Mental toughness is an athlete’s ability to perform their best in every competitive situation, regardless of the environmental obstacles or adversity faced (Burton & Raedeke, 2008). Mental toughness is not a single skill, but rather an entire set of mental skills that contribute to consistent optimal performance under pressure in competition. Mental skills are sport-specific psychological skills that contribute to an athlete’s ability to optimally perform (Weinberg & Gould, 2019). Below are a few examples of key mental skills foundational to sport & performance psychology. Learn more about how to develop mental resilience in sport and beyond.

Key Mental Skills in Sport & Performance Psychology

Concentration

Concentration is much more than just an on/off switch that the athlete flips during competition. Concentration is a mental skill that that needs to be broken down, learned, and practiced in athletes just like any other mental and physical skill in sports. Concentration is selective attention that focuses on relevant cues for optimal performance (Weinberg, 2019).  Concentration contains four distinct elements or foundational pillars (selective attention, maintaining attentional focus, situational awareness, and attentional flexibility (Weinberg, 2019). Learn more about obstacles to concentration.

Performance Routines

Routines can be broken down into three distinct categories, pre-performance routines, in-performance routines, and post-performance routines. Pre-performance, also referred to as pre-competition routines, are actions taken prior to the start of competition to prepare the athlete for psychological readiness for competition. In-performance routines are actions that an athlete does while competing either in-between plays or during timeouts. Post-performance routines take place after the competition has finished either in the locker-room, on the bus, or at home when the athlete has time to reflect alone. Learn the differences between routines and rituals.

Goal-Setting

Goal setting is a powerful strategy to get and stay motivated on the journey towards your dreams. Goal setting is the road map to the future that you want. Goal setting is the process by which you can achieve your accomplishments if you stay disciplined and continue to put forth the effort. However, there is more to goal setting, then just writing lofty dreams down on a piece of paper. Goal setting is an ongoing process that needs to be reflected upon, measured, monitored, assessed, and reassessed. When done well, goal setting can be a powerful motivator and play a critical role in achieving desired success. Learn how to make more effective performance goals.

Imagery

Imagery is a mental training tool in which athletes use all their senses to mentally rehearse, create, or re-create an experience in the mind (Vealey & Forlenza, 2015). The difference between visualization and imagery is that visualization only engages the sense of vision, while imagery is a polysensory experience, meaning all senses are engaged including visual, auditory, physical, olfactory, gustatory and the kinesthetic (Vealey & Forlenza, 2015). Imagery is a way for athletes to refine technique and practice specific sports skills in one’s mind regardless of whether they are sidelined by an injury or without access to a training facility. You can use imagery to reduce stress, return from injury and perform at your best. Learn how to write an imagery script here.

Self-Talk

Internal self-talk is intentional and productive internal dialogue that athletes have with themselves in their mind (Lodato, 2022). It is a form of intrapersonal communication that impacts athlete emotions, behavior, actions, and motivation (Lodato, 2022). Self-talk often surfaces within athletes in reaction to the outcome of a play, situation, or event in competition in which the athlete desires change for the future (Weinberg & Gould, 2019). Self-talk can enhance concentration, assist with breaking bad habits, sustain athlete motivation, and ultimately increase effort (Weinberg & Gould, 2019). However, self-talk can also be a lethal distraction during competition. How you speak to yourself matters. Self-talk can help you achieve your performance goals.

Deconstruct Perfectionism

Perfectionism is characterized by unrealistically high expectations of self and a tendency to be over critical of one’s performance. Learn effective techniques for to combat maladaptive perfection concerns with self-compassion to improve your performance and increase your well-being. Learn more about how to overcome perfectionism in sports.

Communication

Learn how to express your thoughts and desires clearly and effectively to the people on your performance team and in your life. Explore how attachment patterns are impacting your communication style.

Error Recovery

Performance errors and setbacks are a part of a every sport, for every athlete, at every level. Oftentimes athletes understand this concept and yet have a difficult time recovering from the previous play and shift their focus to the next one. Athletes who dwell on past mistakes inadvertently increase their arousal level by worrying about the future without realizing the attentional drift. Errors do not have to be catastrophic. The goal is not to never make mistakes in competition. The goal is to mentally recover from mistakes faster and move on to the next play.

The post What is Sport & Performance Psychology? appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

Superstitions

Superstitions are false beliefs that athletes hold which ultimately have no impact on the outcome (Lodato, 2022). Superstitions are typically created by athletes from happenstance, instilling a belief of “cause and effect” which ultimately has no bearing on the result. Examples of superstitions can include hearing a certain song on the radio prior to competition, wearing a particular color sock, or avoiding stepping on the lines of the court.

Rituals

Rituals are extremely rigid, lack flexibility, and as a result can be counter-productive to the athlete or team (Lodato, 2022). An athlete with strict rituals may find it difficult to play away matches in environments that do not offer their at-home comforts. An example of a ritual in volleyball is a team cheer in between service points regardless of the situation. The insistence on maintaining the cheer between every point may at times increase the players momentum (positive impact) or distract the athletes from strategic conversations about making changes on the court (negative impact).

Routines

Routines are a “sequence of task-relevant thoughts and actions an athlete systematically engages in prior to performance of a self-paced sport skill” such as serving in volleyball (Mesagno & Mullane-Grant, 2010). Routines are repeatable, consistent, comfortable, and purposeful and yet flexible as needed in the face of obstacles based upon the environment or situation (Lodato, 2022).

One of the most effective strategies that an athlete can learn to increase their confidence, improve concentration, and compete consistently is to develop and integrate routines into their preparation and training protocols (Vernacchia, McGuire, & Cook, 1996). Routines have been proven to help athletes achieve a state of performance readiness by increasing feelings of self-efficacy, or a sense of control, in pressure situations (Hazell, Cotterill, & Hill, 2014).

Pre-Performance Routines

Routines can be broken down into three distinct categories, pre-performance routines (PPRs), in-performance routines, and post-performance routines.  Pre-performance, also referred to as pre-competition routines, are actions taken prior to the start of competition to prepare the athlete for psychological readiness for competition. Pre-performance routines should prepare the athlete to expect and overcome adversity in competition, whether it be distributions to their warm-up, weather delays, hostile fans, or negative internal dialogue.

In-Performance Routines

In-performance routines are actions that an athlete does while competing either in-between plays or during timeouts. Athletes should ideally execute during-performance routines during short breaks in competition and before they perform specific skills such as a free-throw in basketball or a serve in tennis or volleyball. During competition athletes have severely limited time, therefore during-competition routines need to happen quickly and effectively. Recalling the athlete’s belief cue, or focus cue, is an example of during-competition routine.

Post-Performance Routines

Post-performance, or post-competition, routines take place after the competition has finished either in the locker-room, on the bus, or at home when the athlete has time to reflect alone. During a post-performance routine, the athlete should attempt to learn lessons from the recent competition (Orlick, 2016). Reflecting upon key plays, player matchups, decision making, connection with teammates, and the effectiveness of game strategies are examples of factors that athletes should consider focusing on during their post-performance routines.

Here’s a free downloadable worksheet to develop competition routines. For more information to distinguish the the difference between superstition, rituals and routines, and ideas on how to integrate routines to improve performance on the road, check out my article on using routines to prepare for competition on the road. Developing systematic competition routines is a primary focus of mental coaching for athletes.

References

Xygalatas, Dimitris (2022, September 14) The Real Magic of Rituals. https://nautil.us/the-real-magic-of-rituals-238960/

Lodato, Vincent A. (2022). Being Prepared: Routines for Readiness [PowerPoint Slides]. Canvas@UWS. https://canvas.uws.edu/courses/2345/assignments/29357?module_item_id=206390

Burton, Damon & Raedeke, Thomas, D. (2008). Sport Psychology for Coaches. Human Kinetics.

Stewart Cotterill, Neil Weston, & Gavin Breslin. (2017). Sport and Exercise Psychology: Practitioner Case Studies. Wiley-Blackwell.

Hazell, J., Cotterill, S. T., & Hill, D. M. (2014) An exploration of pre-performance routines, self-efficacy, anxiety and performance in semi-professional soccer, European Journal of Sport Science, 14:6, 603-610, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2014.888484

McCann, Sean. (2009) Routines, rituals, and performing under pressure, Soccer Journal, 40-43.

Mesagno, C., & Mullane-Grant, T. (2010). A Comparison of Different Pre-Performance Routines as Possible Choking Interventions. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 22(3), 343–360.

Orlick, T. (2016). In Pursuit of Excellence: How to win in sport and life through mental training. (Fifth Edition). Human Kinetics.

Vernacchia, Ralph, McGuire, Rick, & Cook, David. (1996) Coaching Mental Excellence. Warde Publishers, Inc.

The post The difference between superstition, rituals, and routines appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

One of the biggest misconceptions about confidence in sports is that most athletes and coaches think confidence is simply the belief in one’s ability to win or succeed. The problem with this definition of confidence is that it’s too narrow and often leads to a simplified “yes or no”, “you either have it or you don’t” type of thinking, when in fact confidence is much more complex.

Most athletes experience a spectrum of confidence levels that fluctuate throughout the season based on any number of both internal and external factors. Therefore, when teaching about confidence to athletes and coaches, I encourage them to consider this broader concept of confidence. It is much more helpful and accurate to think of confidence as a continuum centered by optimal confidence, with underconfidence on one end and overconfidence on the other.

Underconfidence

Underconfidence, also known as low confidence, is marked by an under estimation of one’s ability to perform (APA). Underconfident athletes tend to under estimate their skill level and potential. They are often overcome with self-doubt and have difficulty recovering from mistakes during practice or competition. Underconfident athletes tend to be under prepared both physically and mentally. These athletes are highly sensitive to feedback and experience a self-fulfilling prophecy of failing in pressure situations.

Overconfidence

Overconfident athletes believe they are better than their game statistics and have an inflated sense of their performance history. They also tend to lack physical and mental preparation. Overconfident athletes often respond to pressure situations by trying to over perform or hoard the ball. In many cases overconfident athletes have a history of being pampered by their parents or guardians and past coaches.

Optimal Confidence

Athletes with optimal confidence levels are adequately prepared for pressure situations in competition both physically and mentally. They have realistic and attainable individual and team goals. Optimally confident athletes also approach competition with a clear game strategy.

So now that we’ve reframed confidence to exist as a spectrum, how do we center athletes into the zone of optimal confidence?

According to Bandura, high levels of self-efficacy contribute to higher level of performances or “mastery experiences”. Athletes who receive feedback and assurance that their goals are attainable, often increase their motivation and effort until they achieve the success they desire. Here’s four imagery strategies and free confidence building worksheets to manage athlete confidence in preparation for competition that I use when I do mental coaching for athletes to help build confidence. I recommend that athletes dedicate quiet reflection time to each of the four categories: Performance Accomplishments, Vicarious Experience, Verbal Persuasion & Arousal Control or Emotion Regulation.

1. Past Performance Accomplishments & Experience

According to Bandura’s Theory (1997), the strongest predictor of self-efficacy is the athletes’ previous successful experiences (Williams & Krane, 2015). Take a moment to reflect back on all your past accomplishments in your sport from the beginning of your career all the way through to the present moment is one of the most effective ways to build your confidence in sports. Now bring to mind a mental highlight light reel of yourself playing your absolute best, maybe you have memories of playing in a flow state. Maybe it’s thinking about big plays you made in critical moments under pressure, or just shutting an appointment down that you were matched up against. You can also create and watch an actual highlight reel of video footage from matches to watch before or during competition during breaks. Imagery is a very effective sport psychology strategy to build your confidence in sports.

2. Vicarious Experience

Increase your confidence level through the process of vicarious experience. Vicarious experience is the process of identifying a role-model or expert in your field or sport and learning through the process of observation and modeling (Williams & Krane, 2015). This might mean watching college level or professional competitions. The Olympics and Paralympics are a fantastic opportunity to find and learn from new role models in your sport.

3. Verbal Persuasion

Verbal persuasion is another effective sport psychology technique for building confidence athlete confidence in sports. Verbal persuasion is positive feedback you’ve received from people in your life, most importantly your teammates and coaches. Spend some time reflecting on positive feedback, affirmations, and compliments you’ve received from your teammates and coaches. Trust that your teammates and coaches were being honest and real with you. Trust that your teammates and coaches believe in you. You also may find it helpful to reflect back on what it felt like when your coaches recruited. Remind yourself that you were recruited and chosen to play for your team because the coaches believed in your abilities, talent, and potential.

4. Arousal Control (aka Emotion Regulation)

Arousal control, or the process of recognizing and managing ones optimal arousal state during competition can also function to increase self-efficacy in athletes (Williams & Krane, 2015). Think about what it feels like in competition when you first start feel the pressure of a big game, meet or competition? What does it feel like in your body? Do your muscles feel tight or heavy? Do you start to feel tension in your jaw, neck, chest or stomach? Picture the tension in your body. Which color is it? What is the texture? Next envision the tension leaving your body. Some athletes find it helpful to picture tension existing their body through an exhale of breath. Notice that you are not your anxiety, your worry, or your stress. Your tension is separate from you. Externalize it. Let it go. Picture it leaving your body and notice a quiet sense of calm. Learning to regulate your emotion to experience optimal performance state is one of the most effective sport psychology techniques for increasing confidence in sport.

Free Confidence Building Worksheets

References

Bandura, Albert. (1990) Perceived self-efficacy in the exercise of personal agency, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2:2, 128-163, DOI: 10.1080/10413209008406426 

Bandura, A., & Cervone, D. (1983) Self-evaluative and self-efficacy mechanisms governing the motivation effects of goal systems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 1017-1028.

Burton, Damon & Raedeke, Thomas, D. (2008). Sport Psychology for Coaches. Human Kinetics.

Hays, K., Thomas, O., Maynard, I., & Bawden, M. (2009). The role of confidence in world-class sport performance. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(11), 1185–1199.

Williams, J. M. & Krane, Vikki (2015). Applied sport psychology: personal growth to peak performance. Seventh edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. https://www.mheducation.com/highered/product/applied-sport-psychology-personal-growth-peak-performance-williams-krane/M9780078022708.html

Vealey, R. S., Hayashi, S. W., Garner-Holman, M., & Giacobbi, P. (1998). Sources of sport confidence: Conceptualization and instrument development. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 20(1), 54.

The post The Confidence Continuum appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

One of the most effective mental performance strategies to help athletes adjust to discomfort and dysregulation that comes with playing away is for athletes to develop a pre-competition routine. A pre-competition routine or systematic ritual serves to increase athlete confidence and improve concentration (Vernacchia, McGuire, & Cook, 1996). To mentally prepare athletes for away competition, it can also be helpful to ask questions such as: What do you miss the most when you are competing away from home (Gardner & Moore, 2004)?

Traveling to compete in environments that athletes are unfamiliar with and have not had the opportunity to train or familiarize themselves with extensively is an integral part of competition in sports. The “home court advantage” offers athletes access to familiar training and competition facilities, pre-game meals, more sleep (depending on the time zone differential of the competition site) and typically increased spectator support. Away games and travel tournaments require traveling outside of an athlete’s comfort zone causing disruption to conscious and unconscious competition routines. The result of these unavoidable travel disruptions often result in disrupted pre-game routines, decreased warm-up times, and competition jitters, all of which ultimately reduce an athlete’s ability to perform optimally.

To combat these distractions and disruption to competition preparation, it is highly recommended that athletes engage pre-competition routines when traveling to compete. Sport specific mindfulness strategies can include controlled breathing techniques, mindfulness of nonathletic task execution, body-scanning, mindful pre-performance stretching, and mindful sport related warm-up drills (Gardner & Moore, 2004).

Other pre-competition routines can be a simple as traveling with your favorite pillow or blanket, consistent pre-game snacks and meals, or warm-up music that you know and love. All the above-mentioned strategies can be executed on the road in nearly any environment that an athlete can expect to play.

I would love to get more ideas on how to help athletes adjust and mentally prepare while playing on the road. What strategies and techniques do you use to help athletes cope with the discomfort of travel and playing away?

How to Use Routines to Mentally Prepare for Competition

Want to learn more about how to use routines to mentally prepare for competition? Check out these two videos from Dr. Kenneth Ravizza, Ph.D – an internationally acclaimed sport psychology consultant and the greatest mental coach for athletes of all time (in my opnion).

The Research

Based upon previous research studies including Gardner and Moore (2004), Lutkenhouse (2007), Wolanin (2005), Hasker (2010), and Schwanhausser (2009), there exists substantial empirical research evidence that mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions improve athlete performance (Gardner & Moore, 2004). The research study performed by Wolanin (2005) indicated a 37% increase athlete performance based upon coach ratings (Gardner & Moore, 2012). The 2007 research study conducted by Lutkenhouse, Gardner, and Moore resulted in a 20% athlete performance improved of at least 32% of the athletes (Gardner & Moore, 2012). And the research study by Schwanhausser (2009) produced findings of increased athlete mindful awareness, attention, flow and competitive drive among athletes (Gardner & Moore, 2012). In addition to improved performance results in athletes, research studies also indicated that mindfulness reduces anxiety and worry (Roemer & Orsillo, 2002), decreases levels of verbal-linguistic activity in the left-hemisphere of the brain (Crews & Landers, 1993), and increased self-awareness (Roemer & Orsillo, 2002), reduces depression (Hoffmann, Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2020), enhances well-being (Chiesa & Serretti, 2009).

References

Burton, Damon & Raedeke, Thomas, D. (2008). Sport Psychology for Coaches. Human Kinetics.

Gardner, F. L., & Moore, Z. E. (2004). A Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment-Based Approach to Athletic Performance Enhancement: Theoretical Considerations. Behavior Therapy, 35(4), 707–723.

Gardner, F. L., & Moore, Z. E. (2012). Mindfulness and acceptance models in sport psychology: A decade of basic and applied scientific advancements. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 53(4), 309–318. https://doi-org.uws.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/a0030220

Stewart Cotterill, Neil Weston, & Gavin Breslin. (2017). Sport and Exercise Psychology: Practitioner Case Studies. Wiley-Blackwell.

Vernacchia, Ralph, McGuire, Rick, & Cook, David. (1996) Coaching Mental Excellence. Warde Publishers, Inc.

The post Using Routines to Mentally Prepare for Competition on the Road appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

What exactly is positive psychology?

Positive psychology is a framework based in scientific research that contains formal strength assessments to help athletes reach their optimal potential. Martin Seligman is considered the father of positive psychology because his research on resilience, happiness, wellbeing, and strengths laid the foundation for a shift from focusing on mental illness, trauma, suffering, and pain to focusing on happiness, wellbeing, flourishing, flow, and strengths. Positive psychology ultimately asks what’s right with athletes, instead of what’s wrong with them. Using positive psychology, a mental performance coach or consultant can help athletes understand their greatest strengths and use them to elevate their performance and even navigate their athletic careers.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living.” (Peterson, 2008).

Why is positive psychology often overlooked?

The field of psychology is rooted in a deficit approach that primarily focuses on the diagnosis of symptoms. Diagnosing the root of mental illness, pain and suffering is the very foundation of psychology. The field of psychology at large has ignored positive functioning because oftentimes fixing what is wrong inherently feels more urgent than building upon what is right.  Many coaches in sport also maintain the philosophy that an athlete’s weaknesses represent their greatest area for potential growth (Robert Biswas-Diener, 2010). However, the field of positive psychology suggests an alternative approach that prioritizes athlete mental health and wellness, while building upon their inherent strengths.

What are the benefits of adopting a positive psychology framework?

Positive psychology cannot guarantee the outcome of happy athletes or teams, however it can provide a framework and deliver tools for their athletes to develop skills, cultivate balance, and find their own sense of meaning in their sport (Biswas-Diener, 2010). The evidenced-based research on positive psychology indicates that adopting a framework of positive psychology leads to a reduction in athlete burnout rates, increased internal motivation, and a strengthened sense of purpose on the court or playing field.

The most common myth of positive psychology

The most common myth about positive psychology is that it ignores problems and weaknesses. This is simply not true. Although the positive psychology is largely focused on strength identification, rather a diagnosis of illness or weakness, the framework is founded upon a growth-mindset model that is always seeking to improve, grow, heal, adapt, and learn. Therefore, athlete weaknesses will naturally improve over time as the athlete becomes stronger, more confident, and self-aware as a result of using a positive psychology approach.

Three sample interventions to get you started

Positive psychology is supported by evidence-based research that supports interventions and approaches (Biswas-Diener, 2010). Research studies show that focusing on strengths identification, optimism, and gratitude results in increased happiness, higher rates of recovery, and lower rates of depression (Robert Biswas-Diener, 2010). Strengths-based therapy has been found to produce a higher success rate when compared to therapies that do not focus on strengths (Robert Biswas-Diener, 2010). 

1. Build a strengths vocabulary. The VIA Survey of Character Strengths is a self-assessment of character strengths that can be taken online for free. Coaches can have their players take the strengths tests to learn more about how their teams.
2. Create a culture of positivity by asking to players to talk about their strengths. Start with questions like: What do you like best about yourself on or off the court? Or What aspect of your game are you most proud of? Many athletes, especially female ones, are socialized to be humble and recoil when asked to talk about their strengths for fear of appearing overly confident (Biswas-Diener, 2010). 
3. Conduct a gratitude exercise. Research studies have linked gratitude to higher levels of social support and reduced depression (Steen, Seligman, Peterson, & Park, 2005), in addition to lower rates of social anxiety (Kashdan, Julian, Merritt, & Uswatte, 2006). An easy intervention that anyone can implement is to have players keep a daily journal of three things they are thankful for (Biswas-Diener, 2010). 

References:

Biswas-Diener, Robert. (2010). Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching: Assessment, Activities and Strategies for Success. Wiley.

Ackerman, Courtney E. (2022). What is positive psychology? & Why is it important? https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-positive-psychology-definition/

The post Why You Cannot Afford to Ignore Positive Psychology appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

What does the Stanford women’s volleyball team do for mindset training? 

We do a lot of stuff that we work on individually. We see what the needs are of the individuals. We talk a lot about confidence. Confidence is where the training and the mindset intersect. If you put the time in, you can develop confidence. The other things that we talk about (are) mindfulness and finding your center. We talk about breathing. We do some meditation training. The thing that we talk directly about as far as competing on the floor is; being aware of where your thoughts in competition, being aware of where your thoughts are in practice and if they are negative thoughts, replacing those thoughts. We talk a lot about thought replacement and being aware of (what) you’re thinking. Replace the thought “I can’t do this” with – “I can do this. I am strong. I am powerful. I got this.” We talk a lot about that thought replacement.

We talk a lot about confidence. Confidence is where the training and the mindset intersect. If you put the time in, you can develop confidence. 

What type of strategies do you use to help players rebound when they have a crisis of confidence?

To me that’s very individualized and it depends on the athlete. For some of them I feel like we try to get ahead of it a little bit. One of our athletes last year was new to us and she was struggling with confidence early on. I think she was trying to decide if she could fit in the team or not. She was struggling to learn our system and all that. One of the things we talked about is how do you earn the confidence first and understand that there’s going to be this learning curve. That’s the 1st piece, giving her perspective. You’re learning a whole new system, you’re playing with new players and you’re trying to figure all this out. Just take a deep breath and be committed to the process.

I feel like my athletes are very pragmatic, they over analyze, and so if we can find the things that are necessary for them to compete and they attack those things in practice or with a little bit of extra time then usually that takes care of a lot of it.  She was a middle blocker, so for her (it looked like) getting extra footwork reps, a few more slide reps, or working on a shot.

And having a conversation – this is how it looks like this team is going to defend you, or this is how they defended you last time. We’ve done that same strategy with passers that have struggled or setters that have struggled. Instead of just saying you should have confidence, get those reps because then they feel like they’re earning the confidence. By mitigating their feelings and just saying what you’re feeling is wrong doesn’t really help them. Let’s try to give them perspective first and then let’s see if we can earn that confidence.

That’s worked out for most of our athletes actually. It’s like if they want to get an A in the class, then they’re going to study and put the time in. That’s how they’re going to have confidence on their tests. We try to draw those parallels. The challenge for all of them is trying to find that perspective. It’s the perspective that it’s okay to make mistakes right now. This is part of the process. We only care about being good in December. 

When you have a team that is very diverse and full of different personalities, how do you approach team building and leadership? 

I do my best to try to recognize leadership. Everyone talks about developing leadership, but I feel like we recognize leadership. We have to recognize who the leaders are first. We don’t have a captain on our team. We have a floor captain. We just say whoever is setting is our captain, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily our leader. We try to figure out what things we value as a group and what are our goals as a group. As you start to have those conversations the vocal leadership starts to emerge. I pay attention to that and identify the leaders. Once I identify who the (natural) leaders are, then I try to put as much on those guys to help drive the culture and the cohesiveness as much as possible because I feel like it’s always stronger when it’s coming from the athletes.

My leadership style as a head coach, even with my staff, is to identify what people are really good at. I’m going to give you the freedom to explore those things as a recruiter, as a coach, as the competitive leader, as the task leader or as the social leader. Let’s identify what you are. Let me be a resource to help you be the best version of that leader possible and what this group needs from you. And then empower you and amplify the message. As a teacher I need to teach our athletes what it means to be a leader, empower them to develop into successful leaders and to lead the way that we need them to and in the way the group is looking for them to lead.

How do you teach communication on your team?

The most important part of communication from me and from my athletes is we’ve got to listen. When freshman come in, they don’t listen to anybody unless you scream and yell. They just want to communicate. The first step for us is we have to listen to each other. But also, if you want people to listen to you, you have to know how to communicate concisely so you don’t lose them in the conversation. And so we talk pretty openly about that. We say – be direct, be on point, be on topic and be concise with that communication in every single way. As the person that’s communicated to, let’s make sure we listen and acknowledge. Just that, (learning to) listen and acknowledge, makes us better communicators in every single way. That goes for if it’s a text I send to the group, they all acknowledge it, they all send a little thumbs up emoji or a got it, or whatever. We give them the freedom to create their own language but with these rules, you’re going to communicate concisely and receive the communication. In this world where we communicate so much through text messages, I think the acknowledgement piece and the listening piece are lost.

What type of pre-game routine do you have in your program?

I leave that up to the athletes. I would not say that we have a routine. I would say that finding a routine that works for each individual is absolutely important. You need to figure out how to prepare yourself physically, mentally and emotionally so you can play in the national championship. And then also you need to figure out how to get your head right for each match. It’s going to take practice and you gotta figure that out. And so we’d talk about that as a group. How do you get yourself ready for competition? How do you eliminate everything that’s around you and get yourself in this moment right now?Different teams have had different strategies. One group shut everything down, turned their phones off, and (found) a quiet place to meditate or breathe, but with my team last year it was like dance party. Goofiness got them in the right place because that helped them let go of everything else.

The post In the Huddle with Kevin Hambly, Stanford University Volleyball appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

The Kirsten Bernthal Booth that was hired back in 2003 inherited a team that won three games in a season. How did you convert the culture of your team to adopt a “winning mentality”.

I’ve always been a coach that believes in process. Doing the right things and not being totally locked into outcomes. To me, as an athlete and as a coach, that frees you a little bit. We’d really focus on process and taking risks.  In a small way, if a player tipped, they were probably going to get yelled at. If they had a perfect set and they made a low risk decision, they were going to get in trouble with us.  And if they had a good set and they went for it, regardless of outcome, we were going to cheer for that. It allowed them (the players) to go for it and know that there weren’t going to be ramifications. I know that sounds simple, but it really did switch the mentality. We’re a pretty high risk program. When you get a good ball, we’re going to go for it. It’s paid dividends because at the Division I level, if you give the other team that opportunity, they’re going to throw it down your throat, so we’ve got to seize it.

I think our biggest job as coaches is to make kids believe how great they can be.  I really believe that confidence is key to everything

If you have a player that’s in a rut or experiencing a crisis of confidence, what are some strategies you use to help get that player out of their funk?

I think our biggest job as coaches is to make kids believe how great they can be.  I really believe that confidence is key to everything. It starts with how we talk to them. Every word that we say as coaches is impactful. Everything we’re saying is being heard and we need to be careful with the words that we choose. If I see a kid is struggling, the first thing I’m going to do is talk to them. I’m not going to attack them. Maybe there’s something in their life going on, maybe their parents are struggling, you know it might be bigger things. So the first thing is that I’m going to reach out and see what’s going on. If it’s small stuff then I’m not going to make a big deal out of it. If they’re really struggling, then I’m going to try and give them tactical things to do.

They (players) can always control their demeanor. If I can tell they’re down, then I’m going to challenge them to make sure their teammates don’t know they’re down. They need to make sure they’re holding themselves with confidence. I am a believer that you can fake and your mind will follow you faking things, so “fake it til you make” it is a mantra in our gym. Displaying that confidence is important. 

If they are still struggling at that point, then we’ll talk about tactical things. Let’s make sure your step-close is really explosive, or let’s make sure we’re hitting high hands. Another thing we’ve done is made a highlight clip on the iPad that just sits on the end of the bench. During a time-out or when a player is subbed out, they can watch a 20-second video of themself looking awesome.  You can also spin stats in a positive way and try to give them data of why they’re actually better than they think.

There’s not a perfect solution for each kid. Each kid is different. Some you have success with and some you don’t. The benefit of being a college coach is that we get to pick the players. I believe that every kid on my team has the ability to be great and it’s my job to make them know how great I think they can be.

The post Inside the Huddle with Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton University Head Volleyball Coach appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

To be the best passer, you need to believe that you can become the best passer.  To be the best setter, you need to believe that can become the best setter.  And to win the match, you and your teammates need to believe you can win the match! We all perform differently when we are sure we can win, instead of just hoping that maybe we can win but maybe not.

In sports, and in society, masculinity is often associated with being tough, strong, aggressive, competitive and arrogant. Where as, femininity is often associated with being graceful, thin, goal-oriented or being a perfectionist, and being confident, but not overly confident. Oftentimes women who display these “masculine characteristics are accused of being angry, emotional, out of control, or feminists. Many women also confuse confidence with arrogance and are afraid to be labeled as cocky or arrogant.  Confidence in particular is often rewarded in men and punished in women.

Brenda Major, a social psychologist and professor at UC at Santa Barbara has studied how gender impacts self-perception for decades.  In her social experiments, she consistently found that men overestimate their abilities and subsequent performance, while women regularly underestimate both. Meaning that women, in the workplace and in sports, are better than we think we are. 

This is such a common finding and phenomenon that there’s a term for it.  It’s called the Gender Confidence Gap.

The term Gender Confidence Gap explains why the gender pay gap that exists in the workplace is partially attributed to men having higher confidence than women – and as a result, asking for raises or taking on roles their not necessarily qualified for because they believe in their own ability. 

The confidence gap doesn’t just reflect the amount of confidence that men and women have in themselves.  It reflects how much confidence men and women have in each other.

Here’s the takeaway: if you let your confidence get shaped by the world around you, then you’ll never have enough of it. 

You have the ability to build your confidence up.  And you need to actively, consciously guard your confidence or it will get torn down by your opponents, coaches, teammates, fans, referees, social media, friends, family and the world around you.

I wish somebody had told me this when I was in college.

Here’s 3 questions to reflect upon with your team:

• How can you build your own confidence? 
• How can you build up each other’s confidence?
• How can you, as a team, build a culture of confidence that counter acts what society tells women about confidence?

The post The Gender Confidence Gap appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.

When you have a negative, fear based, shameful experience or an insecure thought, your mind wraps around it like velcro. When you have a positive experience, for example – when you receive a compliment or somebody affirms and congratulations you, it slides off like melted butter on a teflon skillet.  Our brains are hardwired to remember negative experiences and quickly forget positive experiences. 

The human mind is attracted to the negative. It’s why we get so caught up in gossip. It’s why bad news is good for ratings. Humiliation sticks with us for days.  Shame can stick with us for years.  But we are not nearly as affected by the positive feedback we receive.

Think about it in your own life.  If you get 10 positive emails in a day and 1 negative email, which email do you ruminate over?

Consider a volleyball practice.  If you get 5 compliments from your coach and 1 piece of criticism that day, what’s the 1 thing that you remember above all else from that practice?   It doesn’t even matter if the criticism was constructive criticism!

If you don’t consciously focus on the positive, if you don’t look for it, and listen for it, then you are not going to hear it.  And you’re definitely not going to absorb it. Maybe it comes in the form of a compliment from a teammate or you receive praise from your coach.  Or maybe it’s just a moment of gratitude about something you are thankful for.

My point is that you have to deliberately and consciously concentrate on positive experiences in order for them to really sink in. Research says that it takes 5 positive interactions to make up for a single negative interaction in a relationship.  The same is true of self-talk.

Now more than ever, there is so much suffering in the world.  The negative news is overwhelming and it drowns out heroic stories every single day. It’s so easy to fall into a funk and feel sorry for yourself with the situation you’re in.  There’s some days where everything bothers you, your parents are driving you crazy, your siblings are being annoying, and maybe it feels like your friends don’t seem to really understand what you’re going through. 

You have to choose to look for the positive.  You have to choose to be thankful.  You have to choose to lift each other up instead of cut each other down.  You have to choose to lift yourself up, instead of tear yourself down.

This is one of the most practical lessons I can possibly teach you on or off the court. It’s called the Velcro & Teflon Theory.  We’re attracted to the negative like velcro, but positive thoughts slide off like teflon. You can actually build your confidence on or off the volleyball court by focusing on positive thoughts or memories for at least 15 seconds.

Here is the Takeaway Tool: One of the keys to confidence building to dedicate time to remembering and focusing on positive thoughts and experiences. To absorb a positive experience, a piece of praise or comment from a teammates or coach, you need to focus on it for at least 15 seconds.  If you do not focus on the positive, it won’t stick. Give it a try!

The post Velcro & Teflon Theory appeared first on Headstrong Mindset LLC.