INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING

1. INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING Damon Burton & Bernie Holliday University of Idaho

2. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS • What is the “mental skills” approach? of competition? • Why is the “mental skills” approach important? • Why don’t practitioners make greater use of this approach? • What are the 3 phases of MST? • What role do process variables play in MST effectiveness? • What process variables are important to utilize?

3. WHAT IS MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING? • Most athletes develop mental training tools and skills through trial and error. • MST’s goal is to enhance the development and automation of mental training tools and skills through a comprehensive and systematic program. • Good MST programs speed up and enhance the development process, ensure that performers develop more fully, perform at a higher level, enjoy sport more and transfer these skills to all other areas of their lives.

4. WHY MST IS IMPORTANT? • Have you ever “played down” to a lesser-skilled opponent’s ability level? • Have you ever choked at a critical point in a game or match? • Have you ever thought about non-sport-related activities during practice or competition? • Have you ever skipped a workout because you didn’t feel motivated, energized, or focused?

5. WHY MST IS IMPORTANT Preseason Season Postseason

6. WHY MST IS IMPORTANT Preseason Season Postseason

7. WHY ATHLETES AND COACHES DON’T USE MST? • Lack of knowledge about MST and sport psychology, • “You have to be confident!” “Concentrate!” and “Relax out there!” • Belief that mental skills are innate and unchangeable • “That Bernie’s just a head case under pressure” • Lack of time • Buying into all of the MST myths…

8. MST MYTHS • MST is for problem athletes only • No more than 10% of athletes require clinical services • MST is for elite athletes only • Youth athletes to professionals • Athletes, businessmen, actors, performers, musicians, and surgeons use MST • The “magic wand” myth • MST doesn’t work and isn’t useful

9. DOES MST WORK? • Elite performer research • Anecdotal reports from athletes and coaches • Intervention studies • Weinberg & Comar (1994) • Vealey (1994) • Meyers, Whelan & Murphy (1996)

10. CATEGORIZING MST TOOLS AND SKILLS • goal setting • imagery • self talk • relaxation and energization • motivation • energy management • attention • stress management • self-confidence Mental Training Tools MENTAL SKILLS

11. 3+ PHASES OF MST • New School… • Education • Acquisition • Practice • Implementation • Skill-transfer strategies • Performance • Less-learned skills break down under pressure and old habits resurface • Old School… • Education • Concentration lecture… • Acquisition • Concentration activities… • Implementation • Automate • Build into your game • Perform under pressure

12. WHO SHOULD PERFORM MST? • Sport Psychologist • Problem(s): • Coach/Exercise Leader • Problem(s): • Athlete • Problems(s):

13. WALKING THE WALK: IMPLEMENTING MST PROGRAMS • When to begin… • Ideally, off-season or preseason • More time to learn and automate new skills • Less pressure to win • How long should MST programs last … • First exposure for 3 to 6 months • Then, lifetime commitment

14. WALKING THE WALK: IMPLEMENTING MST PROGRAMS • Needs assessment • Oral interviews • Complete MST inventories • Performance profiling • Beware the “canned” MST program! • Use logs to identify critical mental training tools and skills for each individual athlete • Provide vision and long-term goals

15. WALKING THE WALK: IMPLEMENTING MST PROGRAMS 4. Develop systematic practice routine and schedule 5. Develop and implement the MST program based on previous steps 6. Systematically evaluate and revise MST program • Develop a strategy to monitor progress (e.g., logs, etc.) 7. Reward goal attainment regularly

16. SOME COMMON MSTIMPLEMENTATION PROBLEMS • Lack of conviction • Sell, sell, sell using relevant examples! • Lack of time • Coaches must commit time • Lack of consultant’s sport knowledge • Learn, learn, learn! • Lack of follow-up • ‘Community of Learners’ approach

17. PERSONAL SCIENCE TIE-IN TO MENTAL TRAINING • Baseline data collection to enhance self-awareness to enhance program personalization, • Use logs for self-monitoring to make progress more explicit, • Coaches must commit time • Work through coaches and identify practice strategies to teach mental and physical skills simultaneously, • Buy-in skyrockets when part of comprehensivetraining. • Provide ‘implementation’ time to overlearn new mental skills.