By Jim Parker An area of training that is often neglected, particularly below the Olympic, International and National levels, is sports psychology. I should say that it is an area of training that is 'not acknowledged', because in a way, we all practice some form of mental training. The night before a test or competition, do you go through your program in your mind, over and over? In your mind, are the routines not perfect? Just before you step on the ice at a competition, what are you thinking? After a test or competition, good or bad, what are you telling yourself? All of these thoughts are mental training and part of sports psychology! The trick is to formalize or to practice training mentally as part of your overall training regimen. Mental 'push-ups' and 'sit-ups', if you will.

At the Olympics, if you watched the Russian female pole-vaulter who ultimately won the gold, just before her winning vault, you would have seen her talking to herself. What was she saying, do you think? What are the sprinters thinking as they get set in the blocks and are looking at the ground? What are they visualizing? Some of the athletes at the Athens Olympics had their own personal sports psychologists! And Team Canada had a team sports psychologist on staff to help the Canadian athletes. You should know that I am not a sport psychologist, although there are many excellent ones in Canada. As well, there are many 'user-friendly' sport psyche books available that can provide you with effective tools to help train yourself mentally. In 1984, in preparation for the Sarajevo Winter Olympics, Brian Orser made ‘muscle memory' videotape. The video consisted of his long and short programs played repeatedly over and over and over. On the tape, at the beginning of each program, Brian was instructing himself with key, important words as to what he wanted to do and achieve. In Sarajevo, when not on the ice practicing, this is what Brian was watching in his room. While watching the video, he would be going through, mentally, what his body would be doing physically. You can imagine that his 'mental practice' was perfect, as he felt and pictured his muscles; posture and so forth go through their movements. I tell this story to show you that there are many effective ways to train yourself mentally.

Here are some things or elements to think about: Simulation Training - Many successful athletes credit their successes to performing lots of simulation training. That is, they go through their programs in practice as if they were the real thing. They wear the costume they would wear in the competition, same music, same preparation, and same people around them if they can arrange it and most importantly they prepare perfectly. In essence, the practice becomes the competition. And they do it over and over and over. The result? When the time for the actual competition finally comes, there is less stress because 'they have already been there'! Imagery - Whether we know it or not, we all use imagery to help us in our training. The idea is to use 'good' imagery! I think it is really important to feel and see yourself winning or achieving success.

As you watch yourself in a video, as Brian did, how does it feel? How do your muscles feel? Your emotions and heart? Try watching the video and performing your program 'dry land' at the same time. Can you achieve the same feeling and 'place in space'?

Like any other type of training, mental training takes practice, practice, practice and more practice to get it perfect. But it is SO worth it!

G.I. Gym's Fit Tips:

Remember, you body is absolutely a direct result of what you put in it. You don't want a Big Mac body do you?

VOLUNTEERISM

a.k.a. HELP

by PJ Kwong

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Less than 3 months till Christmas

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October 2004 Edition