FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY What do these guys have in common? 2 Jeff Gross/Getty Images.

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY


What do these guys have in common?

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Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The overall classification of this briefing is: UNCLASSIFIED - FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE CENTER

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What is Mental Toughness?

• Control over stress under adversity • Your ability to understand and use your

stress reactions to optimize your performance

• Sharper focus, confidence, and resilience

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Four Techniques to Learn and Practice

• Focus on your performance objectives through goal setting.

• Manage stress through arousal control.• Create and use experiences in your mind

through visualization.• Use your awareness of your beliefs and

their consequences through self talk.

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Can the Big Four be Learned?

• Scientific research says, “YES!”

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Cold-water Breath-hold Study

• Two groups were immersed to measure breath-hold.

• After measuring, one group was taught to use and practice the “big four.”

• Both groups immersed and measured again.• The “big four” group outperformed by 80

percent.• The big four mental techniques helped control

the cold-shock physical reflex!

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“Breath-Hold Performance During Cold Water Immersion: Effects of Psychological Skills Training” (Bartwood, Dalzell, Datta, Thelwell & Tipton, 2006) from Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, Vol 77, No. 11, November 2006



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Tough starts here.



Human Stress Response

• Fight or Flight:• Body’s primitive and automatic response

to perceived danger• Starts HPA (Hypothalamic-pituitary-

adrenal) axis Releases hormones , like adrenaline

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Control the HPA and you can control performance!



Physiological Reactions to Stress

• Heart rate and blood pressure increase• Blood vessels constrict (get smaller)• Blood migrates from extremities• Muscles tense• Breathing (respiration) increases• Pupils dilate • Palms get clammy• Tears and sweat decreases• Adrenaline released

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Cognitive Reactions to Stress

• Memory, concentration, and judgment suffer• Inability to concentrate• Confusion• Repetitive or racing thoughts• Anger and resentment • Sense of being overwhelmed• Lack of confidence • Desire to escape or run away

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Stress Response and Performance

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AROUSAL

PERFORMANCE

An “optimal”

level of arousal

High

Low High



Big Four

• Goal Setting

• Arousal Control

• Visualization

• Self-Talk

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Goal Setting

Process Goals

• Focus on the “how” Essential skills Things you can control

Outcome Goals

• Focus on achievement Milestones Progress Attainment

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Focusing on your future skills and achievement



Why Goal Setting Works

• Directs attention to important elements of a skill to be performed

• Mobilizes effort• Enhances and prolongs persistence• Fosters development of new learning

strategies

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Goal Setting Principles

• Segmenting • The technique of arranging and focusing

upon smaller goals as manageable parts of a larger goal.

• Breaking things into smaller periods of time or activities

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Eat the elephant one bite at a time.


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Eat the elephant one bite at a time.




• Make sure goals are: specific and measurable difficult but realistic both long and short term

• Set PROCESS goals• WRITE DOWN goals• Develop goal achievement STRATEGIES

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Effective Goals: The SMART Approach

• Specific• Measurable• Attainable• Realistic• Timely

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I will complete the 500 yard swim in 13:00 min.by the end of the third week of Prep.



Goal Setting Pitfalls

• Fuzzy goals• Setting too many goals too soon• Inflexible goals: failure to adjust• Lack of PROCESS goals• No follow-up and evaluation• Failing to recognize individual differences

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Arousal Control

AROUSAL

PERFORMANCE

High

Low High

An “optimal” level of arousal!



Arousal Control

• Controlling the human stress response• Theory of Fours: Breath Control

Inhale: 4 seconds Exhale: 4 seconds Continue 4-6 minutes

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Theory of Fours: Why it works

• Normalizes human stress response (controls stress symptoms)

• Forces people to focus on breathing vice stressor

• “Centered-breathing”

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What is Visualization?

• Creating or recreating an experience in the mind

• AKA: visualization, mental rehearsal / practice

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Why Visualization Works

• Vividly imagined events stimulate muscles like actually practicing a movement

• Visualization creates a motor program in the central nervous system

• Visualization improves concentration, reduces anxiety, builds confidence

• If visualized properly, the first time you see the “real” event is actually the second time your mind has seen it.

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Involve all of the Senses:

• Visualize (70%) see yourself do a perfect sidestroke cycle into the glide

• Hear (20%) the bubbles as you exhale during the bobbing

• Smell (5%) the air on your breathing cycle / clean air vs. fumes / odors

• Touch/Feel (4%) water flow over your body

• Taste (1%) the chlorine27



Does Visualization Work?

• Anecdotal reports, case studies, and scientific experiments suggests that it improves performance 90% of Olympic athletes use some form of

visualization; 97% of them felt it helped 94% of Olympic coaches used visualization

during training, with 100% of them noting it enhances performance

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Uses of Visualization

• 20% everyday• 40% 3-5 days a week• 80% for competitive event preparation• 48% for technical errors• 44% for new skills• 40% for relaxation

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Uses of Visualization

• Improve concentration• Build confidence• Control emotional responses• Practice sport / tactical skills• Practice strategy• Cope with pain and injury

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Types of Visualization

• INTERNAL Visualization: imagining execution of a skill from your own vantage point ( as if you have a camera on your head)

• EXTERNAL Visualization: view yourself from the perspective of an external viewer

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Basics of Visualization Training

• Use all of your senses

• Create or recreate as closely as possible the actual experience

• Include emotions and thoughts

• Manipulate your images

• Make them do what you want them to

VIVIDNESS CONTROL

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What is Self-Talk?

• Your internal dialog and beliefs affect your performance. Past experiences Biases Prejudices Stereotypes

• ABC Model:• Activating Event Belief

Consequence33



Relationship Between Beliefs and Reactions

• Negative symptoms / consequences

• Identify your own patterns ID negative beliefs that lead to negative

outcomes ID positive beliefs that lead to positive

outcomes

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ABC - Control / ResultsActivating Event

(Little to No Control)A

Beliefs(Total Control)

B

Consequences(Human Stress Response)

C

Drown-proofing

Negative Belief:I’ll sink and not be able to

hold my breath

Negative Result:Panic, DOR

Positive Belief:I can adapt to my body’s buoyancy and adjust my breathing, with practice

Positive Result:Overcome anxiety quickly

and drown-proof successfully

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How Self-Talk Works

• Thoughts influence emotional / physiological responses

• Events themselves do not lead to emotional / physiological responses

• Self-talk plays a key role in our reactions to situations

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Technique to Improve Self-Talk

Activating Event(Little to No Control)

A

Beliefs(Total Control)

B

Thought Replacement

Consequences(Human Stress

Response)C

I failed 500 yd swim Negative belief:

I’m not a natural swimmer

I can practice harder to pass the

swim

Improve confidence- fewer stress symptoms

Pass the swim

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Understand your personal belief systemUse thought replacement!



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When to Use the Techniques:Timing is Everything!

Goal Setting

Arousal Control

Visualization

Self-Talk

Self-Talk

Arousal Control?

Goal Setting?

Note: Arousal control and goal setting may have minimal impact during the event

Self-Talk

Goal Setting?

Note: After the event, goals can be modified before the next event



Mental Toughness Summary

• The “Big Four” techniques Goal setting Arousal control Visualization Self-talk (ABC theory)

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FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY What do these guys have in common? 2 Jeff Gross/Getty Images.

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