Sports Performance

Mental Toughness and Mindfulness in Sports

January 22, 2015 by Robert Andrews 6 Comments

For many athletes their reaction to stressful events during training, competitive pressures, and off field issues sets off an intense destructive response. For many this reaction is so intense it impacts performance severely, impairs ones ability to focus, and depletes self confidence. For many it feels like a wave of nervous energy and emotion has taken over their mind and body. When something goes wrong negative responses rise up and performance often suffers. These “Reactive Habits” can be avoided by becoming mindful or aware of how the athlete reacts to stress.

Reactive habits are old programs or ways of responding that are often destructive to performance. Many basketball players get animated and dramatic when they think a ref has made a bad call. They throw their hands up in the air, stomp their feet in anger. Some charge at the official in a disrespectful and intimidating way. A baseball or softball player might hang their head, look at the ground, and show poor body language as they walk back to the dugout after striking out.

For many athletes this reactive habit can be an internal reaction. Their emotional intensity grows, their stomach knots up, blood pressure rises, and their thoughts become negative.

If the athlete has responded this way for a long time their reaction can become their default or norm when things go wrong. They have little or no control over the reaction or its intensity.

Mindfulness – Changing Reactive Habits

Mindfulness is an awareness of what we are doing when we are doing it. Athletes that fall into reactive habits are being mindful when under stress. They are at the mercy of these destructive habits. Becoming mindful creates a pause between the stimulus that occurs and the athletes reaction to the event.

Viktor Frankl, a WW II Holocaust survivor, author, and artist wrote the following profound quote:

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In those choices lie our growth and our happiness.”

Translated into sports:

“Between events that occur in the life of the athlete there is a brief pause or space of time. In that pause or space we have the ability to choose how we respond to the event. Those choices decide if we succeed or if we struggle.”

When an athlete makes a mistake, is called out by a coach, or sees a teammate go down with an injury, mindfulness acts as the third person observer to help the athlete become aware of their response to the stimulus. Noticing emotions welling up, poor body language, withdrawal, anxiety, frustration, increases in heart rate and blood pressure, or negative thinking will help the athlete recognize the reactive habit is building.

Quieting The Inner Storm

Nature gives very clear signals that a storm is coming. Dark clouds, wind, changes in temperature, thunder and lightning all tell as that a storm is eminent. We take action to get out of harms way.

Every athlete has “warning signs” that let them know that their internal storm or reactive habit is building. Biting nails, tightening of the stomach, changes in body language or facial tones, anger and frustration, becoming quiet and withdrawn, and over thinking are all signs that the storm is building and the reactive habit is taking over.

Becoming mindful of these warning signs helps the athlete recognize the space between stimulus and response. Breathing, correcting negative thoughts and attitudes, calming emotional responses, and making smarter and better choices help to quiet the storm before it damages confidence, impacts performance, or effects team chemistry.

Noticing when the athlete is exhibiting their specific warning signs creates the awareness for change. We can’t change anything if we aren’t aware of what we need to change. Learning how to acknowledge the reaction is the secret…”I am getting frustrated” “My mindset is changing”, My heart rate is getting faster”, “I am getting quiet and shutting down”… Becoming mindful honors that space between stimulus and response and with practice the athlete creates positive reactive habits.

Creating positive reactive habits helps the athlete stay mentally and emotionally centered. The centered athlete performs at high levels consistently. They connect to their sport with focus, determination, and passion. It is hard to knock them off balance mentally and emotionally. They learn how to stop being the victim to stressful events and approach challenges head on. They build confidence and have a strong self concept.

Help I Can’t Tumble! Working Through the Mental Blocks to Tumbling

December 7, 2012 by admin 69 Comments

This time of year I receive a lot of calls from gymnasts and cheerleaders or their parents about one common problem. The gymnasts or cheerleader just flat out can’t backward tumble. No matter how hard they try or how much they want to tumble, they just can’t. By the time they reach me they have been through extended periods of frustration, anger, grief, and embarrassment. Parents and coaches are frustrated too. They have tried “everything” and nothing has helped. Parents have spent all kinds of money on “privates” and coaches have tried being nice, yelling, spotting, not spotting, giving the athlete time off, kicking them out of the gym, or threatening to demote them to a lower level team. Nothing seems to work. Sometimes this tumbling block goes on for years. Many leave their sport because they can’t overcome the blocks and have grown weary of the mental and emotional toll that not being able to tumble has taken. Self confidence is eroded, families are devastated, and coaches are at a loss.

In most of these cases there are different issues at work that create the block and cause so much misery. I usually see one or more of the following problems:

The athlete has suffered a serious injury related to their sport. This injury is usually caused by a fall. The injuries I usually see are knee injuries, back or neck injuries, broken arms or hands, or concussions.
The athlete has seen a teammate or someone else experience a serious fall or injury.
The athlete is overwhelmed by stressors related or not related to the gym such as family problems, issues with a coach, bullying, school struggles, and others.

The first thing to understand in each of these cases is that the athlete wants to tumble. Their brain just won’t let them. A primitive part of their brain has taken over functioning of their body and it will not let them tumble. The brain interprets tumbling as a threat to the athletes safety and well being and basically shuts down the bodies ability to tumble as a protective mechanism. The inability to tumble is a cry for help. The brain is saying that it is overloaded and needs help processing all of the information it is struggling to process.

Pressure from coaches and parents only intensifies the problem and makes the symptoms worse. Constantly asking or saying “why can’t you tumble?”, “just do it”, yelling, and kicking the athlete out of the gym do nothing to help the athlete through the problem.

The Good News is That There is a Way Through this Issue

It takes hard work but change can take place. By teaching the brain how to process the original threatening experience, the fall or the injury, the primitive part of the brain turns control back over the the neocortex, the part of the brain that handles “regular” or normal activities. This is done by utilizing two specific processes that accelerate the integration and processing of information in the brain. Eidetic Imagery, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). These two processes work with the negative images in the athletes mind and teach the brain and nervous system how to process emotion, sensation, pain, light, sound, and most importantly fear associated with the key event very quickly.

If the lack of tumbling comes from the “system” being overloaded, meaning the athletes brain is trying to handle too many things at one time, the work is different. We focus on identifying stressors and teach life skills and techniques for managing these stressors. This allows the brain and nervous system to calm down. In some instances EMDR work is also done to accelerate this process. There is hard work involved for the athlete to get better and return to tumbling. It takes openness and vulnerability to work through the fear, self doubt, embarrassment, and shame that they have experienced. The more open an athlete is with me and the more willing they are to be vulnerable with their fears and self doubts the better the results.

This process is very powerful but there is also a responsibility on the athlete to work hard on their mindset. The thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions that they allow into their mind play a key role in this process. They must train their mind to be positive. If they don’t, all the hard work we do will not result in them recovering the ability to tumble.

At the end of this process the athlete can go back to their sport absent of the mental blocks and the shame and embarrassment that goes with not being able to tumble. Tumbling becomes fun again and that is the most rewarding part of my work with these athletes.

These athletes desperately want to tumble again, to be a part of their team, to do skills that they used to love to do and could do without thinking. To return to that free place in their mind again is life changing. By learning to work through these blocks they access parts of their personalities that they might never had accessed if the blocks had not occurred. They return to their sport wiser, smarter, more mature, and grateful to be able to participate in their sport again with passion.

Positive Parenting for Gymnastics

August 6, 2012 by admin Leave a Comment

One of the wonderful things about my work in the world of Sports Performance is that I attend many different sporting events and witness amazing sports performances by athletes.

Sitting on the sixth row of the Birds Nest at the 2008 Olympics and watching Usain Bolt set a world record in the 100 meter dash was exhilarating. Equally thrilling was sitting in the National Indoor Stadium watching our mens gymnastics team win the bronze medal against all odds.

To perform at such a high level under so much pressure means that these athletes have been influenced in a very positive way by coaches, teammates, and parents.

I talk with athletes all day long and one of the most important things I hear from highly successful athletes is that they feel like their parents love them unconditionally, regardless of how they perform.

They know that if they step out of bounds at a key point in the meet, or sit down on a critical vault that their parents are going to be there for them in a very positive way.

Some great athletes have terrible relationships with their parents. But a strong bond between parent and athlete is a common theme I hear often.

Parents are always coming up to me in the stands and calling me and asking me questions about their childs performance or involvement in sports. I am always open to these conversations and consider this an honor. I am always forthright and very honest with these parents.

I see it as an opportunity to teach healthy ways to parent an athlete, and for me to become an advocate of the athlete themselves.

Most parents are open to my feedback. It makes a huge difference in the heart and mind of an athlete to have a parent who is willing to get on board with the philosophies we are addressing in our work together.

One of the most significant conversations I have had came at the Winter Cup meet in Las Vegas last February. I was talking with Sue Bhavsar, Raj Bhavsars mother. She asked, As a parent, what can I do to help Raj make his Olympic run this year? It was a very powerful conversation and if you know Rajs story you know that overcoming adversity and set back is at the heart of his journey to Olympic greatness and a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Parents Have an Effect – Positive or Negative

Having parents who were willing to step up and learn, adapt, and do whatever it took to help Raj become an Olympian made a huge difference for Raj.

Sadly, while sitting in the stands I also hear many comments from parents that make me want to stand up and say do you have any idea how you are influencing your childs performance, and their heart, mind and spirit?

As the father of a high school baseball player, and a young gymnast I have learned to read my childrens body language as a way of seeing how my words open them up, or cause them to shut down.

Many times parents are oblivious to their childrens body language when they are talking to them about performance.

I was at a meet and noticed this one girl performing extremely well. She was powerful, elegant, and graceful and received very good scores from the judges on bars and vault. She walked over to her mother between events and her mother said how did you get those scores bribe the judges? I was shocked by what I heard, and the reaction I saw in this young girl was heartbreaking. She was so proud in one moment and in the next completely deflated. She looked down, her shoulders hunched, embarrassed, but she laughed along with her mother.

She then went to beam and floor and had major falls on each event. When she came back over to her mother it was silent, but so much was being said in that silence.

Our interactions with our young gymnasts create an atmosphere that is like oxygen to them. As the parent of a gymnast are you creating an atmosphere that is toxic, or one that fills them up with confidence, energy, and excitement to go out and be their best?

I was talking with another parent and their gymnast son about performance issues. In front of their child they said high bar is my sons weakest event, he never does well on high bar. Again, I watched the body language of the athlete. He looked down, and away, and his face went from bright and engaged in our conversation to disconnected and ashamed. It looked like he had been hit in the stomach.

I said in a very strong voice, your son is an all rounder, and as an all rounder he doesnt have a weak event. He has an event he has to work harder on. I suggested that this gymnast work with his coach on high bar first when his physical energy and mental focus was at its highest.

He quickly became reengaged in our conversation and became animated, and excited. I had instilled hope in this kid and showed him a way to increase confidence. At the same time I was teaching the parent how to create a positive interaction with their son. He went on to have a great year, and became pretty good on high bar in the process.

One of the rules I have with my kids is that I dont say anything negative for the first thirty minutes after a practice, game, or meet. This creates time for them to process things on their own in a state that is mentally and emotionally open. It also gives me time to work through my irrational feelings about their performance. We talk about what they did that worked, where they had success, and what they learned. They usually talk a lot and at some point the conversation might turn to areas of concern or places where they might have struggled.

Again, I am attempting to create an atmosphere where they feel open, connected to me as a parent, and loved. From this place they are willing to learn, and open to feedback.

If I sat them down and drilled them about falling on beam or striking out I will see them shut down. They will become angry as a way to defend and protect themselves from my negative energy. The conversation, as well as our relationship will head south.

As parents we have to get our own agendas out of the way, and see what is best for our young athletes. Are you creating a positive space, an atmosphere of hope, and excitement for them to excel in their sport? Or are you suffocating them with your negativity?

In the long run our childrens well being and mental health is more important than whether or not they won a particular meet or not. I have found that more often than not performance increases when children feel the unconditional love and support they receive from you as a parent.

They will feel less negative pressure and stress, two of the most destructive factors to performance. And will gain confidence and build self esteem.

It is easy to be the critical, harsh, over bearing parent. It takes guts, and courage to learn a heart centered approach to parenting an athlete.

Learn ways to keep their competitive fire alive and burning bright.

It will make sports more enjoyable for the entire family.

Concussions: Invisible Injuries

November 8, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

There has been a lot of attention given to the topic of sports concussions over the last few weeks. Mike Leach the head football coach at Texas Tech University was suspended and later fired over his alleged treatment of Adam James, a Tech player who suffered a mild concussion. Adam happens to be the son of ESPN analyst Craig James. And recently the NFL and Congress have created committees to discuss the treatment of concussions, and the link between head injuries in sports and long term brain damage.

Not Your Normal Sports Injury

I for one am glad to hear this. Concussions are a different type of injury and are not as easily detected as other injuries. Unlike a knee injury, a broken arm, or a separated shoulder, there is no apparent physical evidence that anything is wrong with the athlete when they suffer a concussion. With knee injuries or other obvious sports related injuries there are crutches, knee braces, slings, or cast that tell doctors, coaches, teammates, trainers, and fans that something serious has happened to the athlete. It is obvious that rehabilitation and time are required for healing to take place and for the athlete to be able to return to competition.

What is a Concussion?

Concussions are in effect a bruising of the brain. When an athlete suffers helmet to helmet contact, or hits their head on the field or court the brain slams against the skull [which can cause bruising]. The more serious the concussion, the more serious the resulting swelling and bruising of the brain tissue can be. This swelling and bruising causes memory loss, headaches, poor reaction time, impaired thinking, confusion, slow recall, and other serious symptoms.

Current Treatment

Treatment requires literally turning the brain off. Athletes are required to stay out of school, stay away from television, computers, video games, or other activities that create stress on the damaged brain. IMPACT testing is utilized to identify deficiencies in brain functioning. This test also shows when the athletes brain functioning returns to normal levels. Physical activity is monitored looking for symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and nausea. When the athlete is symptom free and testing shows a return to normal levels of brain functioning the treating physician and athletic trainer give the green light to return to competition.

The Mental/Emotional Aspect of Sports Injuries

I believe that there is a mental/emotional component to concussions as well. In my work with injured athletes I have found that athletes who suffer concussions all experience intense mental and emotional reactions to their experiences. In most cases these reactions are traumatic.

I have worked with athletes who have been hit so hard they were out cold for over a minute. Some have no memory of the hit that knocked them out, but they have images in their mind that are created from what people tell them happened, or what they see on game film. They talk about the terrible confusion, fear, and embarrassment they feel when they recall sitting on the bench knowing something very serious has happened but not remembering anything about the injury. These images are incredibly vivid and disturbing to the athlete.

Other athletes have very clear memories of the experience. They have told me what it was like to be strapped to a stretcher, immobilized, and taken by ambulance to the hospital. I have heard numerous stories from athletes who return to play, threw numerous interceptions, and were booed off the field. These experiences are all filled with incredible intensity and have a profound impact on the mental and emotional state of the athlete.

These same athletes also tell me about coaches, teammates, and fans who tease, ridicule and humiliate them for sitting out of practice and games.

Sports injuries, particularly concussions are never just physical in nature. When we create a space for the injured athlete to tell their story and help them process and integrate the psychological impact and trauma of the concussion, athletes get better. Their “lights turn back on”. Their mind clears and their self confidence returns.

Now imagine Adam James standing in a dark shed for three hours, unable to sit down or lean against anything. What was the message being sent to him and other Tech athletes who might suffer a concussion? I can’t imagine anything therapeutic coming from this type of treatment. Imagine the pressure put on the athletic trainers to follow orders demanding this type of treatment for an athlete. Sadly, this story sounds like so many other stories I have heard about the treatment of a concussed athlete. This treatment was meant to humiliate, degrade, and punish Adam for sitting out of practice with a concussion.

Time For Change

It took Adam being the son of a high profile, nationally recognized sports analyst to bring attention to the treatment his son endured after suffering a concussion.

Along with the NFL playoffs, bowl games, and the BCS National Championship, the eyes and ears of the sports world are now focused on the treatment of athletes who suffer concussions. I am elated to hear that mandatory guidelines are being put in place by the NFL for teams to follow when providing care for athletes who suffer a concussion. I hope the NCAA and high schools throughout the country follow their lead.

These injuries are real and very serious. The athlete who suffers a concussion deserves to be treated with the same care and dignity as any athlete who suffers any other type of sports related injury. Download a pdf version of this post

Fear of Re-injury in Recovery: Finding A New Way Back

November 1, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Sports Injury By Robert B. Andrews MA, LMFT

For many athletes coming back from a serious sports related injury is a terrifying ordeal. They have been cleared to play physically, but their fear of suffering another injury can be debilitating. These fears can cause complications with their return to play. Many suffer from confusion, anxiety, anger, shame and guilt. If they have been cleared to play then why do they feel so bad? Many feel that something is wrong with them if they can’t come back confident and in a good frame of mind.

I was talking with a soccer player and one of their parents about a teammate who suffered a strained ACL. The injured athlete took time off for the injury to heal. When they returned to play they were terrified. They were afraid of injuring their knee again and played with anxiety, fear, and apprehension. They did not play all out and their hesitancy was apparent. It grew worse with each game. As their anxiety and fear grew they became more emotional during the games. It was apparent to everyone watching that something was wrong.

I began to get excited at the thought of helping this athlete overcome their sports injury trauma. As I reached for a business card for the parent of the struggling athlete I was told that during their last game the athlete had torn their ACL completely. The field was in really bad condition and their fear of re-injury was amplified. They were crying while trying to play soccer. They ended up in a fight for the ball and injured their knee. I felt my heart sink when they told me this part of the story.

Too Many Sad Stories

I was on the sidelines of a football game watching a running back who had torn his ACL the year before. He was hesitating as he ran and favoring the injured knee. After the game I told his coach that he was going to suffer an ACL injury to the other knee if he didn’t get some help with the trauma from the first injury. The next week he tore his other ACL.

I was watching a game on television and I observed hesitation and apprehension in an offensive lineman who had injured his left knee the year before. I turned the game off at half time. A few days later I called his athletic trainer and mentioned to him that I believed that this lineman was heading towards an injury on his other knee. He asked me why I felt this way. I told him what I observed watching the game. He said that was interesting and that the lineman had torn his other ACL in the fourth quarter of that game.

Is the Wrong Message Being Sent?

An athlete I helped overcome a horrific injury was interviewed about his “miracle comeback”. When they asked this athlete what they did to make such a profound come back they said they just had a “really strong attitude and mind set”. They didn’t mention all the hard work they did mentally and emotionally to overcome the trauma they suffered while injured and unable to compete. I believe this athlete did a disservice to other athletes who are trying to overcome the trauma and the mental and emotional blocks that stand in the way of a full “100%” recovery. They sent a message to other injured athletes that all you have to do is have a strong mindset and everything will be o.k.

This message can have a profoundly negative impact on the athlete who is struggling to get back mentally and emotionally. It can create doubt and confusion, and erode self confidence. Many athletes never find their way back from injury because they can’t overcome this cauldron of powerful emotions.

The New Way Back

I was watching a game on TV recently. An athlete I helped overcome a serious injury was having a great game. It was apparent that they were confident, in command, and had no fear of re-injury. The commentator said it was apparent that this athlete was back physically, but that they were back mentally too. My wife asked me to replay his comment. We listened to it again and she said “someone gets it”. This commentator could see from the way this athlete was playing that they have experienced a complete psychological recovery from their injury too.

I wish I could have helped the young soccer player before they suffered a completely torn ACL. I wish I could help every injured athlete. Treating the traumatic nature of sports related injuries puts the athlete back in charge and rids them of fear, anxiety, apprehension, depression and self doubt. They return to play mentally stronger and tougher. Not only does their attitude and outlook get better, they come back wiser and more mature. This wisdom and maturity permeates all areas of their lives. They learn a lot in the process of coming back. Download a pdf version of this post