Sport Psychology Techniques and their application in a ‘traditional’ classroom setting

“Ninety percent of this game is half mental… the other half is physical.” “A full mind is an empty bat…” Famous quotes by Yogi Berra (NY Yankee player and manager).

Sports Psychology The study of psychological and mental factors that effect performance/participation in any sport or physical activity. The knowledge and skills gained from studying this can be applied to everyday life. It enhances personal development and well- being over one’s life span.

Why apply it in schools? It is important to apply the techniques early in children’s lives, because the skills require training in order to be effective. School settings are ideal because of the amount of time teachers/counselors spend with students, on a daily basis. Both teachers and students benefit.

Educational Benefits These techniques teach coping skills for stress and distraction control. It encourages positive thinking, by teaching how to recognize the more meaningful experiences that are important in one’s life. It enhances learning by teaching effective focusing skills.

In Pursuit of Excellence This book was written by Terry Orlick. He is a world renowned leader in high level performance psychology and personal excellence. He has developed a model he calls ‘The Wheel of Excellence’, which is the model used in this presentation. Fourth Edition (2008).

Main Themes of the Model The techniques need to be trained, until they become second nature. An accomplished learner can do this in one breath. It requires daily practice. Decide that you really want to do this. Excellence is a choice. Excellence require focus, focus, focus.

Wheel of Excellence

Elements needed to effectively achieve benefits in the classroom. Positive Images. Distraction (stress) Control. Ongoing learning.

Positive Images Positive visions or goals must ‘live’ in our minds first, before they can become reality. Once the goal is ‘created’, we must create positive images of the steps needed to get there. Establish clear, specific, attainable steps (within reach, but beyond the current ‘comfort’ zone).

Con’t Learn from past performances, good or bad. Bad performances give us an opportunity to learn from them. Learn what triggers our emotions, by evaluating our performances as soon after the moment as possible. (Events may look better the further away they are. Also, our memory is sharper and more accurate if the evaluation is done earlier.)

Con’t Learn to acknowledge what events may trigger us to become distracted or stressed. Understand that most of these events are out of our control, therefore, we can be ‘concerned’ about them, but we shouldn’t ‘worry’ about them. Decide how you are going to react to them and practice simulating the event. Your reaction should be done in a positive, decisive way.

Examples of coping Positive self-talk. Pay attention to what you are thinking. Acknowledge negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Establish coping rituals. A specific movement or pattern of actions, that you establish in training to ‘leave your negative thoughts behind’. I used to do this while chalking my hands before a heavy lift.

Examples Con’t Establish positive mental imagery. ‘See’ yourself being successful in your performance. This takes a lot of practice. This improves your performance skills. And this in turn, improves your confidence. When the ‘heat is on’, it gives you something to ‘turn to’.

Distraction/Stress Control Stay in the moment. Don’t ‘worry’ about things out of your control, like the outcome. Stay with the game plan. As a coach/teacher you need to remain calm, supportive and understanding. Teach by example. Expect the unexpected. Conditions and situations will always be different. Experience helps with this.

What do you do if chaos occurs? Use positive self talk. Find the positive in a stressful situation. Develop rituals you can go to. This requires simulation of the event in practice, not during the performance or in the classroom. William’s sisters example.

Ongoing Learning Find joy in each step towards your goal. Stretch your limits. Reflect and evaluate each step. Decide to improve and act upon lessons learned. Success begins with FOCUS.

FOCUS Focus allows you to continue to learn, experiment, grow, create, enjoy and perform closer to your capacity. Success depends upon consistent, high- focus. Focus is needed in order to integrate all the elements needed for success.

Focusing Techniques Relaxation - Whether a teacher, coach or performer, you need a certain amount of tension in order to be successful. The trick is to find out what your comfort zone is, within the narrow limits of too much, or too little intensity. Relaxed intensity - the balance between trying too hard or too little.

Progressive Relaxation Helps us achieve the optimal level of relaxed intensity. Needs to be practiced daily to attain. Needs periodic practice to maintain. Assists us in shifting our demands between events in our daily lives. Once you are comfortable with this technique you are ready to add mental imagery into your thoughts.

Applying intensity and relaxation to your own performance In order for you to have an optimal performance, the mind and body must connect through focus and movement, in a free-flowing manner. Once relaxation and mental imagery techniques are mastered, you can apply your own thoughts, to your own performance.

Useful reference articles for teachers in elementary schools. “Teaching Skills for Stress Control and Positive Thinking to Elementary School Children.” (Gilbert, Jenelle and Terry Orlick), The purpose of this study was to examine if elementary school children could learn to relax themselves at will, apply stress control strategies and increase their daily ‘highlights’.

Con’t “Nurturing Positive Living Skills for Children: Feeding the Heart and Soul of Humanity.” (Orlick, Terry), The purpose of this study was to examine why it is so important to teach a positive education program at an early age.

Cooperative Sports & Games Teaches children to play together, not against each other. No one loses. Everyone left in. Fun for everyone.

Other References “Cooperative Games and Sports,” by Terry Orlick, “Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence, by Gary Mack,

Reflections Our current educational structure may not allow for this (limiting). It is so focused on achievement, that it frequently causes burnout. How much of sports psychology seems to be grounded by the work of Piaget and Zull. Learning is a natural biological response of the mind and body.