Directing Your Energy in Motion

Depending on where you live, pools are beginning to open, and there are some opportunities for practice with your team. Although practice may not be as free as it is normally, the excitement and enthusiasm to return to playing and training is surely starting to grow for many of us. There also may be those athletes who share a mixture of excitement and nervous energy. With everything we experience in the normal functioning human condition, we must recognize that these internal mixes of emotions present opportunities to direct them in a useful way. In order to work on redirecting and reframing what we experience internally and externally, it's helpful to engage in some mental training.
 
In sport psychology literature, how our anxious energy can support our ability to perform—depending on our perception and ability to manage it—has been widely examined and explored. Often our emotions sweep us off our feet in the face of certain circumstances, especially those we don't expect. Think about a referee's call!
 
When you train your mind by practicing how you would like to respond rather than reacting, you find ways to direct that "e-motion" more effectively. "E" stands for energy and "Motion" is the direction the energy is moving. All circumstances carry human emotional responses whether happy, angry, sad, surprise, shock, or afraid.
 
Our ability to self-monitor is a matter of experiential training with structure and guidance. A quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn captures this idea:
 
"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf!"
 
One very useful tool that can help you "learn how to surf" that I've observed athletes benefitting from is the acronym A.A.P.A.It stands for:
 
Acknowledge—Improving every response, both internal and external, starts with self-awareness and understanding what's happening now. If you can distance yourself from the circumstance, then you can understand it with more clarity.
 
Accept—Normalizing what you're experiencing and what's influencing you doesn't just "happen"—it's practiced. You might find that you progress through stages to arrive at the point where you accept your present state—and when you do, you find yourself free to choose your response.
 
Plan—You might think about setting goals, but planning for action can be the smallest and simplest step in the right direction. On a team your plan almost always includes what's most important to help your team through your role.
 
Act—Once you decide to act, you are now in control of your process. Results of your actions may vary. They are an opportunity to continue working toward improving the details.
 
The reality is that our game and ability to perform at the level we desire may not be where we want them. We need to acknowledge this. With the right mental framework. you can work with yourself rather than against yourself. You will find so much more value in this approach!
 
 
 
Brian Alexander is a certified mental performance consultant through AASP and the mental skills coach for ODP and the Men's Senior National Team. If you would like to work on your mental training and learn more, download and start using his WellU Mental Training app on your mobile device.
 
Contact Brian through his website: www.athletementalskillscoach.com
Learn more about the WellU app and podcast: www.wellumentaltraining.com