“To win at St Andrews is the ultimate” – Tiger Woods, Open Champion 2000, 2005

 On the official St Andrews Links website it says, “What all St Andrews champions have in common is that they learned to plot their way around the hazards that litter the links and prey on the mind.” Speaking from an NLP sports psychology point of view, that one sentence pretty much sums up the content of this article! It takes more than a mastery of physical skills to master the game of golf, it takes a mastery of mental skills to make it all the way to the top.

 The phrase, “prey on the mind,” highlights one of the most difficult mental aspects of the game of golf. It takes a long time to get around a golf course and it takes days to complete each game in a Championship tournament; that’s a lot of “thinking” time – a lot of time for doubts, worries, and negative voices to prey on the mind. The Old Course at St Andrews is home to some of the most famous, or infamous, holes in the world, known to golfers and non-golfers alike. The notorious 17^th ‘Road Hole’ has ended the dreams of many Championship contenders and many ‘big names’ have endured the cameras of the world spotlighting their struggle to escape from the Road Hole bunker. So how do you get beyond the ‘what ifs’?

 To answer the ‘what if’ questions and to cope with the potential for doubt to creep in when ‘thinking’ time provides the opportunity, champion golfers use mental skill. A champion golfer is not only a skilled player, he’s a master at the art of visualisation.

 “Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character” – Arnold Palmer

 A golfer at the top of his game can play every inch of a course without setting foot on it. The whole course can be ‘played’ in detail in his mind. Past experiences can be drawn upon to provide 3D images and to create realistic ‘virtual’ versions of every hole on the course. Crucially, he can also visualise every eventuality, good or not-so-good, and ‘see’ the way forward out of any predicament he may find himself in: he can “plot” his way around the hazards. The most effective mind tool to use against negative ‘what ifs’ is a positive mental attitude. The learned mental skill of visualisation helps to sharpen that tool.

 “Golf is a game played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears”

- Bobby Jones

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Sports psychology

 In 1978, every football fan in Scotland believed the Scottish team would win the World Cup in Argentina. If you’re unfamiliar with Scotland’s history in World Cup tournaments you’ll find nothing unusual about a nation promoting themselves as winners in the build up to a big event, however, in previous campaigns, Scotland had made it almost a tradition to go out in the first round – if they even qualified to take part at all! So why was 1978 different?

 If you were in Scotland in 1978 you will remember the media frenzy that surrounded the Scottish team. They were touted as the greatest team in the history of British national teams – better than England’s winning team of 1966 (if you were reading Scottish press!) – and who can forget the anthemic lyrics: “We’re on the march with Ally’s army, we’re going to the Argentine, for we’ll really shake them up, when we win the World Cup, ‘cause Scotland are the greatest football team.” In sports psychology terms, the Scottish national team were being bombarded with positive external feedback from every source possible.

 The reason for the excitement was newly appointed manager Ally McLeod. It’s reported that on introducing himself to the Scottish squad, he said, “My name is Ally McLeod and I’m a born winner.” Soon after his appointment, he led Scotland to a British Home Championship win. He very quickly developed a team who believed themselves to be winners and in so doing, created an entire nation of believers. Thousands of supporters gathered to cheer the team on their way as they left for Argentina. One reporter asked McLeod what he planned to do after the World Cup. “Retain it,” was his reply.

 In 1978, sports psychology was not as widely recognised as it is today but what McLeod and the Scotland squad demonstrated was the phenomenal power of positive thinking: the power of a positive mental attitude. McLeod believed they would win, the players believed they would win, so an entire nation believed their team would win. Positive thoughts lead to positive actions being taken, and positive actions lead to positive outcomes.

 “If the manager keeps saying we’ll win, we’ll win, we’ll win, then eventually the players will believe it” – Ally McLeod

 Scotland lost their first match, drew their second, and were out of the World Cup by the end of the first round – again. What happened? Could it be that the team got so caught up in the positive thought part of the process that they forgot about the need to act? Did the media hype lead to them believing that all they had to do was show up and the trophy would be theirs? In McLeod’s autobiography written the following year, he questions whether he “generated just too much excitement” and wonders if he “raised the level of national optimism just too high.” McLeod and the 1978 Scotland squad may have failed to deliver the World Cup dream but what we can all learn from the enthusiasm generated by their campaign is that positive thinking holds real power. With effective mental skill training and a mastery of sports psychology techniques, that power can be harnessed and dreams can become realities. If you can believe it, you can achieve it holds true.

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“We changed our tactics and were optimally prepared and that’s why we won” Philipp Lahm Germany Captain

 The media frenzy and the hype that surrounded the England team as they entered the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament has now become an equally frenzied attack on the players and their manager as they exit the World Cup after only four matches. England were not only beaten by Germany, they were beaten 4 – 1. That’s a score that represents England’s worst defeat in World Cup history. What went wrong? And, from a sports psychology point of view, what can be learned from England’s World Cup “debacle”?

 According to the English press, the 2010 England World Cup team were strong contenders; the cream of English Premier League football. The England squad are indeed a collection of talented players  but, right from the off, it became clear that individual talent does not equate to team success. They remained a group of individuals; they lacked cohesion as a team, and at times they appeared to praying for  individual brilliance rather than focusing on the team play that would lead to success. The press, remaining true to British culture, have now turned on their heroes. One report in The Guardian newspaper read: “They (England) look tight and ponderous and tactically illiterate.” Harsh? Another comment posted on the English Premier League blog (EPL Talk) read: “England was as good as a bunch of 12 year old kids… kicking a ball around on the street.”

 Under pressure

 Much has been made of the intense pressure experienced by players in World Cup tournaments but can that pressure or, perhaps more to the point, can the added media pressure be blamed for England’s poor performance? Every competing team is exposed to the same high-pressure environment, so the pressure alone can’t be held responsible. However, the lack of ability to deal with the pressure could be. Sports psychology is all about the mind-body connection and in terms of England’s underachievement, the psychological effects of the pressure could partly  be  responsible for the team’s physical performance.

 In the build up to the World Cup, England’s Wayne Rooney was touted as one of the best soccer players in the world. In all four matches played, commentators questioned Rooney’s fitness. In fact, the fitness of the whole team was questioned by Franz Beckenbauer, the captain of Germany’s winning World Cup team in 1974, who said that the England squad seemed “tired and burnt out.” Could it be that the long premiership season is to blame for England’s poor performance? The Premier League is considered the toughest in the world but for that reason, England’s seasoned professional players should be supremely fit, after all, the only way to get match fit is to play matches. These are players who are able to perform consistently well, week in week out, for their clubs, so physical burn out alone seems an unlikely cause but what about mental burn out?      

 The will to win

 As England’s “star player,” comments were also made regarding Rooney’s lack of “involvement” in each match. In the aftermath of England’s disastrous defeat, mention has also been made of the fact that a number of players failed to sing the national anthem at the start. This would also suggest a lack of involvement!

 “Full engagement is the pathway to extraordinary performance”  – Jim Loehr

 According to Jim Loehr, a world-renowned performance psychologist, the key factor required to achieve team success in sport is to have a team of “fully engaged” players. He says, “Players who are fully engaged bring their best energy to the team.” So, could the visible lack of involvement be responsible for England’s embarrassing display in the World Cup? Yes. England have world class players; what they don’t have is a world class team. To bridge the gap, they need to develop “team spirit.” As one commentator said, “We (England) haven’t won in 44 years and, quite frankly, the players don’t even look as if they have the will to win.” Frustrated fans were certainly losing the will to live! Sports psychology will now play a vital role in determining what happens next for England. Watch this space.

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Total Football

The Total Football style of play made Holland argualbly the greatest soccer team of the 1970s. It’s a style epitomized by the Dutch team captain and star player Johan Cruyff. According to the International Football Hall of Fame, “If Holland were the team that gave the world Total Football, then Johan Cruyff was THE Total Footballer.” In short, Total Football describes a style of play where any player can play any position. In the Dutch team, all of the players had equal levels of technical ability and physical skill, although it’s fair to say that equalling Cruyff’s phenomenal skill was a tall order. He was a player who seemed to effortlessly score goals from everywhere and anywhere on the pitch. So, with such undeniable technical and physical ability making them a force to be reckoned with, why were Holland unable to win the World Cup in 1974?

Total control?

I read an opinion piece once in which the writer said, “while the Dutch quarrelled, the German’s played.” There’s your answer right there. Physically, Holland possessed an almost innate sense of timing and their combined skills as a team meant they generally kept possession of the ball too! However, their superior ball skills also allowed overconfidence to develop and the team displaying a degree of arrogance on the pitch. Which is not necessarily a bad thing but and it’s a big but !They knew they were good and that manifested itself into believing they knew best. When situations occurred that led to ‘discussions’ with officials, the Dutch players did not cope well with decisions going against them. It takes mental skills to remain focused in high pressure situations, especially when things are not going your way, and it seems that mental skill was the only thing the Dutch team lacked. It’s my opinion that Holland lost the 1974 World Cup final because as a team, they were unable to remain focused on what really mattered, and to disregard the rest.

At half-time, the West German team were a goal ahead of Holland. Was that the psychological blow that stopped the technically untouchable Dutch squad in their tracks? If you know you’re superior, what happens when you’re a goal down to a team you perceive as inferior ? With mental skills training, you learn coping strategies for every situation; you learn how to remain focused and, crucially, how to remain positive. You can’t change what has already happened but you  can influence what happens next. In the second-half of the 1974 World Cup final, what would have happened if Holland’s mental skills had matched their physical abilities?

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 Scientists believe our brains evolved in three stages. Our lizard brains are the ancient part, coping only with instinctive behavioural response patterns. The next stage, the mammalian brain, gave us an ability to file new experiences as they happened, effectively creating a store of experience-based memories. These memories could now influence current and future behaviour as the non-instinctive emotional responses of fear and anger emerged. In the third stage, the neocortex evolved, creating the human brain as we know it. Now we’re able to draw on past experiences, sift through information, rationalise, and make conscious decisions on how to respond to situations using our intellect or our best judgement.

 Moving forward

 Well, that’s the theory! But, in times of high stress and when the pressure is on, all of the theory is thrown out of the proverbial window and the lizard brain takes over. The ability to rationalise becomes lost and irrational thoughts creep to the forefront of our minds. I believe that’s where the England team are right now. They know they must do something, they must make changes, but they’re not doing it: the pressure has manifested itself into an impending sense of doom. From where they are, surely any move they make might be their last!

The outcome of England’s next match will decide whether they remain in the World Cup or go out – that’s intense pressure! Sports psychology holds the key to moving forward. The fear must be faced, no matter how imaginary or real it actually is. It’s real to the players so they must be given the opportunity to confront every fear and see each one through to its logical conclusion. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Quite often, the reality is nowhere near as bad as the fear would have you believe. Once a fear is faced, and accepted for what it is, steps can be taken to mitigate it.

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Meeting resistance

Ever heard of the lizard brain? It’s a term used to describe the part of your brain concerned with basic survival. Your lizard brain doesn’t want you to take any chances or do anything risky, it wants you to play it safe and just stay alive – no matter how dull that life may be! Writer Steven Pressfield describes the lizard brain as ‘the resistance.’ It’s the voice in the back of your head telling you to be careful, to go slow, to back off. In writing terms, the resistance can result in writer’s block, and in sporting terms, the resistance can result in under-achieving. Ringing any bells?

Here’s an example. At a soccer team training session, the coach suggests to a player that he should play in a different position. The player has the physical ability and skill to play in the new position but he resists the change. His resistance is not based on any ‘real’ concerns over his abilities, it’s based on a past experience. He knows he’s physically capable but he also knows that the last time he played in that position, it all went horribly wrong for the team and they were booed off the pitch by supporters at the end of the match. On one level, his rational, conscious thoughts tell him there’s nothing to fear in the change of position, but on another, subconscious level, there’s an irrational nagging voice saying, “You can’t play in that position. It’ll all go wrong if you change positions.” That’s the lizard brain response. The lizard brain doesn’t like change. It fears change, and fear sabotages success.

 Part 2 coming tomorrow

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What’s done is done

In a post-match interview, Green said, “It’s done. It happened. It’s not something you can allow to affect yourself. It’s very disappointing, but it’s happened.” Now, there speaks a man who understands the power of sports psychology! He’s looking forward, he’s moving on, he’s focusing on what’s yet to come and not dwelling on what has already happened. He can’t changed the past but he can influence the future.

Elite athletes place equal emphasis on physical and mental preparation for competition. It goes without saying that peak fitness can only be achieved through following an appropriate physical training programme but it also takes an appropriate mind training programme to achieve mental fitness. Preparation, both physical and mental is key in competitive sport at any level. Without appropriate preparation, true potential is unlikely to be achieved.

 Look to the future

Robert Green didn’t let his mistake upset the rest of his game. His mental preparation allowed him to put it instantly behind him and to focus on the job in hand. He said, “I didn’t let it affect my performance. It’s about mental strength and worse things have happened to people. You go through mental preparation the night before a game and prepare for moments of trauma in a game when it happens.” His ability to pick up the pieces and perform well for the rest of the game clearly demonstrated his strength of character and the effectiveness of his mental skill training. But what happens next?      

Green’s fumble has raised a question that has been asked of the England squad before: why do players appear to play better for club than country? Former England international player Michael Owen says, “The only thing I can think of is that it’s the pressure. Players are concerned for themselves, thinking, “if I miss this chance, I’ll be the scapegoat, or, of I miss this penalty, I’ll be criticised…The pressure is always there with England.” He makes a very good point. World Cup squad players carry the hopes and dreams of an entire nation with them onto the pitch, and supporters can be harsh critics. Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce, and Chris Waddle have all suffered the wrath of the nation through missed penalties and David Beckham became the “most hated man in England” after getting himself red-carded in the 1998 World Cup.

 Could the negative press surrounding Green’s performance have an effect on his next performance? Mistakes are only ever mistakes if we can’t learn from them and move on. Judging by his post-match statements, he’s already there: “It was my mistake and I’m responsible. I’ve made errors before and I’ve been big enough to get over them, and I will this one.” One thing is for sure, his mental preparation for the next match will be absolutely crucial to his performance.

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Bill Shankly once said of football, “It’s not a matter of life and death, it’s more important than that”?

Even if you’re not a football fan yourself, you’ll no doubt know someone who wholeheartedly agrees with the sentiment of that statement. England have not won the World Cup since 1966 – that’s 44 years ago -  yet every English team in every World Cup tournament ever since has continued to carry the hopes and dreams of every loyal English fan who believes the team of that year will be THE team to bring the World Cup trophy home again – and, yes, it really is that important! That’s a lot of added pressure in an already high pressure environment. Imagine the pressure felt by the Scottish team in 1978 when an entire nation believed they would win the World Cup in Argentina – despite a track record of being knocked out in the first round! Only the fittest will survive.

 It takes physical and mental skills to cope with  the intense pressures created by top level international competition, so only those in peak physical and mental condition will survive.

The legacy

Of course, it’s not just the players who come under pressure; team managers become the focus of attention for every armchair expert in the nation. These wannabe managers have an opinion on everything from team selection to the tactics used in warm up matches, and they would have done things differently – better! In 1966 the England team manager was Alf Ramsey, a man described at the time as “urbane and stubborn.” Every England manager since 1966 has been compared to and judged by Ramsey’s standards – remember, that’s 44 years ago! – so the legacy of the big win lives on, but is it a good thing for the England team today? The game of football has changed since 1966 so there seems little value in making any sort of comparison between then and now but in the build up to every World Cup tournament, that’s precisely what every newspaper, website, and TV show will do. Today, it takes considerable mental skills to remain “stubborn” and to have the mental toughness to stand by your convictions when an entire nation are at liberty to tell you you’re doing it wrong.   

The future

Reaching the top of your game as a player or as a manager takes dedication. Physical skills take years of practice to master and mental skills are no different. It takes self-belief and a positive mental attitude to maintain a winning mentality in the face of constant criticism. Sports psychology 2 teaches players and coaches how to use proven sports psychology techniques to build confidence and to develop the ability to remain focused in high pressure situations. Current England manager Fabio Capello is focused on taking his team to victory. It was his dream to manage England and to qualify for the World Cup and he says, “I hope the next dream (to win it) comes off too. Why not? I’m focused always to win. Always to look ahead.” It’s early days, England have only played one match but we know already that the draw against the USA was not good enough by Capello’s standards. It’s certainly not ‘game over’ for England but Capello wanted a win. In his words, he “exists only to win.” What will we be saying about him in 44 years time?

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So, is it possible to predict the answer to the big question is: who will get their hands on football’s biggest prize on July 11^th? Sky Sports soccer commentators favour Spain and Brazil for the final match. Paul Merson says, “I can’t see one of Spain or Brazil not making it to the final, with maybe Brazil as the favourites.”  Charlie Nicholas adds, “Spain, for me, are probably deserved favourites but I think Brazil have probably got a bit more. I think Brazil will win it.”

A bit more what? What does it take to be a winning team? The Brazilian World Cup winning team of 1970 are regarded as one of the all-time greatest teams in soccer history, so their performance is a good place to start looking for some answers. Football fanatics could argue over the strengths and weaknesses of the now legendary 1970 team until the cows come home but what that team had, in a nutshell, comes down to three things:

Ÿ  A powerful mix of experienced heads and youthful legs

Ÿ  An unstoppable winning mentality

Ÿ  And undeniable team spirit – they were all singing from the same song-sheet 

Team talk

Brazil weren’t favourites to win in 1970. They hadn’t played well in 1966 and it seemed even their supporters doubted the teams ability to improve on that performance. In sports psychology terms, the players were subject to a lot of negative feedback. A change of coach in the last few months before the start of the 1970 World Cup gave players the opportunity to make decisions that in effect defined the team. Adjustments were made and playing positions changed to create a team that made the very most of its strengths. That’s the key right there, the team made decisions. The players – that powerful mix of seasoned professionals with top level experience and youthful talent with boundless energy – worked with their coach to develop a team in which everyone could play to the best of their ability; a team that they, the players and their coach, could believe in. They knew their strengths, they believed in their abilities, and they went out there knowing what they had to do as a team. 

Team building

If you’re a coach hoping to produce a winning team, understanding the importance of developing the sort of team spirit seen in the World Cup winning team of 1970 is crucial. Team spirit can be defined in many ways but developing open lines of communication is key. A coach who understands the importance of team spirit is aware of the needs and ambitions of every player as an individual and understands the need to help team members understand each other better. Without effective communication, this is simply not possible.   

Interestingly, Holland are considered to be potential dark horses in the 2010 World Cup. Commentators have described the Dutch team as “the great disappointments” as they clearly have ability but they also have a tendency to “self-destruct” in big tournaments and historically there has always been evidence of “factions and in-fighting in the squad.” Holland have never won the World Cup – coincidence? It takes team spirit to build a winning team; so can sports psychology help us to answer the big question? Yes it can!

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