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Authors: D. C. Gonzalez
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and
then turned towards me.
“You're free to go,” said the
Special Agent in Charge, “That’ll do.”
I glanced at my watch,
surprised to realize that over two hours had gone by without my noticing.
During those hours I had been grilled non-stop by all the top supervisory
agents in the District Office. I supposed the reason was because I was up
against a lot of strong competitors. At any rate, I rose, nodded my thanks,
and headed for the door.
Just before I reached it, the
lead agent called me back.
"Oh, just one more
thing," he said. "I have one final question, if you don't mind?”
"Not without my
lawyer." I told him, with a straight face.
They all smiled; one chuckled.
(Wow, I thought: these people do have a sense of humor.)
“I‘ve noticed that you’ve had
some valuable training and experience as a sports mental trainer. I can’t help
wondering if you were using any of those mental techniques that you teach
athletes during the interview today.”
I looked at him straight in the
eyes.
“Absolutely,” I told him. “Of
course I used mental techniques today.”
Later he told me how he noticed
that the pressure that the panel was so good at creating and that they had used
so successfully to rattle other applicants had appeared to have had no effect
on me at all . . . And so began my career as a Special Agent.
Pressure. Intense pressure. I
had known plenty of it in the military. If there's one thing that most
athletes will tell me they want their mental training programs to help them
with right away, it's being able to perform better under pressure.
Of course, feeling the pressure
of competition is not in itself a bad thing; it can actually help to bring out
the best in you. It’s really how you deal with it that makes the difference.
Whatever you may think, the truth is that all the pressure you feel really
comes from inside yourself. Once you understand this, you can begin to free
yourself to do what you are really capable of.
So, how does stress and
pressure adversely affect performance?
Coordination, concentration,
and judgment are all affected. Your heart beats faster, your breathing speeds
up, you can’t think as clearly as usual. Often, pressure creates tension that
can push you to try and get through something quicker. Yet when you yield to
this impulse to rush, you’ll actually perform worse.
Not knowing how to handle
pressure will certainly affect overall performance. This can be the undoing of
any performer: whether in the boardroom, on the concert stage, or while engaged
in top-level sports. The first thing you have to learn is how to stay cool.
This is probably the biggest single difference between a typical competitor and
a mental athlete.
The mental athlete has learned
how to stay calm and task-focused under pressure. He knows that staying cool
is part of his success formula. So he sets out to manage the pressure—which
begins by first recognizing that it’s OK to feel the pressure. He doesn’t deny
his nerves, but he doesn’t give into them either.
Here are some of the
tried-and-tested techniques the mental athlete should learn to use in order to
help him to stay calm and task-focused under pressure:
Learn to concentrate and use
focused breathing. The athlete can bring himself back to the present moment by
training himself to use his breathing to help secure control when the heat is
on.
In pressure situations, make
sure to let the air reach into the very bottom of your lungs. Fill every
corner of your body with life-giving, life-enhancing oxygen.
Then, as you release the
breath, release any tension and anxiety along with it. Notice the feeling of
release—and the feeling of control. Focused breathing will help reduce the
pressure and keep you grounded in the present.
An athlete can also help take
the pressure off by using muscle relaxation skills. Having developed this
skill through practice outside the competitive
then turned towards me.
“You're free to go,” said the
Special Agent in Charge, “That’ll do.”
I glanced at my watch,
surprised to realize that over two hours had gone by without my noticing.
During those hours I had been grilled non-stop by all the top supervisory
agents in the District Office. I supposed the reason was because I was up
against a lot of strong competitors. At any rate, I rose, nodded my thanks,
and headed for the door.
Just before I reached it, the
lead agent called me back.
"Oh, just one more
thing," he said. "I have one final question, if you don't mind?”
"Not without my
lawyer." I told him, with a straight face.
They all smiled; one chuckled.
(Wow, I thought: these people do have a sense of humor.)
“I‘ve noticed that you’ve had
some valuable training and experience as a sports mental trainer. I can’t help
wondering if you were using any of those mental techniques that you teach
athletes during the interview today.”
I looked at him straight in the
eyes.
“Absolutely,” I told him. “Of
course I used mental techniques today.”
Later he told me how he noticed
that the pressure that the panel was so good at creating and that they had used
so successfully to rattle other applicants had appeared to have had no effect
on me at all . . . And so began my career as a Special Agent.
Pressure. Intense pressure. I
had known plenty of it in the military. If there's one thing that most
athletes will tell me they want their mental training programs to help them
with right away, it's being able to perform better under pressure.
Of course, feeling the pressure
of competition is not in itself a bad thing; it can actually help to bring out
the best in you. It’s really how you deal with it that makes the difference.
Whatever you may think, the truth is that all the pressure you feel really
comes from inside yourself. Once you understand this, you can begin to free
yourself to do what you are really capable of.
So, how does stress and
pressure adversely affect performance?
Coordination, concentration,
and judgment are all affected. Your heart beats faster, your breathing speeds
up, you can’t think as clearly as usual. Often, pressure creates tension that
can push you to try and get through something quicker. Yet when you yield to
this impulse to rush, you’ll actually perform worse.
Not knowing how to handle
pressure will certainly affect overall performance. This can be the undoing of
any performer: whether in the boardroom, on the concert stage, or while engaged
in top-level sports. The first thing you have to learn is how to stay cool.
This is probably the biggest single difference between a typical competitor and
a mental athlete.
The mental athlete has learned
how to stay calm and task-focused under pressure. He knows that staying cool
is part of his success formula. So he sets out to manage the pressure—which
begins by first recognizing that it’s OK to feel the pressure. He doesn’t deny
his nerves, but he doesn’t give into them either.
Here are some of the
tried-and-tested techniques the mental athlete should learn to use in order to
help him to stay calm and task-focused under pressure:
Learn to concentrate and use
focused breathing. The athlete can bring himself back to the present moment by
training himself to use his breathing to help secure control when the heat is
on.
In pressure situations, make
sure to let the air reach into the very bottom of your lungs. Fill every
corner of your body with life-giving, life-enhancing oxygen.
Then, as you release the
breath, release any tension and anxiety along with it. Notice the feeling of
release—and the feeling of control. Focused breathing will help reduce the
pressure and keep you grounded in the present.
An athlete can also help take
the pressure off by using muscle relaxation skills. Having developed this
skill through practice outside the competitive
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