Performance Enhancement News
UAB Sport Psychology Volume 5, Issue 4 – August 2010

What Can We Learn from Shannen Doherty?

On March 1, 2010, ABC announced the cast of the tenth season of its reality show, Dancing with the Stars. Included among the participants was former Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed actress, Shannen Doherty.

Soon after the announcement, Ms. Doherty gave several interviews that can help us understand her state of mind as she began preparing for the competition.  On March 2, she told People Magazine that “I have a huge fear of live audiences… I break out in hives, full blown panic attacks, and everything else” (Ingrassia, 2010). On March 22, it was reported that she told Ryan Seacrest she was “nervous and freaking out,” was experiencing hives and stomach pains, and was having thoughts such as “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t” (Wigler, 2010). A little over a week later, she became the first celebrity eliminated from the show…

It may seem a bit unorthodox to focus on Ms. Doherty in this newsletter but consider what she is describing: fear, anxiety symptoms, and negative thinking. Have you ever experienced similar symptoms prior to a performance? We do not know how much effort and training she put into her preparation for the competition. However, based upon her interviews, it seems like a safe bet that the intensity of anxiety symptoms she stated that she was experiencing would not have helped her performance very much.

Performance AnxietyFeeling some anxiety before a competition or performance is not only normal, but (as we discussed in the December 2009 issue of the newsletter) can actually help you perform better. Feeling anxiety before a performance is simply your body’s way of validating that the performance is important to you. However, the problem comes when the amount of anxiety is too much. So how do you know what the “right” amount of anxiety is for you?

Assessing Your Optimal Anxiety Level  

Determining your optimal anxiety level is an important part of understanding where you need to be to perform at your best. There are several assessment instruments that I have used to help people figure out the “right”’ amount of anxiety for them, but for the purposes of getting you started, we will discuss a very simple method.

Get a piece of paper and make four columns. Label the columns “Date,” “Activity,” “Anxiety Rating,” and “Performance,” respectively. Date refers to the day that you are assessing yourself. Activity is either practice or competition (or performance) that you participated in that day. The last two columns use a similar scale but measure different things. First, measure the amount of anxiety you are feeling on a scale from 1 to 10. A rating of 1 means, “I am not feeling anxious at all” and a rating of 10 means, “I am so anxious I can barely walk straight.” Last, for performance, measure how well you performed also using a scale from 1 to 10. A rating of 1 means, “I have never performed worse” and a rating of 10 means, “I cannot imagine performing any better.” Fill out the first three columns for that particular activity before you participate (i.e., before practice or before a game). Fill out the last column after you are done.

Over time, you will start to notice some trends. For example, you may notice that you perform best when your anxiety level is around a 5 or that when your anxiety level is 7 or more, you have a bad practice or game. The important thing is to determine what level of anxiety works best for you.

Now What?  

The next part of this process is to spend some time figuring out how anxiety at a certain level feels for you. It may help to review the two most common aspects of anxiety. Anxiety is usually made up of two components: physical and cognitive. We discussed both in the October 2009 issue of the newsletter. To review, physical symptoms of anxiety can include a racing heartbeat, faster breathing, tightened muscles, dry mouth, and/or “butterflies” in the stomach. Cognitive, or mental, symptoms can include increased worry, negative thinking, and/or racing or intrusive thoughts. It is rare for any one person to have all of these symptoms. Most likely, when you get anxious, you get one or two.

As you fill out the form tracking anxiety level and performance, spend some time thinking about how each of the anxiety ratings feels. For instance, how does an anxiety level of 5 feels differently from a rating of a 7 or a 2? You may also find using imagery to be helpful. One way to do this is to spend some time after the practice or competition recreating the anxiety you felt that day in your head. Focus especially on first-person perspective and on bodily sensations such as those listed under physical anxiety above. The point is to help you further memorize what it feels like to be anxious at level 1, level 2, and all the way up to level 10.  

You are likely to find that your optimal level of anxiety will vary depending upon the activity (i.e., taking a test vs. shooting a basketball). In the next issue, we will discuss some ways that you can use this information to help improve your own performance.

Note: All of the newsletters referenced can be downloaded from the website.

For more information about this topic or any other topic related to mental skills or sport and performance psychology, contact your local sport psychologist.

The next Mental Toughness Boot Camp starts in late September! See the website for details.This bi-monthly publication is being offered to you free of charge. You may share this newsletter with others as long as it is distributed in its entirety. If you prefer not to receive a copy, either call 256-551-4479 or send an email to moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Use these same methods to be placed on the mailing list. All back issues of Performance Enhancement News can be downloaded at no charge at: www.monciersportpsychology.com.

Dr. Jim Moncier is a licensed psychologist in Alabama and Florida. He is an assistant professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Huntsville Campus, a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and a member of Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His sport psychology practice includes work with athletes, coaches, and teams in junior high, high school, collegiate, and professional sports such as baseball, basketball, competitive cheerleading, football, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling.

To schedule a sport psychology consultation with Dr. Moncier, call 256-551-4479. Questions regarding sport psychology services can be directed to Dr. Moncier via email at moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Further information about either sport psychology in general or Dr. Moncier’s practice in particular can be found at:  www.monciersportpsychology.com.

ReferencesIngrassia, L. (2010, March, 2). Shannen Doherty: Dad’s stroke inspired me to do DWTS. Retrieved July 19, 2010 from http://tvwatch.people.com/2010/03/02/shannen-doherty-dads-stroke-inspired-me-to-do-dwts/.

Wigler, J. (2010, March 22). Shannen Doherty sizes up her ‘Dancing With The Stars’ competition. Retrieved July 19, 2010 from http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1634466/20100322/story.jhtml.

Pre-Announcement: UAB Sport Psychology’s Fall Mental Toughness Boot Camp

Developing mental toughness is a process that is only now becoming more completely understood. UAB Sport Psychology has created a course to help athletes develop the skills consistent with the emerging literature regarding mental toughness.

This course focuses on helping the individual athlete develop self-awareness of mental strengths and areas needing more work. Additionally, participants will learn a variety of mental skills used by elite athletes in order to further develop their own mental toughness, such as managing emotions, self-talk, and focus; managing energy; and using imagery as a performance tool. These skills form the basis of the individual athlete’s pre-performance routines, regrouping plans, and general mental preparation strategies that will allow him or her to perform to the best of his or her abilities. Participants will also learn ways to incorporate mental toughness training into physical practices and their life in general in order to make the most out of both.

The course will begin in late September, 2010. It will meet on Monday nights for 10 weeks at UAB-Huntsville from 6:00-7:30 pm. The course will be limited to 15 participants ages 16 and older. There will be homework between each class. At the end of the course, each participant will have a notebook that they can use to continue to guide them as they strengthen their mental toughness long after the class is over. Dates, cost, and registration materials will be posted on the website by mid-August. Go to www.monciersportpsychology.com and follow the “Mental Toughness Boot Camp” link under the Services menu for more information. We will continue to offer a discount for three or more participants from the same team or school who register at the same time. See the website for details.You can now hear Dr. Moncier on the radio on WUMP (730 AM or 103.9 FM) at 3:30 on Tuesday afternoons during “The Johnny ‘Ballpark’ Franks Show.” If you are not in the North Alabama area or do not have access to a radio at work, you can listen to the show by directing your computer’s web browser to www.730ump.com and clicking on the “On Air Now” link at the upper right corner of the page.

This publication © 2010 by UAB Sport Psychology

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Performance Enhancement News
UAB Sport Psychology Volume 5, Issue 3 – June 2010

Keeping in Shape (Mentally) During the Off-Season 

It is the end of the academic year and most high school and college sports are winding down. In addition, student athletes are finishing up their academic obligations and are preparing for the transition to “summer” mode. 

This mode may include taking summer classes, working at a summer job, vacationing with family, and/or, in the case of a graduating senior, preparing for the next career step (either college or job).  

For athletes who will continue to compete in the fall, it is standard procedure to also include a physical conditioning program as part of the summer activities. Most of us have experienced the effects of taking an extended time off from exercise. In one study (Graves et al., 1988), participants who stopped training for 12 weeks lost 68% of the strength they had gained during a 10 to 18 week training program. Those participants who, instead, switched to a maintenance program consisting of regular but fewer training days per week maintained their strength gains. Thus, the benefits of maintaining physical conditioning during the off-season should be obvious: less time spent focusing on getting back into shape and more time spent improving your physical skills when official practice resumes.  

Mental skills are no different from physical skills and the “use it or lose it” principle applies as well. Elements that will help you stay in good mental shape during the off-season include assessing or reassessing your mental skills strengths and weaknesses, goal reviewing and resetting, and adopting a productive mindset. 

If you completed a self-assessment during the preseason last year, now is a great time to pull out the list and review what you (and others) identified as your relative strengths and weaknesses. Ignore the ratings for now. Instead, look at the skills you listed and re-rate your present skill level, again using the scale of 1-10 (with a rating of “1″ indicating “needs a lot of work” and a rating of “10″ indicating “fantastic!”).

Now compare your current self-assessment with your earlier one. If you specifically worked to improve your relative weaknesses, you should see an increase in your ratings on these skills. If you do not see improvement, more work is indicated.

Note: If you did not do a self-assessment last year, follow the instructions listed in the December 2006 newsletter in order to determine your relative strengths and weaknesses. 

Goal Reviewing/Resetting
This is also a great time to review any goals you set for the recently completed competitive season. As you review your goals, make sure to mark through any that were met. Highlight any that were not met.

Next, using your self-assessment, identify those mentally-based skills that were rated low. Examples of these might include self-talk, motivation, mental toughness, or handling pressure.  

Your unmet goals and low-rated skills can form the foundation of your off-season goals. You can also add others that you (or your coach) think are important. Follow the instructions for setting up long and short term goals described in the March 2009 newsletter. Other issues of the newsletter can give you ideas on how to improve specific mental skills. Make sure to write down your goals and review them regularly throughout the off-season. If you meet a goal, mark through it. This shows that you are progressing. If you are not seeing progress, it may mean that a particular goal is either too hard or too easy. Changing to goals of more moderate difficulty will help push you to improve. 

Making the correct choices means keeping your goals in mind and acting in a way that helps you meet them. It may mean saying “no” to something that might be enjoyable in the short term but will either not help you meet your goals or, even worse, might move you farther away from meeting your goals. This includes sticking to a diet, avoiding substance abuse, and adhering to a practice schedule, including resting when appropriate. 

Effort is one aspect of your life over which you have a lot of control over. A key question to ask yourself to determine if you are putting forth the appropriate effort is, “Are you practicing like you want to play, even during the off-season?” 

Finally, you have put in the effort to set up an off-season physical and mental training program. Being committed refers to having the will and determination to follow through with the program. It is up to you, and only you, to follow through. Best wishes! 

Note: All of the newsletters referenced can be downloaded from the website. 

For more information about this topic or any other topic related to mental skills or sport and performance psychology, contact your local sport psychologist.

The next Mental Toughness Boot Camp starts on June 22!

This bi-monthly publication is being offered to you free of charge. You may share this newsletter with others as long as it is distributed in its entirety. If you prefer not to receive a copy, either call 256.551.4479 or send an email to moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Use these same methods to be placed on the mailing list. All back issues of Performance Enhancement News can be downloaded at no charge from www.moncier.com.

Dr. Jim Moncier is a licensed psychologist in Alabama and Florida. He is an assistant professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Huntsville Campus, a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and a member of Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His sport psychology practice includes work with athletes, coaches, and teams in junior high, high school, collegiate, and professional sports such as baseball, basketball, competitive cheerleading, football, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling. To schedule a sport psychology consultation with Dr. Moncier, call 256-551-4479. Questions regarding sport psychology services can be directed to Dr. Moncier via email at moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Further information about either sport psychology in general or Dr. Moncier’s practice in particular can be found at:  www.monciersportpsychology.com. 

Reference
Graves, JE, Pollock, ML, Leggett, SH, Braith, RW, Carpenter, DM, & Bishop, LE. (1988). Effect of reduced training frequency on muscular strength. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 9¸ 316-319. As reported in Wilmore, JH, & Costill, DL. (1999). Physiology of Sport and Exercise (2^nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 

Announcement: UAB Sport Psychology’s Summer Mental Toughness Boot Camp 

Developing mental toughness is a process that is only now becoming more completely understood. UAB Sport Psychology has created a course to help athletes develop the skills consistent with the emerging literature regarding mental toughness. 

This course focuses on helping the individual athlete develop self-awareness of mental strengths and areas needing more work. Additionally, participants will learn a variety of mental skills used by elite athletes in order to further develop their own mental toughness, such as controlling emotions, self-talk, and focus; managing energy; and using imagery as a performance tool. These skills form the basis of the individual athlete’s pre-performance routines, regrouping plans, and general mental preparation strategies that will allow him or her to perform to the best of his or her abilities. Participants will also learn ways to incorporate mental toughness training into physical practices and their life in general in order to make the most out of both. 

The course will start on June 22, 2010. It will meet on Tuesday nights for 10 weeks at UAB-Huntsville from 6:00-7:30 pm. The course will be limited to 25 athletes ages 15 and older. There will be homework between each class. At the end of the course, each participant will have a notebook that they can use to continue to guide them as they strengthen their mental toughness long after the class is over. For a more detailed description and for registration materials, go to www.monciersportpsychology.com and follow the “Mental Toughness Boot Camp” link under the Services menu. Registration ends June 11, 2010. 

You can now hear Dr. Moncier on the radio on WUMP (730 AM or 103.9 FM) at 3:30 on Tuesday afternoons during “The Johnny ‘Ballpark’ Franks Show.” If you are not in the North Alabama area or do not have access to a radio at work, you can listen to the show by directing your computer’s web browser to www.730ump.com and clicking on the “On Air Now” link at the upper right corner of the page.

This publication © 2010 by UAB Sport Psychology

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Performance Enhancement News
UAB Sport Psychology Volume 5, Issue 2 – April 2010

Finishing

In the March 14, 2010 finals of the SEC’s men’s basketball tournament, Mississippi State held a 3 point lead against Kentucky, the number 2 team in the nation, with only 8 seconds left in the game.

Kentucky not only scored 3 points to tie the game (thanks to a layup by DeMarcus Cousins with time running out) and sent the game into overtime; they won the game 75-74 to earn their 26^th SEC tournament title. For the win, Kentucky earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and a number one seed. Mississippi State’s reward? A number one seed in the NIT, considered by most teams to be a consolation tournament. In an interesting coincidence, a similar scenario including these same teams happened on February 16, 2010 and Kentucky won that game in overtime as well.

How many times have you either coached or played for a team that came from behind late to win a game? Coaches often refer to this as “finishing well.” On the other hand, teams that have a lead late in the game and yet fail to win are often said to have “failed to finish.” Another example of failing to finish in basketball is a player who makes a great defensive play to steal the ball and then misses a layup.

Finishing well is related to several mental skills including goal setting, attention management, effort, and self-talk. We will look at how each impacts the act of “finishing.”

Goal Setting

In order to “finish well,” you must remain aware of the purpose of the action, or set of actions. Is it to complete a layup? Is it to prevent your opponent from scoring? Is it to win a game? Each of these represents a goal that has been set.

In the March 2009 edition of the newsletter, we discussed the process of goal setting in some detail. In the case of finishing, goal setting helps the athlete/team to “finish  well” by directing the athlete’s or team’s actions, just like a game plan does. Keeping your goals in mind will help you remember what is important to attend to.

Attention Management

It is important that each athlete direct his or her full attention to what he or she is currently doing. This gives the athlete the best opportunity to “finish the task well.” However, it is very easy to lose your focus during a competition. Depending on the sport, the competition may last anywhere from a few minutes to many days. Thus, paying attention throughout the competition can be challenging.

The most effective way for an athlete to learn to direct his or her full attention to what they are doing during a competition is to do this during practice. It is extremely easy to focus on a mistake made in the past. It is also extremely easy to focus on the action you are supposed to do next before you finish what you are currently doing, such as running before you catch the ball in football. I suggest focusing on what is important at the moment during practice in order to improve your ability to manage your attention during a game. See the October 2009 newsletter for more information about managing attention.

Now, I obviously cannot read minds but while watching the SEC basketball final, it looked to me like the Mississippi State players were simply waiting around for Kentucky to lose during the final seconds of the game. Kentucky, on the other hand, seemed to recognize that the game was not over yet and acted to do what they could to stay in the game.

Effort

As I have noted before, there are not many things over which you have control. However, the effort you put into both practice and competition is something over which you have absolute control.

Once you assume you know the outcome, you almost guarantee that you will “finish poorly.” Remember, the body follows the mind. So, once you think, “we have this game won,” it is only natural to back off on effort and you are much more likely to “limp in” to the finish. You may not lose but finishing strong is certainly not likely. On the other hand, once you think, “we cannot win,” you have made this a virtual certainty. The June 2009 newsletter addresses the concept of effort more fully.

Self-Talk

As noted above, your internal dialogue has a large impact on your actions. You can use your self-talk to complement any of the other three mental skills described here to guide you towards a “good finish.” Remind yourself about your goals. Direct yourself to attend to what is important now. Encourage yourself to put in maximum effort, regardless of the score. The March and June 2007 issues of the newsletter discuss self-talk in more detail.

In conclusion, the recipe for “finishing well” includes being aware of your goals for the activity in which you are involved, being fully attentive to what is important while being involved in that activity, putting in your full effort while being involved in that activity, and using your self-talk productively. Finishing well does not guarantee wins, but it does mean that you have done all you can to perform successfully!

Note: All of the newsletters referenced can be downloaded from the website.

For more information about this or any other topic related to mental skills or sport and performance psychology, contact your local sport psychologist.

Be sure to check out the new website. Your feedback is appreciated.

This bi-monthly publication is being offered to you free of charge. You may share this newsletter with others as long as it is distributed in its entirety. If you prefer not to receive a copy, either call 256-551-4479 or send an email to moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Use these same methods to be placed on the mailing list. All back issues of Performance Enhancement News can be downloaded at no charge at: www.monciersportpsychology.com.

Dr. Jim Moncier is a licensed psychologist in Alabama and Florida. He is an assistant professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Huntsville Campus, a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and a member of Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His sport psychology practice includes work with athletes, coaches, and teams in junior high, high school, collegiate, and professional sports such as baseball, basketball, competitive cheerleading, football, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling. 

To schedule a sport psychology consultation with Dr. Moncier, call 256-551-4479. Questions regarding sport psychology services can be directed to Dr. Moncier via email at moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Further information about either sport psychology in general or Dr. Moncier’s practice in particular can be found at:  www.monciersportpsychology.com.

Announcement: UAB Sport Psychology’s Summer Mental Toughness Boot Camp

Developing mental toughness is a process that is only now becoming more completely understood. UAB Sport Psychology has created a course to help athletes develop the skills consistent with the emerging literature regarding mental toughness.

This course focuses on helping the individual athlete develop self-awareness of mental strengths and areas needing more work. Additionally, participants will learn a variety of mental skills used by elite athletes in order to further develop their own mental toughness, such as controlling emotions, self-talk, and focus; managing energy; and using imagery as a performance tool. These skills form the basis of the individual athlete’s pre-performance routines, regrouping plans, and general mental preparation strategies that will allow him or her to perform to the best of his or her abilities. Participants will also learn ways to incorporate mental toughness training into physical practices and their life in general in order to make the most out of both.

The course will start on June 22, 2010. It will meet on Tuesday nights for 10 weeks at UAB-Huntsville from 6:00-7:30 pm. The course will be limited to 25 athletes ages 15 and older. There will be homework between each class. At the end of the course, each participant will have a notebook that they can use to continue to guide them as they strengthen their mental toughness long after the class is over. For a more detailed description and for registration materials, go to www.monciersportpsychology.com and follow the “Mental Toughness Course” link. Registration ends June 11, 2010.

You can now hear Dr. Moncier on the radio on WUMP (730 AM or 103.9 FM) at 3:30 on Tuesday afternoons as he discusses the mental aspects of sport in relation to current events in the sports world during “The Johnny ‘Ballpark’ Franks Show.” If you are not in the North Alabama area or do not have access to a radio at work, you can listen to the show by directing your computer’s web browser to www.730ump.com and clicking on the “On Air Now” link at the upper right corner of the page.

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The Boot Camp will meet on Monday evenings for 10 weeks from 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm in the third floor auditorium at the UAB Huntsville Campus, 301 Governors Drive SW. The class will start on September 27, 2010 and end on December 13, 2010. It is recommended that interested individuals enroll early as the course will be limited to the first 15 individuals, ages 17 and older, who register. Registration will end on September 20, 2010. The price of the class is $200 per participant, payable at the time of registration. For groups of 3 or more, the cost will be $175 per person (must register at the same time).

For more detailed information, download the Flyer for the Boot Camp
To register for the Boot Camp, download the Registration Form
(Adobe Reader required for both.)

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Performance Enhancement News
UAB Sport Psychology Volume 5, Issue 1 – February 2010

Handling Pressure, Part 3 (This One’s for the Coaches)

On December 26, 2009 Urban Meyer announced that he was stepping down as the head football coach of the defending national champion Florida Gators (Bryant, 2009).

He cited concerns about his health as the primary reason for this stunning move. The next day, he announced that instead of leaving, he was taking a leave of absence. Many in the sports world criticized Meyer for his “flip-flopping.” Others, including myself, saw this as an opportunity to highlight what most coaches already know: The pressures of coaching impact coaches at least as much as the pressures of performing impact their athletes.

We discussed the important concept of handling pressure in the October and December 2009 issues of Performance Enhancement News. We defined what a pressure situation is and listed the various symptoms that can occur when you are faced with such a situation. We also noted that most people perform better under at least some pressure. The key to successfully handling pressure is managing the effects of pressure so that the performer is more likely to get the task done. Finally, we identified four strategies for managing the effects of pressure (relaxation, attention management, self- talk, and imagery) and discussed each of these in some detail. Both issues can be downloaded from the website.

In my experience, most fans tend to see coaches in one-dimensional terms – they are either “good” coaches or “bad” coaches based upon wins and losses. As many of you are aware, the pressure to perform, again translated into wins and losses, can take a huge toll on coaches, which is often invisible to the general public.

The two symptoms attributed to Urban Meyer, chest pain and loss of appetite, can certainly be medically-based and from what I have read, it appears he is being monitored closely by medical personnel.

However, if you have read the last two newsletters, you know that chronic stress can not only lead to medical symptoms, but can also lead to the suppression of the immune system, which makes the individual much more susceptible to illness. Chronic stress can also be associated with psychological symptoms such as impulsive decision-making, irritability, loss of focus, and proneness towards substance abuse.

Unmanaged, chronic stress can lead to burnout. Anyone experiencing burnout (coaches, athletes, business people, etc.) tends to leave his or her job. You may recall that the very successful professional football coach, Dick Vermeil, specifically cited burnout as the reason for his retirement from coaching in 1982, only one year after taking the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl.

Recent articles have highlighted the pressures of coaching (Estes, 2009; Staples, 2010). Andy Staples refers to college football head coaching as “the most dangerous job in sports.” His article references the health problems of numerous college head coaches including Andy Talley (coach of the current FCS football champion Villanova Wildcats), Jim Calhoun (who only recently returned to coaching UConn’s men’s basketball team after a medical leave of absence), and Skip Prosser (who died after returning from a recruiting trip for Wake Forest in 2007).

The articles by Estes and Staples also highlight what coaches are doing to stay healthier. Estes (2009) reported that Coach Nick Saban works to manage his stress from coaching by sticking to a routine, eating healthy, and staying in shape. Many of the coaches interviewed for Staples’ (2010) article work out regularly. Chuck Noll (winner of four Super Bowls as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers) reportedly managed his coaching stress through relaxation activities such as flying planes, cooking, traveling, and boating.

With such high-profile and successful coaches admitting to being impacted by the stress of their job, my hope is that this will serve as a wake-up call for coaches at all levels. Adopting more active stress management strategies will ideally help coaches to remain healthier and to continue coaching for many years.

A common question I hear from coaches is, “How do I teach my athletes ways to manage pressure?” My usual response is, “How do you manage pressure?” Coaches are important role models for their athletes. Most of the coaches I have worked with understand this, but often do not make the connection that how they manage stress frequently translates into how their athletes manage stress. (“Do as I say, not as I do.”) Therefore, when I am having the “handling pressure” discussion with a coach, I usually begin by teaching him or her how to manage the pressure they experience when trying to perform at their best.

So, far from being critical of Coach Meyer for his admission that he has been impacted by the pressures of his job, I applaud him. I hope that every coach, no matter what the sport or level, is listening. Like any type of performing, becoming an effective coach takes hard work, lots of preparation and effort, the ability to manage pressure and adverse situations effectively, in addition to the ability to lead others. Learning to manage the pressures of coaching will not only allow coaches to continue to do what most coaches love to do – coach – it will also allow them to stay healthier while they do it. Finally, it will also allow the coach to model handling pressure in a healthy and productive fashion for his or her athletes. You know your athletes are watching …

For more information about this topic or any other topic related to mental skills or sport and performance psychology, contact your local sport psychologist.

References
Bryant, B. (2009, December 27). Urban Meyer steps down at Florida. The Huntsville Times, pp. B1, B6.

Estes, G. (2009, December 28). Coaching in constant anxiety. The Huntsville Times, pp. D1, D3.

Staples, A. (2010, January 20). College football head coach: The most dangerous job in sports. Retrieved on February 1, 2010 from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/01/19/coaches.danger/1.html.

This bi-monthly publication is being offered to you free of charge. You may share this newsletter with others as long as it is distributed in its entirety. If you prefer not to receive a copy, either call 256-551-4479 or send an email to moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Use these same methods to be placed on the mailing list. All back issues of Performance Enhancement News can be downloaded at no charge at www.moncier.com.

Dr. Jim Moncier is a licensed psychologist in Alabama and Florida. He is an assistant professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Huntsville Campus, a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and a member of Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His sport psychology practice includes work with athletes, coaches, and teams in junior high, high school, collegiate, and professional sports such as baseball, basketball, competitive cheerleading, football, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling.

To schedule a sport psychology consultation with Dr. Moncier, call 256- 551-4479. Questions regarding sport psychology services can be directed to Dr. Moncier via email at moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Further information about either sport psychology in general or Dr. Moncier’s practice in particular can be found at www.moncier.com.

You can now hear Dr. Moncier on the radio on WUMP (730 AM or 103.9 FM) at 3:30 on Tuesday afternoons during “The Johnny ‘Ballpark’ Franks Show.” If you are not in the North Alabama area or do not have access to a radio at work, you can listen to the show by directing your computer’s web browser to www.730ump.com and clicking on the “On Air Now” link at the upper right corner of the page.

This publication © 2010 by UAB Sport Psychology

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Performance Enhancement News
UAB Sport Psychology Volume 4, Issue 5 – December 2009

Handling Pressure, Part 2

In the October Issue of Performance Enhancement News, we began to discuss handling pressure. We defined what a pressure situation is and listed the various symptoms that can occur when you are faced with such a situation.

We noted that most people perform better under at least some pressure and that the key to handling pressure is managing the effects so that the performer is more likely to get the task at hand done successfully. Finally, we identified four strategies for managing the effects of pressure and discussed two of these, relaxation and attention management, in some detail.

We will spend the bulk of this issue focused on self-talk and imagery and how they can be used to help you manage the effects of pressure.

Self-Talk
We have examined the impact of our internal dialogue (i.e., self-talk) in previous issues of the newsletter. In these issues, we discussed a strategy for identifying your self-talk, determining its effect on your performance, and how to manage your self-talk.

Self-talk can either hurt or help in pressure situations. If you review the mental responses to pressure listed in the October issue, you will see that three of these usually have self-talk at their core: regret/worry, racing thoughts (or the experience of having too many thoughts at once), and negative thinking. The first two contribute to a poor performance by distracting you from the task at hand.

Self-talk can also impact your performance by directing your attention to subtle aspects of your performance. If your self-talk is generally positive in nature, you are more likely to direct your attention to productive actions and additional productive thoughts. The converse is true as well – negative thoughts will tend to direct your attention to non-productive actions and additional non-productive thoughts. You may have had days when you cannot seem to do anything right. Those days may have started with some negative thoughts that just led to a cycle of mistakes; more negative thinking; more mistakes; more negative thinking; etc.

Strategies from previous issues can help you start to manage your self-talk. For times when you are distracted by either regret/worry or racing thoughts, thought stoppage combined with the basic refocusing routine from last issue are good strategies to start with. We also noted in the last issue that regulated breathing may be helpful in this situation. For negative thinking, the strategies of countering and redirection can help you change your thoughts from negative to productive.

Imagery
Finally, last year, we began the discussion of using your ability to create or recreate an experience in your mind (i.e., imagery) as a performance tool. We discussed several uses for imagery in sports including learning new skills, practicing already developed skills, and solving technique problems. It was also noted that that the combination of physical practice and imagery leads to more performance improvement than physical practice alone.

Imagery can also play a role in helping you manage pressure situations more effectively through the mental rehearsal of those situations. For example, identify a pressure situation in your sport. It could be performing in front of a large crowd, having to make a free throw to send a game into overtime, making a field goal to win a game, or anything that you see as a pressure situation. The important part is that it must be an activity from your sport.

Once you have identified a situation, find a quiet place, close your eyes, and take some slow, deep breaths. Then imagine yourself in the situation vividly by including as many of your senses as you can. Then, see yourself managing the pressure successfully. If you see yourself making a mistake, redo the imagery exercise, this time seeing yourself doing it correctly. Always end an imagery session by seeing yourself successfully manage the pressure situation. The goal is to become familiar with ways to handle the pressure situation so that when you are faced with the situation in real life, you will know what to do and you will have seen yourself handling the pressure successfully.

As usual, due to space limitations, we have only scratched the surface of the topic of handling pressure. There are many ways to effectively manage pressure situations. The important thing is to find what works for you. Regardless of what strategies you choose, remember: managing pressure requires a proactive approach. In other words, for the techniques to work when you need them, you must practice before you need them (just like physical practice).

If you review the techniques we have looked at, you will also notice that they allow you to start taking control of what you have control over: your actions. Slowing your breathing down, attending to what is important now, making your self-talk productive, and mentally rehearsing managing pressure situations should help once you have experience using them both through practice and in actual pressure situations.

Note: All of the newsletters referenced can be downloaded from the website.

For more information about this topic or any other topic related to mental skills or sport and performance psychology, contact your local sport psychologist.

Give the gift of mental toughness to the performers in your life this holiday season. The next Mental Toughness Boot Camp starts in January!

This bi-monthly publication is being offered to you free of charge. You may share this newsletter with others as long as it is distributed in its entirety. If you prefer not to receive a copy, either call 256-551-4479 or send an email to moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Use these same methods to be placed on the mailing list. All back issues of Performance Enhancement News can be downloaded at no charge at: www.monciersportpsychology.com.

Dr. Jim Moncier is a licensed psychologist in Alabama and Florida. He is an assistant professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Huntsville Campus, a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and a member of Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His sport psychology practice includes work with athletes, coaches, and teams in junior high, high school, collegiate, and professional sports such as baseball, basketball, competitive cheerleading, football, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling.

To schedule a sport psychology consultation with Dr. Moncier, call 256- 551-4479. Questions regarding sport psychology services can be directed to Dr. Moncier via email at moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Further information about either sport psychology in general or Dr. Moncier’s practice in particular can be found at: www.monciersportpsychology.com.

Announcement: UAB Sport Psychology’s Winter Mental Toughness Boot Camp
Developing mental toughness is a process that is only now becoming more completely understood. UAB Sport Psychology has created a course to help athletes develop the skills consistent with the emerging literature regarding mental toughness.

This course focuses on helping the individual athlete develop self-awareness of mental strengths and areas needing more work. Additionally, participants will learn a variety of mental skills used by elite athletes in order to further develop their own mental toughness, such as controlling emotions, self-talk, and focus; managing energy; and using imagery as a performance tool. These skills form the basis of the individual athlete’s pre-performance routines, regrouping plans, and general mental preparation strategies that will allow him or her to perform to the best of his or her abilities. Participants will also learn ways to incorporate mental toughness training into physical practices and their life in general in order to make the most out of both.

The course will start on January 19, 2010. It will meet on Tuesday nights for 10 weeks at UAB-Huntsville from 6:00-7:30 pm. The course will be limited to 25 athletes ages 15 and older. There will be homework between each class. At the end of the course, each participant will have a notebook that they can use to continue to guide them as they strengthen their mental toughness long after the class is over. For a more detailed description and for registration materials, go to www.monciersportpsychology.com and follow the “Mental Toughness Course” link. Registration ends January 15, 2010.

You can now hear Dr. Moncier on the radio on WUMP (730 AM or 103.9 FM) at 3:30 on Tuesday afternoons during “The Johnny ‘Ballpark’ Franks Show.” If you are not in the North Alabama area or do not have access to a radio at work, you can listen to the show by directing your computer’s web browser to www.730ump.com and clicking on the “On Air Now” link at the upper right corner of the page.

This publication © 2009 by UAB Sport Psychology

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Performance Enhancement News
UAB Sport Psychology Volume 4, Issue 4 – October 2009

Handling Pressure

But here you are in the ninth
Two men out and three men on
Nowhere to look but inside
Where we all respond to
Pressure (Joel, 1982).

What is a pressure situation for you? Is it attempting a penalty kick? A chance to win a game by making a free throw with no time on the clock? A four foot putt on the 18th hole to win a tournament? Taking the ACT as part of the college application process? Being a principal in a musical on opening night?

In my work, I use the following definition of a “pressure situation:” an event that is important to a performer in which he or she feels a strong desire to perform well. In these situations, the body often responds by producing adrenaline, which can lead to physical symptoms such as a racing heartbeat, faster breathing, tightened muscles, dry mouth, and/or “butterflies” in the stomach, even to the point of feeling nauseous. People can also experience mental symptoms in response to pressure including increased worry, negative thinking, and/or intrusive or racing thoughts. Handling pressure starts with the understanding that these reactions to pressure are normal.

Being able to perform under pressure does not mean eliminating the effects of pressure. In fact, most people perform better when feeling some pressure. Instead, performing under pressure means being able to manage the effects of pressure so that you are more likely to get the job done successfully.

You can break down pressure management strategies into four areas: relaxation, attention management, self-talk, and imagery. We will begin by focusing on the relaxation and attention management strategies.

Relaxation
Relaxation techniques form the basis for any routine focused on managing the effects of pressure. If you review the symptoms that can occur when people feel the pressure to perform, many of them act to speed you up from a physiological perspective. Your breathing, heart rate, and thoughts can all get faster. If you think about it, even your muscles can get “faster” because adrenaline causes muscles to tense by increasing the rate that your muscles contract – thus they become tight.

There are many ways to relax. For the purpose of this column, I will describe one. Regulated Breathing focuses on slowing your breathing down. Start by breathing in while you count to four in your head. When you reach four, you should still be inhaling. Then hold your breath to another count of four. Then breathe out to four followed by another hold of four. Repeat this sequence two more times (for a total of three rounds). If you feel uncomfortable holding your breath, simply breathe in to a count of four and then out to a count of four. This exercise does two things. First, it helps you literally slow your breathing down. Second, since you cannot breathe and count out loud at the same time, you must count in your head. With practice, counting may help you slow your thinking down by focusing you on the counting process.

Attention Management
Once you have slowed your breathing and your thoughts down, it is time to get back to the task at hand through a refocusing routine.

Managing your attention really means directing your attention away from either mistakes that occurred in the past or worries about things that could happen in the future and to what is important at the time. For instance, a fielder could be focusing on an error she made two batters ago. Or a quarterback may be worrying about how terrible it will be if he does not lead his team to a victory, before the game starts. In both situations, the athlete’s attention is not where it needs to be.

Redirecting your attention starts with the recognition that you are not focusing on what is important at the time. Some clues that you might need to practice refocusing routines may include a tendency to dwell on mistakes or to worry.

The following represents a basic refocusing routine:

1. Take a slow, deep breath. Pay close attention to how the air feels as it goes in and as it goes out.
2. If you made a mistake, quickly assess what could be done more effectively (if anything).
3. Remind yourself of your game plan or goal for the competition.
4. Remind yourself to “focus.”
5. Reorient yourself to the situation you are in at present (i.e., what down it is, number of outs, etc.).
6. Rejoin the action.

Try the above and see how it works for you.

In the December issue of Performance Enhancement News, we will conclude the discussion of managing pressure situations by focusing on self-talk and imagery. While we have really only scratched the surface of the topic of handling pressure, the information here will get you started. Managing pressure is like any skill: practice is the key to mastery. Best wishes!

For more information about this topic or any other topic related to mental skills or sport and performance psychology, contact your local sport psychologist.

I am exploring the possibility of starting a free monthly brown bag lunch discussion group for local coaches to focus on helping coaches begin (or continue) to apply mental skills with their athletes. Topics would be set by the participants. The group would be meet at UAB-Huntsville (301 Governors Dr, SW), would be conducted in discussion format and would probably start in January, 2010. If you are a coach (at any level) in the North Alabama area and would like to be involved, please send an email to me at moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. If there is enough interest, I will set something up.

Reference
Joel, B. (1982). Pressure. On The Nylon Curtain [CD]. New York: CBS Records.

This bi-monthly publication is being offered to you free of charge. You may share this newsletter with others as long as it is distributed in its entirety. If you prefer not to receive a copy, either call 256-551-4479 or send an email to moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Use these same methods to be placed on the mailing list. All back issues of Performance Enhancement News can be found on the web at: www.monciersportpsychology.com.

Dr. Jim Moncier is a licensed psychologist in Alabama and Florida. He is an assistant professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Huntsville Campus, a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and a member of Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His sport psychology practice includes work with athletes, coaches, and teams in junior high, high school, collegiate, and professional sports such as baseball, basketball, competitive cheerleading, football, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling.

To schedule a sport psychology consultation with Dr. Moncier, call 256- 551-4479. Questions regarding sport psychology services can be directed to Dr. Moncier via email at moncierj@uasomh.uab.edu. Further information about either sport psychology in general or Dr. Moncier’s practice in particular can be found at: www.monciersportpsychology.com.

You can now hear Dr. Moncier on the radio on WUMP (730 AM or 103.9 FM) at 3:30 on Tuesday afternoons during “The Johnny ‘Ballpark’ Franks Show.” If you are not in the North Alabama area or do not have access to a radio at work, you can listen to the show by directing your computer’s web browser to www.730ump.com and clicking on the “On Air Now” link at the upper right corner of the page.

This publication © 2009 by UAB Sport Psychology

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