Thinking Competitively Competitive Mental Training www ...thinkingcognitively.com/Resources/Downloads/thinking competitively for... · identify positive characteristics, and a positive

Thinking Competitively

Competitive Mental Training www.thinkingcognitively.com

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So let’s begin by asking yourself a couple of questions,

Lastly when you are playing a point, what makes you decide whether to hit a forehand, a backhand, or drop-shot? I assume these questions have been fairly simple for you to answer, as racket technology and coaching techniques have advanced you have employed them to improve your performance and your game, you have practiced with your coach and in match play to improve your techniques and hone appropriate shot selection, you also know that if you don’t use these opportunities your chance of success will begin to fall behind your competitor, because let’s face it as look across the net I bet your opponent isn’t using a wooden racket either!

So in summary, if you get the right equipment and practice the right technique for long enough, then you win…easy!!

Firstly do you play with a wooden racket? If not, Why not?

Second question is a bit more challenging, what grip do you use for your forehand; Continental, Semi-Western or Eastern, or indeed some other variation, and is your backhand single or double-handed? Why have you chosen to use these techniques?

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Ok, but you’re not winning as much or as often as you think you should be? So where is the problem?

Alright so let’s now begin to consider what goes through your mind as you begin the warm-up rally before a match or when the game starts to get difficult?

“Gosh I really hope I don’t play badly and let my parents/coach/ doubles partner/etc. down” “I really want/need to win this match and to do so I just need to want it more than my opponent” “I need to get my adrenaline going and get pumped up then I will play better and win” “Everybody is telling me to think about process and not the result…but how do I do that?” “Wow my opponent really is good I can’t possibly win”

I have often read, seen or heard sports-people being told that they need to show a positive mental attitude, this invariably follows an old worn out format that suggests that by looking positive you will “be” positive or by focusing on confidence you can cultivate a belief that you can manage anything on the court, this old and outdated psychological approach is really comparable to using a wooden racket, indeed it could be considered Neanderthal

Neanderthal! Hey isn’t that a bit harsh.

Well actually it really “IS” Neanderthal and let me prove it by telling you a story…

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Here is the Scientific Evolutionary/Biology bit

I want you to imagine you are a cavewoman (or a Neanderthal) and you’re minding your own business looking for food (pretty much a full-time occupation during that whole hunter/gatherer thing) anyway…

Because we lived in a primitive environment, although life was pretty simple most of the time, it was important to recognise threats to survival and respond to them rapidly.

This is the role of your Amygdala (AMY)

Cerebral cortex Slow 10 sec intelligent thinking

Amygdala (threat focus) Very fast 1/10sec automatic

Hippocampus Makes Decisions Body

Fight Flight Freeze

Sensory system -External (situation)

OR -Internal (Image or memory)

So, we are equipped with a short cut system to do that, it’s called your “limbic system” and is essentially run by the “amygdala”. It cuts out the sophisticated, intelligent thinking because that’s a bit of a luxury

that takes too long if the danger is immediate.

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OK so now we know that human beings are designed for safety – therefore:

You have 2 settings:

How do you know there really is a threat or an emergency?

This largely based on information given to you by your tribe/family /others and of course your own previous experience. This is just one of the many good reasons for keeping the threat system in its place – or it keeps your previous experiences and everything that went wrong in those experiences alive forever. This is bad. Now, however bad a tennis match is going, it’s not really the same as being chased by a sabre-tooth tiger or being stuck in a burning building is it? and yet….

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Human 10secs Slow but smart thinking, ok I just need to focus on tactics technique and process

Amygdala/Dog THREAT brain 1/10th second Fast automatic thinking.

Biological computer Makes decisions, tells body what to do

Sensory system Can be -External (actual

situation) -Internal (memory)

This is exactly what the amygdala is thinking

So in summary when we play tennis our amygdala or “inner dog” gets

confused and thinks that losing is like being attacked by a sabre-tooth tiger, or being stuck in a burning building, hence it becomes impossible to think about

tactics or technique

So if that is the “real” problem what is the solution?

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Basically we need to find a way to “buy” about 9.5

seconds; this is the difference between the

reaction time of the amygdala (dog) and your sophisticated “human”

(Roger) brain

Thankfully, this isn’t actually a difficult thing to do, all we need to do is get your amygdala watching

some “happy movies” (aka memories) rather than the “horror”

show it is currently watching Then your smart brain can get its

hands (so to speak) on the biological computer and start to

make some “better” decisions (or allows you to focus on your tactics)

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Is a brief, integrated psychological intervention

(essentially three ingredients of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness and Positive Memory Training)

which targets this “threat” brain, which as we now know impacts on performance, leading to low self-

esteem. This technique works by increasing your level of mental flexibility. It strengthens and restores

internal mental control mechanisms; it can be likened to mental fitness training. We all know that being

physically fit improves performance; “Thinking Competitively” will strengthen and activate internal

processes that will help you recover from low mood and low self-esteem. “Thinking Competitively” will

encourage your mind to move away from dwelling on negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs about

yourself, and help you regain mental control.

The intervention aims to target a positive self-memory (and the associated positive emotions) which will

keep your inner dog (threat brain) occupied while “human-you” are then able to re-focus and

concentrate on your technique tactics etc.

Great so what do I need to do? The training can be offered in two 45 minutes moderately structured sessions, and/or used alone with the following self-help manual.

“Thinking Competitively” includes the following key steps:

identify the core negative self-image (memory) related to the poor , performance issue

identify positive characteristics, and a positive self-image (memory) , which contradicts the meaning of the negative self-image

enhance accessibility to the positive self-image (memory) through , repeated practice of the memory, add music, and body posture

integrate access to the positive image into tennis practice and match- , play(which typically act as a trigger for a sense of low self-esteem and , performance issue)

The process above is maximised through daily homework

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Step 1 Start with the bad

Step 2 Let’s move to the happy place

List of possible positive qualities (confidence, tenacious, skillful, perseverance,

enjoyment, sportsmanship)

Event/memory

A time when you won a match or played a great shot

Positive characteristics

Name the qualities you showed, from the list or add your own

How true is that rate it 1-100

Negative memory A time when it all went a bit….wrong

Negative characteristics Think or your inner Dog/Neanderthal shouting E.g. I am useless, hopeless a failure etc

How true is that rate it 1-100 (optional)

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Step 3 Pick one memory in particular to practice

Event/memory



Name the qualities you showed, from the list or add your own

How true is that rate it 1-100

Step 4 Close your eyes and relive the moment in your mind’s eye, as you relive the positive memory, think about the characteristics that you exhibited and remind yourself of them, now open your eyes after 20-40secs and see if you can hold onto those positive qualities/characteristic, remind yourself that this memory was real it actually happened

Event/memory


Image/ thoughts/feelings

Close your eyes and relive it, name the feelings

Body sensations

What do you notice in your body in your shoulders, belly legs etc


Remember and name the qualities you showed.

Step 5 Ask yourself how much do I practice my backhand or serving? Mental training is no different, it will require some practice and persistence, so we have added a reminder log for thinking competitively practice (3x a day) put tick when you have completed it

Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

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Is it working? The beneficial effects of “Thinking Competitively” on poor performance and low self-

esteem needs time to develop, so how do you know if using “Thinking Competitively” is

affecting underlying performance in the way that you want. One way is to notice this

change is to take the “Thinking Competitively” test.

Look at the scale below. It is a simple measure of the direction of your mood and self-esteem. You can use

this scale to rate the shift in your mood after practising “Thinking Competitively”. Therefore before you try

“Thinking Competitively” for the first time, have a look at the scale and circle the number that indicates

what your mood is right now.

Before “Thinking Competitively” my mood score is:

After “Thinking Competitively” my mood score is:

After practising “Thinking Competitively” continue to enter a

score after each practice in the table below and after a short

period of time you should begin to notice a shift in your mood

score towards the positive

“Thinking Positively”

Before score After score

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

Practice 4

Practice 5

Practice 6

Practice 7

Guidelines for

scoring

-2

Dropped game

from 40/0 wanted

to smash my

racket

-1 Lost close tiebreak

0 Going with serve

1 Won close tie

break

2 Won a game from

0/40 wanted to

kiss my racket

-2 -1 0 1 2

Negative mood

Lower mood

Neutral mood

Improved mood

Positive mood

-2 -1 0 1 2

Negative mood

Lower mood

Neutral mood

Improved mood

Positive mood

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What is Mindfulness?

Modern Mindfulness practice, adapted from the Buddhist

meditation traditions, is increasingly being employed in Western

psychology to alleviate a variety of mental and physical conditions,

including chronic pain, anxiety and depression and yes eventually

even sport, Novak Dojkovic and Jo Konta, are two of the most

recent high profile practitioners.

Mindfulness involves bringing one's awareness to focus on

experience within the present moment (from the past, the future, or

some other disconnected train of thought). By paying close attention

to the present experience, practitioners begin to see both inner and

outer aspects of reality as aspects of the mind.

Past Present Future

Negative memories Here and now

Negative worries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology

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We are free to release a thought ("let it go") when we realize that the thought may not be a concrete

reality or absolute truth, and realise that "thoughts are just thoughts."

Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way, on purpose and in the present moment.

Mindfulness is taking control of your mind rather than allowing your mind to be in control of you.

Mindfulness is NOT: about distraction, or relaxation, we are not trying to change things,

Mindfulness is not trying to make you more cheerful or turn negative experiences into positive ones.

We are NOT trying to get somewhere; we are trying to BE somewhere, right here, right now.

However, mindfulness does not have to be constrained to a formal meditation session. Mindfulness is an

activity that can be done at any time; it does not require sitting, or focusing on the breath, but rather simply

realizing what is happening in the present moment is mental content, including simply noticing the mind's

usual "commentary".

R

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m

e

m

be

r

the Egg exercise?

Mindfulness focuses on the PROCESS rather than the

OUTCOME

1 On a table in a quiet place so that it won’t be jarred.

2. Get out a raw egg and try to balance its point. It is possible!

3. Whether you are successful or not, what was it like for you?

4. What are the thoughts or urges that you notice do you

become frustrated? Do you need to be perfect?

5. Can you let these things go and refocus on the egg in the

moment?

6. What is your ultimate measure of success? Can you be

successful without balancing the egg?

7. Are you having fun???? Is it okay to have fun?

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Any activity done mindfully is a form of meditation, and hence anchors us

into the present; mindfulness is possible practically all the time.

The Mindful Tennis Ball

1 pick-up and hold a tennis ball

2. Firstly SEE the color and patterns on the ball, the felt and texture

3. Next FEEL the tennis ball notice how it feels in your hand

4. What are the thoughts or urges that you notice?

5. Next shake the tennis ball to your ear can you HEAR anything

6. Now SMELL the tennis ball, what thoughts or memories does this evoke

7. Now just like a Teflon frypan let them slide off as you return your focus to

the senses you are experiencing in the present moment with the tennis ball

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This is a (self)-guided breathing mindfulness space

Bring yourself into the present moment by deliberately adopting an erect and dignified posture either sitting or standing, if possible close your eyes. Then ask yourself What is my experience right now….. in thoughts……in feelings…………in body sensations? Resting in an awareness of your inner experience. Acknowledge and register your experience, even if its unwanted

Now gently redirect your full attention to your breath, to each in breath and out breath, as they follow one after the other Your breath itself can function as an anchor to bring you into the present and help you tune into a state of awareness and stillness into the present.

Now expanding your awareness around the breathing to include an awareness of the body as a whole, including your posture, and facial expressions And now bringing this more expanded and accepting awareness to the next moments of your day as you step out of automatic pilot and reconnect to the present moment

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Thinking Competitively Competitive Mental Training www ...thinkingcognitively.com/Resources/Downloads/thinking competitively for... · identify positive characteristics, and a positive