As a Strength, Conditioning and Performance Coach- I’ve always been interested in the field of athlete psychology. Why? Put simply- psychology -leads -physiology. My Grandmother used to say “You can lead a horse to water…but you can’t make him drink!”
Well said Nan.. still rings true today. All the coaches in the world can tell you its good to lift- good to workout- stay in shape- and we have great facilities at the stadium…road gyms. You name it. If the athlete isn’t driven by the desire for success-what do you do? I know a number of coaches and execs who’ll say “It’s the strength coaches job to make them want to do it…Some even hold the strength coach accountable. In this situation however…it’s easy to define accountability… were each accountable for our own attitudes and behaviors.
In fact…the only two things in life we control- are our attitudes and our behaviors.
On the field- our game is measured- and measured and re-measured..by behaviors.
Every behavior is a moment of truth in baseball. I’ll give you an example:
In a playoff situation- game on the line- a ground-ball hit to the backhand of the shortstop and a swift runner- how confident are you that your athlete can make the out?
Many players that perform well in these situations are called “clutch” performers… they “rise to the occasion” according to the play by play announcer.
Little does the announcer know-it’s likely the opposite.
These athletes don’t “rise to the occasion”… in fact.. they dont let the occasion “rise”. They focus on the Task- NOT the outcome.
A great example is the 2 x 4 piece of wood. If i put it on the ground– and ask you to walk across it – from one side to the other- no problem – piece of cake- one foot in front of the other- done.
Now- lets put that 2 x 4 200 feet in the air between two buildings. Same approach?
No.. now you are thinking about the possible outcomes (like falling to your death) and the task isn’t as easy – is it? The task didn’t change- your perception of the value of the outcome- did. Clutch performers-focus on tasks- and have an ability to either remove the outcome from their minds, or at least not place that thought over the concentration of the task required.
Tasks that are physical require strength- agility -neuromuscular coordination- power- energy.. I can go on and on. Just the ground ball example above has about 20 different physiological aspects knitted together that determine the mechanical or task success.
It makes sense then, that developing these elements away from the moment of truth to ensure success would be innate… but it’s not.
Somewhere along the way- a high school coach- parent- even a professional coach “poisoned” exercise.
I still see it today …” He’s late? Make him run laps!”
Great. Now running is a negative. It’s punishment.
In baseball- mandating lifts are the same way. If the motivation is extrinsic- the compliance is short lived. I’ve often thought- what if I said to the hitting coach..“He’s late? Give him 5 extra rounds of BP… (you see where Im going…)
I’ve had some of the highest (shudder on the term…) “Compliance” in lifts in pro baseball in the last 6 years when measured against other levels of the organization. I’ve been able to do this because I’ll figure out a driver- an innate desire that I can tie to the task of conditioning. One (nameless) Major League LHP I worked with two years ago- was so anti conditioning- when the VP of Player development found out he was spending 75 minutes a day training with me- he said- “how did you do it”.
The answer… I got to know him. I “cared enough” to know what he likes (it wasn’t baseball- baseball itself was work!). Behind the baseball veil for this player was a deep desire to be in the music industry. A few short stories at starbucks on how cool it would be to own your own studio.. and how much money it would take to do it right- with no experience- getting a loan will be tough- but wait! There’s about 8 million dollars hanging off your left shoulder… if we do this right- and stay focused on YOUR goal… you’ll succeed in the moments of truth- and then… you win. Ironically- so to does the team- the organization… and last of all, the strength coach.
Strength coach.. its a loose title. Deep down- you’ll see that the good ones understand psychology- and care about the people around them to find the ember that burns- and if you’re good enough at your job- you’ll breath a little air onto that ember and have “burning desire”. Get enough burning desires- you’ve got “compliance”.
Psychology leads physiology. No doubt. And Nan, if you can get the horse to see that same water in a different light… sometimes the thirst develops.
