The Peak Performance Expert

As major-league baseball moves relentlessly towards playoff season, we all have the opportunity to see which team can survive the pressure.  The ability to stay poised and self-assured, even in high stakes situations is a valuable quality.  How well do you perform in high pressure, competitive situations?

The first step in improving your composure is self-awareness.  So you can ask yourself, when have you lost your composure?  What happened?  And also, when are you the most composed?

One way to ensure composure in high stakes situations is to be adequately prepared for those events.  Mental preparation is truly the key to success.  In preparing for a big talk or an important meeting, you might focus exclusively on the content and the organization of what you’re going to say and neglect the mental preparation.  This is a big mistake.

In oder to maintain composure, it’s useful to know how to control your body and control your thinking.  In today’s blog I’ll talk a bit about steps you can take to control your body’s response to stressful situations.

When we perceive something as threatening our body responds in particular ways.  Typically, your heart rate increases, your respiratory rate increases, and your muscles tense up as you prepare to run or fight.  This is fine if you are in fact going to run or fight.  However, usually, these responses undermine your performance. 

A quick way to reduce the negative impact of this is to focus on your breathing.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, don’t try to take a big deep breath, if you are in a stressful situation and you’re already tense, it can be very difficult to take in a nice deep breath.  You’re much better off focusing on your out-breath.  So exhale as slowly as you can, and notice how you begin to relax.  Now you can train your body and your mind to respond in any way you wish.  So why not train your body and mind to respond in a way that allows you to perform at an optimal level even in those high stakes situations.

Here’s one technique that I teach, and it’s called the Self Calming technique:

Find a quiet spot, sit upright,  and close your eyes.  Just notice the rise and fall of your breath for a moments.  And now exhale slowly, as slowly as you can, three times.  You might say to yourself, “With each out-breath I’m relaxing more and more.  As you relax, put your hand on your chest and notice the warmth from your hand spreading over your chest soothing you and calming you.  Continue to focus on your out-breath, telling yourself with each out-breath you’re relaxing more and more.  Be aware of the warmth from your hand as it contributes to your relaxation.  And you can say to yourself that in the future, whenever you’re in a stressful situation, all you have to do is exhale slowly three times, and put your hand on your chest in order to reconnect with these positive feelings of calm and relaxation.

If you practice this technique several times, it can be helpful to you in the heat of the moment.  So in a high-stakes performance situation, you can simply exhale slowly three times or even once and surreptitiously put your hand on your chest to reconnect to these positive feelings of calm and relaxation.

So this is just one example of a technique that you can incorporate in preparing for a high pressure, high stakes situation.

As a Red Sox fan, I was sure happy to see my team bash the Rays last night however, as an empathic human I did feel bad for Rays’ pitcher,  Scott Kazmir.  He didn’t seem to have it last night.  Nine straight balls in the first inning set up 3 runs brought in by Big Papi’s homer followed by a solo homer by Mike Lowell.  And it went downhill from there!

So what happened?  Kazmir usually fares much better.  Was it the pressure of being so close to the play-offs? He looked ashen, sweaty, uncomfortable.  After the game Kazmir said, “It felt like my body wasn’t there…I felt flat. I didn’t have the strength.”   And it showed.  What might have contributed to such a state?  Well, anxiety can sure do that. Illness can too but Kazmir never said he was ill, just not mentally present.

It’s always a point of curiousity when an otherwise good performer falters. In my last blog I wrote about Jon Lester’s ability to ward off “bad thoughts.” I’ll never know what Kazmir’s thought process was prior to and during the game but I can conjecture that he felt the pressure of the responsibility of winning the game.  The sensation of feeling like one’s body isn’t there is typical for an anxiety state.  For an athlete especially, being and feeling connected to one’s body is critical.  What could he have done differently?  Well since he started feeling “off” when he was warming up in the bull pen, he could have seen that as a sign that he needed to do one (or all) of the following: (And this holds true for anyone out there who might be feeling “off” just prior to a big performance.)

1. Take a few moments and stop everything and reboot your personal computer, your brain.  This means simply closing your eyes, exhaling slowly 3 times, then saying to yourself, “My mind is a blank screen.”  After a few seconds open your eyes and refocus on the task at hand.
2. Take a few moments and with your mind’s eye, do a body scan, noting where you might be holding tension or - if you re feeling disconnected with your body, you can now re-connect by mentally embracing all parts of your body, noting how important your body is to your performance.
3. Remind yourself of your past successes and your performance goals (which are differnt from outcome goals; we have no control over outcome, only our own performance).
4. Ask yourself what might interfere with the upcoming performance such as unrealistic expectations, negative self-talk, worry, etc.  Then once identified, work to reframe these thoughts into something that is either realistically positive or neutral.
5. Determine if you need to calm down or get revved up.  If the former, focus on exhaling slowly.  If the latter, engage in a brief stint of physical exercise.

These are just a few things Kazmir might have done that could have made a difference.  Of course, I’m happy he didn’t!

Okay, so we lost the last 2 games against the Tampa Bay Rays but Monday night (9/8/08) was different.  Jon Lester shut out the Rays in a splendid performance, demonstrating his increasing confidence and maturity on the mound.

For the purpose of this blog, what especially impressed me were his comments after the game.  He said, “I didn’t have any bad thoughts to waste energy.”  Translated, this means that he has managed the art and skill of shaking off negative thinking.  “Bad thoughts” don’t disrupt his focus because he has learned how to either stop them or he reframes them into positive or neutral thoughts. 

And negative thinking does “waste energy,” energy that should be directed to the task at hand - in this case, pitching.  A while back, Josh Beckett pitched terribly in a game and later complained of tingling in his hand and fingers.  Apparently this had been bothering him for a while.  So what accounted for his bad outing?  Was it the symptoms or his thinking about the symptoms?  We all know how preoccupying it can be to have physical symptoms and not know exactly what might be wrong.  Typically, most people think the worst.  The worry removes the focus from the task at hand and affects performance.   Once Beckett discovered there was nothing serious (and he had a few days rest) he returned to pitch effectively, including last night with the talented Rays. I suspect relief in knowing there was no serious medical issue allowed him to devote full focus to his game.

Without focus, you can’t accomplish anything. According to Robert Nideffer, a California sports psychologist, our focus is either internal or external and either broad or narrow.  So, our focus exists on two intersecting dimensions - that of width and that of direction.  To this I would add time.  We are either focused on the past, the present, or the future.

Different tasks require different kinds of focus.  As long as we use the right kind of focus for the task at hand, we’ll be okay.  Flexibility is important, too.

For example, a pitcher facing a batter has to consider who he is facing and what kind of batter he is.  His attention necessarily and briefly moves internally (thinking and remembering) and is broad because he must review everything he knows about that batter including scouting reports, videos he’s reviewed, and past experiences with that batter. He then checks for the sign from the catcher so his attention must shift to narrow-external focus.  If he agrees with the catcher’s sign, he then continues with his narrow-external focus as he notes the posture and body movement of the batter.  Then his focus shifts again to narrow internal as he mentally prepares for the wind-up and the pich and shifts once more to narrow-external as he actually delivers the pitch.

Now consider this: what if the pitcher, for whatever reason, is feeling worried about the way the game is going.  Maybe the bases are loaded and there are no outs and the other team is winning by 6 runs. Not a pleasant situation for the pitcher.  But if he indulges in negative self-talk (”I’m doing a lousy job; the fans will boo me; I’ll never get this guy out.”), where does his attention go?  Yep, that’s right…he is no longer focused on the review of the batter, the sign from the catcher, or executing his pitch.  Instead, his focus narrows and moves internal. He is not concentrating on the moment and  the task at hand but rather on what has happened (past) and what will happen.  He will likely throw a bad pitch or walk the batter.

Think about your work.  How often are you really present and devoting your attention to the task at hand?  How often do you indulge yourself in recounting past mistakes or slights by others?  How often do you make dire predictions of the future?

In my last post I listed the 7 attrributes of mentally tough athletes.  (Although this applies to anyone, really.) Today I want to talk about the Championship Mindset which is the willingness - even eagerness - to get feedback about one’s performance.  A mentally tough person wants feedback in order to learn, to improve, and to perfect his or her performance.  When you compare the Olympic athletes to yourself, consider this: they have a coach.  Actually, many have several coaches.  Do you?  Do you seek out comments from others about your work? If you get feedback, do you listen to it and use it as information that can be useful to you?  Think hard about this; this is a key distinction between a champion  (in athleteics and in life) and an also-ran.  Do you want to be a winner?  Then begin asking co-workers, your boss, a mentor, friends, teachers how they perceive your performance.  Ask for tips for how to improve.  Consider what steps you need to take in order to refine your performance.  Don’t view feedback as a personal indictment; view it as valuable information that can move your performance upward and forward.

How do they do it?  This was the question a friend posed as we were watching the USA men’s gymnastics team the other night.  Indeed, their strength, their balance, their ability to fly through the air and swing themselves around with breakneck speed using one hand seems magical or super-human.  We watch, holding our breath, amazed that people can do that! “I could never do that,”  we say.

But then I thought about that statement and mused that it is just that kind of statement which immobilizes us.  It starts off as a statement and then becomes a belief that limits us.  Of course we could do that (whatever that is) if we had the desire, the motivation, the plan,  and the commitment to execute the plan - step by step.  It may sound stupidly simple to say that none of the Olympic athletes perfected their prowess overnight and yet we somehow don’t consider that when we too quickly compare ourselves to them.

What does it take to be a champion - in sports or in business?   Here’s my take on it - the 8 C’s of Mental Toughness:

1. Championship mindset - a willingness to seek out and an openness to receiving feedback about your performance.
2. Concentration - the ability to focus on what is relevant to the performance and not succumb to distractions.
3. Composure - the ability to stay calm and poised in high stakes situations.
4. Come back from mistakes - the ability to bounce back from set-backs and mistakes.
5. Clarity about Motivation - tKnowing what you want and why you want it.
6. Commitment - the desire and ability to stick to your performance plan.
7. Confidence - belief in your ability to perform well.
8. Courage -the quality of spirit that enables you to take on challenges.

I’ll be commenting on how I see these factors being played out as the Games continue.

We in Red Sox Nation are looking forward to the return of power slugger, David Ortiz, this weekend.  Big Papi, who was on the disabled list due to a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, will be on hand to help the Sox play their arch rivals - the Yankees - at Fenway.

It’s not unusual for athletes to get injured and get rehab but what most athletes do during rehab is quite different from what mere mortals might do.  Typically, while athletes are on the disabled list they continue their practice routines.  Now that may surprise you.  How can they do that if they’re laid up?  Well, they do it mentally!

Yep, that’s right, injured athletes spend time visualizing themselves going through their practice routines.  They don’t just think about it, they set aside quiet time and visualize themselves and feel themselves going through every aspect of their practice routines. And they do this over and over until they feel they’ve gotten a good workout. Research shows that those athletes who engage in rehab visualization return to the game in a much better status and are able to get back up to speed much more quickly than those who do not employ visualization.

How can this be?  The brain cannot distinguish the difference between an imagined and an actual performance situation; to the brain it is all performance.  Plus, each time the athlete sees him or herself pitching the ball or shooting the arrow, neural pathways are deepened and strengthened.

One study was conducted with a skier who was connected to various electrodes which measured what muscles were used at what time while he was skiing down a slalom course.  The researchers then had the skier come to a lab where they again stuck electrodes all over him only this time he was asked to close his eyes and imagine himself going down that same course.  He was told not to move his body, only visualize.  Well, the exact same muscles fired at the exact same time during both situations, albeit at a much reduced rate in the lab situation but we see the power of visualization.

This works for non-athletes as well.  A famous Asian concert pianist was imprisoned as a political dissident for years.  Each day she would visualize herself playing the piano.  Finally she was released from prison and was asked to perform in a concert.  She did so within days of being released and performed flawlessly.  The audience was amazed…how did she do it, not having been near a piano in years!  She gently told them, “Ah, but I have.  I’ve been playing these pieces for hours each day over the years.” Indeed she had.

The withdrawal I’m talking about is mine.  As an avid, some would say rabid, Red Sox fan, I’ve been sorely missing seeing my guys these past few days. So even though tonight’s game starts at 10:pm and I’ve been up since 6 am, I’ll be in front of my TV, savoring every moment.

Baseball is an intensely psychological game and the pace of it allows you to really zero in on the mental toughness of the players.  As much as I love, love, love attending games at beautiful Fenway Park, seeing the game on TV makes it possible to observe, close up, the facial expressions and body language of the players. Some give away more than others.

For example, Kevin Youkilis is one intense guy.  When he’s at bat he’s like an atom bomb that wants to explode; he can barely contain his intensity.  And, as we know, if he strikes out, he has been known to throw a mini-tantrum in the dugout. At the same time that intensity can get channeled into pummeling the ball over the wall so I’m not complaining…at all!

The young Jacoby Ellsbury appears calm and poised, his aggression emerging mostly when he runs like hell and succeeds in stealing those bases.  Dustin Pedroia has an odd habit of opening his mouth and eyes wide when he’s at bat.  It may be someone suggested he do that to relax but it sure looks funny.  Still, with his recent success at the plate, he can look as funny as he wants just so long as he continues to hit.

Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew are the epitome of cool at the plate.  So much so that sometimes it looks as if they are indifferent to what is happening.  Their stats prove otherwise.  I suspect what we see as calm or even indifference is actually a particular mental attitude that allows them to remain focused on the task at hand.  Manny has been (in)famously quoted as saying (during last year’s play-offs) that “it’s only a game and if we lose it’s not big deal.”  (Note: not an exact quote but essentially the message.) Now, of course he wanted to win but his perspective was and is - let’s take one pitch at a time and one game at a time.

People who get caught up in outcomes are less satisfied and perform less well than those who focus on the process of what they are doing.  I think Manny falls into the latter catgory.  I am not idealizing him, merely noting one of the qualities he has that enables him to stay focused under pressure.

The message for us mere mortals is to understand that we have no control over the outcome of anything.  We need to focus on controlling the controllables which includes how we prepare for a performance and how we perform in the moment. I’ll be talking a lot more about this over time.