Vancouver Olympics and Executive Coaching

The Vancouver Olympics are almost upon us and competition spirit is heating up. A good friend of mine, who happens to be fortunate enough to call Vancouver home, told me the other day that there is a visceral buzz in the air.

The field of executive and communication coaching has it's roots in traditional sports coaching and sports psychology.  I think it is important to go back to the roots of coaching, because so much can be gained both knowledge and skill wise.

This week I've chosen an interesting article from a great coach - Peter Jensen of Performance Coaching based in Toronto, Canada.

The link to original article is here.

Enjoy!

...What are the top three things you are doing to help athletes prepare for the Olympic Games in Vancouver?

My short answer to the question would be that it totally depends on the athlete, the position they are in, (in terms of expectation and world ranking) and their history with large international competitions. In working with figure skaters at past Olympic Games there was great variance in what the athletes needed given what they were facing. The pressure on Brian Orser in Calgary was oppressive and pervasive and so I worked very differently with him than I did, say, with Elizabeth Manley, who was under a less intense and public spotlight leading up to the Games.

At these Olympics I am working with women's hockey -- a team of 21 players and a staff of 12. In one sense it's very different to work with a team than with individuals. The needs of the team come first. A team is made up of individuals, however, so what I do depends on the needs of this particular team and what each individual is going to have to manage if she is to be most useful to the team. One of the most critical factors in being optimally useful is the perspective each individual brings to the team.

Controlling Perspective Feelings and thoughts precede all action. Therefore, how each individual performs on competition day, how she treats others on the team and how she reacts under pressure are all modulated by what she is thinking and feeling. Our perspective comes from the stories we tell ourselves and the images we run in our heads. And these stories and images do not just happen in the mind; they translate to the body and create sensations and physiological changes. You need only think of a pressure situation that you have been in to become aware that your internal dialogue and images create a physiology that may be inaccurate or distorted but nevertheless very real and influential on how you behave.

Imagine, for example, your young child is very late coming home from school. He hasn't called and you can't reach him. As you start to think about why he could be late, unpleasant scenarios enter your mind. As this happens your emotions and physiology will shift into a different state such as fear and/or anxiety. There may be no truth to what you are thinking. That is irrelevant. Your perspective determines how you will react. It is this internal reactivity that can distract, distort and modify the action we take and how well we perform. When pressure is applied, when the stakes are high, we can imagine all kinds of things -- good or bad -- about ourselves, our situation, the outcome. I teach the athletes to notice when they are not feeling "right" and to name what the source of their internal discomfort is. Once we can see it we can deal with it. I teach a powerful little skill called reframing that helps the performer shift focus back to thoughts and feelings that will help rather than hinder. And one of the first things an athlete has to determine is what is within their control and what isn't. Because if they get that wrong . . .

Energy Management The second area that we spend a fair amount of time working on is energy management. Learning to monitor and raise and lower your arousal level is critical to performing at high levels, not only in competition but also in practice. When arousal level gets too high our attentional focus starts to narrow. We have no control over this. Too narrow a focus can lead to mistakes -- what, in sport, is commonly called choking. Most of the time, especially at the Olympics, athletes need to be able to recognize when they are too high and lower their arousal level quickly and efficiently and get back on their game. One of the skills I have taught almost every athlete I've ever worked with is a breathing technique called centering.

Confidence Building The third area, which is very much connected to the first two, is confidence, self-esteem, belief in one's self. In the end no team or individual will go far without confidence. Learning to be supportive of yourself and others on a team, while holding each other accountable and pushing each other to be better, is of paramount importance to be successful. The closer to the day of the event the more important confidence becomes. In fact, it becomes one of the single most important factors right before the event. The very best coaches understand this and build confidence in their performers well before a major competition. Let's hope we have all done a good job of this for all Canadian athletes who will be in the 2010 Games!