MENTAL PLANS: MENTAL PLANS: Developing Mental Developing Mental Toughness Thru Systematic Toughness Thru Systematic PlanningPlanning

Matt Vaartstra

University of Idaho

Edited from Damon Burton

What is mental toughness?

DEFININGMENTAL TOUGHNESS

Playing your best in any situation, even when you encounter problems, hassles, adversity, or failure.

When is mental toughness

at a premium?

SITUATIONS DEMANDING MENTAL TOUGHNESS

Playing on the road in front of a hostile crowd

Fighting illness or injuries

Suffering through a slump or losing streak

Confronting adverse playing conditions

Against difficult opponents

During really important competitions

When the situation is critical or the game is on the line

What are the benefits of Mental Plans?

BENEFITS OF MENTAL PLANS

• Create a Flow mindset

• Enhance performance quality

• Increase performance consistency

• Promote mental toughness to deal with adversity

CREATING & MAINTAINING THE IDEAL MINDSET

In-the-Zone confident focus intently on

key process cues keep thoughts

positive and limited

maintain poise and control arousal

execute automatically and “let it happen”

Choking diffident, stressed,

and anxious distracted or focused

on outcome and product

let thoughts get negative and intrusive

lose poise and get overaroused

try to control performance and “make it happen”

THE FLOW MINDSET

Unshakably confident

Totally focused on key performance cues

Optimally aroused or “psyched up”

Motivated to push your limits

Poised with a positive mental attitude

Performing automatically

How do we create the Flow Mindset in

practice and competition

necessary to promote mental toughness?

CREATING MENTAL TOUGHNESS Develop mental

plans to deal with any situation

Work your plans to perform your best under any circumstances

MENTAL PLANS Systematic mental strategies to

help athletes perform their best by attaining, maintaining, and regaining a Flow Mindset.

TYPES OF MENTAL PLANS

Mental Preparation Plans

Mental Performance Plans

Mental Recovery Plans

Mental Preparation PlansMental Preparation Plans

attain Flow mindsetattain Flow mindset

Optimal Optimal PerformancePerformance

Mental Performance PlansMental Performance Plans

maintain Flow mindsetmaintain Flow mindset

Mental Recovery PlansMental Recovery Plans

regain Flow mindsetregain Flow mindset

PRIMARY MENTAL PLAN STRATEGY

One plan for both practice and competition

Make practice more like competition

Make competition more like practice

MENTAL PLAN OBJECTIVES

Attain a Flow Mindset (FM)

Maintain that FM during practice and competition

Regain your FM if you lose composure

What are . . . Mental Preparation

Plans and how do they

work?

PURPOSE OF MENTAL PREPARATION PLANS

To promote optimal performance by utilizing a structured personal mental warm-up routine that creates a Flow Mindset

MENTAL PREPARATION PLANS

MENTAL PREPARATION PLANS

What are . . . Mental Performance

Plans and how do they work?

PURPOSE OF MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS

To promote optimal performance by helping athletes maintain their Flow Mindset throughout practice and competition to achieve their goals.

PERFORMANCE PLAN ALTERNATIVES

Standard plans

Backup plans

STANDARD MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS

Goals you want to accomplish if everything goes perfectly

Action plans for focusing on and achieving goals

BACKUP MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS

Plan for dealing with obstacles and roadblocks to stay in a FM and remain focused on achieving your goals

Plan for performing well by overcoming problems or things that go wrong.

3 TYPES OF MENTAL PERFORMANCE PLANS

Competitive plans or routines

Pre-performance or between-performance routines

Interactive sports

STANDARD RACE PLAN FOR 1500 METER RUNNER

Chunk 1500-meter race into 3-7 meaningful parts (e.g., start, first 400 meters, middle part of race, & last 400 meters)

Develop goals and action plans for achieving them during each race segment

Identify cue words that trigger correct focus during each race segment (e.g., race start-- “explode & push,” “let it flow!”)

400 METERS RACE PLAN

PURPOSE OF PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINES Pre-performance routines (PPR’s) create

consistent, high-level performance on repetitive, self-paced tasks such as free throw shooting, serving in tennis or volleyball, kicking in football, or all shots in golf, archery and shooting.

PPRs promote FM, particularly focus, confidence, and trust so performance becomes better and more consistent.

Consistent pre-performance routines are effective because they allow athletes to trust their bodies and execute with greater automaticity.

PRE-PERFORMANCE ROUTINE COMPONENTS Relax your body and remove unwanted

tension

Adjust your arousal to its optimal level

Utilize a “confidence cue”

Create a positive, stress-free and productive mental attitude using a “thought cue”

Use multisensory imagery to experience successful performance

Execute automatically using “feeling cues”

TOM AMBERRY FREE THROW PRESHOT ROUTINE Step 1 – relax your arms and legs by

taking several deep knee bends while clinching fists and shaking them out and set feet square to the free throw line.

Step 2 – bounce the ball 3 times using the inflation hole as a focus cue while bouncing the ball deliberately.

Step 3 – put your thumb in the channel with your index finger pointing at the inflation hole while boosting confidence by imagining the perfect shot.

TOM AMBERRY FREE THROW PRESHOT ROUTINE

Step 4 – elbow in the shot pocket while imagining perfect touch and feel throughout the shot.

Step 5 – use an initiation cue such as cocking your wrist to automatically initiate the shot by bending your knees while keeping your eyes on the target.

Step 6 – repeat cue word “nothing but net.”

Step 7 – execute automatically, following thru completely with “your hand in the cookie jar.”

BETWEEN-PERFORMANCE ROUTINES

For sports where there are regular breaks in the action (e.g., tennis, volleyball, football, shooting, archery, field events in track, etc).

Goal is to employ a 3-step process to ensure that the down time between plays, points or trials is used productively deal with previous performance and effectively prepare for upcoming performance.

3 STEPS FOR BETWEEN-PERFORMANCE ROUTINES Step 1: React – develop a composed

reaction to previous good or bad performance to remain emotionally stable.

Step 2: Relax and Reflect – learn from previous performance without dwelling on mistakes.

Step 3: Refocus and Ready – cue a pre-performance routine to refocus on the task at hand and get ready to perform automatically.

STANDARD INTERACTIVE SPORT PERFORMANCE PLAN

Beginning of each quarter or half

End of each quarter or half

Against the press (situational)

After a run of points

BACKUP INTERACTIVE SPORT PERFORMANCE PLAN

When officials make a bad call When opposing fans become

rowdy Following a turnover or major

mistake When the coach yells at you When opponents get a run of 3

or more baskets

What are . . . Mental Recovery Plans and how do

they work?

PURPOSE OF MENTAL RECOVERY PLANS

To help athletes regain their Flow Mindset during practice and competition when they totally lose their composure.

WHEN YOU MAY NEED MENTAL RECOVERY PLANS Prevent hassles

Non-ideal conditions

One-sided and/or poor officiating

Physical or illegal play

Poor early performance or critical mistake

Subpar overall performance

MENTAL RECOVERY STRATEGIES

Initiation cue (e.g., clap your hands)

Relax physically

Identify new goals

Counter negative thoughts and develop a constructive perspective

Image new objectives

Trust body’s ability to execute automatically

IMPLEMENTING MENTAL PLANS1. Write out each plan in as much

detail as possible.

2. Use imagery to rehearse each plan.

3. Try out plan in practice and refine.

4. Employ plans in low-stress competition.

IMPLEMENTING MENTAL PLANS

5. Evaluate plans’ effectiveness to develop, maintain, and regain Flow Mindset before & during competition.

6. Refine and extend plans based on evaluation.

7. Continue using, evaluating and refining plans until satisfied.

EVALUATING MENTAL PLANS

Did you stay focused on your process and performance goals?

Did you develop and maintain a Flow Mindset? “State in which you perform best

rather than feel best or most comfortable”

ULTIMATE IMPACT OF FLOW MINDSET

Put mind on automatic pilot

DON’T THINK! -- JUST REACT!

Play In-The-Moment.