Ch.

12 Summary – Into to Psychological Skills Training – Ryan Collins

This chapter starts a new section of the book focused on improving performance. We read in this chapter in

multiple places the authors discuss multiple skills or areas of focus in this category of psychological skills

improvement such as regulating arousal, imagery and visualization, confidence, concentration, and goal setting.

Each of these concepts will be addressed next week in their own chapters in further depth it seems. I believe our

earlier chapter that discussed flow covers a similar concept that is discussed here. This chapter presents us with

many of the benefits of training mental skills, the greatest being increased performance and also potential

satisfaction. Mental skills training on its own won’t make up for deficits or lack of training but coupled with proper

training will allow athletes to reach their high potential instead of “locking up” or being nervous and anxious in an

important moment. Most coaches consider sports to be at least 50% mental when competing against an athlete of

similar ability but this is an area most coaches overlook or don’t think they have the time to work on. Many times if

a coach can sense an athlete is nervous will tell them to relax, but as our text shares and many of us have

experienced ourselves, this statement alone won’t bring relaxation and better performance if the individual isn’t

skilled in knowing how to relax and refocus themselves as appropriate. Growing up I’ve always been an avid

hardcore water slalom skier and would most often be out with family. Many times as I tried to push harder and

harder I would continue to fail my goals faster and sensing the frustration my mother would often tell me to relax

and stop trying so hard. The instruction was a little vague I think but most often I immediately improved my

performance by not overly concentrating on every detail and just letting the event or action come to you and react

instead of forcing it. I don’t know if I was quite into flow at that time and probably doubt it, but was able to redirect

my attention and efforts to increase the performance.

We’re told of the three stages of psychological skills training that I believe each make a lot of sense. The

first being educational phase, where people learn the importance and benefits of this type of training. Two is

acquiring skills through learning like something you would in a classroom, or a skill learned on a sports field.

Finally, and similarly to the physical skill also is the practicing phase of the skill. They must be practiced regularly

with discipline like anything else to be made effective and maintained. This is not a one-time and its fixed type of

deal.

This past Saturday I had one of our athletes come up to me in the middle of a competition and tell me he

could tell himself how nervous and in his head he was getting. My response was essentially trying to distract him by
Ch.12 Summary – Into to Psychological Skills Training – Ryan Collins

discussing unrelated topics to the competition to get him to stop thinking about the spot he was currently over

focused in. I commended him for being self-aware to come talk to me about it as recognition was the first step in

refocusing. I believe for the most part once you get to a competition, especially in a sport like swimming, what you

do 6 days a week is what’s going to happen when you get into a race. My point is overly focusing on something

during a race probably won’t change it too much for the better, so I try to make these days enjoyable and joke

around with our kids to keep it loose and let their bodies just react to the training. I have a great memory of coaching

at the State Championships last year and moments before one of our young sophomores competes we’re positioned

across the pool 50 yards away but he can see me so I’m waving and making signs almost like a baseball coach

would and I could see him smiling and laughing. I think moments like these help our kids to stay relaxed and have

fun without over focusing on the negative aspects or things they can’t control (the kid did great; all credit to him

though, I had nothing to do with it). I really look forward to reading more effective coping strategies in the coming

chapters.