When you lose your nerve (and what to do about it)

It happens to everyone. You are ready to do some kind of activity (an audition, performance, competition, writing, etc.), but something happens. You choke, freeze, avoid it, maybe even break out into a cold sweat just thinking about it. The bottom line is - you just can't do it. It's like part of you wants to do it and part of you has both feet on the brakes.

Analytically you know you have what it takes to succeed (often you've succeeded at it before). Analytically you understand that whatever happened that resulted in you losing your nerve shouldn't stop you from moving on. You get frustrated, angry, guilty and so do those around you. What's happened is that you developed a problem with the mental game, you formed a belief that is holding you back.

What can you do about it?

Every problem has a solution. Here is something you can try to get your nerve back.

Write down what happened that made you lose your nerve (if you think you know). Draw a big red circle around it and then a line through it. Then DESTROY that paper - rip it up into confetti, burn it, whatever completely gets rid of it. As you are doing that, tell what's on that paper that it's done, finished, deleted, destroyed, whatever sounds good. What you are doing is communicating with the imagination part of your mind, that's where beliefs are stored.

Then, write down the reasons you should be able to succeed (keep it positive - not why you shouldn't be having the problem). Include successful experiences. After you've written them down, read them out loud. Then, close your eyes and picture (or imagine) doing those things successfully.

Sometimes this is all that's needed to get you back on track.

If that doesn't work for you, then you've probably got a serious mental block that needs to be released, but they can be release quickly. I use my mental coaching method to help people do that.

Go to: thementalcoach.com to learn more.

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David Kenward - The Mental Coach
thementalcoach.com
916-802-5897

Justin Rose shows power of golf mental game self talk

Justin Rose (and his ailing shoulder) was featured in an article written by Rex Hoggard on golfchannel.com. In that article was a CRUCIAL aspect of the mental game - what we say to ourselves (AKA self talk) and whether we take ownership of what's negative in our lives.

Here's what I mean. How many times have you heard a golfer (or anyone) talk about "their" slump or yips, "their" problem with their swing, etc. Or they say something like, "I always bogey on the XX hole at XX golf course"

What that self talk does is reinforce to their belief system that they have a problem - that they own it - and we are taught as a society NOT to give up what belongs to us. That kind of self talk makes it really hard to let the problem go, even if we want to.

The article referred to Justin Rose's "ailing shoulder" but Rose was quoted as referring to it as "a little something."

That reinforces, to him, that it is just a bump in the road he'll get past, not a roadblock.

You can do this, too. Be aware of your language, and even one simple change: "my" to "the" can send a powerful message to yourself, because our mind is always listening. That's an important part of the mental game and it's easy to do.
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Here's the link to the golfchannel.com article

Please comment to tell me what you think or contact me with any questions.

Great Golf Tip to Boost Your Mental Game

Here's a great golf tip to boost your mental game.

Thanks to Sam Snead, a great golfer, for making this tip possible.



David Kenward - The Mental Coach

Golf How To: Letting Go of Bad Shots or Bad Luck

You've seen it happen. A golfer is playing great, everything is flowing and they seem unstoppable.

Then something happens. A shot goes bad or a gust of wind costs them a stroke (that happened to Harrington at the 2009 Masters). They can lose their rhythm, confidence or focus. Shots go bad, they can choke, get the yips, get more and more stressed and they end up in a vicious circle of frustration. At that point, they've lost the mental game.

Creating Your Mental Game Toolbox. Step Three: POWER PRACTICE SECRETS

The third step of creating your mental game toolbox is POWER PRACTICE SECRETS.

In step one you analyzed what you want, your payoff and what has and hasn't worked for you in the past. In step two, you learned about mental training tools and you should have picked one or more to start. Now, it's time to put them into action.

Creating Your Mental Game Toolbox. Step Two: PICK YOUR TOOLS

After completing Step One: ANALYZE, the next step in Creating Your Mental Game Toolbox is to PICK YOUR TOOLS. You've written down specifically what you want, whether you want to solve a problem or improve performance (or both), what you've tried and what your success payoff is. Now it's time to figure out what tools can help you do it.

Creating Your Mental Game Toolbox. Step One: ANALYZE

The great thing about sports is that you get to show off the results of your combination of ability, skills and practice. That's why it's so tough when you're stopped dead by your mental game AKA being in a slump, choking, having the yips, a hitch, meltdowns, etc. But, problems with the mental game can be fixed. Like with anything else, to fix something properly you need the right tools and know what to do with them.