What do these guys have in common?

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY


What do these guys have in common?

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Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The overall classification of this briefing is: UNCLASSIFIED - FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE CENTER

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What is Mental Toughness?

• Control over stress under adversity • Your ability to understand and use your

stress reactions to optimize your performance

• Sharper focus, confidence, and resilience

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Four Techniques to Learn and Practice

• Focus on your performance objectives through goal setting.

• Manage stress through arousal control.• Create and use experiences in your mind

through visualization.• Use your awareness of your beliefs and

their consequences through self talk.

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Can the Big Four be Learned?

• Scientific research says, “YES!”

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Cold-water Breath-hold Study

• Two groups were immersed to measure breath-hold.

• After measuring, one group was taught to use and practice the “big four.”

• Both groups immersed and measured again.• The “big four” group outperformed by 80

percent.• The big four mental techniques helped control

the cold-shock physical reflex!

7“Breath-Hold Performance During Cold Water Immersion: Effects of Psychological Skills Training” (Bartwood, Dalzell, Datta, Thelwell & Tipton, 2006) from Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, Vol 77, No. 11, November 2006



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Tough starts here.



Human Stress Response• Fight or Flight:• Body’s primitive and automatic response

to perceived danger• Starts HPA (Hypothalamic-pituitary-

adrenal) axis Releases hormones , like adrenaline

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Control the HPA and you can control performance!



Physiological Reactions to Stress

• Heart rate and blood pressure increase• Blood vessels constrict (get smaller)• Blood migrates from extremities• Muscles tense• Breathing (respiration) increases• Pupils dilate • Palms get clammy• Tears and sweat decreases• Adrenaline released

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Cognitive Reactions to Stress

• Memory, concentration, and judgment suffer• Inability to concentrate• Confusion• Repetitive or racing thoughts• Anger and resentment • Sense of being overwhelmed• Lack of confidence • Desire to escape or run away

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Stress Response and Performance

13AROUSAL

PERFORMANCE

An “optimal”

level of arousal

High

Low High



Big Four• Goal Setting

• Arousal Control

• Visualization

• Self-Talk

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Goal Setting

Process Goals• Focus on the “how”

Essential skills Things you can control

Outcome Goals• Focus on achievement

Milestones Progress Attainment

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Focusing on your future skills and achievement



Why Goal Setting Works • Directs attention to important elements of

a skill to be performed• Mobilizes effort• Enhances and prolongs persistence• Fosters development of new learning

strategies

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Goal Setting Principles• Segmenting • The technique of arranging and focusing

upon smaller goals as manageable parts of a larger goal.

• Breaking things into smaller periods of time or activities

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Eat the elephant one bite at a time.

Goal Setting Principles

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Eat the elephant one bite at a time.



Goal Setting Principles• Make sure goals are:

specific and measurable difficult but realistic both long and short term

• Set PROCESS goals• WRITE DOWN goals• Develop goal achievement STRATEGIES

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Effective Goals: The SMART Approach

• Specific• Measurable• Attainable• Realistic• Timely

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I will complete the 500 yard swim in 13:00 min.by the end of the third week of Prep.



Goal Setting Pitfalls• Fuzzy goals• Setting too many goals too soon• Inflexible goals: failure to adjust• Lack of PROCESS goals• No follow-up and evaluation• Failing to recognize individual differences

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Arousal Control

AROUSAL

PERFORMANCE

High

Low High

An “optimal” level of arousal!



Arousal Control• Controlling the human stress response• Theory of Fours: Breath Control

Inhale: 4 seconds Exhale: 4 seconds Continue 4-6 minutes

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Theory of Fours: Why it works

• Normalizes human stress response (controls stress symptoms)

• Forces people to focus on breathing vice stressor

• “Centered-breathing”

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What is Visualization?• Creating or recreating an experience in the

mind• AKA: visualization, mental rehearsal /

practice

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Why Visualization Works• Vividly imagined events stimulate muscles

like actually practicing a movement• Visualization creates a motor program in

the central nervous system• Visualization improves concentration,

reduces anxiety, builds confidence• If visualized properly, the first time you see

the “real” event is actually the second time your mind has seen it.

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Involve all of the Senses:• Visualize (70%) see yourself do a perfect

sidestroke cycle into the glide• Hear (20%) the bubbles as you exhale

during the bobbing• Smell (5%) the air on your breathing

cycle / clean air vs. fumes / odors• Touch/Feel (4%) water flow over your

body • Taste (1%) the chlorine

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Does Visualization Work?• Anecdotal reports, case studies, and

scientific experiments suggests that it improves performance 90% of Olympic athletes use some form of

visualization; 97% of them felt it helped 94% of Olympic coaches used visualization

during training, with 100% of them noting it enhances performance

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Uses of Visualization• 20% everyday• 40% 3-5 days a week• 80% for competitive event preparation• 48% for technical errors• 44% for new skills• 40% for relaxation

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Uses of Visualization• Improve concentration• Build confidence• Control emotional responses• Practice sport / tactical skills• Practice strategy• Cope with pain and injury

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Types of Visualization• INTERNAL Visualization: imagining

execution of a skill from your own vantage point ( as if you have a camera on your head)

• EXTERNAL Visualization: view yourself from the perspective of an external viewer

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Basics of Visualization Training

• Use all of your senses

• Create or recreate as closely as possible the actual experience

• Include emotions and thoughts

• Manipulate your images

• Make them do what you want them to

VIVIDNESS CONTROL

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What is Self-Talk?• Your internal dialog and beliefs affect your

performance. Past experiences Biases Prejudices Stereotypes

• ABC Model:• Activating Event Belief

Consequence33



Relationship Between Beliefs and Reactions

• Negative symptoms / consequences

• Identify your own patterns ID negative beliefs that lead to negative

outcomes ID positive beliefs that lead to positive

outcomes

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ABC - Control / ResultsActivating Event

(Little to No Control)A

Beliefs(Total Control)

B

Consequences(Human Stress Response)

C

Drown-proofing

Negative Belief:I’ll sink and not be able to

hold my breath

Negative Result:Panic, DOR

Positive Belief:I can adapt to my body’s buoyancy and adjust my breathing, with practice

Positive Result:Overcome anxiety quickly

and drown-proof successfully

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How Self-Talk Works• Thoughts influence emotional /

physiological responses

• Events themselves do not lead to emotional / physiological responses

• Self-talk plays a key role in our reactions to situations

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Technique to Improve Self-Talk

Activating Event(Little to No Control)

A

Beliefs(Total Control)

B

Thought Replacement

Consequences(Human Stress

Response)C

I failed 500 yd swim Negative belief:

I’m not a natural swimmer

I can practice harder to pass the

swim

Improve confidence- fewer stress symptoms

Pass the swim

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Understand your personal belief systemUse thought replacement!



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When to Use the Techniques:Timing is Everything!

Goal Setting

Arousal Control

Visualization

Self-Talk

Self-Talk

Arousal Control?

Goal Setting?

Note: Arousal control and goal setting may have minimal impact during the event

Self-Talk

Goal Setting?

Note: After the event, goals can be modified before the next event



Mental Toughness Summary

• The “Big Four” techniques Goal setting Arousal control Visualization Self-talk (ABC theory)

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Documents

What do these guys have in common?