How do you handle pressure?

During the past few offseasons working with the NFL Carolina Panthers I have had the opportunity to do a little work with punter Jason Baker. His focus, preparation, and hard work are second to none and is evident yet again in an article in today's Charlotte Observer.

Jason's positive emotional engagement is just one of the many factors that attribute to his success on the field!

Enjoy!


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Punter Jason Baker says there's no pressure being the holder on kicks.

Jason Baker punts. That's obvious to Carolina Panthers fans, and he's one of the best in the NFL at his job. But he also holds. When John Kasay attempts a field goal or extra point, Baker is the guy taking the snap and putting the ball upright on the ground, readying it for Kasay's kick. We often talk about the pressure on kickers, particularly following Carolina's past two games, when Kasay first barely missed a field goal that would have beaten the Giants and then made one to salvage the win at New Orleans.

What if Baker had dropped the snap? Does he ever think about the pressure? “Do you think about brushing your teeth?” he replied Wednesday. “Well, I hold a lot more than I brush my teeth. It's just one of those things; do you think about starting your car? You just sit down and start your car.”

That doesn't mean that Baker is unaware that things can go wrong. But his attitude is probably the equivalent of a primer for dealing with pressure in sports.

“It's common knowledge that the thing you dwell your mind on is the thing you're willing not to happen,” he said. “If I say, ‘I'm going to drop this ball; I know I'm going to drop this ball,' chances are, I have a higher probability of dropping the ball.”

So he simply buries himself in the repetition of the act, letting it become almost automatic. “To be concerned about that thing that has a tenth of a percent of a chance of happening and not be more concerned about the thing that happens 99.9 percent of the time, it's really just kind of a foolish approach, psychologically.”

Often, though, people remember that tenth of a percent. As when Dallas quarterback Tony Romo fumbled a field goal snap, and with it a playoff game against Seattle two seasons ago.

Baker understands how that works, too. He bobbled a snap in the home game with Atlanta earlier this season that led to a blocked punt.
“There's no one here who's not going to have that happen,” he said. “That's what I told everybody (then). I can't tell you the last time I did that, and I can't tell you I won't do that on my next punt.

“But I'm sure as heck not going to go out there thinking that I might.”

Anatomy of a Workout

I just got home from presenting at the Merritt Athletic Club in Baltimore, MD. There were over one hundred personal trainers in attendance and my talk was titled '3 Roadblocks to Personal Training Success'.

The following graphic displays the current approach to the workouts of many personal trainers in our industry:

Many trainers tend to focus on feelings first. In other words, it's either a 'feel the pain' focus where the intent is to solely see how long you can last, or, it's a 'how are you feeling' focus where the trainer wants to make sure the client is feeling good and doesn't want to push them hard.

The other focus is on a targeted muscle area. For example, the entire workout involves training the core (abdominals, hips, and low back).

While each of these areas are critical to a successful program, there is little focus on how to best get the result for what the client actually needs. Instead an approach should look like this:

Taking this approach, the two previously mentioned training strategies support the primary goal which is focusing on client results.

In a volatile economy, focusing on feelings and targeted areas will not be enough to retain current training clients and attract potential new clients. The best marketing strategy for Personal Trainers trying to survive the economy is to focus on getting results!

Can You Identify with Any of THESE 5 Case Studies?

Wow has this past week been amazing! There are lots of exciting things happening and I wanted to share with you just a few of the events from this past week. Specifically, pay attention to how the value profiles apply to so many different areas of business and life.

1. Spent time reviewing the profile of one of the top business consultants in the Unites States. This individual is extremely successful, in high demand of Fortune 500 companies, authored an excellent book available at Barnes and Nobles, and is trying to 'juggle a lot of balls in the air' right now. With the Life Profile, we were able to quickly identify how to more efficiently handle all of the 'irons in the fire' and not have them feel like a doormat!
   


2. Worked with a potential high draft pick in the upcoming MLB player draft. After having him take the Sports Profile, I worked with his current coach and revealed to him the best way to help this player improve parts of his swing. Now the coach knows how to get the most out of this player and best help him prepare for the Big Leagues!
   


3. Spent time with the owner of multiple high-end restaurants discussing staffing issues and job selection and hiring. He doesn't want to waste any more money on putting staff through training only to have to let them go. The Hospitality Profile can help him dramatically improve his employee selection process.


4. Reviewed a Golf Profile with one of the top LPGA Players on tour. The profile revealed exactly why she is currently playing so well. Particularly where she is giving most of her attention to in her decision making on the course.
   
5. A personal trainer (and good friend) asked to have one of his new clients take the Fitness Profile. He is designing a training program for his client to follow three days per week on his own. The profile quickly revealed that his client is most likely not going to be compliant and actually complete the training program on his own.
   

These are just five examples of many applications and uses of the various targeted profiles. If you have any specific questions regarding the application of any of these profiles please don't hesitate to contact me at support@innertactics.com.

6 Core Values of Succesful Coaches and Trainers

Coaching today's athletes requires a different approach than it did twenty years ago. In our Sports Axiology Course we discuss your core values in coaching and are they serving your program or are they hindering it?Below are six core values of the top successful coaches and trainers:

1. Babysitting the greatness in athletes OR Challenge the athlete to be great
2. 'Do as I say' OR 'Let me figure out how I can best help you'
3. Coaching for results OR Coaching an athlete how to leverage their strengths
4. Fear-based coaching OR Designing a training environment for the player to take risks
5. Dictating to players how they should act OR Being a model of who you want them to be
6. 'Make it in..' mindset OR 'Beat it by' mindset

What coaching shifts have you made in order to help realize more potential in your players?

Axiology vs Psychology

I had a chance yesterday to take part in a fun discussion on the topic of happiness along with a positive psychologist. I am definitely a fan of positive psychology.

The point I made yesterday to the group is that the purpose of using formal axiology is to add more 'good qualities' to an individual in order for them to live a better life, perform better at their job or sport, etc.

The second point I made yesterday came from a discussion I had with Vera Medford of The Value Source Group. The biggest difference between the two can be summed up as Normative (axiology) versus Descriptive (psychology).

More on the second point tomorrow!!!

Championship Formula

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. Sun Tzu

Winning Strategy + Clear Tactics + Right People= Athletic Success

No matter whether you play on a team or you compete in an individual sport, the team you put together to support YOU is the most important! All three components of the formula above are critical. Many athletes have two out of the three and often fall short in competition.

Which area are you struggling with the most right now? What is it costing you in your path to athletic success?

Inspirational Thought for the Day

Skills make you a good player...Heart makes you a great player

The Story of John Challis- Great Intrinsic Value!!

How's this for being mentally tough?

I just finished watching the final hour of the US Open (men's golf) and what an unbelievable roller coster ride!

The story of Mediate and Woods is ideally what sports is all about! A highly unlikely player not even in the top one hundred in the world in the playoff's against likely the greatest player to ever have played the game other than Jack Nicolaus.

Here is the clip of Tiger's putt on the 18th to force the playoff:



Talk about being mentally tough! This was a make or break putt for him and as typical Tiger does, he makes the putt! Check back this week as I will be writing what makes Tiger so mentally tough along with the ability to have a laser like focus even in the greatest moments of pressure!

Is Team Cohesion Important?

You bet it is! Team cohesion is a common quality of championship teams. If you start to see cliques beginning to form than this should be a warning sign that the health of the team might be in trouble.

In fact, the sports axiological profile measures this exact attribute in the External Extrinsic dimension of value making decisions. Below is a great question to ask yourself regarding team cohesion:

Are you players playing with each other or are they playing for each other?

Skill Builder in 3D Listening

The interview below is with a very good friend and outstanding baseball coach Hal Bagwell. He just led his second year team to the state championship playoffs!

In fact, he was just named the Charlotte Observer 'Coach of the Year' in baseball!

Listen closely as he shares some pearls of wisdom when it comes to getting the most out of your athletes. Try and identify specific parts of his response that are instrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic.

This exercise will help to build your skillset of 3D Listening!

6 Questions for Your Players

Performing well begins with trust. This includes trusting yourself in your own abilities as well as building trust with teammates and coaches. Below are six questions to ask your athletes that will help them raise their intrinsic awareness of themself and others:

1. What do you trust most about the way you perform?
2. What do you trust the least about the way you perform?
3. What do you think your teammates and coaches trust most about you?
4. What to they trust least about you?
5. What do you trust most about your teammates and coaches?
6. What do you trust the least about your teammates and coaches?

What happens when things are going your way?

Last week I was talking to a colleague who works with a professional athlete, let's call him John, who is off to his best start yet of his career. In fact, training has actually slacked off as well as a few other things in this person's life, yet success seems to be ever present right now. Does this sound familiar with any of your athletes?

HOWEVER, because things are going so well this individual doesn't want to do anything at all that would mess up his mojo! In the past he hasn't consistently performed this well and is starting to be recognized as one of today's top talents which he says is starting to feel pretty exciting. There is only one problem here...

John can't identify why he is having this level of success and therefore doesn't want to change literally anything! YIKES!!

Talking with his trainer I made the point that this is the perfect time to take the sports profile in order to actually identify what exactly IS working for him right now. This way, he can continue to build around this present decision making pattern during competitive play.

Because this athlete was in shock of experiencing this current level of success, he went in to 'play not to lose' mode. Why? Because he did not want to lose this present momentum of winning. But guess what happened?

The following week he did not make it past the qualifying round which had not happend to him in quite a long time! So what's the moral of the story here?

Challenge your athletes to identify what is presently working for them and then expand on this pattern of decision making. Be sure to include exercises such as how they 'see' themself in their competitive environment as well as patterns of self-talk.

Simply by doing these few things will help to empower your player's inner game! I guarantee you that John now wishes that he had done so when he had the chance!

Jordan on Becoming a Legend

If you haven't seen this commercial it's a great way to start your day!

ENJOY!

Case Study of an Injured Pro Player

Injuries are a given in professional sport. But how does an injury affect a player's mentality? How well can he cope with his situation? What specifically is he focused on? How does the coaching staff deal with the mental side of a player's 'return to play' program? These questions and many others are asked when a highly talented player gets hurt. As you will read below, a professional club just experienced this exact scenario.

Recently a professional club had a fairly new player take the Sports Profile. The player is a young man that the club feels has tremendous potential and has already proven himself at the younger national team levels. Although an initial starter, however, the club has yet to really see the player's performance as he was hurt the majority of his first season. The club was trying to determine how best to ensure this young man was in peak performance during the 2008 season

Let's take a look at a few of the player's profile results in the world view (his decision making as it relates to other people, places, and things):

• Game Intelligence- very good


• Sense of Game Reality- very good


• Emotional Control- very good
  
• Understanding Others- very good


• Interpersonal Harmony- (-100%) growth area


• Interpersonal Conflict- (+ 100%) excellent

The scores above reflect a player with great mind speed and will not let his emotions clould his decision making on the field. While he can read others very well, he will not praise them for good efforts and will magnify the negative. In other words, he has extremely high expectations of others.

• Understanding Practical Team Actions- very good


• Team Orientation- low good


• Attitude toward team failure- fair to good


• Understanding Discipline, Rules, & game Plan- very good


• Attitude toward authority- very good


• Attitude toward rule breaking- very good

The scores above reflect that he clearly understands cause & effect action aspects of the game. However, he is not overly involved with his team as indicated by a lower score in Team Orientation. When the team loses/fails, he overlooks it due to the fact that he personally has not contributed to the team due to injury. He is coachable, respects authority, and could never imagine 'throwing a game' on purpose no matter how bad his team is losing.

Okay let's now briefly look at a few of his results in his self view (his thinking as it relates to who he is, the roles he plays, his vision, and personal code):

• Understanding of self-worth- fair
  
• Sense of Self Reality- growth area


• Emotional self control- growth area


• Overall Self Attitude- fair to good

These scores would make sense given this young man has been dealing with an injury and is unsure of his soccer career. The good news is that he is still anticipates a positive future.

• Desire for Self Development- good


• Developing Personal Potential (attitude score)- very good

These attributes combine to measure Competitive Fire. Emotionally he thinks he is in the process of developing his potential and truly wants to continue to improve his game and himself.

• Game Role Awareness- fair to good


• Game Role Satisfaction- fair

These scores indicate he is not very sure of the role/position he needs to play in order to achieve his goals. In addition, due to his injury it would make sense that his level of personal satisfaction be low.

• Sports Self Identity- fair to good


• Mental Toughness- good


• Attitude towards Personal Growth- good

These scores reflect a strong level of uncertainty of personal game performance goals and how to best go about pursuing them. Again due to injury, this would make sense as injuries are most of the time beyond the athletes control. He has an objective view of himself in terms of the definition of his game identity. But due to his uncertainty of his future, he presently struggles with feeling a strong sense of belonging in the world of soccer.

• Intuition- fair


• Concentration- very good to excellent


• Stress Resistance- fair to good

These scores reflect that he presently would have a difficult time 'feeling his way' through the game (intuition) and struggle with coping with pressure. However, he has a strong ability to focus on the task at hand in times of high stress.

Conclusion

This young man is spending the majority of his thinking in his 'world view' and less in his 'self view'. This pattern is common in athletes trying to come back from an injury. Overall, this player has great potential and just needs a solid 'inner game plan' during his pre-season. Additional suggestions include:

• Start to build his self-confidence by getting a lot of touches on the ball.


• Ensure that there is quality communication between the coaching staff and the player; i.e. a daily feedback debrief on the quality of his training and play for each day


• Ask him specific questions throughout practice as to why he made the decisions that he did. This will get him to start to reflect more on himself, his own actions, and his self-worth.


• He will also begin to improve his self-confidence since his respect for authority is high and this type of personal attention will continue to build self-belief
  
• Co-create specific goals with him built around expectations and performance moving forward


• Because he is more focused in the 'world view', work through this present strength and have him coach during a small sided game. This will keep him feeling that he is a part of his team and contributes to their success.

Above are just a few example strategies of developing this player's 'Inner Game Plan' based on the results of his current profile. He will take the profile again in two months and specific adjustments can be made in order to best release his inner potential.

3D Coaching Model

It was not too long ago that I introduced the concept of 3D Thinking as a reference for how we make decisions.

Below is the total model for coaching that will hopefully get you to rethink your coaching process:

These building blocks of successful coaching (think, listen, observe, and communicate) all contibute to releasing your athlete's maximum potential. The art is to be able to apply all three dimensions of value (intrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic) in each of these areas in a balance dway so you can effectively pull from each one as needed.

Intrinsic Coaching Tip!

Below is taken from an article that I recently finished on 'The Value of Coaching'. This statement continues to remind me of my ultimate goal when training athletes:

"If you want to get more out of your athletes, stop viewing them as performers and view them as people. Working with them on what you can see (physical) is the easy part. It is working with the part that you can't see that is ulimately the most rewarding."

'It Pays to Look, Listen, and Learn'

Below is an article in today's Charlotte Observer that is a quick but great read that I thought you would enjoy:

It pays to look, listen, learn
STELLA M. HOPKINS

Marine Lieutenant General Joe Weber recently addressed a luncheon group of Marines, former Marines and other military service members in Charlotte.

Joe Weber was a student at Texas A&M University when school president and D-Day hero Maj. Gen. James Earl Rudder taught a valuable lesson.

"We thought we were hotshots," said Weber, now a three-star Marine general. "He said, `You need to understand. Your purpose is to sit and let us teach you a little about the world before you go out there trying to change it.' "

Listen and learn before acting is advice that served Weber well during his 36-year career as he rose to be among the nation's 10 highest-ranking Marines.

Now he commands 74,000 Marines and a $32 billion budget. He's in charge of organizing, training, outfitting and dispatching Marines and their gear to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere in about half the world. His main war-fighting group -- based in Eastern North Carolina -- numbers about 50,000 Marines.

He recently addressed a Marine support group at a lunch in Charlotte and talked with the Observer about leadership, delegation and motivation. Questions and answers are edited for clarity and brevity.

Q. What are the key attributes of a good leader?
You've got to get up in the morning, look yourself in the mirror, and you've got to like what you see. You've got to know yourself, know your strengths, weaknesses. You've got to know your people, their strengths, weaknesses. And you've got to know your job. If you don't, the people working for you will pick up on that very quickly. You have to empower your people, make them feel they're part of a team, that they contribute to the decision making.

Q. How do you balance that contribution with the military's need for soldiers that follow orders?
I didn't say question decisions all the time, but you're not going to get people to obey you on a moment's notice, over extended periods of time, if you don't have the established trust and loyalty. Maybe it will work once by fear and intimidation.

Q. What has been the hardest aspect of leadership for you to master?
I'm a pretty basic type guy. To be a really great leader, you've got to be a visionary, look out to the future. That's hard for me. I'm pretty enthusiastic and charismatic. I probably don't focus out in the future as much as I should. That's difficult when you get wrapped up day to day.

Q. How do you decide what to delegate?
That's determined based on the environment you're working in, the conditions you're working in, also who you have to work with, what your people are capable of doing. That goes back to knowing their strengths and their weaknesses. We should always be looking to delegate as much as we can, to give your people as much as you can, to learn to use their own leadership to resolve problems. And knowing when you can't, you have to pull back.

Q. How do you train people to know which decisions are theirs to make and to have confidence in making them?
That's done over a period of time, with a lot of face to face, a lot of discussion, a lot of people having access to you, seeing on a day-to-day basis how you work -- what makes the boss happy, what does he like, what doesn't he like. When people know what to expect, then I think that helps give confidence to make those decisions.

Q. You're responsible for tens of thousands of people, some of whom will be wounded or killed. How do you motivate folks who face such high on-the-job risks?
A lot is leadership by example. You have to demonstrate courage. You've got to be focused on providing good training so when they go into dangerous situations they're focused and confident. You've got to be honest and loyal. Loyalty runs both ways, up and down the chain of command. You have to instill a sense of brotherhood and teamwork. No one person is more important than the other in these dangerous situations. Young Marines in combat will tell you they fight for each other. You've got to build that. Then they'll do anything you want them to do.

Q. The war in Iraq is unpopular. Does that affect motivation?
They're all volunteers. They're enthusiastic. They very much know what they're getting into. That's different than the Vietnam War when we had the draft. The nation, communities, no matter what they think about the war, the support has been there.

Q. What about you?
Anytime you're in a large organization, you're subject to criticism. Look at our politicians, our CEOs. Generals in the military are no different. You have to handle it. Sometimes the critiques you get make you a stronger person.

Q. You were chief of staff of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, March 2004 to May 2005. Are we making progress there?
When I first got over there, I felt we'd made some mistakes in how we thought it would turn out. My attitude was, we are where we are. Let's see how we can make it better. Today, if I went back, I would be surprised. It appears they've made a lot of progress.

Q. What's your best advice to any leader, in or out of the military?
Don't ever forget where you came from. It keeps you in touch with the people you're leading and taking care of. It's very, very easy, as you get more powerful, to think you're a little more important than you are. You forget what you're there for: to take care of your people.

TALK FROM THE TOP
AN OCCASIONAL CHAT WITH BUSINESS LEADERS
Joe Weber
MARINE LIEUTENANT GENERAL
Lt. Gen. Joe Weber
Born: Texas. Age: 57.
Family: Married, two children, one granddaughter.
Military family: Daughter married to a Marine. Son, an F-18 pilot with the Marines in Beaufort, S.C.
CAREER
1972: Graduated Texas A&M University, commissioned an officer, began career as an artillery officer. Served in multiple command and staff positions around the world, including locations from Mississippi to Japan, Oklahoma to Panama, as well as posts at Marine headquarters in Washington, D.C.
1998: Became brigadier general.
2005: Named the commanding general for III Marine Expeditionary Force, stationed again in Okinawa, Japan.
July 2007: Became Commander U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command; Commander USMC Bases, Atlantic, and Commanding General Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, stationed in Norfolk, Va.
Thoughts on returning to a U.S. command after spending 8 of last l0 years overseas: "It's an appreciation you really gain about how good we have it here. We're blessed."

'Taking Play Seriously'

Today I posted an article on the importance of play in workouts. Check it out at http://www.athletebydesign.blogspot.com/.

Real Life Example of Intrinsic Value

Yesterday I posted on 'Understanding Intrinsic Value'. Today I came across this video that portrays exactly what instrinsic value is all about!

This young many truly inspires all of us to go after our dreams no matter what obstacles stand in our way!