What are we doing for the players' 'mental game'? Players develop skill, athleticism, and knowledge but not always discipline, emotional control, and psychological fitness. What resources should they engage to inform the head game?
The excellence domains include character, commitment, and competence.
We want to transfer simple, practical, applicable lesson to our players. Here are a few 'easy' shares for players:
Amy Cuddy discusses "power positions" in her well-received TED talk. Assuming expansive positions before job interviews or games can raise testosterone and loser cortisol, a stress hormone.
Pressure degrades performance. Weisinger and Pawliw-Fry share over twenty methods to handle pressure, from putting events into perspective, process thinking, stress balls, to breaking tasks into smaller ones, and listening to music to optimize activation.
Jason Selk suggests breathing exercises, mental highlight reels, and personal statements on identity and performance in 10-Minute Toughness. You are who you believe you are.
Harvey Dorfman practiced tough love for ball players. He confronted players. “What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do to make the appropriate adjustments?” I think his Coaching the Mental Game is a classic.
There is no 'one size fits all' approach. But we choose to train people to handle adversity or allow them to shrink from it. Don't give players unwanted emotional crutches or sponsor temper tantrums preventing a mature game.
"Self-discipline is a form of freedom. Freedom from laziness and lethargy, freedom from the expectations and demands of others, freedom from weakness and fear-and doubt. Self-discipline allows a pitcher to feel his individuality, his inner strength, his talent. He is master of, rather than a slave to, his thoughts and emotions." - Harvey Dorfman
