My dad and uncle coached high school track together for years. And, boy, did they have some amazing athletes. Many went on to compete at the collegiate level and a few went on to compete nationally, internationally and professionally! Although I picked up on a lot of coaching philosophy by watching these two amazing coaches impact lives, I didn’t learn much about the sport. I let a ton of information pass me by that could have helped me as a coach and I didn’t realize what I was missing!
It wasn’t until after my coaching career ended that I learned an important lesson from the starting blocks. I can’t remember who the source was, but the lesson about “waiting” translates into everything we do.
I’m not a good “waiter”. I always pick the slowest line or lane. I am certain God is teaching me a lesson in patience over and over again.
But waiting is a part of life. We wait for the air fryer to ding, the light to turn green and wait for our never-in-a-rush spouses (in our house the appropriate name is Pokeyhontas…get it? 😊).
In sports, sprinters and swimmers “wait” for the gun, subs wait at the scorer’s table, hitters wait for the pitch and more and role players await their time on the court.
But what do we do WHILE WE WAIT?
I spent the weekend in Portland with the Portland State Women’s Basketball team. At practice on Friday, I watched the players as they waited and it dawned on me that this lesson I learned from the starting blocks was important in basketball practice (and in your practices), too!
The lesson was this. Sprinters should “listen” for the gun, not “wait” for it.
What do you think or feel when you read these two options – wait or listen? When I asked the players this weekend, all agreed that “waiting” seems stagnant and still. It gives a picture of an on-your-heels posture. When we think of listening, we are doing something. We are active.
We all agreed that “listening” for the gun seemed more advantageous.
If “listening” gets us engaged and active before the gun, what should we do while we wait for our turn, the ball, the pitch or any other opportunity that requires us to be our best when our turn arrives?
As I watched players receive passes to shoot or to reverse the ball to the other side of the court in drills, it was obvious that some passes and catches were better than others. I can only assume that the more successful ones were better anticipated than others and that the person passing or receiving was more focused.
Every kid in the gym can make and catch a pass. Even so, how the ball enters our hands makes a difference in how quickly we can transfer it to someone else or get the shot off. It’s not our inability to do things physically that throws the sequence off just enough for a defender to make a move. It’s our focus or lack thereof!
I started to think of ways our players could “listen” instead of “wait” to improve their performance.
What do you do while you wait? Someone is always waiting her turn, and that time can be used wisely!
We can use many of the tools we discuss in these tips “while we wait”!
We can talk out loud! Why?
Because if we are talking out loud we are talking about what we plan to do and that keeps us “listening” or in this case listening and watching for the perfect moment to do what we say we will do.
We can help our teammates. Why?
Because when we feel pressure, one of the best things we can do is help people around us. It takes our focus off our us and puts it in our environment. How can we help someone else if we aren’t looking for what they need?
We can run through scenarios or skill execution. Why?
Because mentally rehearsing things improves our performance. When we engage in a mental rehearsal of what we are to do next (in drills this is even easier because patterns are usually set and scripted for repetition purposes), the brain activates neural pathways similar to those used during actual physical movement.
As researcher Dr. Richard Suinn, explained, “The brain cannot distinguish between real and vividly imagined movements.” Mentally rehearsing an action strengthens the same motor circuits involved in performing the action itself, thus improving performance without physical practice. Even though these nerve signals are very small, they are still enough to strengthen the brain’s memory of the movement or prepare the muscles for the action.
Research also shows that mental rehearsal can enhance confidence, focus, and motor control. A study by Feltz and Landers (1983) found that mental rehearsal can improve motor skills nearly as effectively as physical practice. Neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Kosslyn also found that visualization activates the brain’s motor cortex, the area responsible for planning and controlling movement, creating a pre-execution blueprint.
Lastly, we can relax while we wait, and I don’t mean to take a break. Why?
A quick 2 or 3-second rapid relaxation, something as simple as taking a deep diaphragmatic breath and forcing it out, doing a quick shoulder drop where you lift your shoulders toward the ears and drop them as low as possible or quickly doing a tighten and release rep in one area of the body can enhance focus, release muscle strain, reduce fatigue and increase reaction time.
So instead of worrying about whether or not the pass will be perfect, thinking about what you’ll eat for dinner, complaining about the pace or uselessness of the drill or wondering what our teammates are thinking about us, rehearsing what we plan to do can help us get in extra reps and do better in the ones we take!i
There is so much to do while we wait. What we do while we wait may change the game for us!
There is no need to be on our heels, in our heads or lost in space. These simple techniques can help us use our time wisely and improve our performance without adding one extra second to our preparation!
Finally, a few good reasons to wait!
Manage the moments, especially while you wait!
Julie
P.S. We’ll get back to Cognitive Dissonance next week and how we can educate ourselves and those around us to help us manage our roles and gain support to the best of our ability!
P.P. S. People often ask if I do workshops at schools, clubs or organizations! The answer is YES! Our workshops, for athletes, coaches, parents, business leaders and anyone who performs, can have a massive impact on those you lead!
Send me a text at 234-206-0946 or an email at juliej@ssbperformance.com and schedule a call to see how we can enhance your program’s mental approach!
Julie Jones
Mental Performance Coach
SSB Performance
juliej@ssbperformance.com • 234-206-0946
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