Hitting a hole in one and getting that Strike

In addition to writing articles and working with racers, I also work with college athletes. Currently I am working with soccer players, basketball players, softball players, golfers, and the bowling team. The more I work with different sports, the more similarities I find between athletes and some simple things that can help all athletes. Here are some sport psychology techniques that I have found that apply across various sports. Hopefully they will not only help you drive your racecar, but these same ideas might help you the next time you go out golfing or bowling!

#1: PRACTICE! It sounds cliché, but you have to practice to get better. You also have to practice like you want to play. When I was working with the bowling team, many talked about how they don't take practice very seriously and then during the actual tournaments they get nervous-practice like you want to perform and practice as much as you can! Practice it in the car, practice it in your head, your brain can make some simple changes, but it won't seem automatic at first. Anything you do needs some conscious practice to get it right.

#2 NO FEAR! Many of the athletes I talk with spend a lot of time worrying about what they don't want to happen. Sure you need to do the correct maintenance and try to prevent negative things from happening. But you don't want to spend too much time thinking about what you are afraid of happening. For example, if I am golfing and I keep worrying about shanking to the left, chances are that is exactly what I am going to do! For drag racers, you can't be afraid of red lighting....All drag racers do it, and it sucks everytime, and as so many great racers say, "If you never redlight you just aren't trying..." If you look over your logbooks and write down why you win and lose you will notice that most racers lose more by cutting bad lights than by cutting red lights. So you have to get over that fear. How can you do it? Remember how bad you feel when you cut a crappy light? Work on ways to keep your stress and energy levels constant to avoid redlights or slow lights. Focus on what you WANT to happen, not on what you are AFRAID of happening!

#3 CONSISTENCY I never realized how much bowling and golfing was like auto racing. They have their routines, they have to be consistent, and they also deal with equipment. You want to do everything exactly the same with your program routine and your approach. I see way too many guys changing things up in the way they stage, the way they do burnouts, the temperature they keep their cars at, etc. But you have to be consistent. Try to think of ways to do everything the same every time!

#4 FLEXIBLITY...ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES So you and your car have to be consistent, but you also have to be flexible. Seems like an impossible thing, but it isn't. You can be as consistent as you possibly can but sometimes you still have to roll with the punches. You have to be able to adjust to a change in lanes, a sudden change in the weather or light conditions or changing guidelines for different classes and different tracks. The best athletes have a clear routine, but they also can quickly adapt to changes. Rather than getting upset when something outside of their control changes, they realize that the best athletes can quickly adapt and roll with the punches and go with the flow.

#5 FOCUS! The main thing an athlete can control is their own focus. It is natural for your mind to start to think about other things, to worry about things you can't control, to start to obsess over other things. But with practice you can get your brain back on track. Ask your brain these questions when you lose focus, 1.) is this something I can control, if you can't control it, drop it! 2.) is what I am thinking about useful and will it help me win? If what you are doing is wasting precious brain energy and not helping you succeed then stop thinking about it! Wit enough practice you can learn to focus on what is relevant, something you can control, and something that will help you win! For drag racers, when you are on the line, it is just you, your car, and the light...it is not the time to be thinking about anything else! The best drivers can be relaxed or working on the cars in the pits, but quickly focus when they roll up to the starting lines.

#6 TOUGH IT OUT! If it was easy to win races, we would all win. In any sport there are winners and losers. In racing there is only one winner and lots of disappointed people who wanted to win and maybe even deserved to win. The best athletes learn to tough it out and stay with it for the long haul.

Remember that true success is not measured by winning one round, winning one race, or even having one winning season. True success is measured by consistently competing over the years.

photo by Digital Sextant