By taking these 4 simple steps we can increase our awareness, reset our mindset and return to focused state.

If you haven’t been seeing the results you’ve been working so hard for don’t be discouraged. It might not be your training. It could just be your perspective. Meet with Coach B and let’s create a vision of what your athletic future could look like. With the help of ANR - Athlete Neuroplasticity Reset - your dreams and aspirations can gain form and structure so you can be empowered to take your career to the level you believe your capable of. You don’t need talk therapy. You need a solution and execution. You need ANR. Coach b

The key to Stress Relief for our Athletes can be as simple as finding a quiet place to sit in nature.... Helping Athletes relax and unwind is no easy feat but I have discovered an excellent resource that is enlightening and easily utilizes natural resources with minimal expense. From the book "Rooted" by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, my favorite discovery is the "Sit spot" by Wilderness School Co Founder Jon Young. As outlined in the book a Sit Spot allows you to create a way to reconnect with nature, relax and even allow the natural habitants of the area the opportunity to discover you. For athletes with busy and inquisitive minds who like to be stimulated, this may be more appealing than just lying on yoga mat, practicing deep breathing in a sweaty room! Something I never enjoyed as athlete or felt remotely relaxed doing. Try this instead for yourself, preferably without your pet dog like my Winston, when we found my "sit spot" and lets discover a private place that only you know. Your sit spot can become a place you unwind, shed disappointments, cherish success, or prepare for the big moments of competition you may have ahead. Just by sitting still in quiet times of reflection you will allow yourself the opportunity to reconnect with your natural environment and open an invisible door to see what creatures that live there may also join and support you in your time of reflection. In today's busy world it is easy to get swept up in the hectic pace of life. Slowing down and taking time out to find clarity and become centered could be all that is needed to help your athlete relax, find peace and enjoy the simple pleasures nature provides. Coach b

Not all experiences we have in sport are pleasurable or enjoyable and not all interactions with people in those environments are memories or ones we want to hold on to. But instead of letting yourself be imprinted by the encounter, the setback, the injury, the false promise, the deception whatever it may be, use it as a point of reflection. Take a moment for yourself and smile. You survived and you havn't quit, they didn't win! It was just the start of your next adventure. Like a superhero finding his cape :-) ...... Don't look back now. this was written for an athlete, he knows who he is........ You got this champ. Coach b

Coaches are not communications experts. Here's how to navigate the screaming.... Take a moment to step back from the situation Inhale a few deep breaths and regain composure Acknowledge Coach but don't apologize, use language instead like: "Coach I can see my performance was not the way you wanted...." Then ask coach to explain what he/she would like to see "... can you show me how I can improve my performance?" Depersonalize the way coach is speaking or the tone he/she is using and focus on the instructions Keep your performance moving in the direction you want it to go You do not need to manage coach emotions as well as your own Learn to put space between you and coach when receiving feedback Event + Response = Outcome Remember you are an athlete who is performing a performance. This is not about you as a person. The feedback is about your performance. Depersonalization helps create space and keeps us focused on development and improving our performance. Coach b

Sport, particularly contact sports are often poorly misconstrued as aggressive when in reality the actions of the athletes are in line with what is required of the performance. Where aggression turns “hostile” and shifts from being “instrumental” is when the performance bleeds outside the boundaries of what is permitted. This is where injury can occur. This can also been seen psychologically as a form of frustration by the athlete who may be outmatched by their opponent and is resorting to “cheap” tactics . A smart highly alert athlete who can avoid an overly aggressive move should recognize this cue as an opportunity to take advantage of their opponents moment of weakness. Capitalize on frustration! For the frustrated athlete making the move, the aggression shift occurs when the intent of the action moves from the objective to win to inflicting harm. Calm down, reset! You don’t need a foul, penalty or injury! This has occurred because the action now has the emotion anger associated with it. 𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆: Being mindful of the state of your athletes and knowing when to break or take time outs. Call out cues, self talk and use strategies to pace and control directed focus. Keep athletes task focused. Reinforce rules of the game. Emphasize the objective of the performance. Remove emotion from the associated action. Stay neutral. Assertiveness may appear aggressive but it does not result in harming the opponent. Being passionate is not the same as being emotional- know the difference. Passion for the sport means respecting it too. If you have an overly hostile aggressive athlete the risk of injury to them and to others is increased. Take the time you investigate the source of the aggression and help give the athlete ways to channel their performance. Harnessing aggression for the purpose of creating powerful assertive athletes creates improved performances and safer environments. Coach B

Failure to perform in competition or an inability to perform an "action" , often quantified as "inaction" by the athlete, is often caused when the athlete is unable to make sense of his/ her environment in the game and is unable to predict the next move by the opponent. Freezing occurs when the athlete has not only failed to assess the situation but has the let the momentum of the competition and the opponents movements get ahead of their ability to make any offensive or defensive decisions. To avoid the "Freeze" which occurs in the mind first which in turn impacts the body, delaying the appropriate response, the athlete needs to be able to "read' the situation in real time in and act. We achieve this by understanding: What are we doing ? What we should do ? What is the opponent doing ? What is the right response ? These split second decisions need to be made without fear or hesitation. I emphasize without fear as fear is the other factor which will cause passivity and delay response hence also prompting inaction by the athlete. A successful "performer" is one that is not only flexible in action but needs to be flexible in thinking. This is what we are working to achieve when athletes do my Athlete Neuroplasticity Reset Program. In ANR working to creating a " flexible responsive thinking athlete" who can change and adapt quickly to each competition environment, staying ahead of the opponent and avoiding the Freeze ! Coach B

because once an athlete “sees” themselves they understand their reasons for why they are doing sport.

Which one are you ? Dispositional Optimism in athletes is the natural tendency to lean towards positive outcomes regardless of the current situation. Dispositional Pessimism is the tendency to do the opposite and slide into a negative mindset. If you tend to be more of a pessimist, glass half empty kind of person, don’t worry we can change that ! Scientific studies show us the use of mental imagery and practicing seeing positive outcomes (before they occur) can help someone become more optimistic ( Blackwell et al, 2013). This is because optimists tend to have more of an internal point of reference and are less concerned with external influences. Pessimists are heavily impacted by external factors and may look to blame or redirect accountability to someone else. In sport where multiple variables come in to play & where the athlete can have little control and has to adapt accordingly, the use of imagery to recreate scenarios in advance, isn’t just for the purpose of preparation but it is to enhance cognitive abilities for improved optimism. Survival in elite sport is the ability to roll with punches. Daydreaming is an easy solution to do this. Give it a try! Coach B

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