2. October 2008 by John Schinnerer.

Here is an article I wrote recently for Article Dashboard…

A varsity soccer player heads the ball into the goal to put his team ahead by one. With more than 20 minutes to play, players on the team that is behind start to hang their heads. Their body language, slumped shoulders, a slow walk, and frustrated, angry expressions convey their temporary lack of resiliency. The speed with which they can bounce back from this setback holds the key to their success. Do they give in to their disappointment, let it turn to resignation, and ever-so-slightly decrease their efforts? Or do they use their anger to stoke the fires of competition and redouble their efforts to score and tie the game? Psychology is beginning to unravel some of the mysteries around sports performance in general and around soccer in particular. This article discusses three recent findings in sports psychology and how they can be best applied to soccer.For instance, players who make predictions about who will win the upcoming game enjoy the game less than those who do not. By predicting the outcome of the game, it creates the possibility of being incorrect and thus leads to the anticipation of regret. This anticipation of being wrong puts more pressure on the player to perform. As we know, too much pressure can push a player out of the zone (where performance is maximized) and into a subpar performance.

Focus On Playing to Potential, Not Winning

A better approach is that of nonattachment where players do not get overly attached to the idea of winning or losing. Soccer players can control one thing – their own play. By focusing the team on playing to their best individual and team potential, and decreasing focus on winning, the team plays more relaxed, more effective soccer.

Understand Your Players for Better Penalty Kicks

Another finding shows that some individuals look for potential gains in general and on the soccer field. Other people spend their efforts attempting to thwart negative outcomes. So one group looks to maximize gains, while the other group looks to minimize losses. Soccer coaches can identify this tendency in individual players and use it to fulfill their players’ potential. For example, when preparing players for penalty shootouts, coaches can talk to players who look to maximize gains (usually the forwards and some midfielders) and tell them to focus on scoring. On the other hand, coaches can prep those who seek to minimize losses (usually the fullbacks) by telling them to focus on not missing the shot. These are individualized messages that can run through the shooter’s head while preparing to take the PK which will increase the probability of success during the shootout.

Use Mirror Neurons to Your Advantage

Finally, soccer players become better simply by watching world class players. There is a ‘mirror system’ in the human brain which responds to actions we watch, such as Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a goal with a heel kick or performing a scissor move. This system in the brain has been shown in brain scan studies to activate when the individual is viewing a sport or activity in which they participate. However, the mirror system does not activate for a dancer watching a soccer player. The mirror system only activates for individuals who have been trained in the particular sport being viewed. We have known for over 50 years that visualization is helpful in improving sports performance (beginning with slalom skiing back in the 1950’s). Science is just discovering that the brain also learns by observing experts. Although no muscle movement takes place in the observer, the brain acts as if the body is replicating the movements being made while watching Ronaldo. The same pattern of neurons fire when watching Ronaldo perform a bicycle kick as when the player him- or herself does a bicycle kick. The possibility exists that players can hone their skills during injuries by watching professional soccer games, highlights on YouTube of favorite players and attending live games.

There are a number of things that psychology can add to sport in general and soccer in particular. Try incorporating some of these suggestions in your play or coaching and see what results come. Above all, have fun. Soccer is first and foremost a game!

About the Author

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that focuses on coaching individuals and groups to their potential using the latest in positive psychology, psychoneuroimmunology and physiology. Most recently, Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Schinnerer has been a coach and psychologist for over 10 years.

Dr. Schinnerer is also President of Infinet Assessment, a psychological testing company to help firms select the best applicants. Infinet was founded in 1997 and has worked with companies such as UPS, CSE Insurance Group and Schreiber Foods.

Dr. John Schinnerer was Chief Communication Officer of Emotion Mining Company, which has a patented method to measure and quantify conscious and subconscious emotions for branding, marketing, leadership development and organizational change.

Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development to sports psychology. He is a noted speaker and author on topics such as emotional intelligence, sports psychology, and executive leadership.Dr. Schinnerer wrote, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which was recently awarded the “Best Self-Help Book of 2007.” He has written articles on corporate ethics and EQ in the workplace for Workspan magazine, HR.com, and Business Ethics. He has given numerous presentations, radio shows and seminars to tens of thousands of people for organizations such as SHRM, NCHRA, KNEW and KDIA.By: Dr. John Schinnerer

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.comDr. John Schinnerer is Pres. of Infinet Assessment (www.InfinetAssessment.com) a testing company to help firms select the best applicants. Infinet has worked with companies such as UPS, CSE Insurance Group and Schreiber Foods. He also runs Guide To Self(www.GuideToSelf.com), a company that focuses on coaching individuals and groups to their potential using the latest in positive psychology. In 2007, he wrote ‘Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought’

Posted in Nervousness, Staying calm, Tips to help anxiety, Happiness, Psychology & soccer, Infinet Assessment, Emotional IQ, Guide to Self, Abusive Coaches, Swim coaches, Managing stress, Dr. John Schinnerer, Life coach, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »

11. October 2007 by John Schinnerer.

Dear Powerless:

Your note is one of hundreds I’ve received from people regarding coaches who bully. These notes seem to have largely come as a result of two articles I recently wrote.

It sounds to me like your volleyball coach is overfocused on winning to the detriment of the psychological and physical development of the players. The point at which it becomes emotionally abusive is when it happens repeatedly and makes the players feel guilty, ashamed or worth-less.

It’s interesting. Just as a point of contrast, we are fortunate to have Bob LaDoceur out here who orchestrated the longest winning streak in the history of high school football (De La Salle HS). He is known for treating his players with respect and putting values ahead of winning. It’s one of the few examples of which I know where the coach has what I consider to be the right approach.

I’m sure you are right about the captains of the team being afraid. I remember being captain of my varsity soccer, swimming and water polo teams. I spoke up once to the soccer coach to speak on behalf of the players who were demoralized and miserable. He blackballed me when it came time to nominate players for All-League honors (which I had received the year before as a junior).  So those sorts of things happen frequently in high school. Coaches are ruled by their emotions and play out little dramas to “pay back” the “insubordination” of their players.

In your daughter’s case, she is getting yelled at for an honest mistake or two in practice. Obviously, this is an overreaction on the part of the coach. It sounds like the coach has the mistaken belief that perfection is possible and should be strived for at any cost. Perfection is not possible. We can only try to be perfect. However, we don’t want to spend too much time and energy trying to get from 95% to 100%. It’s a matter of diminishing return. The extra practice you put in to get that extra 5% leads to burn out in my opinion. It also turns a sport from a “want to” to a “have to”. Once that mind set changes, the athlete is headed downhill in motivation and subsequently performance.

We know perfectionism is related to anxiety. So the coach may be driving the team hard out of his/her own anxiety and need to succeed. The coach may think that yelling at and humiliating players is the best way (or one way) to motivate the players. This may work for some but is ultimately harmful for many, if not most, players. We know that the negative outweighs the positive in our minds. We know that it takes roughly 5-10 compliments to undo one insult. That’s the way our mind works. So many players may begin to internalize some of these messages (e.g., “You’re not good enough”, “You’re a waste of time,” etc.) when heard frequently enough.

Personally, I don’t think there’s an excuse for such behavior. Whether playoffs are coming up or not is inconsequential. The coach’s job is partially to manage his or her own internal pressures, not take it out on players. And yelling at players he expects the most out of is a great way to lose your best players. As soon as a player gets enough of that abuse, they will muster the courage to walk away from the game which is a shame.

So what do you tell your daughter?  If she were my daughter, I’d tell her the following…

You’re doing great. You’re a great player. You’re a great person. We support you regardless of what happens in volleyball.

Try to discount any overly negative, personal attacks made by the coach (obviously some positive, constructive comments may help her grow as a player).

Keep up the great effort. Focus on her effort rather than the outcome. One of the coach’s issues is that she is overfocused on the outcome (such as getting two hands on the ball and making the hit over the net). It’s not the outcome you want to stress, it’s the effort (such as the energy expended to get to the ball and the attempt to get two hands on the ball and the effort to get one hand on the ball when getting two hands on it is impossible).

Let her know that the coach’s brain is not working right. As a result, she does inappropriate things like yell at young ladies when they make an honest mistake (but a good effort).

To help her deal with negative comments from the coach (or anyone), instruct her to ask herself (after a mean comment), “Will this matter five years from now?” Usually, the answer is “no, it won’t matter.” If the answer is “Yes, it will” have her come to you and share what happened.

Remind yourself that you are powerful, not powerless. You can manage your own emotions in response to a bullying coach. You can help your daughter learn to manage her emotions with a bully.

Unfortunately, bullies exist everywhere throughout life, not just in volleyball. They are also in colleges, workplaces and relationships. So it’s an important life skill to learn to deal with them.

You can also role play some situations with her where you play her and she plays the coach. Have her say some similar mean comments to you, and you find ways to respond in a respectful, yet firm, manner. For example, when coach says “Are you kidding me?! I told you to get two hands on the ball. That was absolute crap!” You can respond with something like, “Sorry coach. I am giving it everything I have.” Coach may say something like “Well you’re not giving enough”. You can respond with “Gee coach, hopefully, I’ll get it right before next season.” Or “I’ll keep working on it.” Remind her to breathe deeply when coach acts like a spoiled brat. Deep breathing is a big help in calming down intense negative emotions such as anger.

The visual aid you can give your daughter is that of an imaginary garbage can or toilet which sits on her hip. As the brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined, visualization can be very powerful when developed and practiced. Teach your daughter that she has a choice in terms of what words she takes into her and which ones she refuses to take in. Kind, loving words can go straight to her heart. Mean, cruel words she can imagine going straight into her garbage can. This is a skill I have taught all my children. It’s helpful with bullies of all sizes and genders.

And lastly, I would document all this information so that you can turn it into the principal you’re your daughter graduates. Otherwise the cycle just continues and more girls get hurt. I imagine other players on the team have had the same complaints but everyone is too afraid to speak up – the definition of a bully – emotional intimidation.

Hopefully that helps. There’s more such info in my book. The title is below.

Wish you all the best!

Dr. John Schinnerer

Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought

Available at Amazon.com, Authorhouse.com, Target.com, and BarnesAndNoble.com

Posted in Abusive Coaches, Bullies, Sports Psychology | Print | No Comments »