This article is republished with permission. The original article appears at Control Your Emotions When Returning From an Injury.

Your Mental Toughness and Returning From an Injury

Coming back from athletic injury is an experience laden with intense emotions…

An injured athlete returning to competition will run through the gamut of both positive and negative emotions:

• Fear – Fear of re-injury is the most common emotion of injured athletes. The thoughts of re-injury or how the injured body part may hold up can be problematic for the returning athlete. Being overly cautious can lead to re-injury.
• Excitement – The exhilaration of being back to competition after a layoff is often intense. Being hyped up too much can set the stage for a disappointing return.
• Anxiety – Nervousness can interfere with a successful comeback and the ability to focus on just playing the game and focusing on the process.
• Impatience – Sometimes, the injured athlete will expect to return to their previous level of play even though the athlete may not have the optimal level conditioning or practice. This can be a big source of frustration for the injured athlete.
• Pressure – A much anticipated return to action and not wanting to let teammates and coaches down can drastically alter the injured athlete’s successful return to competition.
• Apprehension – Some injured athletes will be overly cautious and apprehensive due to the possibility of experiencing pain in the previously injured body part and potential long-term damage.
• Uncertainty – Questions of performing at the same level of play or regaining their status on the team can be a tremendous hurdle for some athletes.
• Happiness – After a long break and successful rehab, the extreme joy of being back is a great and accomplished positive emotion.

All emotions affect your recovery and performance.

Negative emotions can increase muscle tension and affect how you breathe.

If these emotions are not check in check, not only can your performance suffer but there is an increased chance of re-injury.

Dealing with emotions is just what Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz needed to do in his return to competition after a nine month recovery from two torn knee ligaments.

Not only was the rehab physical and mentally taxing, Wentz admitted that his return to action will filled with intense emotions.

WENTZ: “It’s been a long time coming. It’s been quite the grind of an offseason. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of built-up anxiety over when it was going to be that time, and almost relief finally being cleared to get back out there… There’s going to be a lot of emotions going on. But once the game starts, it’s just a football game.”

In the end, Wentz was able to manage his pregame and game-time emotions to lead the Eagles on a game-winning, 17-play drive that consumed 11 minutes, 18 seconds in the fourth quarter.

To manage emotions after an injury, realize that your first competition back from injury is no different than any other game.

By normalizing the game, you can focus on the process of playing which minimizes muscle tension and mental clutter and allows you to play to make a successful return to action.

Emotions and Returning From an Injury:

Controlling negative emotions is key.

To keep your emotions in check, focus on your pregame routine that you followed prior to your injury.

Let go of any expectations about performing great when you return.

Build your confidence one day at a time. You won’t have superior confidence right out of the gate. Be patient and earn your confidence one day at a time!

The R.E.A.L. Man Program is a strategic and progressive character development program designed to help middle school, high school, and college-aged students to reach their full potential, in every aspect of their lives.

The 20-lesson program is a blueprint for success, which is aimed at helping students understand and live out the principles of a positive and influential life.

The foundation for the program can be described as:

Respect all people,
Especially women.
Always do the right thing.
Live a life that matters.

Here are a three videos about the R.E.A.L. Man Program.

The first video is a short description of the program. The second video is of an actual lesson taught by a coach at a school that utilizes the R.E.A.L Man Program. The third is an overview of the program.

The second video is a YouTube video, so you will need to be on a server that allows you to access YouTube.

There is sound with each video.

If you are interested in finding out more about the program, contact:

Kathy DiCocco at 203-206-4801 or email her at [email protected]

Or click here to visit The R.E.A.L Man Program

Please click the play arrows to view the videos.

R.E.A.L. Man Overview

 

Learning to do the Right Thing

James Vint on the R.E.A.L. Man Program

Written and submitted by Dr. Kevin Elko, www.drelkoondemand.com

I have been lucky enough to work with a number of successful athletic teams that have made it as far as NCAA National Championships as well as Super Bowls.  For every team I work with, I teach one simple, effective concept — Internal Accountability. Internal Accountability is when players are aware of their actions and make deliberate choices in practice, on the field, and off of the field. The accountability is upheld by the players themselves as well as by other players within their units.

To initiate this process, the concept of ownership has to be introduced, because it needs to be taught and repeated until it is ingrained in each player and the magic occurs. In order to instill this concept into players, I like to say, “The best year of your life will be the year you take ownership of every problem in your life.” A great example of how successful the concept of ownership is can be seen in the 2017-2018 Philadelphia Eagles. That year, every time Doug Pederson spoke to his team, he taught (and retaught) the concept of ownership. He had OWNERSHIP in red lights behind him as he spoke. This repetition reminded his players to stay on track, take accountability for their actions, and fix their mistakes.

The next step in the process is to break the team into units — offensive line, defensive line, etc… Once the teams are broken into units, they are taught how to connect with each other, help each other, and (most importantly) hold each other accountable. The big challenge in breaking the teams into units is that units may get offended. Let’s be honest, most of us are frequently offended; however, many athletes are held down in sports and in life, because they are so frequently offended. This is why Internal Accountability is so important. It helps players and coaches work with each other rather than offend each other. Additionally, players are taught within their units that when a teammate or coach is giving them direction, they are accountable to each other in helping one another avoid getting offended. They can do this by learning that feedback is positive.

For example, when I was doing mental testing for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, we analyzed how players understood feedback. There are two core responses to feedback. The first one is, “What I did was wrong.” This shows that the athlete recognizes what went wrong and then uses critical thinking skills and further coaching to become better. The second response to feedback is, “Who I am is wrong.” This can be immobilizing for anyone. Therefore, we try to teach all of the athletes to keep their teammates and unit members out of self-pity and feeling offended when they receive feedback.

The third step in the process is demonstrating the difference between feelings and choices. For example, an athlete might say, “I feel hurt, but I’m going to choose not to pout.” You’d be amazed by how many 300-pound NFL players I know who lose the ability to focus on the game, because they’re mad that the coach looked at them funny, nobody passed them the ball, or they can’t run the ball. To stop this, I like to say, “Do the right thing. Your feelings will catch up with you.” However, the best way to get this through to the players is to have them teach one another to not get offended and stay out of self-pity. Additionally, they should always hold one another accountable — the ownership is turned over to the team, and TEAMS who follow this process win championships.

In our program, Dr. Elko On Demand, we teach this process in more detail and elaborate on other areas of accountability within the unit. These areas include: vision, process, encouragement, staying inspired, and no mental clutter. It is a great guide for coaches who need coaching on how to coach.  We all need to be accountable and take ownership for one another, and that is one of the great things about sports: they teach us what we need to be great in life.

I worked with Florida State before their national championship game against Auburn. In that game, Florida State was way behind, but before every snap, the quarterback would ask the team, “Are you strong?”

They’d answer, “I’m strong if you’re strong.”

The quarterback would respond: “I am strong.” Let’s teach that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, to own everything that comes our way, and to teach and keep each other accountable and raise up higher!”

Please visit Dr. Elko On Demand at www.drelkoondemand.com to see how our program can help you. You can also contact us at [email protected] to learn more.

A Special Contribution by The Academy for Sport Leadership

Article By Lilja Behr

Several years ago, after a winter vacation in the Southwest, my husband and I boarded a plane in Phoenix, headed home to Minnesota. As we neared our assigned row, a large man stepped out into the aisle to let us get settled. In those close quarters, I proceeded to haul out a huge afghan and crochet hook. I apologized for the jumble of yarn that spilled onto our feet, but the big guy next to me kindly said, “Hey, that’s OK. My mom crochets like that, too.  Nice traveling companion, I thought to myself.

The flight attendants had just begun to snap shut the upper compartments when I first sensed that I was sitting next to more than a nice guy. A woman tapped him on the shoulder and asked for his autograph. A little girl shyly approached him and requested the same.  I think it was his kindness and patience with that little girl that caught my attention. I whispered to my husband, “This man next to me must be famous…people are asking him for his signature.” My husband whispered back, “Ask him who he is,” but shy Minnesotan that I am, I hesitated.

The flight took off, the seat belt sign dimmed, and with all my courage, I leaned to my left and meekly said, “I couldn’t help but notice that some people wanted your autograph. You must be someone very special.” To my everlasting delight, the gentle giant next to me responded, “My mother thinks I am.”

With that simple introduction, I met Randall McDaniel, who told me that he had been visiting his family in Phoenix and was returning to his home in the Twin Cities.

My own son and son-in-law were mortified when I told them later that even while speaking to Randall McDaniel on the flight, I still had no idea who he was. I only read the sports page because I like the writing. So, when Jim Souhan and Mark Craig wrote in Sunday’s StarTribune (2/1/09) that McDaniel was a superior player, a former Vikings guard, and now a pro football Hall of Famer, I knew I had to add a few kudos to their list. For even now, after reading a few articles about Randall McDaniel, I think I know a little more about this humble and unassuming hero than even the sports writers do.

You see, Randall McDaniel and I had a long talk on the way home to the Twin Cities. During that talk, McDaniel told me about his football career, but I think he could tell that I knew absolutely nothing about
the sport. So, we moved on to other topics, including the fact that at the time, he was student teaching with kids under the age of eight at a Twin Cities’ elementary school. As a former teacher, I could understand those play-by-plays.

When Randall McDaniel spoke of the excitement and challenges of teaching little ones to read, I could feel the commitment and drive in his voice. His eyes lit up when he said to me, “You know, I have a basement full of trophies, but the greatest award I’ve ever received in my life is no match to the thrill of helping a child learn.” As McDaniel described his game plans for the classroom, I tried to imagine the kids who would be blessed as he knelt down and helped them decipher strategies that would allow them to tackle a new word. On that flight home from Phoenix, Randall McDaniel inspired me to be grateful for all the teachers like him, who are there on the front lines, encouraging this generation of students.

“Did you get his autograph?” my son and son-in-law asked, as soon as I told them of the new hero in my life. No, I didn’t get a Hall of Famer’s autograph. But I did get something much better. I was given the opportunity to sit next to and speak with a man of integrity. Yes, as Jim Souhan writes, McDaniel’s got a bad knee, and he may look off-balance and unorthodox as he kneels next to struggling reader, but I know he’ll hang on to that kid until the word or the sentence makes sense. That’s a winning move every time.

Pro football player, All-Decade team member, first-team All-Pro for nine years, and Pro Bowl starter for 12 consecutive years??? I knew none of those facts when I sat next to this giant of a guy and crocheted my way home. But there is one thing I know for sure: as all good teachers do, he touches the future. He will never make the headlines or the Hall of Fame as a second grade special education instructor, but think of the young minds he will have the opportunity to guard and guide.

Nice traveling companion indeed. This world needs more tenacious, strong men like Randall McDaniel. Mrs. McDaniel, you are right: your son is special!

 

This article was written and submitted to me by Björn Galjaardt. The article has application to coaching regardless of the sport that you coach.

Who didn’t hear about Vince Lombardi’s quote; ‘Winning is not everything, but the will to win is’?

Months or years of effort to achieve a certain goal, fueled by a driving will. But how do we create a will to win (process), rather than the focus on the outcome of winning itself (product)?

In 1974 Tim Callwey wrote about certain principles in which an individual uses non-judgmental observations of critical variables, with the purpose of being accurate about these observations. If the observations are accurate, the person’s body will adjust and correct automatically to achieve best performance(1). Below I summarised these principles of the ‘inner game’ and provided some thoughts.

Correcting automatically to achieve best performance.

Triggering and shifting a thinking process in relation to process and product and having a deeper understanding in, what I think should be called, the (w)inner game.

• Self 1+2. Listen to your subconscious mind. Everyday actions are imbedded in our subconscious mind. Our conscious mind will tell us what to do and how to do it (eg. look at the ball, bend your elbow). Often we only listen to our conscious mind. However, in our subconscious mind we already know what we are doing and we doing it perfectly fine (eg. thinking, walking). By trying to listen to our subconscious mind (self 2), we can actually lead our conscious mind (self 1) and let it eventually take over.
• Quiet. Be quiet and observe. Instead of focussing on the result of the action, look at the action and process that action. That is where the bus stops. Not thinking about the how to react, will refocus the mind on what is actually happening. Be non-judgmental, only note what happens. Sport example; the ball bounces. Focus on how it bounce, what speed, where, etc. Don’t anticipate, no further actions required.
• Act the part. Ask for qualities. How would it look like when a certain action is perfectly executed? What are the motions and emotions? Express it and literally perform that. Repeat until you can match the quality. Business example: the body language, the smile and posture for the connection with audience when presenting.
• Challenges. Embrace challenges. Be excited. A challenge is an opportunity to show your skills or qualities. A challenge is where you could meet your flow. Flow is where challenge meet skills. Adapt and adjust qualities till you acquire the skill needed for the challenge. Break challenges down and build up qualities to reach a balanced level.
• Don’t fight. Improve what you are good at. Don’t fight bad habits, work with them. Convert thinking into a challenge. Example: I am going to create a new technique. I am going to be excited to learn it. How can I make it work (better for me) to perform. Note the difference; I am not good at this or I will give it a go.

Currently ‘positive coaching’ and ‘leader vs boss’ are hot topics. Observe the principles above. There is a correlation between process and product and how it changed managers, leaders and coaches. Focus on the do’s, matching skills with challenge and adjusting these accordingly. This is relevant in Sport and Business, although the principles aim to improve body movement, it has the same result. The mental and physical outcome are changing positively to achieve best performance.

Focus on the do’s, matching skills with challenge and adjust these accordingly.

The principles so far have described the (w)inner game, however what is the difference between (w)inner game and outer game? Basically: the outer game are all the external factors that could shift the focus from the (w)inner game. Perhaps I brand it the (w)outer game, way outer game, since performances decline when you allow to let outer game influences come closer to your conscious and subconscious mind. Sport examples; the score, opponent, the exclusion earned and the venue (in Rio 2016, the colour of the water). Business examples; deadlines, competitors, market changes, and IT-support. Below a comparison of where inner game and outer game could fit. Included is a mixed array of desired attitude and mindset examples.

Finally, compiling the information, the main question can be answered. How can we create a stronger will to win? The direct answer will be: by applying the principles above. Performance can be enhanced by growing potential and minimising interference(2). There need to be a focus on improving the individuals process and centralise the journey to the goal. Fueling the importance of the will to win. An olympian once said; “Climbing a hill can be much more excited than reaching the top. The journey of becoming an olympian was more challenging than becoming an olympic champion”.

Using the principles above as a guideline I draw the following conclusion. The goal, winning, works as a milestone (by-product). The journey, will to win, works as a vehicle (main-product within the process). Focus on what is happening, perfecting this and make it a habit of the subconscious mind. Base actions on facts and be excited for challenges. Don’t waste your time fighting bad habits and outer game influences.

#innergame #winnergame #will #win #winning #goal #process #product

(1) Gallwey, W. Timothy (2000). The Inner Game of Work New York: Random House. p. 27.

(2) Gallwey, W. Timothy (1974). The Inner Game of Tennis (1st ed.). New York: Random House.