Are You Ready to Take the Game Winner?

Michael Jordan was the ultimate game winner.  Can performance in the clutch be learned? (Photo source: NBA.com)

 The clock ticks down in what seems like slow motion.  The score is tied.  The ball swings and, for a moment, the player stands open.

After an exhausting 90 minutes (plus overtime) it’s a shootout.  The player stands a few yards from the adversary – the goalie.  The game is on the line for each. 

Why do certain competitors crave that defining moment during a game when victory is sealed or snatched?  Are they simply wired that way?  Or, is this toughness something that can be learned?

The Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins explores this very question in an article entitled Secret to buzzer-beaters, especially on biggest of stages, is all in (mental) release.  It’s a wonderful read and incredibly timely as we are now in the throes of college basketball’s championship tournaments.

Here are a few interesting quotes from the article:

Sports psychologist Graham Betchart uses a variety of cognitive techniques, including yoga and meditation, to attain presence, that alert but restful state.

Somewhere along the line, stress got a bad name.  But stress is interesting and complicated, and the arousal it causes is a potential enhancer if you learn to use it.

A lot of people with a strong fear of performance ultimately become excited and good at it.  It’s a power a lot of people don’t realize they have.    

How Visualization Powers Athletic Success

Wow…what a month it has been!

 

I’ve performed at six high school after prom parties, held a couple of one-on-one tutorials on self-hypnosis and, this morning, was part of the entertainment at Springbrook High School’s senior picnic.

At Springbrook, I had the good fortune to meet with a group of wonderful kids, many of whom plan to compete in athletics at the collegiate level. 

For some, the reaction to hypnosis was fairly tepid until I mentioned how athletes and celebrities use the power of positive visualization to improve focus and performance.  That’s what got things rolling and I ultimately had more than 50 students volunteer to give hypnosis a try.

Included below are links to articles I’ve published on this blog about hypnosis as a tool for success in competitive sports.  Like Springbrook’s graduating seniors, I thought you’d find them of interest. 

Hypnosis for Athletic Success, Capitals Style

Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby employs hypnosis as a tool to improve his performance in game situations.

Hypnotized Celebrities

From Jessica Alba and Orlando Bloom to Duchess Kate, a myriad of actors, entertainers and musicians have used hypnosis as a tool to improve focus, concentration and creativity.

College Basketball Star Sharpens Game with Hypnosis

Now a professional player with the Chicago Bulls, Doug McDermott tapped into his subconscious mind while in college to enhance his competitive edge.

Hypnosis Helps Mary Lou Retton Vault to Olympic Gold

This teenage gymnast won five gold medals at the 1984 Olympics with the aid of positive visualization.

Enhanced focus and positive visualization can improve performance in many sports, including basketball.  (Photo source: JoePDowling.com

Whitman High School Athletes Give Hypnosis a Try

It is a class of alphas.  They walk the halls with confidence.  Each plays at least one varsity sport.  They all desire to make competitive athletics part of their college experience.

This past week I had the privilege of speaking at Walt Whitman High School to about 20 students about the power of visualization to improve athletic performance.  Called the “Whitman Athletic Leadership Team,” the class is taught by a physical education instructor and coach of the school’s varsity baseball team.

Here are highlights from my 50 minute presentation:

--I captured interest with two anecdotes about how visualization can empower exceptional athletic achievement:  1) Ray Allen’s dramatic three pointer during game six of the NBA finals last year; and 2) the incredible story of Vietnam War POW Major James Nesmith who improved his golf game by 20 strokes without stepping on a course for seven years.

--The talk then shifted to a definition of hypnosis and an overview of its meaningful applications for athletics, including stress management, self-confidence and injury recovery.  I presented each within the context of challenges that high school athletes face when preparing for and engaging in competition.

--The issue of confidence was of particular interest for the students, especially its importance when graduating to the collegiate level.  When everyone on the field is talented, skilled and physically gifted, mental fortitude often becomes the separating factor.  It helps players shine in key moments. 

--I then offered to take the kids through a brief hypnosis induction and, to my pleasant surprise, every student in the class volunteered.  I employed a couple of simple relaxing visualizations to create the right environment, and then helped each student capture a feeling of confidence in a post-hypnotic suggestion.

Although we were limited by time and a classroom environment during a school day is far from ideal, I think each student came away intrigued by hypnosis and its use by athletes.  

Equally important, they have a deeper appreciation for the role mental strength and focus plays in achieving success – in sports and in life.

NBA coach Phil Jackson used mediation and hypnosis for his championship basketball teams.

Tiger Woods employs hypnosis for mental focus on the course.