NCAA Championship Mindset – Who get’s the one shining moment?

Punching their tickets to the Final Four Championship game, Virginia and Texas Tech have battled seven rounds to stand centre court at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Monday night.

Each earning their first trip to the final four, Virginia and Texas Tech have more than strong physical game. Getting through the best 68 teams in the nation requires a highly practiced mental process.

Virginia’s disappointing first round exit last year to final moments of this year’s semi-final win vs. Auburn is resiliency in action.  The Cavaliers are proving that the power of a practiced mental game is giving them the edge in a tournament of the nations best.

Big 12 Champions, Texas Tech have mindset as solid as their ‘swarm defence’. Staying composed under the pressure of Tom Izzo’s Michigan State in their semi-final win over the Spartans,  Texas Tech’s players and coaches stay focused in the moment.

“Just what we do everyday.… Our toughness, our grit to fight every 40 minutes, every possession.” – Odiase, Forward Texas Tech

Mentally tough individuals are motivated by things they can control.  This means that they trust a “process” in which they go out and practice and compete.  The process includes the coach, individual, and team.  Players keep their efforts within the process so they can adjust, they can keep pressure situations simple, and they can play with unwavering intensity because they trust and have trained in this process.

Monday night’s game is sure to provide one thing: an unwavering intensity on both sides of the ball.

Regardless of talent or how beat up their bodies are after grinding through March Madness, mental toughness will determine who gets the final ‘one shining moment’.

Dr. Justin Anderson and Dr. Carlin Anderson were featured in the University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics series “Minnesota Proud: Whole Body Health”. The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics cares about both the physical and mental well-being of its student-athletes.

The Why:  

When you think of any sport, there are always fundamentals and strategy that come into play.  There are roles and responsibilities, specific skills, things to focus on, adrenaline spikes, fatigue, ups and downs, and these are just the demands that occur during one performance.  We spend so much of our training and efforts around learning how to do the task, that we forget to consider the demands we face while performing under pressure.  At Premier Sport Psychology, we teach coaches and athletes how to implement processes around training for BOTH the tasks and demands of their sport.  In doing so, you have a structured process for program and player development to reach an optimal level of consistent high performance.

The What:

Mental skills are designed to help athletes organize what they are learning from their coaches and cope with the demands of performing under pressure.  Therefore, mental skills are either organizational or motivational in nature.

• Organizational – Organizational mental skills help athletes develop structures around their development.  These skills bring attention to detail how they train for competition in order to keep their efforts in areas that they can control.  Some examples of organizational mental skills include:
  • Goal-Setting
  • Focus and Attention
  • Mental Rehearsal
• Motivational – Motivational mental skills help athletes manage the demands and challenges they encounter during performances.  These skills help athletes raise their awareness, problem solve, adjust and maintain motivation after mistakes are made.  Some examples of motivational mental skills include:
  • Confidence
  • Mindful Behavior
  • Self-Talk

The How:  

At Premier Sport Psychology, we find that many athletes are in one of three stages (Defining their process, Refining their process, or Mastering their process).  Use the questions below to identify which stage your child falls under in order to help your child develop a plan.

1. What are the tasks you are expected to perform within your sport?   (If team sport, break down the positional fundamentals/tasks)
2. What are the biggest challenges or annoyances you experience that hinder your ability to perform?  (During a game or over the season)
3. What structures do you have in place to improve these areas?

Summary:

After answering the questions above, which areas need more specific strategies?  Can they be addressed by you?  Or the coach?  Or are the areas a bit more subjective?  Leveraging a sport psychologist or mental skills coach can help you and your child fill in those gaps and identify a clear path to high level performance.