Last week, Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota was home to the 41st Ryder Cup Championship. This unique three day golf event only takes place every two years. It is one of the most intense, competitive, and exciting tournaments that these players will ever experience because even the most competitive rivals turn into the greatest of allies. This tournament is all about pride, teamwork, and being aggressive on the golf course. Some of the best golf in the world took place right in Chaska, Minnesota over the past week. Stakes were high because these competitors were no longer just playing for themselves, but also their nation. With the tournament being completed, we can reflect on the intense match between Team USA and Team Europe this year.

The first two days of the tournament were unique in their format. Instead of each competitor going out and playing their own ball, they participated in alternate shot and best ball. This turned one of the most individual sports into a team sport with so much history behind it. The third and final day of the Ryder Cup consisted of singles match play, which also had its own strategies.

The Ryder Cup created a whole new atmosphere on the golf course. With the course in pristine condition and the players in match play mode, anything could have happened. Team USA’s Phil Mickelson stated in an after round interview, “Certainly I felt more pressure heading into today’s [first round] matches. Given the build-up over the last couple years, the criticism, the comments, what have you, the pressure was certainly as great, or greater, than I’ve ever felt.” Rory Mcllroy of Team Europe even said that the playing conditions were “pretty hostile” due to how much pressure was on the line to perform well, not only from his teammates, but also the captains and fans.

The team captains also had a very important role in this tournament as they made the game plans and strategically paired the members of their team. Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth of Team USA, longtime friends and fierce competitors on Tour, were paired together on the first day of the Ryder Cup. During an interview with Reed, he stated, “We grew up playing golf together, so I already know what to expect. I know his game and he knows mine. I know how to push his buttons to get him going and vice versa. It is just a pairing that seems to work.”

Figuring out which players were going to be most compatible, game- and personality-wise, was a big factor when making the game plan for the Ryder Cup. This year, Team USA was fortunate to have Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson, Steve Stricker, and Tom Lehman making all the game time decisions. Reed also stated during an after round interview, “We had a great game plan coming in, we stuck with it. Just hit a lot of greens. In alternate shot you have to do that, give yourself opportunities.”

Sometimes it is as simple as that: sticking to a game plan. Taking the proper measures to prepare yourself for whatever game time situation you are in can be the difference between winning and losing. A number of players during the first round stepped away from their game plan once they saw the leaderboard. When players start cracking under the pressure, they try to get more aggressive with their swing and with their targets, even if the risk outweighs the reward. Some players had to play two matches a day; that’s a long day on the golf course. They had to learn to stay in the moment, stay focused, and remain calm, even if their shots weren’t going as planned.

With Team USA coming out victorious, it just goes to show how cool, calm, and collected they were over the course of the three days. They stuck to the game plan and executed the proper number of shots to ultimately take home the 41st Ryder Cup Championship. This mentality can be used in any sport at any level. For high school athletes, the pressure of the Ryder Cup could be compared to a sectional game that could advance them to state. The level of pressure the athlete may feel is much higher than normal because there is more on the line. If an athlete makes a game plan to account for setbacks and is able to adhere to adversity, they can overcome that pressure and come out successfully. This mentality of staying in the moment and sticking to a plan may also be useful when trying to ace an interview or when you are taking a really hard test. If you prepare ahead of time and do everything in your power to stay focused in the present moment, chances are you will like the outcome.

The Olympic games are a competition like no other–a stage that only a select few will ever get to compete on, but millions will watch from near and far. A level of honor, excitement, and pressure that is simply incomparable. Not only are you representing yourself, your family, and your team, but also your entire country. Sure these athletes have competed on plying fields at national or even world competitions, but the Olympic games are certainly unique in their own right. So how do you prepare for Rio? How do you prepare to compete your very best in the largest competition of your life? Train hard for countless hours. Eat, sleep and recover properly. Yes! But that is not good enough. That is not good enough to reach gold. The best of the best also work on their mental game, specifically using imagery.

According to a survey by Jowdy and Durtschi, 90 percent of athletes and 94 percent of coaches at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado used imagery in their sport (Murphy, 2005). Also, 97 percent of athletes and 100 percent of coaches argued that imagery enhances performance. The most elite coaches and athletes are using imagery to enhance their performance and play to the best of their ability. If you want to be the best, start training like the best! To prepare for Rio, you know how to train physically, otherwise you wouldn’t even be thinking about competing on such a prestigious stage. However, if you’ve never been there before, it’s hard to prepare yourself for all of the new emotions and nerves that you will experience. You need to learn how to prepare you mind for this so when the day comes there are no surprises, and nothing will get in the way of your performance and reaching your highest potential.

Imagery is a multi-sensory experience that involves rehearsing your sport or performing a task in your mind, while engaging all five of your senses. Imagery is a mental skill that can be improved like any other skill (Murphy, 2005). It can be used in many different areas of sport such as skill development, stress management, preparation for the unknown, maintaining skills, etc. From a neurological perspective, the same areas of the brain are used when imagining an action and actually doing it. Imagination and action use the same neurological pathways, so practicing one enhances the other.

Ranganathan and colleagues’ study (2004) on using imagery to strengthen muscles demonstrates the power of imagery in creating actual physical results. Participants who did finger strengthening exercises for four weeks using only their imagination showed a 35% increase in physical strength (Ranganathan et. al, 2004). The neurons responsible for the movement instruction are used in both imagery and physical exercise, which results in strengthening the actual muscles. Although you cannot rely on imagery alone and physical practice is certainly necessary, this study suggests that imagery and mental practice can help create real results.

At Premier Sport Psychology, we suggest that in order to improve this mental skill and make your imagery as vivid as possible, it is important to engage all five senses as well as feelings and emotion. When preparing for such an intense event, really try to engage all of these senses within your imagery practice, so that when the real time comes you are familiar with these feelings. Imagine yourself gearing up to perform. What is your coach saying? What does the crowd sound like? Can you feel the sweat running down your cheek? What can you see around you? What does the scenery look like? What are the people doing? What does the gym/field/arena smell like? Does anything stand out to you? Can you taste anything such as your minty gum as you chew vigorously? What does the ball feel like or the cool pool on your skin? What are your emotions like? Can you sense your nerves or your excitement?

To prepare specifically for Rio, or whatever major event you may be preparing for, you can also look online and find pictures of what the gym/field/arena/etc. will resemble. Try to find pictures of what the scene will look like even if it is not quite specific to the playing field you will be participating on. Find any images of what the crowd may resemble, the playing field, or anything else that can help make your imagery more vivid and clear. This will give you a very clear idea and help make your imagery as vivid as possible.

Allison Felix, Olympic Track and Field Gold and Silver Medalist once said, “I am a big believer in visualization. I run my races in my head to that I feel even more prepared” (Forbes).  Imagery and visualization won’t be the only skill that gets you to Rio, but it can certainly help make you feel more prepared and perform your very best when race day comes.

Murphy, S. (2005). The sport psych handbook. Human Kinetics.

Ranganathan, V. K., Siemionow, V., Liu, J. Z., Sahgal, V., & Yue, G. H. (2004). From mental power to muscle power—gaining strength by using the mind. Neuropsychologia, 42(7), 944-956. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2003.11.018

Rosensteel, S. (2012, July 26). Olympic Words Of Wisdom: 6 Inspiring Quotes From Team USA In 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/seanrosensteel/2012/07/26/olympic-words-of-wisdom-6-inspiring-quotes-from-team-usa-in-2012/#6763301260bf

Phil Hansen was going to school to become an artist when he discovered something that he thought would end his career before it even began. He had developed a shake in his hand from using pointillism—a painting technique in which small dots are applied in patterns to form a single image. Because he could no longer create art through his preferred method, he decided to drop art school and art altogether. However, years later he decided to return to art and saw a doctor about his condition. The doctor changed his life with a single question: “Why don’t you just embrace the shake?”

Hansen’s TED talk describes his inspiring journey to find his new calling through art: “And I realized, if I ever wanted my creativity back, I had to quit trying so hard to think outside of the box and get back into it.” Athletes can mirror this idea by spending time going back to the beginning and thinking about what aspects of their sport made them fall in love with it in the first place. More importantly, this talk—and what we can all take from it—is about remembering what makes us unique and what strengths we have.

As his talk comes to a close, Hansen professes: “Limitations may be the most unlikely of places to harness creativity, but perhaps one of the best ways to get ourselves out of ruts, rethink categories, and challenge accepted norms. And instead of telling each other to seize the day, maybe we can remind ourselves every day to seize the limitation.”

Everyone has a “shake” or weakness, and although this insecurity may seem like a flaw it is simply something that makes you unique. However, because “shakes” are unique to each individual, it may seem as though you are the only one with that particular “shake.” Sometimes, that results in athletes defying their shakes in the attempt to be “normal.” This perspective is understandable considering technicalities in sports require athletes to follow certain rules and regulations. As a result, it is hard for them to both accept and figure out an alternate path to take toward the designated goal. Although taking another route for the sport or skill they are working toward will be an adjustment, it will make them a stronger athlete with stronger weaknesses.

Athletes have the ability to embrace whatever “shakes” they have just like Phil Hansen. Rather than letting the shake define them, athletes can define it for themselves and use it as a performance enhancement they never knew they had. In other words they can seize the limitation in their shake. Believe in what makes you different; never give up on something just because it is not viewed as typical. Most importantly, embrace your shake.

See Hansen’s inspiring talk here.