How you use your energy affects your readiness state or consistent high performances during training and competitions. Learn the strategies to apply optimal energy levels on demand.

 

This is the fifth Psychological Skills Training video is the PST series provided by EGWF and coachshannyn.com.  And, at some point, many athletes may encounter moments when they are either too excited, nervous, or lethargic that negatively impact competition performances.  What then, could a coach do to counter these emotions or feelings?  What could an athlete do to prepare for this inevitable emotional outcome that does come up in competitions and training (especially if it is consistently negatively impacting competition performances)?

An answer is to practice using PST and or learn how to combat unwanted feelings or emotions during practice & competitions.  Throughout this blog and in these e-books, A sports science approach to coaching & Coaching wrestling in the 21st century, I  explain a model that all athletes and coaches can use to enhance high performance training which includes daily practice, learning, then mastering (among other ideas) psychological skills training.

The above video gives several examples of how controlling one’s energy levels could lead to more effective & productive training plus competition performance.  But what if an athlete or coach already has very productive energy management skills?

An answer to that question suggests that if you (or anyone) can get better at anything, should they?  Or, doesn’t it make sense to get better at most things in life and continue to progress by sharpening your blade consistently?  I argue that is what practice and training are for.  I also support the Tony Robbins idea of constant and never ending improvement in all areas of life whether it’s in the classroom, wrestling room, socially, or anywhere.

You (and I) are in control of our emotions, thoughts, & feelings which ultimatley can impact energy management in the most productive ways & means possible.  By learning the strategies suggested above in the video, you may have a better opportunity to understand then apply these psychological skills that give you a competitive edge.

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You can also learn more about High Performance Training right now at the below links:

• Weekly Blog
• Random Articles
• International Blog
• E-books

Copyright © by Coach Shannyn,  All rights reserved

In this video, learn about one of the most important concepts of periodization and how to implement breaks in training and throughout a Long Term Athlete Development plan.

Excerpt from Coaching wrestling in the 21st century

The transition phase, in a periodization of training model, is a break or decrease from training volume from season to season in a manner that helps athletes grow, develop, and recover. The end of a training month (or mesocycle) generally has a recovery week and a recovery week is also designed to decrease training volume to help athletes grow, develop, and recover. Breaks in between bouts of wrestling competitions or training are also a decrease in volume of work and also help athletes grow, develop, and recover. Recovery is one of the secrets of training that often gets overlooked (to the demise of many coaches and athletes) so we will spend some time describing this very important concept.

One of the components of anabolic steroids, which is sometimes used as an illegal performance enhancing drug, was the very quick recovery time it allowed its illegal abusers. To be clear, anabolic steroids are illegal PEDs, and, I am not endorsing nor recommending anyone use them and my point is to show you how important recovery is. Because illegal steroids allowed its abusers to recover quickly, it also allowed them to train more and have more good to great practices. This accumulation of training hours gave anabolic steroid abusers an illegal advantage because it was like they had trained twice or three times as much as non-anabolic steroid users. Can you imagine what type of an advantage 2-3 times the amount of training (designed by sport scientists, medical doctors & high performance training coaches) would give anyone?

One of the byproducts of training is fatigue (fitness fatigue theory). Recovery time allows our bodies to recuperate, relax, and re-build so that the training can be optimally realized The process of daily recovery generally takes about 5-24 hours and involves eating at least 3 nutritious meals per day (plus re-hydrating), sleeping for 8-10 hours per day, and letting the body naturally get back to its homeostasis or normal state. When athletes recover properly, they can actually do more work again till they are tired and need another break. This cycle of work, rest, recovery is normal and happens in all parts of life. Have you ever read a book for more than 3 hours in a row or written a paper for more than 3 hours in a row with no breaks? If so, how did you feel during and after those work bouts? And, did your quality of work start to diminish? The body needs intermittent breaks to adequately and consistently perform at high levels in sport, life, and everywhere else.

So how can you as coach design great recovery plans?

You can design great recovery plans by thoroughly understanding & applying each phase of a periodization of training model i.e. pre-competition phase, competition phase, & transition phase. That seems simple and sometimes the balance of each phase gets unbalanced. In other words, one phase of the season may not support the other and under-recovery (overtraining) or burnout or injuries or quitting may happen with the athletes. To balance each phase, coaches should keep in mind LTAD and really understand what each phase could look like.

Another concept for designing great recovery plans is utilizing the fitness fatigue theory. This theory suggests 2 things happen when any athlete trains: they get fit and they get fatigued. So, every athlete must have time to recover in order to optimally realize the fitness just gained after training. If athletes are allowed adequate time to recover (generally 5-24 hours) they will be more ready for the next workout or training session. Given enough recovery time via a recovery week (when the volume of training is reduced for entire week), athletes will actually supercompensate or be more fit than they were before the start of the mesocycle and recovery week. In other words, when athletes are in the middle of a training block or mesocycle, they are more fatigued because the volume of training is increasing. Athletes will optimally realize fitness training and be more in shape after a recovery week when the fatigue declines faster than the fitness declines due to the decrease in the volume of training.

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You can also learn more about High Performance Training right now at the below links:

• Weekly Blog
• Random Articles
• International Blog
• E-books

Copyright © by Coach Shannyn,  All rights reserved

Learn how to use an advanced form of imagery to strengthen your ability to change the way you feel about training, competing, & preparing for the season. Control the consistent images you see to determine your actions to optimally perform.

HPT-PST is an abbreviation for High Performance Training-Psychological Skills Training and this particular video is Day 2 of Day 7; i.e. a seven-day program to help student-athletes attain another level of confidence in their athletic abilities regarding imagery.  This program is being offered to everyone free for a limited time – so please take advantage of these “secrets of success”.

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You can also learn more about High Performance Training right now at the below links:

• Weekly Blog
• Random Articles
• International Blog
• E-books

Copyright © by Coach Shannyn,  All rights reserved

Do you ever wonder what the champions are consistently thinking about?  Thinking, is an advanced form of imagery.  Learn how to apply high performance imagery strategies that help you perform in the below video.

Some of the basics of imagery that are discussed in the above video are using the senses or the 5 senses most of us use to imagine doing things whether they are productive or unproductive.  Below are examples of both productive & unproductive uses of imagery.

Two imagery examples prior to stepping on the wrestling mat:

1. Thinking confident, excited, productive emotions i.e. ready to compete
2. Thinking frightful, nervous, unproductive emotions i.e. not ready to compete.

Because you can control many of your thoughts that lead to actions, the video points out several ways & means to get your mind in the right frame to execute more productive imagery.  Two examples of this strategy are practicing (months, weeks, & days prior) self-talk and creating a pre-competition routine.  Both of these tactics likely will help most of us – if persistently trained, practiced, & conditioned.

Towards the end of the above video, 2 other examples are given on how to start or begin to notice your own imagery.  The examples are given to suggest everyone has the capacity to control imagery whether they believe it or not.  The challenge for some is to believe they can control their own imagery – then gradually use imagery to gain an extreme advantage over prior or previous athletic experiences they have had.

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You can also learn more about High Performance Training right now at the below links:

• Weekly Blog
• Random Articles
• International Blog
• E-books

Copyright © by Coach Shannyn,  All rights reserved