Refocus Skills

1.     Ability to get back on track by focusing on game-related “cues.”

a.     Try slowing everything down

b.     Breathe in a slow, deep, and relaxed way until you are calm

c.     Approach the task again

2.     Practice sessions allows us to make mistakes and practice refocusing skills.

a.     Clear the distractions from your mind

b.     Think about the fundamentals of the skill

c.     Perform the task again

3.     Develop refocusing routines.

a.     Stop, breathe and acknowledge the mistake in the moment

b.     After the mistake, shift your focus to the next task

c.     Practice on staying focused throughout the task

Recovery Skills

1.     Ability to deal with setbacks and get back to a “ready to play” state.

a.     Know what you need to pay attention to

b.     Maintain focus and resist distractions

c.     Stay in the moment

2.     Use the A-B-C’s! (Speak, Think, and Act = WIN, what is important now).

a.     Speak positive

b.     Think and use imagery of the fundamentals (see yourself performing the task)

c.     Act quickly by performing the correct actions

d.     Decide:  What is Important Now?  Personal and team goals

Homework:

What are some ways you can use Refocus and Recovery skills, both on and off the court?

Intensity Control

1.     Ability to control unhealthy thoughts, tension, and self-talk to stay on task.

a.     Know that attitude is a personal choice and chooses to be positive

b.     Views competition to compete daily, improving failures and success

2.     Realizing that being too pumped or not pumped enough can affect play.

a.     Know that emotions are key element of the game

b.     Use emotions to improve performance

c.     Pursue excellence, not perfection

Physical Presentation

1.     Ability to look stoic and confident, regardless of the situation. (Game-face).

a.     “Never let them see you sweat”

b.     Keep emotions under wraps

c.     Use correct form and stance for ready position

2.     Inside-out vs Outside-in training.

a.     Inside-out consists of mental endurance (sprints, mile run, suicides)

b.     Outside-in is training your physical body

Emotional Energy and Control

1.     Ability to remain composed under pressure but energized and motivated in practice.

a.     Know that benefits come from your participation, not the outcome

b.     Set practice goals to maintain motivation for personal improvement

2.     Turning a “hot head” into a “cool customer.”

a.     Be concern with ONLY things you can control

b.     Games are won on your and your team's’ actions ONLY

c.     You must be focused and in control to positively IMPACT your performance

Homework:

Give examples of when and how you would use Intensity Control, Physical Presentation, and Emotional Energy and Control; both on and off the court.

1.     What do you feel your potential is?

2.      How do you reach your full potential?

3.   What will you accomplish when you reach your full athletic potential? 

Confidence

1.     Trust your abilities and skills to perform automatically without hesitation.

a.     Belief in your skills

b.     Always playing your game

c.     Motor skills, allowing your body to do what it is trained to do

2.     Develop a consistency of your confidence.

a.     Applying the necessary steps to achieve our goals

b.     Proper form and techniques for effective game performance

c.     Doing the same correct applications all the time

3.     Draw from sources of confidence.

a.     Inner faith source (positive self-talk)

b.     Outer belief source (reading source)

c.     Hero source (person source)

Competitive Focus

1.     Ability to remain focused on performance cues for successful execution.

a.     Like defensive focus, but you control every aspect of each play

b.     Knowing all offensive plays and what is to happen each time

c.     Trusting your teammates to be successful

2.     Balance your focus; not too tense and/or nervous and not too relaxed.

a.     Realizing every facet of emotional control

b.     The ability to maintain control of your emotions, even in high competition

c.     Acknowledging there is a fine line in the balance of your emotional state

Mental Preparation

1.     Ability to think in the present, to release past mistakes.

a.     Mistakes are OK

b.     Stay in the moment and move forward to the next task they can NOT be changed

2.     Thoughts and self-talk are focused on improving, not the outcome or results.

a.     Thoughts of you doing your best all the time

b.     We control the moment, not the results

c.     The positive moments we are in control, determine our results

3.     Active mental preparation.

a.     Writing personal goals and working toward them

b.     Having practice and performance goals

c.     Imagery for performance mastery and knowing how to use it

Quality Practice

1.     Training performed with maximal efforts, focus and goal-directed.

a.     Giving your all-in practice

b.     Perseverance

c.     Reaching your practice goals

2.     Positive attitude.

a.     Thinking positive

b.     Speaking positive

c.     Positive encouragement of your teammates

3.     Adequate preparation.

a.     All equipment

b.     Being in the right place, ahead of time

c.     All coach required work/workouts completed

4.     Effective Execution.

a.     Train to corrections

b.     Communicate effectively

c.     Execution of team offense to success

Use of Mental Imagery

1.     Ability to see playing excellence.

a.     Visualizing yourself successfully executing offensive strategies

b.     Play by play and point for point play

c.     Imagine non-mistake performance

2.     Internal or external viewpoint.

a.     Mind control decisions

b.     Physical, motor skill thoughtless performance

c.     Need a balance of both for the most successful performance

3.     Being able to execute.

a.     Ability and confidence

4.     Being in and maintaining control.

a.     Competitive Focus is key

b.     Use mental skills to stay in control

Homework:

Explain how and when you would use the 5 Offensive Strategies, both on and off the court.  Answer in the space above.