Free Sport Psychology E-Zine

Issue#: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32| 33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41|42|43|44|45|46|47|48|49|50|51|52|53|54|55|56|57|58|59|60|61|62|63|64|65|66|67|
68|69|70|71|72|73|74|75|76|77|78|79|80|81|82|83|84|85|86|87|88|89|90|91|92|93|94|95|96|97|98|99|100|101|102|103|104|105|106|107|108|109|110|111|112|113|114|115|116|117|118|119|120|121|122|123|124|125|126|127|128|129
130|131|132|133|134|135|136|137|138|139|140|141|142|143|144|145|146|147|148|149|150|151|152|153

Sierra Center for Peak Perfromance

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 1 - January 2003*

Welcome to the forty-ninth issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

If you wish to be removed from our mailing list please click here and complete and send the form that you will find there.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Edwina Wade.

Edwina has 48 hours to claim the Personalized Subliminal CD.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

In sports, and life, negative or dysfunctional thinking tends to produce negative or dysfunctional results while functional or positive thinking tends to produce positive results. Process thinking is the most appropriate and functional form of thinking because it significantly increases your potential for performing at your best. While you can't control the outcome you can control or shape your thinking.

For most of us establishing a habit of functional thinking requires both cognitive and behavior change. I have found that athletes and others can change their thinking and habits by doing the following:

HOW TO START THINKING MORE FUNCTIONALLY

You can begin to Master the Art of Process Thinking by taking the following preliminary steps:

Set Process Goals, Define Action Steps and Establish a Plan

Simply stated a Process Goal is a goal that describes the means by which an Outcome is achieved. For example, an Outcome Goal might be "To play better golf." and the Process Goal for this outcome might be "To practice more often".

There are at least three action steps that must be taken to achieve the desired outcome. For example to practice more often you may need to; (1) Plan each hour of your day in an Appointment Calendar; (2) Set aside at least three hours per week of practice time and (3) Stick to your schedule.

You now have a Process Goal and three Action Steps that lead to its achievement. Now you need a plan to implement the Action Steps. In this example the plan might be to set your weekly schedule each Sunday afternoon and to review your schedule when you awaken each morning and at the end of each day. Your plan can now be redefined as Action Steps such as (4) Prepare your weekly schedule on Sunday afternoons and (5) Review/revise your schedule each morning and evening

Write Process Affirmations for your Goals, Action Steps and Plans

Affirmations are brief, direct, positive statements that affirm the achievement of goals, action steps and plans. The following sample affirmations were developed from the process goal, action step and plan outlined above:

Goal: To practice more often

"I PRACTICE MORE OFTEN AND PLAY MUCH BETTER GOLF"

Action Step (1): Plan each hour of my day in an Appointment Calendar

"I PLAN EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY IN MY APPOINTMENT CALENDAR"

Action Step (2): Set aside at least three hours per week of practice time

"I SCHEDULE AT LEAST THREE HOURS OF PRACTICE TIME EVERY WEEK."

Action Step (3): Stick to my schedule

"PLAYING BETTER GOLF IS THE RESULT OF STICKING TO MY SCHEDULE.'

Action Step (4): Plan my weekly schedule each Sunday afternoon

"PLANNING MY SCHEDULE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON GETS ME READY FOR THE WEEK."

Action Step (5): Review my schedule at least twice each day

"I ACCOMPLISH MUCH MORE WHEN I REVIEW MY SCHEDULE AT LEAST TWICE EACH DAY."

Setting goals, defining action steps, establishing a plan and writing affirmations are the first steps down the pathway to more functional thinking. My next articles will outline how you can keep the journey moving forward.

Are you ready to start the journey today? Click here and I will tell you how.

*Published in February 2003

TOP

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 2 - February 2003*

Welcome to the fiftieth issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Andrew Greg.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills:
Part II: Creating a Daily Plan
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Because not enough time to practice or train is one of the most frequent concerns athletes mention and because concerns about training time can reduce functional thinking, this article is focused on a planning technique associated with better Time Management as a key to Process Thinking.

I. Make a Master Schedule

One of the best methods of using time effectively and training more efficiently is to plan when you will do specific training tasks in both Macro and Micro Training Cycles (Periodization). It is important to note that specific training tasks should be directly related to one or more of the goals that you have created. It is also important to keep in mind that planning does not have to mean following a rigid, inflexible, monotonous schedule. Good planning means making thoughtful, intelligent and timely decisions about when it is easiest and most efficient and effective to get your training done. Good time management should result in training smarter, not necessarily harder, and a good time plan is the key.

The purpose of the Master Schedule is to get a realistic picture of how many hours are available for training. Your Master Schedule should include other activities that are important and shouldn't be sacrificed in order to have more time for training. A Master Schedule should help you build training periods around other important tasks and activities.

Using a standard Appointment Calendar, like the Weekly-Minder, or something similar, make a timetable of all of your activities that occur at the same time each week. These activities should include work, family and church activities, sleep, meals, traveling time, etc., but not training time. It is important to be realistic about how long these activities take. For example, leave at least seven to eight hours a night for sleep and give yourself an hour for lunch and dinner, so you will have time to relax, socialize, or run errands as well as eat. This is not a recommendation to create a plan to eat while you do other things. This is a recommendation to leave enough time to eat and then do other things if needed. Once this master timetable is complete, make a copy for each day or the week in each month of the year.

Setting goals, defining action steps, establishing a plan, writing affirmations and good time management are the first steps down the pathway to more functional thinking. My next articles will outline how you can keep the journey moving forward.

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 3 - March 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-first issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Kelly Smith.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part III: List, Prioritize, Estimate
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Because not enough time to practice or train is one of the most frequent concerns athletes mention and because better planning can often reduce this concern, this article continues the focus on planning techniques associated with better Time Management. Establishing better time management habits also has the benefit of encouraging the tendency for Process Thinking.

Most of us use some method of recording what we need to do, if nothing more than jotting due dates on a calendar. To plan your time more effectively, you should try making a comprehensive list of training tasks. I recommend that you make a list each week that includes some time to work on major, goal oriented aspects of practice and training. Then rank-ordered your training tasks according to your priorities and estimate the amount of time needed to complete each task. These three important steps - list, prioritize, and estimate - are a key element in time management and developing or maintaining a positive habit of process thinking.

One of the key elements is the regularity with which you create a task list. For most of us setting aside a time each week to list our major training tasks is a good idea. For example, I like to do mine on Sunday evening because it seems to help me start the week feeling well organized even if, at the time, I'm having a hard time finding my butt with both hands!

Take care to schedule the priority tasks first and block out enough time each day to get them done. If you're like me you have a tendency to chronically underestimate the time that it will take to get things done. If this sound like you just add an extra five minutes to your original estimate. Avoid, at all costs, any estimates that include multitasking. To me multitasking means doing more than one thing at a time and not doing any of them well.

Decide what to do and when to do it and make sure that you are setting aside enough time for high quality execution. When estimating and setting aside time, it's a good idea to keep in mind that quality is far more important than quantity. Make sure you distribute the more unpleasant tasks evenly throughout the week, or day, so you don't end up with one killer day, or time slot, that's hard to face and even harder to get through. Consider the natural rhythm of your body and mind and match the priority tasks with those times when your energy, clarity of thought and concentration is most often at its peak.

Setting goals, defining action steps, establishing a plan and writing affirmations are the first steps down the pathway to more functional thinking. My next articles will offer more tips that will help you find the time to practice and train and in the process encourage a habit of more functional thinking.

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 4 - April 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-second issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Tim Durrett.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part IV: Create an Outline
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Simply put, a process is a series of related tasks, activities, or events that lead to a particular result or outcome.

One of the best ways to get to your desired outcome as an athletic competitor is to begin to make Process Thinking a functional, productive habit in your life.

An obvious first step is to define or identify the process. If you're good at flow-charting, creating a flow chart can be a very productive tool in defining what the process is and identifying how the process can be improved.

If making flow charts does not come easily or is impractical you can begin with a detailed narrative.

For example, if you want to increase your focus on Process during your pre-competition preparation you should first create a detailed narrative of your typical preparation. In the case, the narrative should include everything you routinely do from the time you get up on the day of a competition until the competition begins.

The following is an except from a narrative created by an avid, and successful, amateur Mountain Bike competitor:

I wake up the morning of the race after a deep and restful sleep. As always, I have a hot cup of rich coffee. I sit back and think of the course that I will be racing on, knowing that I will ride it well and fluidly during the race. I then eat my oatmeal because it will give me the energy that I need. After, I mix my pre-ride shake and go for a walk. At the race sight I take in the beauty of the surroundings and realize that this is one awesome sport and that I am so lucky to do it well. In addition, my wife and children love it and support me. I say good morning to the other riders and to my team as I get my bike and gear out of my truck. As I set up my trainer I am thinking positively about how I will compete in the race. I get my headset on and get on my bike and slowly begin to warm up. I listen to my tape, humming along with the music. Breathing deeply, I bring in the fresh air that relaxes my mind and muscles. Soon I am perspiring, and getting into the groove. I am drinking plenty of water and eat my banana. I notice that my staging time is nearing, so I get of my bike and stretch .I walk inside of the team trailer and do my thirty ritual push ups to get my upper body ready for the race. I feel so strong after my push upstate jogging for 5 min to loosen my legs even more, I return to the team area to kiss my wife and kids. Finally, I get on my bike and drink a carob gel before going thru the gate. At the start, I again breath deeply staying relaxed and in the moment. I say a prayer for a good and safe race for everyone. My friends and family cheer me on as we take of from the start. I know that I will ride well because of my training and preparation.

Can you make an outline of this athlete's typical pre-race process that is based upon this narrative? I will offer a 35% discount to the first 5 readers that accurately outline the process of competition described above. Send your outline to me at this address: OutlineContest@drrelax.com

Are you ready to start the journey towards more effective Process thinking today? Click here and I will tell you how.

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 5 - May 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-third issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Rebekah Brunner.

Because of the Labor Day Holiday in the US, Rebekah has 96 hours to claim the Personalized Subliminal CD.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part V: Create an Outline-Step Two
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Simply put, a process is a series of related tasks, activities or events that lead to a particular result or outcome.

One of the best ways to get to your desired outcome as an athletic competitor is to begin to make Process Thinking a functional, productive habit in your life.

An obvious first step is to define or identify the process. For example, if you want to increase your focus on Process during your pre-competition preparation you should first create a detailed narrative of your typical preparation. In the case, the narrative should include everything you routinely do from the time you get up on the day of a competition until the competition begins.

The following is an except from a narrative created by an avid, and successful, amateur Mountain Bike competitor and the Process Focused Outline that is based on his narrative:

I wake up the morning of the race after a deep and restful sleep. As always, I have a hot cup of rich coffee. I sit back and think of the course that I will be racing on, knowing that I will ride it well and fluidly during the race. I then eat my oatmeal because it will give me the energy that I need. After, I mix my pre-ride shake and go for a walk. At the race sight I take in the beauty of the surroundings and realize that this is one awesome sport and that I am so lucky to do it well. In addition, my wife and children love it and support me. I say good morning to the other riders and to my team as I get my bike and gear out of my truck. As I set up my trainer I am thinking positively about how I will compete in the race. I get my headset on and get on my bike and slowly begin to warm up. I listen to my tape, humming along with the music. Breathing deeply, I bring in the fresh air that relaxes my mind and muscles. Soon I am perspiring, and getting into the groove. I am drinking plenty of water and eat my banana. I notice that my staging time is nearing, so I get off my bike and stretch .I walk inside of the team trailer and do my thirty ritual push ups to get my upper body ready for the race. I feel so strong after my push ups so I start jogging for about 5 min to loosen my legs even more, I return to the team area to kiss my wife and kids. Finally, I get on my bike and drink a carob gel before going thru the gate. At the start, I again breath deeply staying relaxed and in the moment. I say a prayer for a good and safe race for everyone. My friends and family cheer me on as we take of from the start. I know that I will ride well because of my training and preparation.

7. TRAVEL TO RACE SITE AND TAKE TIME TO APPRECIATE BEAUTY, OPPORTUNITY TO RACE, SUPPORT OF FAMILY AND GOOD FORTUNE TO BE ABLE TO RACE WELL

10. SET UP TRAINER, FOCUS ON POSITIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE RACE AND REVIEW/REHEARSE RACE STRATEGY

11. LISTEN TO SUBLIMINAL MUSIC ON HEADSET, HUMMING ALONG WHILE WARMING UP ON TRAINER

Can you develop a Process Focused, Pre-Race Mental Rehearsal from this narrative and outline? I will offer a 35% discount to the first 5 readers that create and send an accurate Process Focused Mental Rehearsal to me at this address: OutlineContest@drrelax.com

My next articles will offer a Pre-Race Mental Rehearsal that is based upon this narrative.

Are you ready to start the journey towards more effective Process thinking today? Click here and I will tell you how.

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 6 - June 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-fourth issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Douglas Kern.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part VI: Pre-Competition Mental Rehearsal
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Simply put, a process is a series of related tasks, activities or events that lead to a particular result or outcome.

One of the best ways to get to your desired outcome as an athletic competitor is to begin to make Process Thinking a functional, productive habit in your life. A Pre-Competition Mental Rehearsal that is focused on Process will help you establish that habit in a very practical way.

The following sample comes from a Pre-Race Mental Rehearsal that was created for an avid, and successful, amateur Mountain Bike racer. It is the first of four Performance Visualizations used on a four-stage training CD designed to help the rider automatically attain the personal ideal internal state that is conducive to his own best performance:

And as you drift and float and dream, Tom you can see yourself and feel yourself waking up in the morning on race day. You used an image last night after getting into bed and you have slept so deeply and recovered so completely that this morning you have awakened very well rested and highly energized. Before you get out of bed you reach over to the nightstand and pick up your affirmations. Take three deep breaths and read them aloud. Feel the confidence and optimism flooding over you as you do. You feel so positive, you feel so much in control and sure of your ability to ride at the top of your potential on this day in today's race. YOU FEEL SO GOOD! You put your subliminal on as you go through your morning routine. As you have your usual hot cup of rich coffee sit back, close your eyes, take three more deep breaths, and think of the course that you will be racing on, see yourself and feel yourself riding well and fluidly during the race. It feels so good, so natural to mentally rehearse the race in this you. After you finish your mental rehearsal you eat your oatmeal and mix my pre-ride shake. You take three more deep breaths as you begin your walk with your affirmations running through your head and you drift...and float...and dream...Warm and Heavy and Deeply relaxed.

Can you see how this section was developed from the outline provided by the rider and described in the previous articles? I would enjoy producing a training program for you that would help you master Process Thinking and establish a winning Pre-Competition Ritual. Email me here if your interested in learning the skills that will help you more consistently bring out your best.