The Peak Performance Expert

Pitching for the World Series might give anyone the jitters.  Not Cliff Lee.  The ace pitched a complete game and beat the Yankees 6 - 1 but it was his cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor that stood out.  How does he do it? 

Mr. Lee told the New York Times: Not nervous at all,” he said, before pausing and adding: “It’s been a long time since I’ve been nervous playing this game. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I put all the work in. You do everything you need to do to prepare, and I try not to leave anything to chance. So what’s the point in being nervous? I’ve already done the work. It’s game time. Time to go out there and have fun and execute and let your skills take over.” 

He has a point.  A peak performer knows how to prepare well and is sure to spend adequate time prepping not only his or her physical game but the mental game as well. As I’ve said many times, “winning is the science of being totally prepared” and Cliff Lee showed us all what that looks like.

First it was Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, then, at the very end, it was pitcher Javier Lopez.  They each committed a cardinal sin in baseball: they didn’t keep their eyes on the ball.  In just that split second when each looked away from the ball, the ball got away from them. 

For the rest of us, the term - keep your eye on the ball - serves as metaphor but there’s nothing like a real life example to demonstrate the wisdom of this old adage.  And it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stay focused on the one thing we should focus on since there are innumerable temptations and distractions such as ringing cell phones, email, the internet, and bad music that seems to be piped in everywhere. 

Of course we can train our brains to focus more effectively but that takes time and effort and many of us are “too busy” (i.e, too distracted) to do so! 

For those of you who may be interested, here’s a quick technique to help you quickly remove distractions and  refocus: 

• Close your eyes and exhale slowly, real slowly.
• Now say to yourself, “I’m going to turn my mind off.”
• Now “see” with your mind’s eye, a blank computer screen.
• Relax your jaw  and tongue (we hold a lot of tension there).
• And be still for 10 - 20 seconds.
• Now open your eyes.
• Direct your energy to your task at hand.

Alex Rodriguez’s recent admission that he used steroids to help him manage the pressure of being the highest paid ball player in Major League Baseball has raised a firestorm of controversy. 

Of course, this is understandable since A-Rod isn’t just a baseball player; he’s a celebrity of rock star status. He’s also a lightning rod (pun not really intended) who seems to generate intense positive and negative emotional reactions from the public - some of it his own doing (remember the “dates” with the blond stripper?). 

As a peak performance coach with an interest in mental toughness, I am always curious to see how people handle pressure since this is a measure of a person’s mental toughness.  It’s now how well someone performs when things are easy but rather how well that person functions when things get challenging that, in part, determines one’s mental toughness. 

Being the highest paid anything comes with both realistic and unrealistic expectations. And of course, there is pressure to meet those unrealistic expectations so it’s possible that A-Rod succumbed to buying into those unrealistic expectations, thinking he had to be a miracle worker (or believing he was). 

Now I realize that A-Rod and his handlers are trying to spin this tale to make it more palatable to the public and certainly Alex’s arrogance and impulsivity have gotten him in trouble before but I think there is some truth in what he says. He was only 18 when he entered the MLB and there are few 18 year olds who have the wisdom and maturity to handle that kind of exposure. And although I have no way of knowing this for sure, it’s unlikely he had a good mentor to guide him. 

The problem with some young athletes who are flung into the world of big money and big fame is that they are ill prepared to handle it all.  They become surrounded by people who idealize them and by people who use them. They get used to the idealization and begin to believe they are invincible and not subject to the rules that govern mere mortals. They believe they can get away with things because they are getting away with things until one day… 

Fast forward to 2001 and the use of those banned substances. Our boy was 26 and now says, “It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful.” 

Is he sorry because he was caught or is he really sorry that he used the drugs? No way can we know.  He was smart to come forward (or his handler was smart to encourage him to do so) and confess and it was smart to hold the press conference today in which Alex offered a few more details. 

A-Rod was clearly anxious during the press conference.  He took a swig of water every few seconds (dry mouth is a typical sign of anxiety) as he read his statement and answered questions.  His most authentic moment was when he looked at his teammates and couldn’t speak for several seconds.  I think if he had spoken he would have cried but he shifted in his seat, looked away and up as he fought back the tears and then managed to say, “Thank you.” 

There’s no denying A-Rod’s talent; he’s got the stuff although there are questions about his post-season playing (another test of mental toughness) where he disappoints (unless you’re a Red Sox fan!). 

So to get back to the mental toughness question - how mentally tough is Alex Rodriguez?   How does he manage pressure - the pressure of the expectations of others and self; the pressure of coming through in clutch situations; the willingness to play fair even when it’s not going your way (remember him swatting the ball out of Arroyo’s hands in ‘04?)? Maybe not so well, eh? 

Now good old fashioned maturity plays into mental toughness and that’s where Alex definitely needs some work. His exploits off the field attest to that. We can hope that this situation will help Alex grow up; to realize that he is not invincible, that he is not untouchable, that he is not flawless. But he cannot do it alone.  Ideally he would get assigned a mentor, someone with the wisdom and maturity that Alex seems to lack.  Of course, there is the option of some professional help.  I don’t mean 5 days a week on the couch but certainly therapy with a straight talking therapist could be of great benefit to him. 

Alex Rodriguez is a man of immense talent and promise who has certainly contributed excitement to the game of baseball.  I support his desire to move forward. I applaud his seemingly heart-felt confession.  Sometimes these events serve as a wake-up call that changes people for the better.  Only time will tell. 

We here in Red Sox Nation are elated that Dustin Pedroia won the Most Valuable Player award in the American League.  “Pedroia the Destroya” has been a delight to watch this past season and his playing certainly saved the day in several games. 

Much as been made of his physical stature; Pedroia is listed as being 5′9″ but many say he is more realistically around 5′7″.  That’s small for a pro baseball player, of course, but what he lacks in physical stature he makes up for in psychological stature. 

Pedroia is a perfect example of a mentally tough athlete. He has heard snide comments and criticism about his size from the beginning (including from his father who doubted he could make it to the big leagues). Fortunately his mother encouraged her son to forge ahead despite the doubters.  Dustin brushed aside the naysayers and kept working at his craft.  He could have given up and few would have questioned it but he did not.  Yes, he persevered but he demonstrated all of the qualities of a mentally tough athlete: 

1. He exhibits a championship mindset which means he eagerly seeks feedback on his work and is relentless in self assessment.  He perceives critiques as information, not accusations and uses that information to improve his performance. 
2. His concentration is superb.  He is able to tune out distractions and focus on the task at hand no matter what the circumstances. 
3. Pedroia’s composure is maturely defined.  This guy does not get rattled even in  the big games. 
4. If he makes a mistake or has a set-back, he does not dwell on the mistake but rather learns the lesson embedded in it. (Comes back from mistakes.) 
5. He is crystal clear about what motivates him and the “why” is big enough to sustain his huge efforts. 
6. Dustin is a commitment king; he works constantly to improve and refine his craft. 
7. This guy has enough confidence for the whole team and it comes from a firm belief that he has the ability and talent to get the job done. 
8. Finally, Pedroia exhibits courage in the true sense of the word - courage is derived from the French word for heart (coeur) and we have seen him play his heart out game after game after game. 

How do you rate on the 8 dimensions of mental toughness?

 Every time Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches, there is a lot of talk about his potential “wildness” and his emotionality.  It seems Garza’s temper got him into trouble a while back and manager Joe Maddon encouraged him to see a sports psychologist.  The results have been mostly positive.  He’s more of a team player and is much better able to control the intensity of his emotions. 

When Garza faced my Red Sox in the last game of the ALCS, he was fierce in his accuracy and the force of his pitches.  The Red Sox couldn’t hit anything he threw at them.  In other words, Garza demonstrated superb control.  He was able to harness all that intensity and channel it just the way he wanted. (Too bad for us.) 

Last night he didn’t fare as well when he played the Phillies in game 3 of the World Series. This led to speculation: did the rain delay affect him?  Did the reality of playing in the World Series get to him?  We’ll never know but it’s always fun to guess. 

The Garza story brings up an important element in sports psychology known as the Zone of Optimal Functioning or the ZOOF. This refers to a performer’s sweet spot, just the right level of physiological activation that allows him or her to perform well. 

The concept of flow in sports (or any performance) refers to a state in which there is a perfect or near perfect match between the perceived demands of an activity and the abilities of the performer. Flow is accompanied by feelings of being energized yet calm and focused with your attention directed on what is essential. 

It’s a myth that “the harder you try, the better you’ll do.”  Too much activation or arousal can lead to feelings of agitation and tension and a shift of attention from the activity at hand to oneself or others. Of course, too little activation can lead to feelings of apathy or boredom (left field?) and result in too little focus on the details necessary to perform. 

Garza is a great example of this.  Too much and he’s wild and loses control of the ball; too little - well, we haven’t’ seen that!  Think of yourself and the activities you engage in. Are you too revved up or too laid back?  What works for you? 

Some people need to get revved up.  They feel it energizes them and that they perform better. (Garza, again, listens to rap music before the game.  Maybe he listened to too much of it last night!)  Other people need to calm down and control over-activation. 

Another way to think of it in musical terms is a rah-rah college fight song or a languorous bossa nova.  Are you a fight song person or a Bossa Nova type?  Different activities might require different levels of activation.  Consider the differences between a hockey player and a brain surgeon, for example. 

A man who had attended one of my seminars emailed me a few weeks later to say his golf game had improved because he realized he was a “Bossa Nova type of guy.”  When he teed up, he imagined hearing a slow Bossa Nova which allowed him to slow down, relax, and focus.