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4 Week Cohort for Coaches:

Creating a Competitive Advantage with Mental Skills.

I am super excited to be partnering with Tyler Coston of SAVI coaching to present a 4-week online cohort on how to build a competive advantage for your team by using Mental Performance Skills.

The cohort will begin with a free webinar on the 3rd of December and will continue with one webinar each of the following three weeks. You can register for the webinar here:

The Cohort is included in your one month subscription to the SAVI app that houses all of their instruction on teaching the Lock Left Defense (which I love) and the Race & Space Offense.

To confirm your spot for the whole cohort and get access to the SAVI app click below:

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Helping Athletes handle the Fear of other Peoples' Opinions

I recently finished Dr. Michael Gervais's excellent book The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think You. Dr. Gervais is a widely acclaimed Sport & Performance Psychologist and the host of the excellent podcast Finding Mastery. The book is a great read and I would highly recommend it.

It explored how FOPO (Fear OF People's Opinions) impacts us as human beings. FOPO motivates our behaviour, and shapes our reaction to events. Athletes in the modern world are subjected to other people's opinions at an unprecedented rate.

FOPO is rooted in the ancient need for social acceptance, the human brain has not significantly evolved from the time where seperation from the group meant hardship and death.

FOPO is essentially the anticipation of rejection and it triggers a physical, physiological and physical activation. It involves constantly checking, and scanning, searching for approval and acceptance from whatever group people associate with.

Here are a few ways that Dr. Gervais feels that FOPO impacts our lives:

1. FOPO impacts our behaviour. Depending on how concerned a person is with the opinions of others will often be a defining factor in the decisions that are made.
2. FOPO is a thought pattern that can be destructive and impede performce.
3. FOPO is a loop that impacts how we process all information.

The FOPO loop has three phases. The anticapatory phase involves us all engaging our immagination to anticipate how our actions will be recieved. The checking phase which occurs the actual interaction and involves paying attention to facial cues, vocal tone and body language to see how others are perceieving them. The response phase occurs when the response of those around us has occurred and we decide how to respond to their response.

The more an individual is concerned about FOPO the more in tune and focused on this loope they will be.

Professionals athletes are bombarded by criticism and praise every day. It is a literal avalanche of opinions I can't imagine how it is possible to not be affected by FOPO when it is constant and inundates their phone everytime they open any social media app.

In September, Vikings running back Alex Mattison opened up about the racist treatment that he had received via anonymous tweets. He was very open about the impact that people sharing their opinion on Twitter has had on his life.

Alexander Mattison @AlexMattison22 Thank you to everyone that has shown love and support to me and my family during this time. 🖤 11:35 AM • Sep 16, 2023 551 Retweets 7093 Likes Read 342 replies

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I can't imagine how this must impact the mental health of every high-profile athlete.

Even just searching for this tweet I came across dozens of tweets complaining about his play (he has not had the season many expected of him). None were overtly racist but none were supportive or positive.

One of the real changes of living in 2023 is that it is very easy to express your opinion of others and it is easy for them to see it. For some atletes the solution is no social media at all. Others clap back at their haters from burner accounts, which may temporarily make them feel better but doesn't lessen the barrage of opinions.

I have had conversations with several Certified Mental Performance Consultants of professional teams about how they help their athletes handle the barrage of social media. They suggest that athletes stay off social media altogether and that there is no positive to for the athlete can take from the opinion of those on the couch. They both stressed that they should focus on the opinions of those that they truly respect and care about. This can be hard for pro athletes because even friends and family may have agendas when they interact with athletes.

As Mattison acknowledges in his post. Being in the NFL is a blessing but it comes at a price. And he is fortunate to have a team and organization behind him.

What about athletes at lower levels?

I believe that the Fear of other Peoples Opinions affects younger athletes in a different way. The glare of the media and pressure from trolls doesn't exist for most normal teenage athletes. They are impacted by the normal development of their brains. Teenagers go through a stage where they feel that all eyes are on them and they are being judged by everyone. This is normal but it's FOPO at its worst. For many this is made worse because their identity is closely tied to the sport that they play.

Without question, FOPO is impacting their ability to perform their best.

Are there strategies that Coaches can employ to help them handle the opinions of others?

1. Create a culture based on belonging & safety.

When athletes feel that their position in the group is secure they are less likely to worry about the opinions of others.

Coaches can create this type of environment by not playing mind games with their athletes and ensuring that team culture is a priority. Cultures that see teammates pitted against each other will lead to athletes investing tons of energy trying to assess where they fit.

2. Help athletes realize their sport doesn't define them.

As I mentioned above, some athletes allow their sport to define who they are as people. This turns every game and practice into a referendum on who they are.

Coaches can help athletes widen their perspective by talking about other aspects of life with them. Help them see that they are more than their sport.

3. Teach them to understand the power of their Self-Talk.

Self-Talk shapes the narrative of our lives. When an athlete's internal dialougue is focused on the judgement of others this takes their focus away from their sport.

Coaches can provide training for their athletes on how to understand and change the tone of their Self-Talk.

I have attached a link to the curriculum I use here:https://evolutionmpc.com/product/selftalk/​

Feel free to download and use it.

4. Model emotional regulation.

Athletes care about the opinion of their coach. The opinion of a coach dictates a lot for an athlete. How much they play, future opportunities and how much enjoyment they derive from their sport are all dependent on this relationsihp.

Coaches can create a more secure relationship with their athletes by being predictable and regulating their emotions. When athletes don't understand how their coach is going to react to a situation it will leads to worrying about their opionion.

Fostering an attitude of gratitude

With it being Thanksgiving in the United States I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to repost this article I wrote in March about the power of gratitude and how coaches can create an environmentent that empowers athletes to understand the power of gratitude.

I understand the power of gratitude and had the opportunity to experience very dayday for the last five years.

In university, I badly tore the ligaments in my ankle. By the time I hit thirty Osteo-arthritis had set in. I lived with a pain that increased for 15 years before having fusion surgery before my 45th birthday. It impacted my whole life. I was a zombie.

I woke up after surgery and the familiar nagging pain was gone. I thought it was the drugs but it wasn't.

Surgery has given me my life back. I can to exercise, carry out my day pain free and most importantly sleep. I often say it was like being born again.

Being able to live the life I want has left me with a profound sense of gratitude. Even on the toughest days I can channel how grateful I am that I no longer experience chronic pain.

Gratitude is an important component of Positive Psychology. Being able to find something to feel grateful for every day helps create neural pathways to override the negative bias that we are hardwired to have. Looking for positive events in our lives helps people realize that there is always something good to be found.

There are real tangible benefits to developing a practice of gratitude that have been supported by scientific research.

Research has shown that practicing gratitude increases feelings of happiness, contentment, and well-being. It helps people develop a positive mindset and increases their overall sense of well-being. Expressing gratitude strengthens relationships and fosters a sense of connection and trust within any group of people. This leads to a more positive and supportive environment.

Practicing gratitude also helps develop resilience which helps people cope with setbacks. It creates a shift in mindset allowing people to default to a positive (or neutral at least) mindset instead of the default factory, which for most of us is negative. By focusing on the good things in our lives, anyone can shift their mindset from one of negativity to one of positivity, which can help them bounce back from challenging experiences.

Significant research has also shown that practicing gratitude has a positive impact on the overall health of people who regularly acknowledge what they are grateful for. Gratitude helps reduce stress and anxiety by lowering cortisol in the brain. Gratitude is connected to increased feelings of optimism. Long range studies conducted (Harvard Happiness Study) on the impacts of an optimistic mindset found that optimists have a 35% lower risk of heart disease and on average live 16 years longer than pessimists.

To, me this is an easy way I can improve the quality of my life.

It doesn't cost any money like a personal trainer or a life coach. Unless things go seriously off the rails, gratitude shouldn't lead to injury. It also won't drive me crazy like certain sports (looking at you Golf!).

It is a practice I start and end my day with that takes one minute and has a huge return on investment.

How a coach can bring gratitude into a team setting.

1. Encouraging athletes to express gratitude: Coaches can encourage athletes to express gratitude for the opportunities they have to participate in sports, for their health and physical abilities, and for the support they receive from their coaches, teammates, and families. This can help athletes develop a positive mindset and appreciate the good things in their lives.
2. Modelling gratitude: Coaches can model gratitude by expressing their own gratitude for their athletes, for the opportunity to coach, and for the positive aspects of their own lives. This is something I try to do regularly. Most of my athletes know that I am grateful to be pain free. After having lost a season and a half to COVID I have made sure to let all of them know how awesome it is to be able to have basketball in our lives.
3. Using gratitude to build resilience: Coaches can use gratitude to help athletes build resilience and cope with setbacks. For example, after a tough loss, coaches can encourage athletes to focus on what they are grateful for, such as the opportunity to compete, the lessons they learned from the experience, and the support of their teammates and coaches. Failure is considered something to avoid at all costs but really even experiencing the pain of defeat is better than going through life and never trying. I remind my team of this often.
4. Incorporating gratitude into team rituals: Coaches can incorporate gratitude into team rituals, such as pre-game or post-game reflections, team meetings, or team-building activities. This can help athletes feel connected to one another and foster a sense of gratitude for their shared experiences. We often conclude practice by discussing aspects of life that we are grateful for with our accountability partner.

Gratitude can become a powerful unifying force that can change both mindsets for coaches and athletes. It doesn't take much but it can be lifechanging.

Thanks for reading. Have a great week.