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Post by Coach Bennett on Mar 12, 2013 6:02:31 GMT -6
X & O Labs just had an article on increasing mental toughness through classroom sessions.
Does anyone have any questions/strategies that they use to develop it with their players?
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Post by blb on Mar 12, 2013 9:11:32 GMT -6
...and Summer Conditioning Work outs.
And "surviving" Two-a-Days.
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Post by jgordon1 on Mar 12, 2013 9:14:57 GMT -6
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Post by Coach Huey on Mar 12, 2013 9:17:45 GMT -6
Drills where they have to think when they're tired ... like agility drills where the cones are numbered and they must listen for a series of #'s then run that sequence. Put penalties with mistakes - like up-downs or squat jumps, whatever, but make it immediate.
have drills/circuits where they must follow a sequence that was given just once. Do drills (like mats, or various running drills) where the kids must figure out what the mistakes are - again, give command once, or teach the sequence once, and it must be repeated flawlessly time and time again - if not, immediate consequences for entire unit.
We do mat drills where it is the same sequence every time, certain 'rules' must be followed and they have to 'coach' themselves, no one helps them through the drill.
We do running circuits where there are 6 stations they kids must go through. each station is a different drill, like agility, and they have to follow either a one-time hand signal or a one-time verbal cue and then perform the task at rapid pace in the proper sequence.
We do a full field run where they proceed through a 'course' doing various types of maneuevers ... sprint, shuffle, high knees, back pedal, cone weave, etc. It is done for time and it ain't easy.
Of course, weight room effort is huge. lift heavy, lift circuits, tempo, etc.
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Post by Coach Bennett on Mar 12, 2013 9:38:39 GMT -6
Thanks, coaches. I understand the natural consequences that arise out of persevering when players are tired, stressed, etc.
Below is an excerpt from the article talking with CSU's Coach McElwain. In not the best detail, it loosely discusses the concept of increasing mental toughness through classroom exercises. Can anyone add any substantial examples to this? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MK: The mental conditioning is something has always been a part of the game that is neglected. What are some of the things you’ve done to train your players on that side of the game?
JM: We spend 16 sessions in the classroom for 20 minutes based on themes that teach you how to be successful as a person. Within those themes, there were exercises that helped you mentally on how you approach, how you think and how you conquer. One of the biggest fears we have is a fear of failure. If you’re afraid to fail, you will never put yourself out there from a competition standpoint. To be great is hard- it will put you in standards that will take you out of your comfort zone. We’ve had someone come in here, such as Dr. Lowell Wightman, and train them from the mental side of things.
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Post by Coach.A on Mar 12, 2013 11:50:54 GMT -6
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Post by brophy on Mar 12, 2013 13:38:33 GMT -6
semantics. The article is referring to modifying perception through self-efficacy( coachhuey.com/thread/49259) Training the brain, would be more about developing skills for mental clarity / focus under pressure (see Boyd Epley) "mental toughness" is more commonly associated with being competitive and persevering for optimal performance (toughen the mind to not quit when it would normally). this is the weight room.period......but if you want to send me $49.95 I'll give you a Powerpoint with clip art of barbells.
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Post by mariner42 on Mar 12, 2013 14:04:49 GMT -6
Second this. Also think if you want your players to be mentally tough, you need to tell them what you think that means and HOW they can achieve that. Step 1: Have a plan.
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Post by jgordon1 on Mar 12, 2013 15:41:18 GMT -6
Drills where they have to think when they're tired ... like agility drills where the cones are numbered and they must listen for a series of #'s then run that sequence. Put penalties with mistakes - like up-downs or squat jumps, whatever, but make it immediate. have drills/circuits where they must follow a sequence that was given just once. Do drills (like mats, or various running drills) where the kids must figure out what the mistakes are - again, give command once, or teach the sequence once, and it must be repeated flawlessly time and time again - if not, immediate consequences for entire unit. We do mat drills where it is the same sequence every time, certain 'rules' must be followed and they have to 'coach' themselves, no one helps them through the drill. We do running circuits where there are 6 stations they kids must go through. each station is a different drill, like agility, and they have to follow either a one-time hand signal or a one-time verbal cue and then perform the task at rapid pace in the proper sequence. We do a full field run where they proceed through a 'course' doing various types of maneuevers ... sprint, shuffle, high knees, back pedal, cone weave, etc. It is done for time and it ain't easy. Of course, weight room effort is huge. lift heavy, lift circuits, tempo, etc. just thinking, there is probably more than one way to answer this question...what is mentally tough??...certainly you need to be tough to do what you say above..maybe the question should be, how can you become tougher beyond your physical capability? to withstand stress..etc ...you need to be in shape to be mentally tough? certainly it could help....but I would say to you Coach Huey, you are probably ALOT more mentally tough than your players, but could never complete (well not me anyway) what you are asking your kids to do
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Post by Coach Huey on Mar 12, 2013 15:48:34 GMT -6
I'm not following you. Are you saying we shouldn't push our kids past where they think they can go? We shouldn't try to create a mental task within a physical task? If the toughest thing they do, physically, is play the game itself didn't we fail them? If the only time they have to think when they are tired is during the game, didn't we fail them? Maybe it's a semantics thing, here ... but I'm not following what you're getting at.... we work our kids too hard? There are all types of 'toughness' and when dealing with the mental the confidence factor comes into play. So does the "I've done this before/been here before" mentality. Semantics, I'm sure ...
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Post by jgordon1 on Mar 12, 2013 18:37:21 GMT -6
@huey, let me think about this overnight to try to clarify my post and response to you..BTW I think I am going to start another thread on a different vein
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Post by coachd5085 on Mar 12, 2013 20:29:08 GMT -6
I'm not following you. Are you saying we shouldn't push our kids past where they think they can go? We shouldn't try to create a mental task within a physical task? If the toughest thing they do, physically, is play the game itself didn't we fail them? If the only time they have to think when they are tired is during the game, didn't we fail them? Maybe it's a semantics thing, here ... but I'm not following what you're getting at.... we work our kids too hard? There are all types of 'toughness' and when dealing with the mental the confidence factor comes into play. So does the "I've done this before/been here before" mentality. Semantics, I'm sure ... I could be way off here, but what I THINK Jerry is trying to convey is that in all of the examples, mental toughness is tied to some type of physical endeavor (weight room, running, sprints, mat drills, wrestling etc.) I know some EXTREMELY Mentally tough people (think mom working 2 jobs, going to school etc.) who couldn't do all of those things. Jerry, are you just suggesting we explore a broader based definition and not tying it to the physical aspect regarding football?
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Post by Coach Huey on Mar 12, 2013 22:07:31 GMT -6
like i said, we can debate the semantics of a word all day.
i'm just saying that in athletics, the first thing that goes isn't the body... it's the mind. "hey, i'm tired, so it isn't as important to go all out right here"... we've seen that time and time again. a kid that is tired loses the "it" factor to go all out.
i'm not here to debate what is "tough" and what isn't... but, in football (at least for us) we try to push our players past where they think they can go. we want to provide them with an experience they can use in a game to say "hey, i've been this tired before, and i was able to reach down and do my job."
we try the best we can to condition the mind to fight fatigue and stay focused on their role, their assignment. so, we do various training drills that require them to think when they are tired. many coaches do. that's our job, to train the players to think and play at a level higher than what they, themselves, think they can.
now, no doubt, a mother working 2 jobs is mentally tough... she's tired, her body wants to rest... maybe the mind says "hey, taking one day off isn't that bad, we can get by" ... but, the 'toughness' in her says, "no, my job is to make X amount of $ so my child can have this".. so, she pushes past what her mind is telling her and the body makes it happen.
no different than what many coaches try to do. that is why, so often, mental toughness is tied to a physical activity. because our game is a physical activity game. i agree, the definition is much, much broader ... but, we are discussing how i can apply that to my football team.
so, we feel like a confident player is a much more mentally sharp player. what instills confidence? the fact that they've done mental tasks - however menial - when they are physically exhausted. then, when it is game time, they can fall back on those experiences to help them through it.
again, let me be clear... i'm in no way arguing with anyone about the definition of "mental toughness". i agree, it is broad and can take many shapes. there are a myriad of ways to express it, to train it, etc.
but, in the short example i gave in an earlier post, i was referencing what we do - in our short amount of time with our athletes - some things we do to tie the physical with the mental and to push our players past their comfort zone so they can realize they do, in fact, have more inside them. they can be 'tougher' than what their mind initially told them. obviously, we can't be barbaric about this - and perhaps my brief yet broad explanation of things wasn't very clear.
when i said i didn't follow, it was that i assumed he meant he had a broader definition and was stating that, perhaps, my explanation was the ONLY thing i was saying about what it meant to be mentally tough. and, to that, i agree ... it is so broad.
not sure where i'm really going, other than to say i'm not trying to argue someone's point or disagree with them.
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Post by jgordon1 on Mar 13, 2013 2:46:15 GMT -6
I'm not following you. Are you saying we shouldn't push our kids past where they think they can go? We shouldn't try to create a mental task within a physical task? If the toughest thing they do, physically, is play the game itself didn't we fail them? If the only time they have to think when they are tired is during the game, didn't we fail them? Maybe it's a semantics thing, here ... but I'm not following what you're getting at.... we work our kids too hard? There are all types of 'toughness' and when dealing with the mental the confidence factor comes into play. So does the "I've done this before/been here before" mentality. Semantics, I'm sure ... I could be way off here, but what I THINK Jerry is trying to convey is that in all of the examples, mental toughness is tied to some type of physical endeavor (weight room, running, sprints, mat drills, wrestling etc.) I know some EXTREMELY Mentally tough people (think mom working 2 jobs, going to school etc.) who couldn't do all of those things. Jerry, are you just suggesting we explore a broader based definition and not tying it to the physical aspect regarding football? yes started another thread on it
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Post by jgordon1 on Mar 13, 2013 2:46:55 GMT -6
I could be way off here, but what I THINK Jerry is trying to convey is that in all of the examples, mental toughness is tied to some type of physical endeavor (weight room, running, sprints, mat drills, wrestling etc.) I know some EXTREMELY Mentally tough people (think mom working 2 jobs, going to school etc.) who couldn't do all of those things. Jerry, are you just suggesting we explore a broader based definition and not tying it to the physical aspect regarding football? yes started another thread on it...didn't want this thread to get off track
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Post by jgordon1 on Mar 13, 2013 3:17:52 GMT -6
Didn't want to get off track..the OP asked if we had some strategies that we used with our players. I would say that mental toughness transcends sports. I would suggest that mental toughness regardless of situation can be trained in a common way. these fall generally into 2 different categories. physical and emotional
Physical, the #1 one thing we can do here is to stay hydrated. you can talk all you want about toughness but it is a plain fact that your brain can not function fully if you are dehydrated
#2 be in physical shape..no need to expand as this is what we do on a daily basis but being in better physical shape will help you on the field and in life
Emotional: #1 positive self talk and positive "tough" acting have been shown to help performance..yea, I know it sounds like some new age sissy stuff but it has proven to work...
#2 Mental Visualization. Visualizing how you will handle a tough situation will help you cope with tough situations
certainly I am not an expert on this stuff. There is no simple answer ( i dont really think you were looking for one) there have been many books written on the subject..my two favorite are
The new toughness training for sports..this will be the best $5 investment you will make this year 10 minute toughness training by Jason Selk
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Post by mvahrens on Mar 13, 2013 9:52:13 GMT -6
This article is not just talking about testing players toughness in the weight room, conditioning, or mat drills. Answering the question how do you teach mental toughness with "getting them in the weight room" - is just like training a kid to get faster by telling him to "run faster!" You have to give them tools to handle those situations. For those who didn't read the X's and O's article, its about the Colorado State program and their head coach who came from Alabama. Like Alabama, they have 16 summer sessions (about 30 minutes each) where they teach the kids these Mental Toughness skills and strategies. The topics are more related to Sports Psychology - so, with their program they are teaching their players how to handle these performance situations - whether it be weight room, practice, or a game situation. And these are easily translated to life - dealing with school, relationships, confrontation, etc. Some of the topics they (Colorado State) would be teaching through these sessions are more like Coach Gordon said. Some core mental skills to teach athletes include --> Visualization, Self-Talk; Goal Setting; Pre-Performance Routines and Arousal Control - not what you might think it is check out this link from the US Swim team www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1781&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=7901&ItemId=5339Anyways, I think it is good stuff.
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Post by Coach Bennett on Mar 13, 2013 10:02:43 GMT -6
....but if you want to send me $49.95 I'll give you a Powerpoint with clip art of barbells. What's your address? The check'll be in the mail.
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