trying to do too much right away. Notice in #1 I did not say "make sure you pick the most important 3 things." I said TRY. Do not beat yourself up if you later realize there is something else you would like to work on. Just move forward with what you have for now. Take it slow. If you are persistent and consistent, little modifications will change your life.
(3) Write it down: The mind is abstract, you must make it concrete. Did you ever notice you will have a good idea or insight and later forget it after you get distracted by something small? This is how the mind works. We could have great ideas and flashes of insight, but soon forget them. So it is important to write down your thoughts and ideas as soon as you can after having them. For an athlete, this means right after competition (not before or during) writing down your pre-competition and/or during competition mindset. Whether you perform well or poorly, you want to remember what was going on in your mind so you can work on it by making necessary corrections and also reminding yourself of good thoughts you had. This also goes for writing down your goals and your action plan to reach them. Have it written down- this has been shown to increase compliance and effort.
(4) When in doubt, don't think, ACT: How many times did you ever think you should get a work out in, only to sit around and eventually talk yourself out of it? Sometimes we talk to ourselves so much about the annoyance or misery of a task for so long, by the time we finish these thoughts, we would have already been halfway done with the workout or task. Don't over think or over analyze tasks, training, or actions, just do them. Get them done with (not going through the motions), but get them done. Many people find this interesting advice from a Sport Psychology Expert, but the mastery of Performance Mentality lies in action, often analysis paralyzes us. Like Nike says, just do it.
(5!) Consult with a Sport Psychology Expert: even people with great knowledge of this material could still benefit from an experts point of view. I was very familiar with these concepts as a competitor, but still benefited greatly from meeting with my teams Sport Psychologist. This is because we are often blinded by some of our own flaws and it is difficult to assess ourselves without being a little bias. Bottom line- take advantage of the experts around you.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
(1) One thing at a time
(2) Keep it simple
(3) Write it down
(4) When in doubt, don't think, ACT.
(1) One thing at a time: There is usually alot going on in our minds at once (both consciously and unconsciously). When trying to correct your mindset, there is a tendency to come up with many things we wish to improve. This will only overwhelm you. Make a list of a few things you wish to improve mentally, and then try to prioritize your most important 3 things. Then, spend time on ONE of these at a time.
(2) Keep it simple: "Rome was not built in a day." Do not overwhelm yourself by trying to do too much right away. Notice in #1 I did not say "make sure you pick the most important 3 things." I said TRY. Do not beat yourself up if you later realize there is something else you would like to work on. Just move forward with what you have for now. Take it slow. If you are persistent and consistent, little modifications will change your life.
(3) Write it down: The mind is abstract, you must make it concrete. Did you ever notice you will have a good idea or insight and later forget it after you get distracted by something small? This is how the mind works. We could have great ideas and flashes of insight, but soon forget them. So it is important to write down your thoughts and ideas as soon as you can after having them. For an athlete, this means right after competition (not before or during) writing down your pre-competition and/or during competition mindset. Whether you perform well or poorly, you want to remember what was going on in your mind so you can work on it by making necessary corrections and also reminding yourself of good thoughts you had. This also goes for writing down your goals and your action plan to reach them. Have it written down- this has been shown to increase compliance and effort.
(4) When in doubt, don't think, ACT: How many times did you ever think you should get a work out in, only to sit around and eventually talk yourself out of it? Sometimes we talk to ourselves so much about the annoyance or misery of a task for so long, by the time we finish these thoughts, we would have already been halfway done with the workout or task. Don't over think or over analyze tasks, training, or actions, just do them. Get them done with (not going through the motions), but get them done. Many people find this interesting advice from a Sport Psychology Expert, but the mastery of Performance Mentality lies in action, often analysis paralyzes us. Like Nike says, just do it.
(5!) Consult with a Sport Psychology Expert: even people with great knowledge of this material could still benefit from an experts point of view. I was very familiar with these concepts as a competitor, but still benefited greatly from meeting with my teams Sport Psychologist. This is because we are often blinded by some of our own flaws and it is difficult to assess ourselves without being a little bias. Bottom line- take advantage of the experts around you.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
Monday, September 6, 2010
Mindset Monday 9/6/10- Attitude
Attitude
Success is not determined by your motivation before the game, but by your attitude throughout the game.
Many coaches and players give big pep talks before the game to increase the teams motivation to win a game. This usually leads to bursts of energy on the first few plays or minutes of the game. John Wooden, the greatest coach of all time, did not believe in pep talks for this very reason. He wanted players attitudes consistent throughout the game, not just in the beginning. Wooden maintained that a pep talk causes a spike in energy. Life is full of peaks and valleys. After one peaks, one soon crashes. Therefore it is not good to raise and lower the players level. Instead, have a consistently intense attitude throughout the game.
It is necessary to raise ones intensity at different points of the game when the situation calls for it. But we let the game dictate this spike in intensity. I am not saying that pep talks are bogus and that we should never use them. I am saying that motivation is something that should be instilled in athletes well before games. Athletes should be already approaching each game with a burning desire to win. A team that needs a big rah rah talk before competing probably does not already have the will to win instilled in them.
Save your pep talks for practice. The day of a game you should be doing the same thing you always do- being intense, smart, and under control. Game day is just another day at the office. Everything is important, but nothing is special. Don’t make games special by delivering heroic Hollywood pep talks (this is inspiring in movies, but does not usually pan out so well in reality). Once we make a competition special, we start trying too hard which almost always takes away from the natural fluidity of our movements. Trying too hard, which often stems from pep talks, is usually contrary to living in the moment because it hypes up an event. To achieve the Flow State or that can’t miss feeling of being in the zone, have your attitude consistent from the start of the game until the final whistle sounds.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
Success is not determined by your motivation before the game, but by your attitude throughout the game.
Many coaches and players give big pep talks before the game to increase the teams motivation to win a game. This usually leads to bursts of energy on the first few plays or minutes of the game. John Wooden, the greatest coach of all time, did not believe in pep talks for this very reason. He wanted players attitudes consistent throughout the game, not just in the beginning. Wooden maintained that a pep talk causes a spike in energy. Life is full of peaks and valleys. After one peaks, one soon crashes. Therefore it is not good to raise and lower the players level. Instead, have a consistently intense attitude throughout the game.
It is necessary to raise ones intensity at different points of the game when the situation calls for it. But we let the game dictate this spike in intensity. I am not saying that pep talks are bogus and that we should never use them. I am saying that motivation is something that should be instilled in athletes well before games. Athletes should be already approaching each game with a burning desire to win. A team that needs a big rah rah talk before competing probably does not already have the will to win instilled in them.
Save your pep talks for practice. The day of a game you should be doing the same thing you always do- being intense, smart, and under control. Game day is just another day at the office. Everything is important, but nothing is special. Don’t make games special by delivering heroic Hollywood pep talks (this is inspiring in movies, but does not usually pan out so well in reality). Once we make a competition special, we start trying too hard which almost always takes away from the natural fluidity of our movements. Trying too hard, which often stems from pep talks, is usually contrary to living in the moment because it hypes up an event. To achieve the Flow State or that can’t miss feeling of being in the zone, have your attitude consistent from the start of the game until the final whistle sounds.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
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