12 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT

• Goal Setting:
  Goal Setting is defined as the aim or object of something you are trying to obtain and is a powerful tool to use in sport because it: (a) directs attention to focus on the goal, (b) mobilizes effort, (c) increases long term persistence, and (d) promotes the development of new learning strategies. In addition, goal setting helps us determine our priorities, get organized, and make big decisions.
  
  Following are some principles of goal setting (SMART):
  
  
  • Specific :
    
    Specific goals are the most motivating. An example of a specific goal is to reduce your 5K time by 30 seconds within 6 months. Many people just say they want to get faster. This goal is far too general to really motivate you in your training.
  
  
  • Measurable :
    
    Set measurable goals. Simply saying that you want to get faster is not enough detail. You need to be able to chart and document progress toward your goal.
  
  
  • Adjustable :
    
    By setting adjustable goals, your goals will be flexible enough to accommodate unexpected challenges without becoming obsolete. An injury may force your to modify your goal. If you goal is to run a certain marathon and you are injured, you may need to change your goal to do the half marathon, or some other event. An injury doesn't need to mean you abandon all your plans. At the same time, you may find you are progressing quickly and need to raise your goal.
  
  
  • Realistic :
    
    Set realistic goals. Start where you are, and increase your goals accordingly. If you haven't ever run a 5K, it's probably not a wise goal to say you want to run a marathon. While that may be your long-term goal, in the short-term you may want to shoot for the 5K and 10K and half marathon on the way to your marathon goal.
  
  
  • Timely :
    
    Set time-based goals. Look again at first example: reduce your 5K time by 30 seconds within 6 months. This is specific and time-based. Without a time line there is a tendency to procrastinate or get bored.
  
  
• Team Cohesion
  Team Cohesion is when a group sticks together and remains united as a result of many factors. Some of those factors may be 1) motivation to work towards a group goal or 2) motivation to develop or maintain better friendships. Social cohesion generally develops as a result of members’ instrumental and social interactions and communications. Team cohesion is affected by 1) group integration- to what extent does each student-athlete see the team as a unit and 2) individual attractions to the group- which represents each individual’s personal attractions to the group.
  
  
• Leadership
  Although there are numerous ways to define leadership, leadership might broadly be considered the behavioral process of influencing individuals and groups toward set goals. This definition is useful because it encompasses many dimensions of leadership. In sport, these dimensions include decision-making processes, motivational techniques, giving feedback, establishing interpersonal relationships, and directing the group or team confidently. A leader knows where the team is going (i.e. team goals) and provides direction and resources to help the team get there.
  
  
  Examples of Leadership Behaviors:
  
  • Initiate a competitive training environment
  • Promote importance of working together to achieve goals
  • Encourage social interaction outside athletics
  • Represent the team favorably when in the community (i.e., attending other campus or community activities).
  • Provide encouragement during practices and games
  • Exude a sense of excitement about your sport
  • Give 110% at practices, games, team activities
  
  
• Communication
  Communication is a process that allows for an exchange of information. Communication requires that all parties understand a common language and information can be shared verbally (i.e., speaking) and non-verbally (e.g., body language, eye contact, gestures).
  
  
  General Communication Skills:
  • Work to understand the other person.
  • Ask them questions and LISTEN.
  • Acknowledge their feelings.
  • Pay attention to how you’re presenting yourself.
  • Don’t talk over their heads.
  • Be honest with the other person and yourself.
  • When giving or receiving feedback, pay attention to the verbal and non-verbal messages you’re giving.
  • Don’t get caught up in an argument and don’t engage in name-calling.
  • Be receptive to what the other person says – watch out for selective hearing.
  • Don’t just listen to formulate your response, listen to understand the other person.
  • Use “I” statements – this helps you take responsibility and be accountable for your thoughts & feelings.
  • Don’t blame the other person.
  
  Communication Skills to Use When Dealing with Conflict with Someone Else:
  • Be respectful; one person speaks at a time.
  • Think before you speak - attempt to see situation from other person’s perspective.
  • Allow space for all parties to participate in the conversation.
  • Ask yourself, “What is my part or role in this conflict?”
  • Share yourself – say what you’re feeling, thinking, wanting to happen, etc.
  • Be willing to say how you were affected by the other person’s actions.
  • Be willing to be vulnerable – you don’t need to be in complete control of the conversation.
  • Set limits with the other person if necessary. You can choose not to answer a question if you think the other person id being unfair or abusive. If you do this, make an agreement to discuss the issues more later on.
  • Pay attention to your feelings.
  • Ask if it is okay to provide feedback before you give any.
  • Open the door for others to provide feedback to you.
  
  Communication Pitfalls:
  • Mind-reading
  • Fortune Telling
  • Using the word “should” ((e.g., “You should/shouldn’t have done. . .”
  
  
• Arousal Regulation and Relaxation.
  It is common for an athlete to feel tense, stressed, anxious, or frustrated while participating in their sport. Depending on the person, there are different ways of coping with the pressures of competitive sport and getting to a state of relaxation. Following is a list of relaxation techniques that can be used to decrease feelings such as performance anxiety and competitive stress.
  
  
  • Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PRM) - PMR involves tensing and relaxing specific muscles, until all major muscle groups are completely relaxed. These tension-relaxation cycles develop your awareness of the difference between tension and lack of tension. With skill, you can detect tension in a specific muscle or area of the body, like the neck, and then relax that muscle.
  
  
  • Breath Control – Breathing is key to achieving relaxation and is one of the easiest and most effective ways to control anxiety and muscle tension. When you are calm, confident, and in control, your breathing is likely smooth, deep, and rhythmical. When you’re under pressure and tense, your breathing is likely short, shallow, and irregular. Smooth, deep, and rhythmic breathing is an integral component of peak performance.
  
  
  • Biofeedback -In most relaxation procedures, one of the goals is to become aware of the muscular tension, as well as other reactions such as heart rate or respiration rate. Biofeedback is a technique specifically designed to teach people to control these automatic responses.
  
  
  • Smile -When you feel tension coming on, SMILE! It is difficult to be mad or upset when you are smiling and by smiling, you take the edge off an anxiety-producing situation.
  
  
  • Have Fun -Athletes highly skilled in their sport convey a sense of enjoyment and fun. Most of them look forward to and even relish pressure situations.
  
  
  • Slow Down –Many athletes report that when they are feeling frustrated and mad, they start to perform too quickly. If you start to feel this way, remember to take your time and focus on what you are doing.
  
  
• Self-Talk
  You engage in self-talk any time you talk to yourself, such as giving yourself instructions and encouragement or interpreting what you are feeling or perceiving. Self-talk can be either out load (e.g., mumbling to yourself) or inside your head. Self-talk becomes an asset when it enhances self-worth and performance.
  
  
  Self-Talk Can Facilitate Performance By:
  • Fostering positive expectation
  • Appropriately focusing attention on the task
  • Helping athletes deal with stress
  • Increase confidence
  • Increase motivation
  
  Self-Talk Can Hurt Performance By:
  • Distracting attention from the task at hand
  • Disrupting the automatic performance
  • Decreasing confidence
  • Decreasing motivation
  • Increasing negative expectations
  
  
• Confidence
  Confidence is the degree to which someone believes in their ability to do something. Can refer to a general feeling or a specific task.
  
  
  Confidence Builders:
  
  • Positive Self-Talk
  - Having constant, spontaneous, internal dialogue that is positive.
  • Focus on Strengths
  - What are my physical/mental strengths?
  - What do my teammates, coaches see as my strengths?
  - What do I add to the team?
  
  • Recall/Imagery of previous/future successes
  - What have I accomplished that makes my proud?
  - How was I able to do it? What were the aspects of that situation (self & environment) that contributed to my success?
  
  • Preparation
  - What kind of physical practice have I done?
  - What kind of mental preparation have I done?
  - What kind of overall preparation have I done?
  
  • Outer vs. Inner Confidence
  - Fake it ‘til you make it!!
  - Where does your confidence come from? Others? Within yourself?
  
  • Focus thoughts on controllables
  - Disregard the distractions
  - Focus on the aspects of the situation you can control: your thoughts, feelings, and actions
  
  • Learn from mistakes/losses rather than dwell on them
  • Positive reinforcement from coaches and teammates
  - What have others said or done to imply that they are confident in me and my ability?
  - Who can I emulate as a positive role model?
  
  
  Ways to Understand Confidence: Think of a Balance Scale:

  Positives	VS.	Negatives
  - Encouragement		- Stress
  - Productive Words		- Doubt
  - Images		- Losses

  The challenge is to mentally weigh down your confidence side and minimize or eliminate the other side.

  
  
• Motivation
  Motivation can be defined as the direction and intensity of one’s effort. The direction of effort refers to whether an individual seeks out, approaches, or is attracted to certain situations. Intensity of effort refers to how much effort a person puts forth in a particular situation.
  
  
• Concentration
  Concentration is the skill of blocking out distractions and focusing on the present challenge. Concentration occurs when you are able to focus only on what you're doing in a specific moment.
  
  
• Visualization
  Visualization is the skill of using your imagination to achieve your goals and solve problems. As you imagine the behavior, thoughts, and feelings that you would like to experience within your successful performance, you are creating a mental imprint that you can reenact when it is time to perform. You can increase your likelihood for successful performance the more you practice and develop your visualization skills.
  
  
• Routine/Consistency
  The best athletes often have a set routine that they follow exactly for every performance. Practice the technical skills of your successful performance and rehearse the feel or flow to successful performance in order to develop a successful routine. Consistent excellence in practice and preparation leads to consistent excellence in performance.
  
  
• Flexibility
  Throughout the athletic experience you will go through transitions both positive and negative, wanted and unwanted. Dealing with adversity is a life-long lesson that can become more accepting through patience. Because change is an inevitable process, stop fighting the process and learn how to work through it. Learn how to adapt.

12 Essential Skills (Adobe PDF)