More and more the difference between winning and losing rests with psychological factors, or with the "mind game."

More and more the difference between winning and losing rests with psychological factors, or the "mind game." If you listen closely to sport commentators, you will hear many comments in this regard as they review athletic performance.

• "She lost her focus."
• "That fall is going to cost her concentration."
• "He lost the match in the first set, when he lost his service game. He never came back."

Certain athletes manage stress and pressure better than others, and many championships are lost in the mind, long before the final score has been recorded.
Actual performance actually runs behind skill and potential, sometimes as much as 90 percent. In other words, you may be capable of playing 90 percent better than you actually do, and the reason is all in the way you manage your mindbody connection. In reality one needs to develop two types of sports training programs, one for technique development in the chosen sport, and the other in psychological skill building. When these are employed together on a consistent basis, the athlete is able to access a focused mind state much more frequently. This is sometimes addressed as playing "in the zone." For many athletes, getting to this physiological/psychological state is a bit of a mystery. A consistent winner knows how to access this state at will. The following tolls are the training tools for high level performance.

Developing Focus and High Level Concentration Skills

The above set of tools are learned, and practiced daily in and out of sport practice. While they don't take a lot of time, commitment to the process is absolutely a necessity. Just like a football player would not consider learning new plays in the middle of a game, neither should the athlete consider learning to manage the mindbody connection in a stressful situation. All skills are built away from the playing field, be it a golf course, tennis court, skating rink, or in the middle of the English Channel. However, they are practiced along with technique development, and certainly when new techniques are being presented by the coaching staff.

When the body is experiencing stress reaction, the muscle tension is greatly increased. Most of us are completely oblivious to this tension, unless we begin to experience "screamers." Some popular ones are neck and back tension, headache, gastro-intestinal symptoms, tightness in the chest, and shallow breathing. These symptoms are often the triggers, causing an athlete to "choke."

This occurrance is similar to a "panic attack" in someone who is not playing sports. As the individual becomes keenly away of inner body sensations, and continues to focus in their direction, the body literally increases the amount of tension in all areas. For the athlete, the building of excess body tension interferes with all aspects of the game. The chemicals and hormones which are actively produced under these circumstances, not only affect the working of the small and large muscle groups of the body, but also impair the ability to concentrate, retrieve necessary information from the subconscious mind needed to assess the situation, and adapt needed skills to meet it.

Body scanning, or mental biofeedback allows the brain to be retrained to release stress build-up at low levels. The participant instructs the mind to focus on small muscle groups, and observe them for sensations. Sensations are messages from the muscle groups, alerting one to the amount of tension being held captive there. Once the sensations are located, the mind is instructed through imagery to being held captive there. Once the sensations are located, the mind is instructed through imagery to open the area, thereby releasing the stored tension. As the mind is directed to continue the scanning process, it re-learns the difference between stress and no apparent stress.

When someone begins this practice of mental biofeedback, it is interesting to note that many areas which store tension appear to be tension-free. The reason for this is the inability of the person to focus well on the small muscle group. As the practice continues, one becomes a much better detective at spotting muscle tension. This is a very important point, because one cannot release what is not observed.

Body scanning is also a valuable tool for increasing focus and flexibility. Training the mind to scan the body in a very relaxed state, transfers to the skill of being able to focus, release, and move on to another area of focus. As one begins to practice body scanning, there is an acute awareness of the inability to focus, and often times to be willing to leave an area of focus and move on to the next. This lack of flexibility is noticed when an athlete cannot release and move on to the next point, or play. It takes about thirty days to retrain the mind in this way, and even after that time it is good practice to continue body scanning several times a week, and if the athlete is preparing for competition these exercises should be practiced at least daily, with the same commitment as the practical aspects of the sport.

Managing the Thoughs and Emotions

Self-awareness is key to optimum performance. Just as the sport coach brings attention to the technical problems of the athlete, the "inner coach" must bring the same quality of attention to the thought processes and emotional states. Without these abilities one often works from the position of "overload." This sets the mind up for confusion, and difficulty im making quick, spontaneous, and right decision. This is where a good portion of the previously discussed 90 percent is lost. When the focus is narrow and inward, the subconscious mind can not function. Stress chemicals are being produced at high levels, muscle tension is mounting, metabolism changes, and the brain is not well oxygenated.

As the athlete learns to become aware and observe the mind processes, the ability to release is developed. Again, one cannot release what one does not see or observe. The winning athlete knows himself well, and is on the alert for emotional states which are not skillful for him/her at that time. Emotional states can be high charged chemical concoctions, interfering with all mindbody functioning. Those athletes looking to get and stay at the top must be willing to face and work with the truth. If they frequently hose an emotional state which is detrimental to their sport, awareness of this and immediate release is a vital part of practice.

Programming the Mind for Success

Self-hypnosis is an extremely valuable tool for athletes at all levels. If the mind is playing negative pictures, the result will be the same. What ever the mind perceives as true, will become true. We image all the time, whether we plan to or not. As we learn to repect the workings of the mind, and become aware of the connection to the body, we can utilize this powerful mechanism to improve any and all areas of our life. There are often self-imposed road blocks, old beliefs, thought patterns, and automated emotional responses which keep the athlete side-lined, and off the path leading towards the goals. Once it is made clear that all is ready to move through the blocks, not only will this occur, but the subconsious mind will assist in making suggestions and plans.

In hypnosis, the hypnotist will work to help re-frame and re-program the inner library for success. When the athlete is trained and practices self-hypnosis, it is relatievely easy to reassess a situation in the moment, and program the change right then and there. One also has the ability to request suggestions from the subconsious mind, as to possibilities for management of a situation. It is tantameont to having a powerful "inner coach" right there, in every moment, moving the individual towards the planned goal, whether it be hitting the ball straight, choosing the right shoot or angle, or maneuvering the entire self down a patch of icy slope. Whatever the situation, the answer is at hand.

Unfortunately many athletes program for what they don't want, and this is exactly what they get. As you develop awareness techniques, start listening to "casual mind talk" of others, pick out the negative programming, and observe what happens.
Many people are looking for magic. They dream of a quick fix without putting in the work required. Those who achieve excellence know that the way to the top, and the way to stay there is through consistent work and commitment. The Mind Game is not different, and for those who do commit, the benefits are pure gold!