In the Zone

Vicki NillesEducational Consultantnilles@mesanetworks.net

What percentage of your athletic performance is due to physical ability?

What percentage of your athletic performance is due to mental ability?

“You have to train your mind like you train your body” Bruce Jenner

“The mind is a powerful thing and most people don’t use it properly” Mark McGuire

“When you have fun, it changes all the pressure into pleasure” Ken Griffey Sr. & Ken Griffey Jr.

The Joy of Victory…

The agony of defeat!

Joy and Agony Prompt Similar Physiological Responses

The Agony of Defeat! The physiological impact of stress

STRESS!!!!! Stress is present at various levels

Lower levels help us attend to task – higher levels impede ability to focus and learn

Stress is triggered by primitive call to survive

Severe stress activates an emergence phase known as fight or flight response

Stress invokes a complex physiological reaction which prompts resources to mobilize the body & brain

Physiological Reaction

Extreme levels of stress call into action the body’s most powerful hormones and neurochemicalsepinephrine & adrenalin

The amygdala acts as the brains panic button and sets off chain reaction to possible threat (the threat can be real or simply perceived)

The amygdala assigns intensity to the incoming information

The amygdala attaches to many parts of the brain including the prefrontal cortex

Limbic System

Prefrontal Cortex

Executive FunctioningLearning occurs here

Ability for athletes to learn and master a new skill Ability for athletes to execute skill previously

mastered

Higher level thought processing Ability to make and act on decisions…any

decision!

Prefrontal Cortex Development

The prefrontal cortex is thought to be fully developed by age 25!

What do high levels of stress and learning a new skill or executing a mastered skill have in common?

Pedro Martinez vs. Don Zimmer (age 72)

ALCS Game 3, 2003

Absolutely nothing!!!

The cerebellum

Cerebellum A small densely packed part of the brain which contains

half of the total nerve cells in the entire brain and is involved in integrating sensory and automatic motor function.

Constantly updating and computing incoming and outgoing information

Involved in maintaining rhythm and continuity for many brain functions such as emotions, memory, language, and social interactions

Referred to as the center for rhythm and blues

Know your neurotransmitters…It’s All About Communication

Think of the brain as about one hundred billion neurons that are trying to chat with one another but they need special chemicals in order to be able to get good “reception”. Those chemicals are known as neurotransmitters.

Meet the Special Three (Feel Good Neurotransmitters) Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine

They are known as regulators of the signaling process and of everything else the brain does!!

Psychiatry focuses on these three

Serotonin

Policeman of the brain- keeps brain activity under control

Influences mood, impulsivity, anger, and aggressiveness; anxiety

Aids in the digestive process

Serotonin drugs such as Prozac help modify runaway brain activity that may lead to depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsiveness

Norepinephrine

First neurotransmitter studied to understand mood

Amplifies signals that influence attention, perception, motivation, and arousal

Activates the sympathetic nervous system

(automatic nervous system)

Dopamine

Thought of as the learning neurotransmitter

Vital to: MovementMotivationPleasureAddiction Cognition

Being in the Zone…Mindfulness

The production of feel good neurotransmitters sets the stage for getting into the zone and staying there!

Beware of the Joy of Victory!

“Extreme” joy has negative impact on prefrontal cortex and executive functioning

There is such a thing as good stress but it

has very similar response to bad stress

Keep a balance – keep it in the zone

A Tiger’s Prowess

Tiger’s Story Tiger started using mental training procedures at the age

of 10 when he started hypnotherapy

Visual imagery and controlled breathing were a major part of his early training

These strategies aided his ability to control his thoughts and his stress effectively

The early training paid off as Tiger now has the “perfect athletic brain”.

A recent study was conducted and determined that Tiger has the “perfect athletic brain”

This was done using an EKG monitor while Tiger was putting and it was determined that Tiger’s heart rate was equivalent to that of someone entering a sleep state allowing for complete prefrontal execution

They also determined this “perfect state of mind” based on the number of blinks Tiger implemented over a specific time span as well as his respiratory rate

“The biggest thing is to have a mind-set and a belief you can win with every tournament going in” Tiger Woods

Tiger won the 2008 US Open without having actually completed 18 holes in four months due to knee surgery

This was due to his mental training and visualization techniques

This Stuff Works for Everyone…Even the Navy Seals!

Typical Seals Training Training at Navy Diving and Salvage training center, Panama City,

Florida used to determine who will be able to accomplish extremely dangerous underwater missions

With hands and feet tied and a dive mask strap in their mouths, sailors are dumped into Olympic-sized pool and told to “stay afloat and live”

The initial instinct is to fight and struggle to stay on top of the water and grasp for air

Sailors passed out from lack of oxygen and had to be revived

They were then immediately asked if they wanted to quit and if answering yes, they were immediately expelled from the program

Strategies Used by Successful Seal Candidates Set specific goal prior to the drill – some as simplistic as survive

and live

Used visual imagery – created visual image of being able to complete the drill and successfully get to the surface for air

Positive self-talk – they used from 3-1000 words to positively talk themselves through the drill constantly restating, “I can do this”

Controlled breathing – they figured out that if they exhaled all of their air they would make it to the bottom of the pool and be able to kick off to surface for air This breathing technique allowed for controlled frontal cortex

execution as it prevented the normal “fight or flight” physiological response

Top Ten Plays to Peak Performance

10) Breathe Through It“You have to learn how to get comfortable

with being uncomfortable” (Lou Pinella)

Oxygen is energy. It helps relax muscles and

clears the mind.

Deep breathing, from the abdominal area as opposed to chest, brings down rapid heart rate and counteracts effects of neurochemicals produced by stress.

“We all choke. Winners know how to handle choking better than losers” (McEnroe)

Choking is a natural physiologicalReaction to a perceived threat

Breathing allows the athlete to move through the surge of neurochemicals

Pattern of breathing effects pattern of performance

Deep breathing helps bring your mind and body back into the present

9) Be in the Here and Now

Being in the present, in sports, means no pressure

Anxieties are created by worrying about the future or dwelling on the past

When you are a playing your game right on time, in the present, you perform your best (Mack, 2001)

If a baseball player comes to the plate thinking about his last strike out or says to himself, “If I don’t start hitting, I will be on the bench soon”, he isn’t playing in the present but rather dwelling on the past and worrying about the future.

How to stay in present moment: Be aware of your breathing

Count your breaths to stay in present moment One, two, three…

Create a ritual to put you in present moment Cubs player symbolized items of regular clothing as distractions from

normal life

As he disrobed to put on uniform, he envisioned each item as something related to a personal distraction

As he put on each uniform item he had shed all personal distractions and was ready to play in present moment

8) Focus on the Positive See yourself as a success

Focus on what “to do” rather than “not to do” Utilize positive self talk, “I can do this!” Create a focus word that prompts positive visual

imagery Think of a relaxing, calming word or place

Tell the mind what to do!

Golfer, Tommy Bolt, known for throwing fits and clubs had to change his thinking. He started by saying to himself, “Don’t hit the ball in the water…” and later changed it to, “Land the ball ten yards to the right of the pin”.

7) See it! Visual Imagery

Visual mental imaging & visual

perception share the same

processing system in the brain.

There is primary visual cortex involvement

in visual imagery. That means the brain creates actual neural pathways which makes the brain believe that it has already achieved the specific task that it is creating via visual imagery.

Using Visual Imagery There is no one correct way of using visual imagery

Visual techniques can be short or long in duration

Techniques should be used at least 3 times weekly for optimum results

These techniques can be done before the athletic event, during practice, and / or during the actual event

There is no right or wrong place or time to visualize

Everyone should use this for everything they do!

Where’s mom?

All Elite Athletes Do It

Steve Carlton, pitcher for the Phillies, likes to lay down in the locker room and close his eyes. His teammates think he’s sleeping but he is actually thinking about and visualizing the lanes in the strike zone. He thinks about the outer lane and the inner lane. He doesn’t think about anything over the middle and by not thinking about it he gets himself working that way. Mack, 2001

Noland Ryan describes his visual imagery routine. “The night before a game I lie down, close my eyes, relax my

body, and prepare myself for the game. I go through the entire lineup of the other team, one batter at a time. I visualize exactly how I am going to pitch to each hitter and I see and feel myself throwing exactly the pitches that I want to throw. Before I ever begin to warm up at the ballpark, I’ve faced all of the opposition’s hitters four times and I’ve gotten my body ready for exactly what it is I want it to do”.

And of course, Tiger! Excerpts from his golf journal:

I'm RECORDING every visual cue I can IN MY MIND from what I’m reading on the green (the GLOBAL read)

Followed by ZOOMING in now that I’ve taken in the general conditions.....the ZOOM lens tells me EXACTLY what I see the ball’s gonna do, the line it’s going to take, the exact point where it’s going to break, blah, blah, blah...

Then I set my LENS SPEED in my mind, so I know the exact tempo for my putting stroke.

Followed by PRE-RECORDING the shot in my mind......I SEE the putt leave my putter and actually travel to the hole, I see what part of the hole it’ll drop in,

Followed by RECORDING the whole sequence AGAIN in my mind, everything in slow motion, stopping the tape if I see something’s not right,

Followed by RECORDING the whole deal again in my mind....(so I’m picky, so what?) It's not like the networks are gonna break for commercial at this point.....

swinging!.....the deeper you get into the virtual warm up, the more your muscles are actually going through the same sequence they would in reality.

Research Support

Ohio State Basketball Team 3 month study with 3 teams

Team 1 shot free throws one hour daily Team 2 thought about shooting free throws one hour daily Team 3 visualized ball going through hoop from foul line

Results: Team 3, the team using visualization techniques showed increased accuracy of 23% while team 1 showed only 24% increase

Visualization for Baseball Dr. Bill Harrison (2009) works with major

league teams and players as well as university and college teams

According to Dr. Harrison the first consideration with baseball players needs to be overall visual healthVisual acuityContrast sensitivityBinocularity-most important

Depth perception

Remarkable Eyesight Barry Bonds is the only major league

player to score 100% on all visual tests

Next Step – Visualization techniques

Visual memory and visual projection skills are evaluated

Combined these comprise visual thinking skills

Great binocularity combined with visual thinking skills is the optimum level of development

Visual Memory & Visual Projection

Utilizing the visual system to develop visual pictures in the mind

Visual memory = past experiences

Visual projection = future experiences

Requires athletes to take time to visualize in their minds what they will do before they actually do it in practices or games with visual memory or projection

Redwood High School Baseball Coach

Had the team sit under a tree prior to practice and close their eyes and mentally visualize how the practice would go as he described what was about to take place. It only took five minutes each day

Visual keys to great hitting!

You want hitters to visualize in their minds, a series of high quality at bats they have had in the past off right-handers or left-handers

When players visualize like this before practice or games they are in the zone before they walk on to the field

Athletes report feeling calm and focused after performing these activities

Techniques continued: Slow down the ball

Mark the ball (stickers, paint spots, paint half of ball)

Encourage players to watch the ball all the way in to the bat (watch the markings if helpful)

Ask players after each hit, “How well did you see the ball?”

Always have two batters in as they take pitches and watch pitches coming into plate (standing on either side of the plate)

Techniques continued: Live pitching best for visual skill

Live pitchers from about 40-50 ft.

Use high velocity pitching stations on regular basis as this puts players in visual state of mind where things are happening quickly thus creating realistic game situation

Ping pong, raquetball, and handball are good examples of visual off-season training activities

Techniques continued: Use smaller balls for pitching machines such as plastic

golf balls for sharper visual acuity

Play the game of pepper as it requires good bat dexterity along with good fielding skills

Four station hitting drill 1. a hitter 2. soft toss flipper 3. fielder 120 ft. away & 4. fielder

250 ft. away 4 hitters – separated 40 ft. apart & spread out between left field

foul pole & 3rd

Purpose is to drive ball through one of the two outfielders Players were asked after the ball was hit…how did the ball fly? This

activity helped the batter know whether he was getting topspin or backspin. This is a mechanical as well as visual technique.

Track pitches deep into strike zone! Follow the ball all the way to point

of contact

Some researchers believe that is not possible to track ball within 6-10 feet of contact

Dr. Harrison reiterates that in understanding vision, it is understood that you can follow the ball all the way into point of contact and this is a skill that must be learned and many players don’t even try to do it.

6) Flush It!

Get rid of the negative immediately!

Remove self-defeating thoughtsFear, anger, anxiety, self-consciousness,

perfectionism, stubbornness, lack of motivation, competitiveness, distractions

5) Keep Moving Cerebellar stimulation

means dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine

Keeping athletes warmed up physically and mentally is key to peak performance

4) Turn On the Tunes Listening to music that you like is a

natural producer of dopamine and serotonin in the brain

Many professional athletes use music as an emotional motivator to prepare for a race

Many see this as an important ritual (superstition) in preparation for important athletic event

Michael Phelps uses music by rapper Lil Wayne to prepare before every race

Coaches Use Music to Train Pitching coach, Anthony DeCicco, at Fordham

University uses Ipod playlists to improve the performance of pitchers

He used this method to control heart rate elevation of one pitcher and segmentation of another

Where does the music come into play? He had players create a playlist of their ten

favorite songs

He asked them to listen to ipods while warming up before bullpen

The results following this activity were that both pitchers had marked improvement in rhythmic execution of the pitch and increased ability to throw the ball with less effort

Wait, there’s more!

Integrated use of Ipod into bullpen One of the pitchers listened to the playlist while in the

bullpen and the other did not

Pitcher listening while pitching had marked positive results and won competitive bullpen while the other had only mediocre results

Great, now what?

Can’t have players listening while really playing a game so they worked with pitchers to try and memorize the music and to call that up, mentally, while pitching

The results of the players listening to and singing the music were lowered heart rates and increased rhythmic execution

The pitchers themselves reported:

The music gave them an inner timing mechanism to help them release the ball out in front

“The use of music allows the athlete to relax and be himself. This technique from a coaching standpoint allows me to observe the state that each of our pitchers is in on the mound in a precise manner”.

DeCicco (2009)

3) Try Easier Sports glorify strength when in actuality muscles

aren’t everything and over-trying leads to underperforming

Trying harder, which is what athletes do when they tense up, usually leads to underperformance

Over-tightening muscles to produce power actually creates a loss of power and accuracy

When Ken Griffey Jr. steps to the plate, he relies on leverage, flexibility, and range of motion rather than strength. “I’m not that strong. I only bench about 200 pounds. I don’t consider myself a home run hitter but when I’m seeing the ball and hitting hard, it will go out of the park”.

Remember to relax your body and mind and try a little bit “easier”

Do this by practicing your breathing, remaining focused, and being in the here and now.

Nolan Ryan’s longevity as baseball’s strike out king is due to his ability to throw hard but not to overthrow. “The tendency of a fastball pitcher is to muscle up and he ends up tensing up and losing his rhythm. Everybody has limits and you just have to know your limits and deal with them accordingly”

Nolan Ryan

2) Mental Toughness Competitive

Competitors find a way to win. They take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves harder.

Confident Confident athletes have a can-do attitude and belief that they

can handle anything that comes their way. Controlled

Successful athletes control emotions and behaviors and focus on what they can control as opposed to what they can’t.

Committed Mentally tough athletes focus their time and energy on their

goals. They are self-directed and highly motivated. Courageous

Mentally tough athletes must be willing to take a risk. It takes courage to grow up and achieve your full potential.

1) Know Your Zone…and Stay There Performance Peak Chart Coaches:

Know the athletesHelp them determine ideal numbers-optimum

level of performance which depends on: Temperament Length of event Nature of task

Important considerations: Length of entire game (2-3 hours)

Difference of positions must be considered

Chart can be used as athlete’s self

assessment

Ongoing assessment and control of personal stress levels

Common Denominators

Golfing great, Arnold Palmer, kept this saying in his locker and read it before every event:

If you think you are beaten, you are

If you think that you dare not, you don’t

If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t

It is almost certain you won’t

If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost

For out in the world you’ll find

Success begins with a fellow’s will

It’s all in the state of mind.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man; But sooner or later who wins

Is the man who thinks he can.

References Mack, Gary (2001). Mind Gym: An

Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence Ratey, John (2008). Spark Harrison, Bill (2009) Vision Therapy and

Athletics Hallowell, Edward (2005) Delivered From

Distraction