Basic Mental Skills: Coach Workbook

Basic Mental Skills:
Coach Workbook

Basic Mental Skills: Coach Workbook

Table of Contents

1Introduction

1.1Purpose of Document

1.2NCCP Core Competencies

1.3Learning Outcomes

1.4Overall Context

1.5Symbols

1.6Workbook Topics

2Recognizing Gaps in Mental Skills

2.1Mental Skills and Competition

2.2Types of Mental Skills

2.3Signs of Trouble

3Improving Attentional Control

3.1Attentional Control Scenario

3.2Focus and Your Sport

3.3Distractions and Your Sport

4Improving Emotional Control

4.1Emotional Control Scenario

4.2Causes of Anxiety

5Setting Goals

5.1My Starting Point

6Planning for Mental Preparation

6.1Seasonal Road Maps

7Self-assessment

8Action Card

9Great Ideas

The Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information

The Coaching Association of Canada collects your NCCP qualifications and personal information and shares it with all NCCP partners according to the privacy policy detailed at By participating in the NCCP you are providing consent for your information to be gathered and shared as detailed in the privacy policy. If you have any questions or would like to abstain from participating in the NCCP please contact .

The programs of this organization are funded in part by Sport Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Version 1.4, 2013 © Coaching Association of Canada

Basic Mental Skills: Coach Workbook

1Introduction

1.1Purpose of Document

This Coach Workbook is your record of what you did and what you learned in the Basic Mental Skills workshop. The Coach Workbook has been designed to help you work on your own, after the workshop, to improve even more as a coach. We therefore recommend that you save your Workbook and consult it regularly to ensure continuous improvement of your coaching skills.

This Workbook refers often to Reference Material, a document developed to deepen your knowledge of key coaching topics. You receive Reference Material along with this Coach Workbook when you register for the Basic Mental Skills workshop.

1.2NCCP Core Competencies

As you progress through this module, you will work on developing five core competencies that will help you become a more effective coach and have a more meaningful impact on athletes’ experience. The competencies are problem-solving, valuing, critical thinking, leadership, and interaction. Here are just some of the ways these competencies come into play in the Basic Mental Skills workshop:

Problem-solving

Develop ways of dealing with situations where anxiety before competition, distractions, and poor focus may affect performance

Valuing

Respect individual differences and intervene with athletes in a respectful manner

Critical Thinking

Learn to recognize behaviours before and during competition that suggest athletes may need to improve their mental skills

Compare current knowledge, skills, and attitudes with the information provided in the Reference Material

Reflect on how to talk with athletes to determine what is negatively affecting their performance

Leading

Help athletes become more autonomous about preparing for performance

Educate athletes about the importance of developing and implementing strategies for performance

Interacting

Brainstorm with other coaches to develop strategies and plans for improving performance

1.3Learning Outcomes

After finishing this module, you will recognize when athletes need some help with their mental skills, and you will know how to help them improve these skills. In particular, you will be able to:

Help athletes be mentally prepared for competition

Integrate mental-preparation strategies into practices

1.4Overall Context

This module is one of many offered in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). For more information on the NCCP and the workshops it offers, visit

1.5Symbols

You will find the following symbols in this Workbook:

1.6Workbook Topics

There are five topics on basic mental skills in this workbook:

Recognizing gaps in mental skills

Improving attentional control

Improving emotional control

Setting goals

Planning for mental preparation

Version 1.4, 2013 © Coaching Association of CanadaPage 1

Basic Mental Skills: Coach Workbook

2Recognizing Gaps in Mental Skills

2.1Mental Skills and Competition

Picture yourself coaching two athletes of comparable fitness and abilities. Both perform at the same level in practices; however, when it comes time for competition, one almost always performs to potential while the other frequently underperforms.

2.1.1In your opinion, what possible reasons might explain this situation? What might one athlete be doing well that the other can’t? Note your ideas in the space below.

To help you identify some possible reasons, think of successful athletes you’ve coached in the past, or relate to experiences you may have had as an athlete. Focus on behaviors you can observe.

Athletes who perform well in competition are able to…

Block out distractions such as noise from the fans

2.1.2Compare your thoughts with other coaches. Are there ideas you’d like to add to your list above?

2.2Types of Mental Skills

The Learning Facilitator has given you some general information about mental preparation. Sport psychologists deal with a variety of mental skills; in this workshop we will focus on three basic mental skills:

Managing focus, which is a type of attentional control

Managing negative anxiety, which is a type of emotional control

Goal setting

2.2.1Review your list of ideas in 2.1.1, and identify the behaviours that seem related to attentional control and to emotional control.

2.3Signs of Trouble

Helping athletes perform well in competition is one of your key roles as a coach. Learning to recognize that an athlete is having trouble coping with the stress of competition is therefore extremely important.

2.3.1Together with another coach, identify signs and behaviours that might indicate an athlete is having trouble focusing or difficulty in managing anxiety. Use the space below to record your thoughts. Thinking about an athlete you’ve seen having difficulties may help you.

Signs that an athlete might be having trouble focusing

Turns head to check out distracting noises

Signs that an athlete might be having trouble managing anxiety

Is constantly fidgeting

2.3.2Check the section of the Reference Material entitled Spotting Focus and Anxiety Problems. Are there other behaviours or signs you could add to your previous lists that might help you recognize that an athlete needs to improve these mental skills?

3Improving Attentional Control

3.1Attentional Control Scenario

3.1.1Take a few minutes to read the scenario below.

Jan has been chosen for the travel team that you coach. Sometimes she nearly misses the beginning of the competition because she seems off in her own world. She’s constantly moving from one teammate to another, unable to keep her attention on the tasks at hand. She seems preoccupied by what everyone else is doing, and she forgets equipment and instructions. Her judgment seems poor, and she seems unable to find cues in her environment; she therefore can’t anticipate anything and is constantly reacting too late. She seems to get worse as the competition progresses, getting more and more distracted until she is barely able to execute even the most basic skills.

3.1.2Picture yourself as Jan’s coach. What would you do to help her, and how would you do it? Share your response with other coaches.

3.2Focus and Your Sport

3.2.1To train athletes how to focus for your sport, you must first think about what kind of focus your sport requires. The questions that follow will help you do this.

How often does competition in your sport require an athlete to shift his/her focus? If your sport has athletes in different positions or playing different roles, you may have to answer the question differently for each position.

MY SPORT: ______

POSITION (if this applies) FEW SHIFTS LOTS OF SHIFTS

E.g., Football (quarterback)

3.2.2Now that you know whether your sport requires athletes to shift their focus often, reflect on what athletes must be focused on at any given time during the competition to perform successfully.

POSITION (if this applies) TIME OBJECT(S) OF FOCUS

E.g., Ski racer (no position)Start of raceSound of starter

First 5 gatesLook ahead, find line

3.3Distractions and Your Sport

3.3.1As a next step, think of potential sources of distraction that athletes commonly encounter in your sport. List them below.

3.3.2Share some of your previous analyses (3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.3.1) with another coach. Then review the Focus Shifts, Objects of Focus, and Examples of Distracters sections of Reference Material. Are there other potential sources of distraction that could affect the athletes you coach? If so, add them to the list you made in 3.3.1.

3.3.3The Learning Facilitator will now practise with you some of the methods in the Reference Material that are designed to help athletes improve their focus by:

Learning to shift their focus

Learning to focus on the right things at the right time

These methods can be found in the section of the Reference Material titled Basic Skills for Improving Focus.

3.3.4Having experienced some mental-skills methods and considered others in the Reference Material, what would you now do differently to help Jan (see 3.1.2)? Note them as reminders to yourself in the space below or on your Action Card.

4Improving Emotional Control

4.1Emotional Control Scenario

4.1.1Read the Guidelines for Return to Play after a Concussion section in the Reference Material. Keeping these guidelines in mind, take a few minutes to read the scenario assigned to you (Scenario A or B).

Scenario A:Jake is an athlete who is a pleasure to coach. He’s attentive during practices, works hard, and is a team-oriented person. He often helps others that are less skilled than he is, and he makes sure everyone has a chance to shine in practices. He comes from a loving family and works hard in all aspects of his life. He drives himself very hard and wants to be the best he can be. His friends describe him as sincere, caring, fun loving, and an all-round cool guy. In practice, he proves he can excel in the sport. In competition, however, it’s as if a different person shows up. He doesn’t want to eat on competition day, fidgets, yawns constantly as if he is bored; yet his eyes are wide open and he looks almost frightened. He’s so worried he’ll let his teammates, coach, and parents down that competing doesn’t seem fun to him. As a result, his performances are usually well below what he’s capable of, and the person he ends up disappointing most is himself.

Scenario B:Jasmine is your star athlete. She is first to practice and last to leave. When you need something done, Jasmine is the one who will always pull through for you. She even performs well under pressure. Last month, Jasmine hit her head in a competition and has not played in a competition since. She followed the doctor-recommended six-step return to play protocol. She has been practising a bit but you cannot get the same intensity out of her that she used to have. She is very tentative. Jasmine has been cleared by a doctor to resume all levels of play, including competition. Jasmine says she is fine and is playing to the best of her ability, but you notice that the spark is gone and she just isn’t performing the way she used to.

4.1.2Picture yourself as Jake’s or Jasmine’s coach. What would you do to help him or her and how would you do it? Share your responses with other coaches.

4.2Causes of Anxiety

4.2.1Brainstorm with other coaches, and identify as many causes of anxiety as you can. You can find some in the scenarios described in 4.1.1.

Not feeling ready for the task

Worried about letting parents down

4.2.2Consult the Reference Material on Common Causes of Negative Anxiety, Coping with Emotions after a Concussion, and Guidelines for Return to Play after a Concussion. Are there any other causes that you’d like to add to your notes in 4.2.1?

The Learning Facilitator will now practise with you some methods designed to help athletes manage their anxiety and explain some of the possible links between lack of focus and negative anxiety. These methods and this information can be found in the Reference Material section Techniques for Managing Anxiety.

4.2.3Now, return to your ideas in 4.1.2. Based on this information and the methods you just tried, would you now do anything differently to help an athlete like Jake or Jasmine? If so, write down a few key reminders in the space below or on your Action Card.

5Setting Goals

Whatever their reason for being in sport, athletes can benefit from goal setting. For example, goal setting can play an important role in keeping athletes involved in sport. Goal setting also generally motivates athletes to push beyond their current skills and abilities.

Take a look at the Reasons for Involvement in Sport section of the Reference Material. Most reasons usually belong to one of these four categories:

A desire for achievement — a wish to improve, master new skills, and pursue excellence

A need for affiliation — a desire to have positive and friendly relations with others

A desire for sensation — a desire to experience the sights, sounds, and physical feelings surrounding a sport or the excitement in a sport

A desire for self-direction — a wish to feel a sense of control, to feel in charge

5.1My Starting Point

5.1.1What goal setting do you currently do with the athletes you coach? When do you do it?

WHAT I DOHOW AND WHEN I DO IT

E.g., Ask team what they want to achieveE.g., How — Team meeting

When — Before the season starts

5.1.2Use the table below to list some examples of the goals you’ve set with your athletes. Or think about goals you’ve set for yourself in your personal or professional life. In doing this, try to think about (1) the type of goal you set, (2) the climate in which you set the goal(s), and (3) the information you needed to be able to set the goals.

Goal / Type of Goal
(Check One) / Climate Necessary to Set This Goal / Information Needed to Set
This Goal
E.g.,Team Goal:
We want to place 3rd or higher in the league standings so that we make the playoffs / This goal is about a result /
Done as a team at a team meeting; all players must feel as if they have a say in the goal and must buy into it individually and together /
Past experiences and standings for this team and for other teams that will be in the league this year
This goal is about self improvement
This goal is about how I want to execute
This goal is about a result
This goal is about self improvement
This goal is about how I want to execute
This goal is about a result
This goal is about self improvement
This goal is about how I want to execute
This goal is about a result
This goal is about self improvement
This goal is about how I want to execute

5.1.3The Learning Facilitator will now practise with you some methods designed to help athletes set goals. These methods are in the section of the Reference Material titled Setting Goals.

Now, take one of the goals you identified in 5.1.2. Using the process below, go through each step in detail and clarify what your goal is really about, how you will know that it has been achieved, and how you will go about achieving it. The Reference Material also includes an alternative method for the goal-setting process.

Step of the Goal-setting Process / Detailing the Goal
Step 1- Establish the goal and commit to it (i.e., what needs to be accomplished, and why is this important?)
E.g., (Ski racer) - Improve race start, because you can win or lose a race in the first 25 m as a result of the quality of start
Step 2- State the goal clearly in terms of performance or outcome.
E.g., Cut one 1 second of time from tripping wand to 10 m by January 1
Step 3- Identify indicators of success (i.e. what evidence is needed to say the goal has been achieved?)
E.g., Time starts on first day of training in October. Timed starts in training for Nov, .5 seconds less; timed starts in Dec, .75 seconds less; start time Jan 1, one second less than in October.
Step 4- Identify specific strategies to achieve the goal (i.e. what must be done to achieve this goal, and how will this be done?)
E.g., Build a permanent practice start ramp; video starts, detect and correct technique; build upper-body strength.

5.1.4Take a few minutes and think about what you’d do differently now about goal setting. Note your thoughts on your Action Card.

6Planning for Mental Preparation

6.1Seasonal Road Maps

6.1.1If you were asked to plan the mental training of your athletes, what would you emphasize at different periods of the season?

Use the table below to outline when you think each of the mental skills we have covered so far might best be trained. To help you complete this exercise, you may want to use some of the following terms (explanations in brackets) in the table below as you consider managing focus and negative anxiety, as well as goal setting: