Sport Psychology, Goals and Motivation

90% Mental and 10% Physical
 It is often said that gymnastics is 90% mental and 10% physical.  If that is true, certainly there should be some training time devoted to the mental aspects of the sport and psychological training tools.  It appears that even those coaches who believe in mental training, there is more verbal support than actual training.

The National Team Uses a Sports Psychologist
 The U.S. National Team has been seriously working with sports psychologists since at least 1992, after the Barcelona Olympics, dealing with problems such as overly high expectations, pressure and stress management.  In the areas the program has addressed, there seems to be believable evidence that this program has been a success and contributed to success.

Positive Environment vs. Screaming
 One of the most important aspects for a mental training program is the creation of a positive gymnastics environment.  There is overwhelming scientific evidence that a positive mental environment is a prime basis for training and competitive success.  In spite of this, the typical gymnastics coach seems more apt to follow the Bela Karolyi School of Yelling, Screaming and Negative Feedback.  Perhaps his “screaming” success in the sport has led other coaches to believe that his success is a result of that screaming instead of in spite of it.

Emphasize the Positive
 Elite gymnasts tend to have particular traits that include intelligence, perfectionism and careful attention to detail.  A well designed mental training program would include methods of accentuating a gymnast’s positive traits and minimizing their negative traits.

Need a Comprehensive Mental Training Program
 Our research has led us to believe that there has never been a comprehensive mental training program developed, much less implemented.  In fact, even we have had trouble deciding even what words to use to describe the non-physical aspects of training for this article. 

Program and Products
 What we have been able to do is to put together the most complete mental training program ever devised for the sport of gymnastics (or perhaps even any sport) and have designed and developed mental training products for gymnasts to use.

General Products are Needed
 While up to now our mental training program has primarily been delivered in one-on-one personal training sessions and mostly for gymnasts with specific problems to overcome, we are now developing general mental training products designed to both solve common gymnastics problems and provide positive movement forward.

 Contact us for one-on-one personal sessions or custom designed mental training products.  Further information for doing that is on our Consulting page.

 The following are some of the sessions, services and products we offer or can develop for you:

Relaxation Training
Numerous relaxation techniques approaches exist, with a wide range of philosophies and styles of practice. Most techniques involve repetition (of a specific word, sound, phrase, body sensation or muscular activity) and encourage a passive attitude toward intruding thoughts. 

Deep or Brief Relaxation Methods
Deep relaxation methods include autogenic training, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation.  Brief relaxation methods include self-controlled relaxation, paced respiration and deep breathing.

Other Relaxation Techniques
Other related relaxation techniques include guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation. Guided imagery involves imagining situations to cause muscular and mental relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation aims to teach people what it feels like to relax by comparing relaxation with muscle tension.

Jacobsen's Relaxation Training
One type of relaxation called Jacobson muscle relaxation, or progressive relaxation, involves flexing specific muscles, holding the tension and then relaxing. The technique involves progressing through muscle groups one at a time, beginning with the feet, up to the head, spending about one minute on each area. Progressive relaxation may be practiced while lying down or sitting. This technique has been proposed for anxiety and even  pain relief 

Initial full body muscle relaxation.
Shortened  body muscle relaxation.
Benson’s Relaxation Response Training (RR).
Deep Diaphragm Breathing Training.
Pre-skill, Pre-routine breathing for relaxation.
 
 
 

Skill And Routine Breathing Technique Training.
Visualization and Imagery Training
Suinn’s Visual Motor Behavior Rehearsal (VMBR).
New Skill Visualization and Imagery.
Skill and Routine Imagery Training.
Success/Benefits Visualization.
Self-Talk Information and Training
Bio-feedback Alpha State Training.
SyberVision External Imagery Skill Training (Viewing ultimate skill performances on video).
Winning Mindset Mental Training Program.
Inspirational Sport Stories Reading Series 
Inspirational Movie and Video Series
Unestahl’s Inner Mental Training (IMT) Program to reach IPS (Ideal Performance State).
Ellis Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET).
Acceleration Sessions (Require Equipment)
Light and Sound Device – Hemispheric Harmonization
Clinical Hypnosis Sessions (Spaced Repetition) 
Overcoming performance blocks.
Hypnotic goal-Setting.
“Getting in the Zone”
Skill Trance Induction - “Getting in the Zone” with self-hypnosis.
Programming under Hypnosis where there is no anti-dream/anti-goal sequence of “logical” (conditioned) thought.
Directing Dreams – Programming Future – “Dream the Dreams of Your Future”
Benefits – Awareness and Deepening
Mind-Body Synchronization
Esteem and Confidence building.
Seligman’s Learned Optimism.
Ego-Strengthening Scripts – Hammond, Hartland and Unestahl.
Looking Ahead (Forgetting failure).
Outside Noises will deepen hypnotic process and suggestion implantation.
Arousal Control – Pre-meet, pre-event, pre-skill and coaches cues implantation.
Specific skill/routine technique programming.
Maximizing Practice Sessions.
New Skill Imagery.
Gymnastics Routine/Skill Technique Mental Training.
Overcoming fears.
Tumbling/Vaulting Trampoline Bounce Imagery.
Pre-Meet hypnotic Sessions.
Focus Control (Elimination of Distractions for practice and competition).
Gymnastics FUN Training.
Self-Efficacy – Inner Psychological Strength and Confidence.
Never before done skills.
Preparation for Pain Control and Pain Control Cue Implantation.
Machine Identification Imagery – (Rocket vault/tumbling).
Animal Identification Imagery.
Nightly Alpha/Theta Sleep Spaced Repetition Programming
Alpha State -Visualization
Beta/Theta Repetitive Programming
Headset for programming both sides of the brain.
Directing Dreams.
Goal Reinforcement.
“Getting in the Zone.”
Positive Affirmations to counter negative programming (Esteem building).
Benefits – Awareness and Deepening
Mind-Body Synchronization
Esteem and Confidence building.
Learned Optimism.
Looking Ahead (Forgetting failure).
Specific skill/routine technique programming.
Maximizing Practice Sessions.
Gymnastics Routine/Skill Technique Mental Training.
New Skill Imagery.
Overcoming performance blocks.
Overcoming fears.
Animal Identification Imagery.
Tumbling/Vaulting Trampoline Bounce Imagery.
Machine Identification Imagery – (Rocket vault/tumbling).
Focus Control (Elimination of Distractions for practice and competition).
Gymnastics FUN Training.
Self-Efficacy – Inner Psychological Strength and Confidence.
Pain Control Cue Implantation.
Pre Meet Programming.
Taped Hypnosis, Goal Reading and Morning Affirmations
Pre-Practice Goal Reading and Affirmations
Pre-Skill/Pre-Routine Visualization
Getting into the Zone
Getting into the proper Arousal state.
Pre-Skill/Pre-Routine Breathing and Mini-Hypnotic Trance
Clinical Interviews under Hypnosis
Ascertain Goals under Hypnosis
Unearth and evaluate sub-conscious motivations and relevant past experiences.
Identify Performance Blocks.
Identify Sub-conscious Fears (Psychological fears and skill fears).
Adrenaline Recall situations.
Relaxation Recall situations.
Trust Recall situations.
Drive Recall situations.
Adrenaline Recall situations.
Regression to and Recall of Positive Gymnastics Experiences.
Evaluation Processes
Case Study 
Empirical evaluation – Auditory learner, kinesthetic performer.
Arousal Evaluation Determination and Goals
Decreasing Arousal before and during Competition
Embedding Personal Cues – Slow Breathing for Decreasing Arousal, Mental verbal cues for Increasing Arousal before or during routines.Increasing Arousal in Practice
Adjusting Arousal for events and during routines.
Pre-event Mini-Trance.
Adjusting Arousal during routines.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Decreasing Arousal Mini-Trance before skill.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Increasing Arousal Mini-Trance before skill.
Written Goals of Coach and Hypnotic/Psychological Three Year Plan and Timeline
Short and long-Term goal-Setting
Co-ordination of Conscious and Hypnotic/Sub-conscious Progress.
Self-Hypnosis Training.
Gymnastics Education – understanding technique.
Specific Skill/Routine Progression Hypnotic/Sub-conscious adaptation.
Dealing with future problems.
Two to three Annual 1-1 Clinical sessions.
Dealing with future changing goals.
Making Self-hypnosis tapes/CDs.