What happens when your mental game lets you down? Wimbledon 2011.

It’s a June Friday night as I sit down with many others in the country to watch Andy Murray in his Wimbledon Semi-Final against Rafael Nadal, the first set went to Murray who was playing like a force capable of beating Nadal to reach the final of a grand slam for the first time. The start of the 2^nd set went Murray’s way, serving brilliantly and making Nadal work hard. However, the tide turned in the fourth game of the set as Murray squandered a chance to bring up two break points by missing a routine forehand.  

‘It’s only one missed shot in a match’ you may think, yet the effect on Murray was devastating, his body language went from assertive and confident to frustrated and unsure which lead to his physical game starting to disintegrate. He had not suddenly lost his physical talent or fitness therefore what had happened in his head?

It’s as if Murray, in the midst of a mid-match crisis, lost sight of his path to victory and the positive messages that create a belief of how to win. What resulted was a player that appeared to have lost control of his mental game, he became distracted by bad line calls and seemed to have the memory of the missed shot linger for a long time as he hesitantly went for similar shots, thus allowing Nadal to take full advantage.

Having an ability to stay in the present moment and understand what thoughts and attitudes cause us to slip out of it, can determine how we perform when under pressure. We all have a voice inside our head that talks to us, at times it is on our side and at other times it works against us. This voice impacts on what we do and how well we do it, what’s important is that we DO have control over the voice. If Andy Murray had become aware of his self-talk after the crucial missed shot, he may have been able to put it behind him and play on as he had been. Once you are aware of your self-talk you are then able to deal with it and change a poor performance into a good one.

By Sarah Murray July 2011

What Do You Love About Sports?

As a sports psychologist, the first time I speak to an athlete, coach, or team I ask them: “What is it about the sport you love? What keeps you coming back?” To me this is an essential question, it tells me about their motivation and how they see their sport whilst allowing me to identify their satisfaction and enjoyment levels. I believe you can never overlook or stray away from the essential reason why you play sport and what you love about it, simply because it plays a crucial role in forming the basis of any sporting identity.

Today, I was inspired to consider this very topic. I read a blog by Julie Foudy, former World Cup and Olympic Medal Winner for the U.S. National Soccer Team. She constructed a list of “Why she loves sport.” It reminded me that as a sport psychologist I must also always keep what it is I love about sport too clear in my mind and close to my heart.

So here’s my list...

● The exhilaration of success against the anguish of defeat

● The sounds of the game: The crack of a ball hitting a bat, the swish as a ball goes through a net, the thwack of a racket as it smacks a ball, the whistle to signal the start of a race, the squeak of sneakers on the gym floor

● The tension in the pit of my stomach during a close game

● The relief of the final whistle, the last out, the last point

● The excitement of seeing the “big” players, the heroes of the game

● The pride that washes over when I hear my national anthem played

● Examples of true sportsmanship and character building moments

● Songs and music that immediately inspire, such as “we are the champions”

● Underdogs, superstitions, and rivalries

● Sports movies, like “A League of their Own”, “Coach Carter”, or “Field of Dreams”

● The smells: popcorn and hot dogs, sweaty locker rooms, freshly cut grass, leather from a new glove

● The cheers, the chants, and the songs

● The feeling of exhaustion after a intense workout and the euphoria of pushing past my previous limits

● The camaraderie of teammates, a second family

● Leading a team and the pride that comes with it

● The chance to travel the country and the world, experience different cultures, traditions, and athletes

● The way it brings people, schools, communities, towns, countries together

● The long hours working towards a dream and the feeling of accomplishment when its reached

● What it’s like to take chances and swing for the fences

● Learning to deal with and overcome adversity

● There is nothing else like it

By Kat Longshore 2011

So now I ask you, the reader: What’s on your list?

What do you love about sports?

We’d love to hear what’s on your list so share it by leaving a comment!

To read Julie Foudy’s List go to: http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/_/post/6296129/julie-foudy-sports-love-feeds-soul

“How Do You Act When the Pressure is on?" England v Ireland Six Nations 2011

"How do you act when the pressure is on, when the chance for victory is almost gone? When fortune's star has refused to shine and the ball is on your own five-yard line. Cowards can run when they're way ahead. It's the uphill grind that marks a thoroughbred. How do you act when things are rough? Do you want to quit when the breaks get tough, or is there in you a flame that grows brighter and fiercer as the battle goes? How long and how hard will you fight the foe? That is what the world wants to know. You hope for success, then tell me son, how do you act when the pressure is on?"

In sports we talk about intensity, passion, and spirit. We see these as ‘essential’ to success and characteristics which inspire. Watching England play Ireland in the last match of the Six Nations, with the Championship and Grand Slam at stake, it struck me that these ‘essential’ elements were missing from England’s game. The Irish came out fighting, no hope of a championship, they weren’t playing for anything more than a win, but they wanted it and it showed. Fellow sport psychologist, Dr. Jim Brenner is a believer in asking athletes: Where would you rather be than right here? Looking for the answer: Nowhere, nowhere else but right here, right now. I’d be willing to bet every Ireland player would have answered in this way, from the dressing room through to the last second of the game. England? I’m not so sure. From even the very first few minutes, they played desperately, panicked, and couldn’t build momentum. They wanted the result but forgot the method. Hence, the fluidity of play we have seen from England in the last 4 matches was nowhere to be seen. They lacked the confident, brave play from key members of the team. Where was the well-oiled partnership between Ben Youngs and Toby Flood? The dynamism from backs Ben Foden and Chris Ashton? The bulldozer running of James Haskell? I imagine the whole of England sighed when two of International Rugby’s finest and most consistent kickers missed. Whatever spirit England had, it was quickly and tragically shattered.

They say a picture tells a thousand words, well this one tells the story of the game:

England looked confused and at a loss, tired, worn-out, and dejected

Where was the leadership? Surely an International side cannot fall because their captain is injured, furthermore, just because a captain is injured doesn’t mean he can’t inspire from the bench. And what happened to other players stepping up? There was a crucial resilience lacking from this Championship side. Can we blame the lack of experience and youth of the team?

In games and situations like these it’s easy to look at what went wrong and how a side crumbled under the pressure. But perhaps, it was Ireland who rose to the challenge? Did England lose the game or did Ireland win it? And let’s not forget, England may not have won the Grand Slam, but they still won the Six Nations. What deserves more attention, the loss of the Grand Slam or the Win of the Championship? What’s more important the process or the outcome?

It all comes down to: How do you act when the pressure is on?

by Kat Longshore 2011

Psychological Effects of Reaching ‘Potential’

“You have so much potential.” A familiar saying in sport and indeed in life, I’m sure most people have either heard or uttered those very words at some point. But what is ‘potential’? Does it exist?

At the latest IOP team meeting, we discussed the term ‘potential’ attempting to come to grips with what it means for our athletes, clients, and sport in general. It was identified that it can be perceived as both a positive and negative concept. Positive being that it instils confidence and motivation in the individual that will increase their drive to achieve the potential. Negatively it can be perceived as an unachievable goal, an outcome goal, of which the pressure is too high to focus and be present and aware of the process goals to achieve the outcome goal. However, positive and negative connotation may be determined by the source telling them they have the potential and what comes after, for example, if they add a negative at the end of the sentence (I.e. you have the potential, BUT...); whether or not they feel they have control over reaching their potential, for example seeing potential as something you either have or don’t have. An interesting point was made about how the athlete will ever know they have reached their potential and what will they measure it on (intrinsic- feeling they have performed to their best ability or extrinsic rewards – winning a medal)? Also the feeling of wanting to reach potential versus having to reach it as that is what others expect, seeing as the athlete has the potential in the first place. Wanting implying a desire, having implying pressure. It’s also important to note how potential is defined and portrayed, either by subjective norms and language or the individual athlete.

Questions to pose for athletes – Does potential mean…??

Expectation

Excellence

Perfection

Reaching peak performance

Ability

The athlete’s association with the word or concept will ultimately determine whether they ever reach anywhere near their best. With some the more they focus on their potential the further they will go in the opposite direction which will only lead to a sense of disappointment and possible burnout and failure. Essentially, ‘potential’ is just a concept, as success and failure are concepts. Therefore, it’s each individual’s perception and meaning which gives ‘potential’ life and the power to be motivating or discouraging, positive or negative.