They Are the Warriors

        Unless you've been living underneath a sports rock, you're aware of the Golden State Warriors and their pursuit of the old Bulls record of 72 wins in a season.  I'm not a diehard NBA fan, but I watch from time to time and am a fan of greatness in any field.  This Warriors team is great.  They have great players, a great coaching staff, and a great culture.  I've read numerous pieces about Steve Kerr and the influence of Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson on his philosophy.  Kerr has also gone to visit the Seahawks, and the Warriors have embraced the same care for the players' day to day experience.  In short, Kerr has been willing to learn and take pieces of ways of doing things he likes.  He's done so without succumbing to the trap of losing who he is himself.  That is HUGE for young coaches especially.  We all have been infatuated with the play of Steph Curry and the overcoming of his light high school recruitment, but Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and others have been crucial to the team's success as well.  The reasons for why they are great are far too many to list, but a couple things I've read and watched have stood out to me.  Here are my thoughts.

        1. Steph Curry is a superstar who gets paid a lot of money to play basketball but somehow plays like a kid on the playground.  I know it's easy to stereotype Curry as playing like a little kid because he looks so young, but he really does look appear to have a great time playing the game.  Regardless of the situation or the hype surrounding the game (outside expectations), he plays incredibly freely.  The way he pulled up for the 34 foot game-winner like it was a free throw in the opening minutes was a microcosm for his freedom of play.  This is refreshing to see in the era of sports we are in.  Every day my Twitter feed is blown up with tweets about how great players don't do this or great players don't do that.  One popular thought is that great players are mean and play angry because they hate the other teams so much.  While this can be true in some cases, it's not a necessity.  It's irrational to say that every great player has a certain demeanor.  In fact, if I had to choose I'll take the athlete not driven by his hatred for his opponent.  I'll take the one driven by a love for the game he/she is playing instead.  My money is on him/her being the more consistent player who keeps proper perspective with the sporting experience.  For me to claim to know everything that allows Curry to play so freely would be irresponsible so I won't even try.  All I know is I love watching it and would love to see that joy become the norm.

        2. There has been a lot of buzz as the season has progressed by the media (outside expectations) about how NBA legends from different eras feel about the Warriors.  It's kind of sad to see them talk about how the Warriors wouldn't beat this team or that team.  Oscar Robertson is the latest to say that Steph Curry wouldn't be that good when he played and that coaches today don't know how to plan defensively.  The Warriors don't seem to completely ignore it, but they treat the talk like an annoying fly in the room.  It's there and annoys them, but they don't allow it to affect how they play.  I thought Andrew Bogut, in addition to having some fun on Twitter by saying his 14U Australian team would beat the Warriors, summed it up well when he said, "Every generation says the next generation is softer and slower and not as smart and not as physical.  I hope I'm not one of those guys that does that."  I couldn't agree more and think the lesson  carries over to whatever level you are coaching or playing in.  Another "Whiny Coaching Twitter" theme is how players today are this or that.  They're "entitled."  They aren't "tough."  They don't work on their game outside of practice.  While I'm not saying any of the arguments are completely invalid, I've yet to see a problem solved via a Twitter feed.  If it's really a problem, do what you can to handle it instead of airing your grievances over social media.  It may make you feel a little better to know other coaches have the same issues, but it really just widens the divide between player and coach.  I go back to one of my favorite quotes from Rangers manager Jeff Banister.  "You can't coach today's players by yesterday's rules."  Today's athletes are different.  This comes with both positives and negatives.  What you choose to focus on is up to you.

        Those are just a couple of takeaways for the week of enjoying one of the greatest basketball teams we have ever seen.  What have you gotten from watching them?  I'd love to hear about it.  

       

Expectations: They're What You Allow Them to Be

        Last weekend I had the great opportunity to speak with a team about "Expectations."  The speaking engagement was tentatively planned about a month ago when the head coach contacted me with interest in me coming.  He chose the topic which I really liked.  The main reason I liked that he chose the topic is he certainly knows his team better than I do.  Him having a pulse for what would be good to talk about was pretty cool to hear.  I also really liked the topic because I have some strong feelings about Expectations based on what I have read, learned, and experienced.  Anyway, the team goes into the spring with hope for a great season.  Collegiate Baseball Newspaper included them in their preseason poll, and Baseball America has them in their initial projections for the NCAA Regionals.  More on that later.  Expectations and opinions in general had been something I'd considered writing about for a while so I felt like I should take the opportunity to share my thoughts.  Here they are.

        For the purpose of this post I'll use the word "you" interchangeably to address both you meaning your team and you meaning you individually.  Expectations can come from any number of sources.  They can come from the media.  Although the professional level certainly is in another stratosphere entirely, high school and college athletes are not immune to the hype of the preseason poll.  Scouts can be a source of expectations as well.  Many a draft-eligible player has fallen victim to draft buzz.  Family members, girlfriends, and friends in general often place expectations, both real and imagined, on players too.  Finally, YOU can have expectations for YOUrself.  As noted earlier, this can be within the team or yourself individually.  So what to make of all of these possible sources of expectation?  Well, all of the external expectations are ultimately irrelevant to YOU.  I'm not saying to ignore preseason buzz.  It's cool to be ranked, but understand what it really means.  People think you are talented, and they probably value your track record.  Track record is something to be proud of because you likely put in a great deal of work to get the results you've gotten, but they are in the past.  If you are on the draft radar, its because of some sort of combination of talent, performance, and projection.  Where a lot of players can struggle is allowing the projection to trump what they do rather than the talent and track record.  They try to do a little too much or be someone they are not instead of being the person who has put themselves into this position to begin with.  Easier said from the outside looking in, but easy regardless if you are thinking rationally.  Your Mom thinks you're the best player on the team.  There's only a 1 in 35 chance she is right.  Your girlfriend thinks you're so much better than the All-American starting instead of you.  Unfortunately, she doesn't make the lineup.  They both matter a great deal in your life.  Among other things, they can remind you that life includes so much more than your athletic career.  They shouldn't shape your behaviors and performance either though.  YOU are who determines both.  As a team, you likely have expectations.  What I loved from the team I spoke with is a number of the expectations they have for themselves revolve around an approach to the day to day.  Those are solid expectations.  Those will drive their behaviors and performance.  They clearly believed in them.  As an individual (or team), you have to expect yourself to be good.  "You can't outperform your own self-belief" is something Dr. Jack Curtis wrote.  This can be challenged a great deal.  All over the country college freshmen are seeing their names not in the lineup for the first time in their lives.  That can be a tough experience.  Understanding you are still good and reacting in the right way can ultimately determine if or when you do see your name in the lineup down the road.  It also has a major bearing on what you get from your season.  Not being prepared or helped to deal with this is a reason I think we see such great turnover in college sports after one year.  I think we do a great disservice to these student-athletes when we just assume they should know how to react.  That is like getting mad at a kid who has never ridden a bike when they aren't popping wheelies on their first ride.

        The more you allow expectations to dictate your behavior, the more control you're giving up as a player.  Harvey Dorfman said, "What you have to prove depends on who is setting the standard for your performance."  Your is the key word.  It's your performance.  You, both as a team and individually, set the standard.  Dorfman mentions walking through a door of choice, and I thought of a two-door analogy to represent this choice.  Behind door number one is a brick wall.  If you try to walk through, you won't have much luck.  Constantly altering your behavior, approach, or beliefs about yourself based on the expectations of others is like walking into the brick wall over and over again.  You'll never please them all, and you'll get frustrated trying to do so.  Behind door number two is blue sky.  Walk through and you'll be floating in the air.  This is what playing free of the expectations of others is like.  The reason I like the doors is it drives home the point of choice.  You either walk through door number one, or you walk through door number two.  It's as simple as that.

     My hope for you this spring is that you don't allow the expectations of others to dictate your behavior.  I'm not saying you have to completely ignore the accolades and the polls.  It feels good to be recognized.  Make sure you understand what they mean though.  Remember why you play and what makes you earn those accolades.  Keeping perspective throughout the length of whatever your season is, filled with both up's and down's, is important for having the best season you can have.  This perspective includes understanding the proper value of a pitch, an at-bat, a game, a ranking, etc.  All the best to everyone who has gotten started, gets started this weekend, or gets started in the coming weeks.  Enjoy it.

Reflections from a HOF Induction

        Over the weekend I had the great privilege of attending Winthrop University's Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony.  No, I wasn't getting inducted.  I'm still waiting for them to create a wing for exceptionally average players sometime in the future.  I won't have my fingers crossed in the meantime.  The invitation came from good friend and teammate Daniel Carte.  Daniel was an All-American at Winthrop and a second round draft choice of the Colorado Rockies.  He's probably the best position player in the school's history.  After playing several years professionally, Daniel coached at Radford and West Virginia before accepting a position in scouting with the Chicago Cubs.  He is one of the brighter baseball people I've been around, something easily overlooked in college because his physical abilities were so off the charts, and someone I'm proud to call a friend.  Back to the HOF though.  My excitement for attending the ceremony grew when I saw some of the other inductees to be included.  Three others in particular stood out.  Torrell Martin (basketball), Franco Wakhisi (soccer), and Joel McCartney (coach of women's volleyball) all were part of very successful runs in different sports while I was at Winthrop.  I was excited to hear what they would say about their experiences, along with Daniel of course.  Here are some of my takeaways:

1. It really is about everything but the individual accomplishments.
This is something that is hard for athletes to realize when they are living out their careers.  I think a major reason for that is an emphasis on individuals getting somewhere, whether that somewhere is college or playing professionally.  So much time is spent on looking forward that the present experience is neglected.  In all of the speeches (7 in total), I think an actual game was only mentioned one time.  Relationships, team, fun, success of the group, and gratitude were mentioned over and over.  Those are what will leave the lasting memories.  My advice would be to enjoy them more while you're in the moment.  Chances are that by doing so you will actually increase your odds of the individual success you are hoping for.

2. Success breeds success.
Like I said, part of my excitement for attending the ceremony was that there were several people who were all a part of Winthrop athletics while I was there.  What I didn't quite realize was how special a time it was for sports.  Our baseball team was really good, but so were our other teams.  Men's basketball had three tourney appearances while I was playing and five in total while I was in school (7-year-plan, insert doctor jokes here).  Volleyball made five straight NCAA appearances.  Soccer and tennis also had lots of success while we were all there.  Torrell, Franco, and Coach McCartney all brought up the other teams and coaches during their speeches.  Other teams doing well and supporting each other drove them to want to be even better.  An expectation of excellence permeated throughout the athletes and teams.  I'm reminded of waiting to lift weights and watching the basketball team or volleyball team practice.  This wouldn't have been the case at a huge school with multiple weight rooms.  There is something about that mid-major atmosphere of being around each other that was really special.  Although we played different sports, there was a connection.  Culture is a buzz word in sports right now.  What gets overlooked is the possibility of culture within an entire school's athletic program.  The culture of excellence during our time at Winthrop extended far beyond any individual team, player, or coach and was a major part of the school's overall success.

3. Great athletes are not short on gratitude.
"Thank you."  "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for..."  "I really appreciated..."  Gratitude can be something in short supply.  That was far from the case during the speeches of the inductees.  Being thankful for family support, coaches, teammates, athletic departments, teachers, booster support, and beyond was a major theme.  This was great to see and provides a reminder to athletes and coaches today.

4. Little things matter.
This message was not direct but was implied in all of the mentions of lifting weights, practice, and conditioning.  Again, they were talked about more so than the actual games themselves.  I've never actually done the math on how the amount of time spent preparing for games compares to the games themselves (someone make that Twitter graphic already!), but I am confident it is not even close.  When you think about that, the little things that go into practice and preparation really are the big things.  They matter.  All of them.  At the same time, let's be careful not to overvalue them.  I saw something recently that said the athletes who do well in conditioning are the ones who play.  This is anecdotal evidence, at best.  A blaring lack of truth at worst.  The ones who are the best at playing the sport are the ones who play.  I've never seen a lineup based on the amount of weight lifted or the time in a 300-yard shuttle (Trust me...at times in college I wished they were!).  Your effort in those activities does say a lot about you though and certainly can factor into performance though.  The little things matter.

5. There is more than one path to excellence.
Something I enjoyed about the speeches was that several of the athletes told brief stories about their paths to ending up at Winthrop.  They were all different.  This was a great reminder that there is no one path in sports, or life, to excellence.  Create your own.  Do it with the guidance of others you trust, but don't be afraid to explore a different route.  It might mean going to a camp at a school you know little about or visiting an area you are unsure of.  Create your path, and find your way to excellence.  Daniel brought up the concept of the journey being so much for meaningful than the destination in his speech.  These are wise words and where you really learn the most about yourself.

6. College is an experience unlike any other.
College is such a cool time of life.  Don't get me wrong.  High school is great.  Life as an adult is good too.  There is something about college though that is just unlike any other experience.  Your team really becomes your family.  You're around each other all the time.  You're in class together, in the cafeteria, at practice, and then living with each other.  The time spent and variety of environments can't be replicated.  You laugh together and cry together.  You fight with each other, and then you get over it because you're a family.  It is your first time really on your own, and you're making decisions you never have even thought about.  Some are probably good, and some are bad.  Some of your family is lasting and easily found in memories.  Then, there are those distant second or third cousins who were there for a few weeks before they failed or quit.  You forget about them until someone else mentions they were there.  They were a part of it though.  There is a bond created that is unlike any other.  Nobody can take it away from you, and nobody outside of your team really knows what it was like.  All of it.  The good times and the bad.  The great memories of winning championships and celebrating those championships.  The waking up at 5 for punishment conditioning.  All of it is what makes the college experience special.  Life happens after college.  You get jobs, move to different areas, and start families.  When you get together though, the bond is still there.  Everyone remembers things a little bit differently, and that is part of what makes it great.  That home run was just a little bit further.  That speech coach gave was just a little bit more intense.  The conditioning tests were just a little bit tougher.  Little time is spent talking about individual performances.  It's all "the other stuff" that made it special.  If you're there now, enjoy every single minute of it.  If you're hoping to get there, keep working.  It will be worth it and then some.

Those are just a few of the things that came to mind after a great night with great friends.  This list could have easily been much longer.  One overriding message of the post altogether is you can learn a lot from listening to people who have been there.  We often spend time thinking about how an experience could have been different if we'd only known then what we know now.  After years of separation from my time in college, however, I don't think I'd trade any moment for another.  Each is what made it what it was and ultimately what made me who I am today.  I do think that knowledge comes with a responsibility to pay it forward to the next generation of athletes and coaches.  That is what we can do.  That is what we should do.  That is what we do.

Givers and Takers

        Being done with my grad school program has provided a liberation of sorts when it comes to my education.  What I mean is I now have complete choice over what I read, what I write, and the experiences I have in order to better help people.  The liberation of choice hasn't come without a downside.  There was something comforting about being told, at least in general, what to read and write.  It provided some direction toward a final destination of the course or the degree.  For a little while after my completion of the degree, I found myself struggling to find new resources.  I'd exhausted much of the obvious "sport psychology" books out there already.  Fortunately, I stumbled across a podcast series done by Dr. Cindra Kamphoff from Minnesota.  The series had a few I was interested in because they involved people working in professional baseball.  Those who know me well and/or read the blog regularly know that is a goal of mine.  People say to learn from those currently doing what you hope to do so I try to whenever possible.  Among other great advice offered by both Dr. Kamphoff and the interviewees are book recommendations.  I bought several, and a book described by Ceci Clark is the one I started with over my winter break from school.  That book, entitled Give and Take:  Why Helping Others Drives Our Success provides the inspiration for today's post.  If you get the chance, I'd encourage you to check out the podcast series.  It helped to provide me with guidance on what to read next, and I'm grateful for that.

        Give and Take, written by Adam Grant, is a book about how we treat others.  Grant splits people into three categories: Givers, Takers, and Matchers.  Givers are people who do things for others for the sake of helping them.  There is no expectation of anything in return.  Takers do the opposite.  They constantly look for what they can get from other people.  Matchers look to "match" in their interactions.  Doing something nice for another person comes with the expectation of a favor in the future.  Getting something done for them leads to a feeling of having to make up for it.  I'm reminded of an episode of The Office where Dwight tries to get Andy to owe him something, but Andy is too much of a Matcher to allow that to happen.  The book goes into much greater detail about the three categories of people and even breaks them into sub-categories, otherish behaviors, fakers, and much more.  Grant does a great job of providing plenty of examples that somehow left me feeling like I was clueless at some points before putting it all together by the end of the book.  Cognitive dissonance again, perhaps?

        Although there are many possible applications from the book, I thought of one about the role of coaches.  More specifically, it got me thinking about the relationships coaches create with the athletes they coach.  There are Givers, Takers, and Matchers.  Givers give their time and effort fully to the athletes they coach.  They coach because they want the athletes to be successful or a love for the game and wanting that love to be paid forward.  No expectations are created by the coaches for the athletes to then give back to them.  Tim Corbin at Vanderbilt comes across as a Giver to me.  You can see it and hear it in most everything he says.  There are plenty out there, and the sports world is better for them.  Then, there are Takers.  Takers look to use their athletes and others as a means to advance their own personal interests.  "I" made you into a Division-1 player.  "I" made you gain 7 MPH on your fastball.  Me.  Me.  Me.  Although there are a lot of coaches and programs who would not fit into this category, the world of travel baseball seems to be disappointingly rampant with Takers.  Finally, there are Matchers.  I've given to you.  Now, what do you have for me?  Something I've discussed before with one of my friends in coaching is that coaching really can't be something that you do in hopes of people expressing their gratitude to you.  If you're constantly looking for "Thank you's," the unfortunate reality is you will be disappointed.  I'm not saying players are not grateful.  On the contrary, I think the majority have a great deal of gratitude for their coaches.  What I mean is you shouldn't do something for the "Thank you."  Matchers may expect players to play "for them."  "I've spent my time with you.  You owe me your best effort."  Although that certainly seems reasonable, it can create an unhealthy dynamic.

        Reading the book forced me to do some tough reflection.  I thought back to moments or relationships in my life where I've been a Taker.  It's not something I am proud of, but it's the truth.  Likewise, I have been a Matcher doing things for others with the expectation of something in return in the future.  I'm also proud to say I have been a Giver too.  Maybe it hasn't been quite as often as it could be, but I think it's been more and more as I've become older and more mature.  I can also say with confidence it will continue to increase now that I am more aware of my own behaviors in interactions.  Just becoming more aware, like all of self-awareness, is not enough though.  What do you do with the information provided through reflection?  That is a question I hope you'll now ask yourself.  Are you a Giver?  Are you a Matcher?  Are you a Taker?  Then, most importantly, "What will you do moving forward?"

Side Note:  I feel almost guilty trying to simplify what was a fantastic 250+ pages of concepts and studies into a blog.  If you interact with people and it's important to you to leave the world a better place than you found it, I'd encourage you to buy the book and read it.  It's one of the more eye-opening experiences I've had in a long time, and I feel strongly enough about its principles that I have bought it for several others.

Also, here is a link to take Adam Grant's assessment of whether you are a Giver, Matcher, or Taker.  If you are brave, you can also have others fill out the assessment about you.  That would give you the most accurate picture of yourself.

        

J is for Just

        J is for Just.  Today's word is just.  We are going to try something a little bit different with this entry.  I'm going to give you three applications of the word just and how they may play into your lives as athletes, coaches, educators, and people.

1. "Just the way I am"- Have you been guilty of saying this?  I know I have.  We use it to rationalize our behavior.  An example I have in my life involves social situations with large amounts of people.  They are a challenge for me.  I find idle chit chat to be exhausting and especially hate being the center of attention in most group settings other than teaching.  As a result, I worry that I come across as standoffish in these sorts of environments which would surprise many who really know me.  Sorry.  "It's just the way I am." Is that really good enough though?  Ultimately, that is up to each individual to determine for himself/herself.  Readers of the blog know I am huge on self-awareness and a focus on being You.  What I may not make clear often enough is that it's the BEST "just the way you are" possible we are after.  Jeff Banister, AL Manager of the year, had a quote I loved in a guest column he wrote for ESPN.  "You can't coach today's game by yesterday's rules."  The quote was in reference to how the 21st century athlete is different than "we were" and needs a different type of leadership focused on development and well-being of individuals within the group.  Rather than "just being us" we should be focused on "just being the most effective us possible."

2. Just _______ (insert command).-  "Just throw strikes right here."  "Just have a good at-bat."  "Just get this guy out."  "Just get it done."  In this form, the word just is defined as "making a request or granting permission."  The gap between a request and permission is visible in these examples and can make a major difference in how athletes process.  A pitcher is struggling.  He has walked two hitters and is 2-0 on a third.  "Just throw strikes right here."  Oh, is that all?  Thanks.  What does he think I'm trying to do?  This is a needy request or even demand.  Anxiety and more balls likely follow.  A hitter is about to have a "big" at-bat.  It's later in the game, the score is tight, and there are runners in scoring position.  "Just have a good at-bat."  Here, permission is being granted.  The permission takes the hitter away from the results and the situation of the game.  We move the focus away from a feeling of "I've got to get a hit right now."  Urgency often leads to tight muscles that don't work as well as they're capable.  What I would ask yourself to do is think about your Just Statements to players.  Are you granting permission or making requests?  You're likely doing both in a variety of situations, and both can be appropriate.  Think about how they have worked out in the past and which puts the athletes in the best position to be successful.

3. Just Like Us- Our final Just is a reminder of how professional athletes are in fact just like us.  On Sunday, many watched the undefeated Panthers play the Giants.  The game within the game was the big matchup between Odel Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman.  Unfortunately, OBJ's lack of control in drawing three personal fouls took away from the actual football play.  While many pointed to the poor behavior and worried about the repercussions for thousands of kids watching, I kind of take a different view in seeing the game as an opportunity to learn.   The lesson is professional athletes are just like us.  It is difficult for many of them to control their emotions.  This certainly doesn't make the actions right.  Beckham probably should have been ejected, and I do agree professional athletes are held to higher standards.  That being said, I was impressed that Beckham was able to come back and make some big plays late in the game (another lesson here).  Whether he should have still been playing or not is another conversation entirely, but he was and played well towards the end of the game after clearly being out of it.  Imagine if he had settled down and play that way the whole game.  Again, professional athletes are people.  They are higher paid and more skilled in certain things, but they're imperfect people who make mistakes and have faults.  Let's accept that and learn.

 The J is for Just Song of the Day is David' Bowie's "Changes"

I know it doesn't start with a J, but the words speak to the fact we all change over time.  The song takes an optimistic approach to this inevitability.  Also, it's another throwback Winthrop BP jam for one Jon Wilson (Thanks for reading Willy Whiteshirt!).

Z is for The Zone

        Z is for The Zone.  Many of us have experienced it at some point or another.  We know it when we see it.  It's The Zone.  The Zone is Klay Thompson' 37-point quarter.  It's Carli Lloyd's goal from almost mid-field in the World Cup Final to seal a hat trick only sixteen minutes into the game.  The Zone is when Daniel Murphy, someone known for having average power, goes off for 7 home runs in 9 playoff games (6 in 6 straight).  The Zone is a concept that fascinates but frustrates because it is difficult to explain.   So much of psychology is about explaining behaviors and brain function, but The Zone "just happens."  For whatever reason, I am reminded of the Forrest Gump running scene where he accidentally comes up with the "Sh*t Happens" slogan while on his big running trip.  The Zone's explanation is that maddeningly simple.  Dr. Jack Curtis, whose name has come up several time in the past, recommends athletes, "Enjoy it and ride it out as long as you can," withou attempting to explain what is going on.  I can remember one particular streak in college (easy to remember because they were so infrequent) where I was really hot at the plate.  Rather than enjoying the ride, much of my time was spent wondering when it would end or obsessively going through my pre-game routine.  I teetered very much on the edge between comfort and ritual.  I also remember really feeling myself and deciding to just try to put on a BP show instead of staying with my approach.  Sure enough, The Zone, was "He gone!"  As a former average college player, that is what makes Daniel Murphy's postseason run all the more impressive to me.  Daniel Murphy was doing it on the biggest stage possible, under the scrutiny of everyone.  He was asked constantly about it by the media.  What mental discipline to be able to weather all of that and continue to "enjoy the ride" for as long as he did.

        While "The Zone" can't be necessarily be taught, Dr. Curtis discusses how the way to increase your chances of entering The Zone is to play in "Flow State" more often.  Flow State is another concept of great interest in psychology.  Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the most widely-respected expert on flow and certainly deserves a reference here.  Flow State is described as being fully immersed or engaged in something.  "Energized focus," "enjoyment," and "process" are all words that also come up with Flow.  Flow isn't limited to sports.  It can happen with most any activity.  Dr. Curtis's idea is that mental preparation can increase your focus and help you enjoy the process, thus increasing flow.  Karl Kuehl, co-author of Mental Toughness:  Baseball's Winning Edge, says to, "Immerse yourself in the routine of playing the game."  That full immersion is where flow happens.  What makes this difficult is everything that keeps you from immersion.  One specific obstacle is judgement.  Judgement, both real and imagined, from ourselves, from coaches, teammates, and parents holds us back from letting performance happen.  I bring this up because The Zone would seem to be absent of those judgments.  Klay Thompson's epic performance includes contested, long jumpers early in the shot clock.  My soccer knowledge has plenty of limitations, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say midfield shots aren't encouraged often.  Daniel Murphy's home runs came in a variety of counts, off of at least three types of pitches, and against some STUDS.  He probably wasn't thinking about how his swing looked.  Those are just three examples, but my guess is most Zone experiences include moments like those.

        So, the question then would be, "How can you get to this judgment-free zone?"  A common answer in the three examples included would be to prepare.  All three are well-known for their hard work and dedication to the craft.  The preparation involved in getting ready for competition can be a great source of confidence.  If you are prepared, both mentally and physically, you have earned the freedom of one less distraction to deal with that could you from being immersed, focused, and enjoying the process of playing.  They trained for countless hours to prepare to play in that "big stage" moment with the appearance of it being just another moment.  Another way to play freely is to be conscious of the feedback we give.  Limit the "good" and "bad," and focus on the specific movements or decisions instead.  This is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to The Zone.  People have written entire scholarly articles and books related to the topic.  My hope, like for the ABC's in general, has been to give you an introduction to a topic or something to think about.  It's up to you to determine whether that has happened or not.

This concludes the ABC's of Sport Psychology series.  I wanted to address some different topics that I haven't written about in the past and have enjoyed doing so.  Harvey Dorfman's work has been an inspiration to me so this is kind of a tribute to him as well.  Hopefully he would approve.  

The process has allowed me to stay sharp and to grow so I appreciate  you being a part of that.  All in all, I wrote 26 of 28 days.  Christmas and the day I drove back from New York were the two missed.  Some of the entries are probably better than others, but I hope you enjoyed them and are just a little more informed than you were prior to reading.  Thank you for reading and for all of the great feedback throughout.  

A special thanks again goes to my friends/editors Brent Walsh, Jeremy Plexico, Chris Carrara, and David O'Neal.  Having great people I trust to bounce ideas off of and get honest feedback from is something invaluable both as a writer and person.  Thank you again!

-Ben

Y is for You

          Y is for You.  As I have worked through the various letters of the alphabet I have had a bit of a system.  Prior to starting the series I brainstormed and just thought of whatever I thought of.  Then, if I got to a letter and didn't particularly like any of the words I had, I would look through notes and highlights from different books I've read to see if anything struck me.  Sometimes doing that would lead to another random word as I brainstormed more.  Throughout it all, I've made myself not look at any of the ABC type of books that inspired me to do this by Harvey Dorfman so the blog could be as original as possible.  That kept me from the original topic for today called "Yes, but" and led me back to looking through notes and highlights.  In doing so, the choice was obvious.  The Y word used far more often than any other in all I have read is You.

          "You" really is an appropriate choice for the ABC "Y" word for a number of reasons.  As already noted, the word stands out like a sore thumb for how often it's used in literature.  It's in your face in every book I've marked up.  You is really at the core of my philosophy of what sport psychology is about too.  In past blogs, tweets, and work, I've talked extensively about how self-awareness and proper perspective trump any singular mental skill.  The skills have their place, but understanding who you are and how that affects your performance is more important and useful for life.  The well-being of the athlete is ultimately even more important than the performance.  I love getting feedback on what I've written from a variety of people.  While it is always nice to hear from athletes and coaches, it's sometimes even more valuable to hear how people not involved directly with sports can relate to the concepts.  Their feedback allows me to see things from a different perspective and provide reminders of how valuable the lessons in sport psychology are.  Sports, after all, are only a small part of what life is about.

           Sport psychology, at its best, is to help empower the athletes, coaches, and people involved with it.  Feeling responsible for preparation, performance, and perspective are three of the things I like to see.  That comes down to YOU.  YOU have to decide whether you will practice with purpose.  YOU have to know your strengths and weaknesses and react accordingly.  YOU have to find out what works best for YOU.  YOU have to decide whether you will be proactive or reactive in your plan and execution.  YOU have to be able to reflect on performances rationally.  YOU have to believe in yourself.  YOU have to take responsibility for your performance.  YOU have to take responsibility for your career.  YOU have to decide how your career fits in with your life outside of sports.

          One of my favorite smaller pieces of literature is the "Always Compete" poem by Pete Carroll.  A line in the poem says, "You are the master of you."  That is what I want for athletes and coaches I work with and will work with in the future.  I want YOU to understand YOU are responsible for your choices and for yourself.  I don't want athletes to be dependent on me any more than we'd want them to be dependent on coaches.  "You" is what it is all about.

X is for X's and O's.

        X is for X's and O's.  The fundamentals.  Doing things the way they are supposed to be done.  Although the mental side of sports can do a lot, it isn't a replacement for the physical skills necessary for performance.  For whatever reason, my mind floated to a food analogy for this one.  Bear with me, and let's see where we end up.  Some see the mental side as something "we already do."  They view it almost like salting french fries.  It's not that important.  You just kind of throw some on there.  That might mean simply talking to players.  Fries are good, but you can't really live on french fries.  Others view it as a sort of supplement to the physical training.  The physical is the steak, and the mental is the side of your choosing.  You want it, but you can do without it.  Maybe you'll get fries or a baked potato.  Maybe you'll play for the tie and get broccoli or a side salad.  This may be reading a book or implementing a little something you read here or there.  Done well, mental and physical preparation should be more like the surf and turf option.  You can't have one without the other and get the full effect.  Time needs to be spent on each.  They're both good on their own, but the mix of the foods together is what makes them what they are.  In a way this falls in line with what one of my mentors, Geoff Miller, says about the breakdown of the role the physical and mental play in baseball.  You've likely heard the Yogi Berra quote, "Baseball is ninety percent mental, and the other half is physical."  G likes to say, "Baseball is 100% physical and 100% mental."  Ignoring the math, the idea is clear.  Both are extremely important.

        The point being made here is that to be as good as you can possibility be there needs to be an investment in both the mental and physical side of the game.  That is hard to do at first when your focus has likely been skewed in the direction of physical.  Dedication to the mental side doesn't always look exactly the same either.  It can come in classroom sessions, it can come in one on ones, it can come in coach training, and it can come in every word spoken by a coach.  People within the profession have differing views on what it should look like, but most would agree is it is purposeful.  The mental side isn't just the salt you throw on fries.  It isn't a random side dependent on what's available like seasonal veggies.  It's the surf or the turf made to precision.  The physical is still important.  Mentality isn't a replacement for physical skill.  I can remember being a coach as I started to read and acquire knowledge about sport psyc.  It is difficult to be skilled in teaching both the physical and mental side of the game.  The easy way out is to focus on one or the other rather than find the balance that works.  I did this with largely forgetting about the physical and going heavy mental at one point.  I'd gone all broccoli!  My point is whenever we neglect one for the sake of the other the development of the player (which is the meal itself) isn't balanced.

        Luckily, like chefs in the kitchen of a restaurant, you are not left to cook the meal on the own.  Great restaurants have sous chefs, line cooks, prep cooks, pastry chefs, and many other positions that don't work as well as possible without all being in it together.  As a coach, you have your assistant coaches to help.  They are your support staff, and great coaches give responsibility to their assistants.  You also have others out there who are willing to be a part of the kitchen too.  Maybe you might even call in a guest chef from time to time to mix things up.  If you're a player, you are the customer in charge of ordering the meal.  Look for ways to get both surf and turf.  Look to your coaches, and take it upon yourself to learn what works for you.  Read, watch, and do.  Don't be afraid to ask for help as a coach or player.  It's what makes a great meal.

        

W is for Willingness

        W is for Willingness.  More specifically, W is for the difference between Want and Willingness.  To want is to desire or wish.  Everybody wants to be good.  Teams everywhere want to make playoffs, regionals, win state championships, national championships, etc.  Players want to start, to be really good, to earn scholarships, to get drafted, etc.  People all over the country want to achieve their New Year's Resolutions.  A willingness is a readiness to do something or being prepared to do something.  One definition I saw even referenced the energy one has for doing something.  The question that is the separator, then, would be, "How many of those teams/players/people have a willingness to do what it takes to achieve their wants?"  Sports is such a unique activity in that the time spent on preparation for competition, in many cases, far outweighs the time spent in actual competition.  Preparation is where the willingness is most visible.   I hate when announcers say, "It's going to come down to who wants it the most."  It's such lazy analysis.  Once the game starts, everyone wants to win and is probably willing as well.  Who has shown the willingness to do what it takes though? The want and willingness have been determined in what precedes the game.  During the competition, it comes down to who executes.

        Dr. Charlie Maher is someone I have mentioned before on the blog.  He has been the Director of Psychological Services and Team Sport Psychologist for the Cleveland Indians since 1995 and has over 35 years of experience in the field.  Dr. Maher has a book called The Complete Mental Game of Baseball:  Taking Charge of the Process, On and Off the Field.  When he says complete, he is not lying.  The book is very comprehensive and takes the reader through a linear series of topics.  Dr. Maher combines content with interactive questions that challenges the reader to apply what is read. In the book, one concept addressed is what Dr. Maher calls the RWA Challenge.  The Challenge has three questions designed to gauge self-motivation to go after goals.  The questions are:

1. Readiness: Am I ready to work toward attainment of the goal?

2. Willingness: Am I willing to engage in the necessary actions to attain the goal?

3. Ability: Do I have the ability to follow through with a plan to attain the goal?

Dr. Maher goes on to discuss how if the answer is yes to all three questions then you are ready to go.  If the answer is, "No," to any of the questions, then it is time to then ask why and adjust accordingly.  Like yesterday's topic, the RWA Challenge is simple and to the point.  They can be applied to the goals of an individual and a team.  While the Challenge is simple, the actions to follow may or may not be.

        Augie Garrido is the author of one of my favorite quotes.  He says, "Goals without commitment are nothing more than wishes."  I think the quote applies well here and could even be adjusted.  "Wanting, without willing, is nothing more than wishing."  You likely know what you want out of your season and sports in general.  Are you willing to do what it takes?

V is for Vision

        V is for Vision.  Vision, put simply, allows us to see.  We use our eyes to see the world.  There are things that impair our vision.  The sun and darkness are a couple of natural sources of impairment.  There are some that are not so natural as well.  With vision, we are able to see where we are going.  Without it, we aren't.  Usually the closer we are to something the more clear it becomes.  Signs far in the distance, for example, become easier to see as we get closer.  In a sport sense, having vision provides the same things as physical vision.  Vision as a player of who you want to be allows you to see where you are going with your career.  What is right in front of you is much easier to see than what is far away in the future.  "I'm just a JV nonstarter," is much easier to envision than, "I'm going to be a Major Leaguer," for many.  Of course, being able to see what is right in front of you and a ways away are important.  What is right front of you allows you to see where you are.  Vision for the future allows you to see where you are going as a player.  Some like an activity where you think about how you would like to be remembered as a player.  This forces you to think down the road and have that vision for the future.  Then, you reflect about how you will make your vision happen.  You also think about what could impair that vision.  What could possibly get in your way?  There are probably some that are within your control (who you hang out with, what you do on the weekend, your preparation) and some beyond your control (opportunity, injuries).  Taking time to reflect on where you want to go, how you will get there, and what may get in the way is taking control of your vision.

        As a coach, having a vision is vital as well.  You have to have an idea of what you want for the program and how it will look down the road.  The same applies as above in that it allows you to create the path to your future.  Where the magic really happens is when the coach's vision becomes the players' vision.  This is where the creation of a championship culture becomes possible.  In a few days Clemson and Alabama will face off in the National Championship Game (or whatever the NCAA is calling it).  There will be two coaches who are masters at having vision in the game.  Nick Saban has come up a couple of times in previous blogs.  He is incredibly disciplined, and I love how his focus for everyone in the program is being as good as possible at all times.  Scores and opponents are irrelevant.  That is part of his vision for the program, and over time his vision has become the players' vision as well.  It's a great part of what has allowed for consistent, sustainable success at Alabama.  Dabo Swinney has gotten a lot more attention recently as well.  Swinney, to me, is really a great example of someone who is incredibly self-aware.  He is an outstanding motivator.  He also loves and trusts his players.  For me, those are his greatest strengths.  Swinney hasn't tried to do too much with the team.  He has hired really good assistants and clearly trusts them to do their jobs.  "All in," is his vision and everyone else's involved in the program.  It's incredible how, over the span of a few years, he went from someone who was mocked for "being a cheerleader" to being thought of as one of the best in the country.  There are certainly countless factors involved in this, but it's clear he has had a vision for how he wants things to be done since he got the job.  He's also done everything it has taken to make that vision a reality.

        What is your vision?  What is your vision for yourself as a player or a coach?  How do you want to be remembered?  If you are a coach, what is your vision for your team?  Does your vision match up with the players' vision for themselves?  Is that important to you?  A short conversation, either individually or as a group, can answer all of these questions and help to provide the direction you may be looking for.

U is for Understanding

        U is for Understanding.  Understanding's definition can be tough to "understand" because there are a lot of them.  For the purpose of the blog today, we are talking about "a mental grasp" or "the knowledge and ability to judge a particular situation or subject."  As educators, both on and off the field, we spend a great amount of time explaining.  We work with a variety of learners.  Some get things verbally, some understand better visually, and some are hands on learners who need "to do."  Knowing how your players learn can be a great advantage in getting the most out of their ability.  Extra effort is required, but being able to teach in a variety of ways will only make you a better coach.  There are a number of assessments you can give athletes to get a feel for what type of learner they are.  The assessments can have great value to the athlete and you.  Athletes gain awareness for how they learn and can apply the knowledge on the field AND in the classroom.  You get knowledge of how to best teach them.  An athlete who knows they learn through a more tactical (hands on) method may need to feel their way through learning a new movement more so than someone who is an auditory learner.  As a coach, you would really want to focus on how the movement feels and the difference with the previous way.  In reality, all your athletes are some combination of types of learner who will likely need a combination of methods to learn.  The coaches who are the most adaptive in methods will stand the best chance of reaching them.

        How about checking for understanding?  Something I read a while back really hit home with me about this topic and made me realize how much room I had for improvement in the area.  The reading addressed checking for understanding with athletes by simply saying, "Do you understand?"  This takes the athlete off the hook for truly having a "mental grasp" because they can just say, "Yes."  Then the interaction is over.  The athlete may not really understand what is being taught.  The result would then be frustration from both the player and coach.  Asking follow-up questions to really check for understanding is a much better way of teaching.  It takes extra time and risks the chance your explanation was not effective, but the time and risk are well worth it.  Getting an athlete to explain back to you what you were just teaching ensures they actually do have a mental grasp.  Something else that helps is to be conscious of how we react when they don't understand.  Do you react with frustration?  Do you make smart comments about how easy it should be?  If so, you're risking creating athletes who are afraid to make mistakes and to ask questions in order to grow.  Maybe not purposely, but that is a risk.  We have to put ourselves back in the shoes of the player and know that very few, if any, athletes aren't trying to understand.  Then, our reactions will likely be more appropriate.  We will show patience in our explanations and take the time to really help a kid.  The result, hopefully, will be a better understanding for all.  Coaching, at its core, is really just teaching after all.