Requests for clarity regarding the magazine links to the article from my web site:
Six Smart Tips for Coaching the Adolescent Brain. The articles from the links provided on the bottom of the page may be accessed by going to http://abc7chicago.com/ clicking onto the
"health" section on the left side of the page and inputting, The Teenage Brain April 14th, 2004
by Judy Hsu.
Also, http://www.usaweekend.com/ in the "find articles" space provided put in, The Teen Brain
Tim Wendel May 18th, 2003.
That should do it! The other articles can be found on line by Googling "teenage brain articles."
Enjoy the education.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
The Eye "I" Exam
The previous entry explored the idea an athletes performance benefits when they are able to recognize and switch out of negative feedback loops. "Athlete" in this blog entry will refer to any player age 12 and older participating in competitive sports at any skill level.
Some clues that an athlete is caught in a reoccurring negative loop can be observed in attitude, body language, emotional state and internal mental dialogue to name a few.
When positive emotion and behavior are left on the sidelines it often affects a players ability to perform at an optimal level. All athletes encounter times of doubt, worry, anxiety, nervousness, disappointment, anger etc. Successful athletes are those that have an awareness and the tools to flip their attention and mental focus when they discover themselves falling into the negativity loop. Negative symptoms and pitfalls can occur during practices, and/or competition.
The following "I" Exam is a nonclinical, playful self-guide to assess whether a player has and utilizes the tools to effectively problem solve and adapt to challenging situations by shifting negative mental energy and actions to positive thoughts, feelings and stategies. The examples in this guide have been gathered over the years as common complaints and situations of tennis players. But it can be generalized to other sports.
All performers encounter situations where nothing is going as planned. The following are two sample catagories. The first catagory frequently ends up becoming an emotional "drop-off" where the player reports an inability to bring their "A" game into play. Lingering focus on these negative distractions often become an obstacle to ongoing learning, and block effective problem solving energies that are necessary to meet unexpected challenges that are part of engaging in competition at any level. The first catagory is "Energy Drain."
The second catagory "Energy Builder" relates to the player who recognizes challenges and makes a shift to a positive response(flipping the switch). Think back to the last high pressure competitive situation you faced and your responses.
(Catagory-1) CHEATERS AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS
a)_______Competing against an opponent known for dishonest and close line calls. Your mental dialogue fails you. "I can't compete against cheaters. Everytime I hit near a line he/she calls the ball out. I feel tense and afraid to hit my shots. I can't win against cheaters.
b)______ I hate playing moonballers, soft hitters etc. I am a big hitter and I play my best when I play big hitters like myself. I don't care if I hit the fence with my shots I refuse to be a pusher.
Ok, so what I lost in 45 minutes but I played my game.
c)______ If it hadn't been so windy I would have won the match. Playing in the wind is tortuous. The wind is my nemesis. The next time it is windy I may decide to default and not bother playing the match.
d)______My opponent grunts, stalls, etc. I can't get into my playing rhythm because of my opponents annoying gamesmanship. I may even start grunting just to let my opponent know how annoying he/she sounds.
e)______I am angry at my coach. I am angry at the team captain etc. I've been put into the top spot against the opposing team and I'm being sacrificed. I don't care if I win or not I'm just showing up.
f)______Anger works for me. When I become angry in a match I feel more tuned in as my energy level rises. I've broken rackets but at least it shows I am passionate about winning. When I play doubles my anger seems to make my partner uncomfortable but too bad.
(catagory-2) PROBLEM-SOLVING AND OTHER IDEAS
a)______ This opponent is cheating. I've questioned the calls I think are incorrect. I took time out to see if I could locate a referee to monitor this match. I've checked in with my emotional state. I know I am becoming really impatient with this behavior. I shift my thoughts and feelings from "victim" to taking responsibility for the things I can control right now on my side of the court.
b)______This opponent has a style of play that is difficult for me to play against. I knew I was going to play this opponent and created a plan of patience for the match. I noticed my compulsion to force the points early on in the match. My aggressiveness was creating too many unforced errors. As much as I don't care for this style of play I respect how its made me a better player as I learn patience and create the opportunities to effectively counter-attack.
c)______Weather conditions often affect my mood and energy level. It is easy for me to be distracted and bogged down with frustrating thoughts and feelings when I play in windy conditions. I balance this awareness and use the time in between points and change-overs to
reinforce my game plan and stay with positive actions and thoughts. My body posture sends a message of strength and positive, engaged energy. I know my opponent doesn't care for these weather conditions either. I am not willing to spend time and energy on the negatives of playing in the wind. I direct my thoughts and performance to useful energy and problem solving.
d)_______The distractions that my opponent generates doesn't affect my energy or mental focus. I don't give away my energy by spending time worrying about what my opponent is doing on his/her side of the net. If my opponent is drifting outside the allotted rules of play I will seek out available resources to remedy the situation. If there are no resources available I accept this
annoyance as an amusing challenge versus a threat to my ability to perform.
e)______There are situations where our captain thinks it useful to alter the line-up and move our stronger players into slots that they will likely play against a weaker team for a "sure win."
The opposing team may play their line-up "straight-up" and since I am the "sacrifice" player potentially I can face a really strong opponent. The opposing team may also alter their line-up and I could end up playing the person I would have played in my original spot. Either way I am excited for the opportunity to compete. If I win against a stronger opponent it benefits my ranking points. If I lose it is a fantastic opportunity to experience competing against a strong opponent. If I lose to an opponent of my equal ability......well.......I guess I need to work on my game!
f)_______James Loehr, Ed.D writes in his book Toughness Training for Life, "the perception of
threat (losing) leads to a condition of negative arousal....linking negative arousal with the stress hormone cortisol has been associated with feelings of anxiety, tension, helplessness and loss of control." "The physiobiological mobilization process associated with perception of challenge (versus fear) is called positive arousal." Emotional competitiveness is characterized by emotional flexibility, responsiveness, clarity and the capacity to make useful adaptations in a losing situation. When I am in pressure situations I know how to keep track of my energy. I am able to stay positive, and never give up. When the match is over and if I lost I can learn from it and let it go.
Conclusion:
Add up your check marks. The number of check marks is self-explanatory. Are you draining more energy than building in stressful athletic situations? If there are an equal amount of check marks in each catagory the good news is you can improve your positive energy skills. When an athlete carries some level of negativity, doubt etc...onto the playing arena it doesn't guarantee losing. When the opponent isn't as skilled or experienced, negative energy may affect the experience of the players but it won't necessarily determine the outcome. When skills levels and abilities are equal, attitude, positive body language, emotional resiliancy etc. become factors.
Is developing positive performance energy as simplistic as "flipping the lense" of your thinking and behavior? Not really. An individuals personality, environment, sport-culture and training in this area of performance usually take time to develop. Overtime with persistence and chosing to select effective positive responses to stress and challenge a player is capable of building their resiliancy. This response becomes more automatic over time.
Get tough......and have fun.
Some clues that an athlete is caught in a reoccurring negative loop can be observed in attitude, body language, emotional state and internal mental dialogue to name a few.
When positive emotion and behavior are left on the sidelines it often affects a players ability to perform at an optimal level. All athletes encounter times of doubt, worry, anxiety, nervousness, disappointment, anger etc. Successful athletes are those that have an awareness and the tools to flip their attention and mental focus when they discover themselves falling into the negativity loop. Negative symptoms and pitfalls can occur during practices, and/or competition.
The following "I" Exam is a nonclinical, playful self-guide to assess whether a player has and utilizes the tools to effectively problem solve and adapt to challenging situations by shifting negative mental energy and actions to positive thoughts, feelings and stategies. The examples in this guide have been gathered over the years as common complaints and situations of tennis players. But it can be generalized to other sports.
All performers encounter situations where nothing is going as planned. The following are two sample catagories. The first catagory frequently ends up becoming an emotional "drop-off" where the player reports an inability to bring their "A" game into play. Lingering focus on these negative distractions often become an obstacle to ongoing learning, and block effective problem solving energies that are necessary to meet unexpected challenges that are part of engaging in competition at any level. The first catagory is "Energy Drain."
The second catagory "Energy Builder" relates to the player who recognizes challenges and makes a shift to a positive response(flipping the switch). Think back to the last high pressure competitive situation you faced and your responses.
(Catagory-1) CHEATERS AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS
a)_______Competing against an opponent known for dishonest and close line calls. Your mental dialogue fails you. "I can't compete against cheaters. Everytime I hit near a line he/she calls the ball out. I feel tense and afraid to hit my shots. I can't win against cheaters.
b)______ I hate playing moonballers, soft hitters etc. I am a big hitter and I play my best when I play big hitters like myself. I don't care if I hit the fence with my shots I refuse to be a pusher.
Ok, so what I lost in 45 minutes but I played my game.
c)______ If it hadn't been so windy I would have won the match. Playing in the wind is tortuous. The wind is my nemesis. The next time it is windy I may decide to default and not bother playing the match.
d)______My opponent grunts, stalls, etc. I can't get into my playing rhythm because of my opponents annoying gamesmanship. I may even start grunting just to let my opponent know how annoying he/she sounds.
e)______I am angry at my coach. I am angry at the team captain etc. I've been put into the top spot against the opposing team and I'm being sacrificed. I don't care if I win or not I'm just showing up.
f)______Anger works for me. When I become angry in a match I feel more tuned in as my energy level rises. I've broken rackets but at least it shows I am passionate about winning. When I play doubles my anger seems to make my partner uncomfortable but too bad.
(catagory-2) PROBLEM-SOLVING AND OTHER IDEAS
a)______ This opponent is cheating. I've questioned the calls I think are incorrect. I took time out to see if I could locate a referee to monitor this match. I've checked in with my emotional state. I know I am becoming really impatient with this behavior. I shift my thoughts and feelings from "victim" to taking responsibility for the things I can control right now on my side of the court.
b)______This opponent has a style of play that is difficult for me to play against. I knew I was going to play this opponent and created a plan of patience for the match. I noticed my compulsion to force the points early on in the match. My aggressiveness was creating too many unforced errors. As much as I don't care for this style of play I respect how its made me a better player as I learn patience and create the opportunities to effectively counter-attack.
c)______Weather conditions often affect my mood and energy level. It is easy for me to be distracted and bogged down with frustrating thoughts and feelings when I play in windy conditions. I balance this awareness and use the time in between points and change-overs to
reinforce my game plan and stay with positive actions and thoughts. My body posture sends a message of strength and positive, engaged energy. I know my opponent doesn't care for these weather conditions either. I am not willing to spend time and energy on the negatives of playing in the wind. I direct my thoughts and performance to useful energy and problem solving.
d)_______The distractions that my opponent generates doesn't affect my energy or mental focus. I don't give away my energy by spending time worrying about what my opponent is doing on his/her side of the net. If my opponent is drifting outside the allotted rules of play I will seek out available resources to remedy the situation. If there are no resources available I accept this
annoyance as an amusing challenge versus a threat to my ability to perform.
e)______There are situations where our captain thinks it useful to alter the line-up and move our stronger players into slots that they will likely play against a weaker team for a "sure win."
The opposing team may play their line-up "straight-up" and since I am the "sacrifice" player potentially I can face a really strong opponent. The opposing team may also alter their line-up and I could end up playing the person I would have played in my original spot. Either way I am excited for the opportunity to compete. If I win against a stronger opponent it benefits my ranking points. If I lose it is a fantastic opportunity to experience competing against a strong opponent. If I lose to an opponent of my equal ability......well.......I guess I need to work on my game!
f)_______James Loehr, Ed.D writes in his book Toughness Training for Life, "the perception of
threat (losing) leads to a condition of negative arousal....linking negative arousal with the stress hormone cortisol has been associated with feelings of anxiety, tension, helplessness and loss of control." "The physiobiological mobilization process associated with perception of challenge (versus fear) is called positive arousal." Emotional competitiveness is characterized by emotional flexibility, responsiveness, clarity and the capacity to make useful adaptations in a losing situation. When I am in pressure situations I know how to keep track of my energy. I am able to stay positive, and never give up. When the match is over and if I lost I can learn from it and let it go.
Conclusion:
Add up your check marks. The number of check marks is self-explanatory. Are you draining more energy than building in stressful athletic situations? If there are an equal amount of check marks in each catagory the good news is you can improve your positive energy skills. When an athlete carries some level of negativity, doubt etc...onto the playing arena it doesn't guarantee losing. When the opponent isn't as skilled or experienced, negative energy may affect the experience of the players but it won't necessarily determine the outcome. When skills levels and abilities are equal, attitude, positive body language, emotional resiliancy etc. become factors.
Is developing positive performance energy as simplistic as "flipping the lense" of your thinking and behavior? Not really. An individuals personality, environment, sport-culture and training in this area of performance usually take time to develop. Overtime with persistence and chosing to select effective positive responses to stress and challenge a player is capable of building their resiliancy. This response becomes more automatic over time.
Get tough......and have fun.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Lens of Attention
When a client visits an optometrist to have their vision tested they most likely sit in a chair and the doc at some point during the appointment asks the client to look through several different lenses to find the right corrective adjustment to fit their visual distortions. The doc presents several lens choices and the tester typically is asked to respond to the various lenses presented. As the doc flips the lense file the client is asked, "does this make reading the letters of the eye chart"
-Easier
-The same
-Or worse
The client focuses on the selections and gives simple feedback responses to the selections and whether their vision, improves, stays the same or worsens during the choices. Using this template for emotions an athlete can ask him/herself is my behavior in this situation making my present situation, better? Keeping it the same? Or worsening?
Athletes who become stuck in their emotions have a tendency to respond with old patterns
(the same vision of what has happened and is going to happen) of behavior that frequently activate the same cycle of reactions that often create a losing situation. Even when that reaction time and time again hasn't proven to be smart, productive nor helpful in creating the options and responses the athlete is striving for.
So next time you are near to experiencing a melt down, try flipping the lens of your thought process, behavior, perceptions so your emotions have an opportunity to adjust and offer you a clearer vision of what is needed to succeed. If you haven't established tools to be able to stop, check in, and adapt to the need to do something different, or have the tools to choose something different, you will most likely continue with the same murky vision. When was your last check up!
Next time: The Eye "I" Exam.
-Easier
-The same
-Or worse
The client focuses on the selections and gives simple feedback responses to the selections and whether their vision, improves, stays the same or worsens during the choices. Using this template for emotions an athlete can ask him/herself is my behavior in this situation making my present situation, better? Keeping it the same? Or worsening?
Athletes who become stuck in their emotions have a tendency to respond with old patterns
(the same vision of what has happened and is going to happen) of behavior that frequently activate the same cycle of reactions that often create a losing situation. Even when that reaction time and time again hasn't proven to be smart, productive nor helpful in creating the options and responses the athlete is striving for.
So next time you are near to experiencing a melt down, try flipping the lens of your thought process, behavior, perceptions so your emotions have an opportunity to adjust and offer you a clearer vision of what is needed to succeed. If you haven't established tools to be able to stop, check in, and adapt to the need to do something different, or have the tools to choose something different, you will most likely continue with the same murky vision. When was your last check up!
Next time: The Eye "I" Exam.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Doing Battle
What is the value of youth and adult sports? The opportunity to learn to do battle in a contained environment with the enhanced value of striving for success and deepening our humanism. Sport participation has the potential to allow participants to learn to train (discipline actions, take on responsibility to self and others), be competitive ( yet civil, polite, courteous) and engage in sportsmanship, (sportsmanship respect for opponents, officials, teammates, coaches and for the game itself).
Seems simple and yet the recreational sport culture at times seems to have moved so far away from these values it is incredibly odd to observe. Example:
1) Four players playing a weekend tennis tournament. One player yells out a running stream of instructions to his partner as the ball is in play...."watch out.....he's gonna hit a lob." "Run back I'll cover the net"....."hit to his backhand." I personally find this a funny story but for the irritated team on the other side who is trying to play and is listening to this running dialogue obviously does not find this to be humorous.......You decide was the team who was doing all the talking during the point being.....
a) competitive
b) sportsman like
c) other
For those of you who chose (a)....borrowing from sport sociologist Jay Coakley's definition of
competition. "A social process that ocurrs when rewards are given to people on the basis of how their performances compare with the performances of others doing the the same task or partcipating in the same evenent."
The conflict in choosing (a) would be the assumption that talking loudly to your partner in the middle of the point is the same as the technical skill of observing and reacting physically to the situation during the course of the point. Yelling out instructions was pretty much considered a distraction to the process of the other team.
Did you choose (b) Sportsmanship behavior? Probably not many folk chose (b). Unfortunately lots of people have forgotten about the point of sportsmanship like behavior. D. Shields and B. Bredemeier, in their book, "Character Develpment and Physical Activity" (1995) define sportspersonship as, "involves an intense striving to succeed, tempered by commitment to the play spirit such that ethical standards will take precedence over strategic gain when the two conflict."
This brings the choice to "other." The irritated team confronted the talking team which resulted in a verbal dispute about player rights on the court. The irritated team that was listening to their opponents yelling instructions to each other during the point didn't go to find an umpire which is a choice they could have made but again this is social recreational PLAY.....
To win brings a team ranking points but no prize money, no endorsements, no free trips, gifts or giveaways......Where do players learn these traits? Is it learned, modeled or spontaneous form of attempting to meet another teams challenge during the heat of battle? The talking team now has a negative reputation and they ended up losing the match....
Seems simple and yet the recreational sport culture at times seems to have moved so far away from these values it is incredibly odd to observe. Example:
1) Four players playing a weekend tennis tournament. One player yells out a running stream of instructions to his partner as the ball is in play...."watch out.....he's gonna hit a lob." "Run back I'll cover the net"....."hit to his backhand." I personally find this a funny story but for the irritated team on the other side who is trying to play and is listening to this running dialogue obviously does not find this to be humorous.......You decide was the team who was doing all the talking during the point being.....
a) competitive
b) sportsman like
c) other
For those of you who chose (a)....borrowing from sport sociologist Jay Coakley's definition of
competition. "A social process that ocurrs when rewards are given to people on the basis of how their performances compare with the performances of others doing the the same task or partcipating in the same evenent."
The conflict in choosing (a) would be the assumption that talking loudly to your partner in the middle of the point is the same as the technical skill of observing and reacting physically to the situation during the course of the point. Yelling out instructions was pretty much considered a distraction to the process of the other team.
Did you choose (b) Sportsmanship behavior? Probably not many folk chose (b). Unfortunately lots of people have forgotten about the point of sportsmanship like behavior. D. Shields and B. Bredemeier, in their book, "Character Develpment and Physical Activity" (1995) define sportspersonship as, "involves an intense striving to succeed, tempered by commitment to the play spirit such that ethical standards will take precedence over strategic gain when the two conflict."
This brings the choice to "other." The irritated team confronted the talking team which resulted in a verbal dispute about player rights on the court. The irritated team that was listening to their opponents yelling instructions to each other during the point didn't go to find an umpire which is a choice they could have made but again this is social recreational PLAY.....
To win brings a team ranking points but no prize money, no endorsements, no free trips, gifts or giveaways......Where do players learn these traits? Is it learned, modeled or spontaneous form of attempting to meet another teams challenge during the heat of battle? The talking team now has a negative reputation and they ended up losing the match....
Friday, August 3, 2007
Case Study Results
Results from the EmWave case study of nine U.S.T.A. League players is now available to read.
www.sportshealthcounseling.com click on Projects and Results from the front page.
Till next time!
Think good thoughts.
www.sportshealthcounseling.com click on Projects and Results from the front page.
Till next time!
Think good thoughts.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
EmWave Case Study
"The heart is a primary generator of rhythmic patterns in the human body and possesses a more extensive communication system with the brain than do other major organs. In addition the heart plays a particularly important role in the generation of emotion. ...The research team at the Institute of HeartMath has shown that techniques which combine intentional heart focus with the generation of sustained positive feelings lead to a beneficial mode of physiological function they have termed psycho-physiological coherence." Quantumintech
Positive feelings and smooth, even heart rhythms facilitate or improve the brains ability to process information; this is called cortical facilitation. When the brain and heart work harmoniously an athletes physical reflexes are faster and he/she will be able to focus, think and make clear decisions and enable muscular coordination. Players still need to have the skills, abilities and talent to perform the task. If your technique is inefficient you will still need to develop this area to improve performance. (Sorry no miracles :-).....
EmWave Case Study: Nine U.S.T.A. League tennis players. Nine EmWaves ( a portable biofeedback devise)....instructions on how to use the EmWave and one month documenting their use (time and frequency) to explore if using the EmWave at least five times a week, for at least five minutes per time would aid in reducing cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, improve players self-confidence and enjoyment of competition. Levels of anxiety and self-confidence were measured by having the players complete the "Competitive State Anxiety Inventory" (slightly modified) as a pre-test. The group took the same test again after a month of using the device.....
The case study findings were significant....for a detailed description of this case study check http://www.sportshealthcounseling.com/
under "Projects and Results." Complete details of the study will be posted by the end of July.
Positive feelings and smooth, even heart rhythms facilitate or improve the brains ability to process information; this is called cortical facilitation. When the brain and heart work harmoniously an athletes physical reflexes are faster and he/she will be able to focus, think and make clear decisions and enable muscular coordination. Players still need to have the skills, abilities and talent to perform the task. If your technique is inefficient you will still need to develop this area to improve performance. (Sorry no miracles :-).....
EmWave Case Study: Nine U.S.T.A. League tennis players. Nine EmWaves ( a portable biofeedback devise)....instructions on how to use the EmWave and one month documenting their use (time and frequency) to explore if using the EmWave at least five times a week, for at least five minutes per time would aid in reducing cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, improve players self-confidence and enjoyment of competition. Levels of anxiety and self-confidence were measured by having the players complete the "Competitive State Anxiety Inventory" (slightly modified) as a pre-test. The group took the same test again after a month of using the device.....
The case study findings were significant....for a detailed description of this case study check http://www.sportshealthcounseling.com/
under "Projects and Results." Complete details of the study will be posted by the end of July.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Mental Preparation for Competition
What is the Inverted-U Hypothesis? As an athlete what is helpful to know about this state of arousal and how it can help or hinder your performance? Do all sports require the same states of emotional and physical arousal?
The Inverted-U Hypothesis is a point of reference to explain the relationship between arousal states and performance. Underarousal typically exhibits itself in not being psyched up enough to meet the demands of the event. The athlete reports feeling sluggish, can't find their rhythm on the playing field.
As arousal level increases typically so does performance - up to a point. Too much energy causes rhythm and mechancis of movement to be off, a racing mind creates impaired decision making. Optimal arousal will vary for each individual. Optimal performance is a combination of great mental and physical preparation an intermediate level of arousal on game day. Each sport has requirements for optimal performance.
A race car driver must make moment by moment decisions and adjustments while racing at speeds of 180 plus miles and hour with other cars on all sides. A confused mental state due to anxiety can be fatal.
A football player that is underaroused and slow off the mark or running to his target will get beat time after time by their opponents. Overarousal can result in dropped catches by not watching the ball into their hands or running before the ball is under control.
A tennis player who gets off to a sluggish start or is too wound up and makes early errors has time to make a comeback if he/she doesn't get too far behind in the match. But this takes energy away from the player which can affect him/her towards the end of the tournament.
Do you know your optimal arousal state for your sport?
The Inverted-U Hypothesis is a point of reference to explain the relationship between arousal states and performance. Underarousal typically exhibits itself in not being psyched up enough to meet the demands of the event. The athlete reports feeling sluggish, can't find their rhythm on the playing field.
As arousal level increases typically so does performance - up to a point. Too much energy causes rhythm and mechancis of movement to be off, a racing mind creates impaired decision making. Optimal arousal will vary for each individual. Optimal performance is a combination of great mental and physical preparation an intermediate level of arousal on game day. Each sport has requirements for optimal performance.
A race car driver must make moment by moment decisions and adjustments while racing at speeds of 180 plus miles and hour with other cars on all sides. A confused mental state due to anxiety can be fatal.
A football player that is underaroused and slow off the mark or running to his target will get beat time after time by their opponents. Overarousal can result in dropped catches by not watching the ball into their hands or running before the ball is under control.
A tennis player who gets off to a sluggish start or is too wound up and makes early errors has time to make a comeback if he/she doesn't get too far behind in the match. But this takes energy away from the player which can affect him/her towards the end of the tournament.
Do you know your optimal arousal state for your sport?
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