Train Your Brain Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Building a Winning Mindset

Meditation for Athletes

Meditation for basketball athletes There are a number of ways that meditation can be used by athletes to Train Your Brain to perform better both on the court or in the classroom. Some examples of the various types of meditations presented by Coach Wheeler include “No Regrets” meditation, Visualization and Mindfulness meditations. These and others will be discussed in the article below.

What are some places where can I use meditation?

There are also a number of situations where you can use meditation to put your mind in the proper state to perform at your best. Some of these are Pre-Game, Post-Game, Pre/Post Practice or in anticipation of a high stress event such as a playoff game or test in school.

What is meditation?

For the sake of this article, we will be talking about guided meditations where you listen to a voice that gives you directions to lead you through the meditation process. There is a whole field of meditation which is “unguided” and sometimes uses a “mantra” or a phrase repeated over and over to train your brain. Other types of unguided meditation have you focus on your breath and that technique has been incorporated into the guided meditations produced by Coach Wheeler. Speaking of that…

QUICK COMMERCIAL break…

Coach Wheeler produces his own basketball camp through InviteOnlyBasketball.com that features Mindset training. He also speaks at other camps on the topics of “Mind Control for Athletes” and “Train Your Brain for High Performance”. For more information and to check Coach Wheeler’s availability for speaking at your event, send him an email via the Contact Us page (click here).

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…

No Regrets

This meditation is similar to the experience that Scrooge goes through in the classic story, “A Christmas Carol”. It is a simple story… Scrooge is exposed to a vision of the past, present and [a potential] future. The key is to figure out what your current present (and past) is leading to (one potential future) and then figure out what changes you need to make (NOW) so that your future will be better.

In essence, this meditation takes you through a visualization of some future event that is causing you stress and which you might end up with regrets if things do not “go your way”. Once you have seen the future, you come back to the present and imagine the changes you need to make so that your future improves. The final part of this meditation is a visualization of the new (better) version of the future event based on the changes you will make in the present.

Typically this results in an empowered feeling that you have more control over your future and are motivated to take the actions needed to make your desired future happen.

Want to try it? Contact Coach Wheeler for information on how you can get a copy of his Guided Results Meditation for “No Regrets” audio file. He often does this meditation at his basketball camps or speaking engagements.

Performance Enhancement / Visualization

Using a guided meditation to help you visualize success in a particular activity has been proven to be almost as effective as actually practicing the activity… without the physical stress of the activity.

Visualization is a great way to”get more reps in” without putting added stress on your body. In fact, meditation, when done right, can be highly relaxing and aid in your body’s recuperation from hard training sessions. It is a great complement to the rest of your training on the court or in the weight room.

Visualization can be used to deal with a future pressure-filled situation like a game-winning shot or an exam in school. By visualizing the event, you can desensitize yourself to the potential stress. You also learn to relax so you can perform at your best.

Want to try it? Contact Coach Wheeler for information on how you can get a copy of his Guided Results Meditation for “Visualization for Athletes” audio file. He often does a Visualization meditation at his basketball camps or speaking engagements.

Relax/Focus [Mindfulness]

Mindfulness meditation is what most people are talking about when they talk about “meditation”. This type of meditating trains your brain to be mindful of the thoughts that pop up. Eventually, you will exercise control over how you interact with those thoughts.

The process of meditating, in almost all forms, is a form of relaxation for the body and mind. It is also a way to build the skill of control over the workings of your mind.

If you think about it… whose mind is the most important to control? If you control yourself, you are in a position to control the outcome of events in your life. This done through recognition of opportunities and application of actions toward your highest priority goals. Few people (or athletes) consider how much better they would do if they controlled their thoughts… and guided meditation is a great way to start.

Want to try it? Contact Coach Wheeler for information on how you can get a copy of his Guided Results Meditation for Mindfulness audio file. He often does this meditation at his basketball camps or speaking engagements.

Motivation / Focus

This meditation is a “thinking exercise” to help you uncover your motivation and focus on actions to achieve your goal. This is especially important when you know what you probably “should” do… but you don’t really feel like doing it. As you reconnect with your motivation in a meditative state, you are re-energized and ready to launch into action.

Want to try it? Contact Coach Wheeler for information on how you can get a copy of his Guided Results Meditation for Motivation / Focus audio file. He often does this meditation at his basketball camps or speaking engagements.

Topics related to Meditation for Student/Athletes…

Focus is critically important to your success in any endeavor. It is obvious that distractions are achievement killers.

As your brain is trained through meditation to be more mindful of things going on in your life, there is a great tool that you can use to help you focus on what is most important. It is called “W.I.N.” or the practice of asking yourself “What’s Important Now?” on a regular basis throughout your day. Click here for an article about how to use this tool to help you W.I.N.

Another great article on meditation for basketball players can be found here… click here. An infographic from that article is worth checking out.

Bottom Line …

Meditation is an incredible tool for athletes who want to get the most out of all their training efforts. You are working hard to improve your body and sport-specific skills. Why wouldn’t you Train Your Brain for high performance as well? This article presented different types of meditation to improve how your mind works in games, the classroom and life.

Coach Wheeler is not some sort of guru on a mountain top… he is a coach who is focused on results for the players he works with on a regular basis. Want to learn more? Contact Coach Wheeler to set up an appointment. click here.

When you control your own mind, you have an advantage over the competition. You are able to tackle bigger challenges with less stress. Are you ready to try meditation for yourself?

Arnold on Making it Happen

Below is a excellent video for anyone who wants to accomplish something great. Whether you want to become an all-state basketball player, a 1000 point scorer for your school or even get an academic scholarship to college, the ideas that Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about in this video can be applied to your life.

The concepts are not difficult to understand… it is all in how they are applied that counts. Are you going to be the winner who takes control of their life or are you going to let life “happen to you”? Watch this video and decide how you are going to make your life outstanding!

Want someone to talk to about your plans for greatness?

Coach Wheeler can be hired via Coachup.com for one hour sessions either in person or via telephone or Skype (sign up for an in-person session and we will set up the telephone/skype option).

Or you can ask one of your team mates or friends to watch the video and then have a conversation with them about what each of you are going to do differently.

Don’t let someone else talk you out of implementing Arnold’s words of wisdom. The time you spent watching the video will have been wasted if you do nothing with it. Make it worthwhile. Make something happen!

Dave Hopla – Basketball Shooting Expert

Today I had the pleasure of hearing Dave Hopla, Basketball Shooting Expert, speak at the Pure Shot Basketball Camp in Jaffrey, NH. Special thanks to Dave & Nancy Springfield who run the camp and arranged the event. The event was also sponsored by Dennis Wright and if anyone has more background on the sponsor, please be sure to add it as a comment so we can all thank him as well.

One of the points that Dave Hopla made was that players who were serious about improving should be taking notes. I did not have my notebook with me but I wrote down everything I could remember soon after the event. There was a lot of great information and I’m hoping that by posting my notes, it will help reinforce some of the ideas presented by Dave AND anyone who can “fill in the blanks” will add a comment below so that we can all benefit as much as possible from Dave Hopla’s speech and amazing basketball shooting demonstration.

Here are my notes from the event (in no particular order)…

How Dave starts out…
– He warms up with rollers to get his muscles moving and loosened up. (He told me this prior to the speech when he was just warming up.)
– He goes through a “shooting progression” which involves shooting one handed from 3 spots (left, right & center) near the basket and then moving out. He then added his “guide hand” as he shot from further out.

Tips on your Basketball Shooting Technique:

(notice the alliteration or use of similar letters at the start of many words)
– Toe(s) toward Target
– Form an L with your Elbow
– Wrinkle at the Wrist
– Follow Thru – “put your hand in the basket”

“Words Matter” – Don’t call it a “foul shot”. Foul things stink.
“Only one shot matters… the one you are taking.”
[The past is over and the future isn’t here yet. – DW]
Mindset 1st ! Get your head right before anything. “Good is the enemy of Great. Feel GREAT!”
Visualize what you want to happen. [Track your progress.]
Catch the basketball with your EYES and your HANDS.
Get a journal and take notes! Players who write down the good ideas they hear become better.
Play “Beat The Pro”. It starts with a “free shot” and the pro scores with every miss.
Dave mentioned a handout called the “Maravich Practice Drills” that someone gave him when he was young which helped him improve as a player. Here is a link to a YouTube video with 10 “Maravich Drills“. I don’t know if these are the drills that Dave was referring to but I am sure they will help you improve.
Practice your basketball shooting EVERY DAY. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be dedicated.

I spoke with Dave after the event and he said that he has a website but did not mention it because he has not been active with it recently. He also has a book that comes with a DVD (Amazon link).

– Below is a YouTube video featuring an interview about basketball shooting with Dave Hopla.

I welcome your feedback in the comments and please feel free to say what you got out of the event. When it comes to basketball shooting, Dave Hopla is a highly skilled individual and, personally, I found it facinating to see what it looks like when someone makes 98% of the shots that he takes. (He had someone keep track during the event and that was the actual % he made! Amazing!)

Mental Toughness – Control Your Story

Narrative is the story you are telling yourself.

You have a voice in your head that is narrating or explaining what everything in your life means. Picture Morgan Freeman’s voice doing a play-by-play as your coach tells you that you won’t be starting the next game. Maybe the voice says “The coach hates me.” or “The coach has his favorite players and there is nothing I can do to change his mind.” With this thinking (and the story it implies), are you likely to do the things which will get you into the starting lineup any time soon? Probably not.

On the other hand, what if Morgan Freeman said, “The team we are playing is very tall and obviously coach thinks we need our taller players in there.” or “I wonder what I need to do to get into the starting lineup?” or “Coach has always treated me fairly so he must have a good reason for not starting me. I will need to ask him to explain it to me so I can find a way to contribute to the team’s success.”

Where do these stories in my head come from?

The story we tell ourselves is built on the beliefs we have accumulated over the years and it can be hard to change our thinking… or it can be as easy as considering a different (more effective) story to explain the situation. This is the difference of being controlled by your past or developing the mental toughness skill of actively CHOOSING how you interpret events in your life.

How do I change the Narrative or Story I tell myself?

Get some alternatives. Ask someone else how they would explain the situation, preferably someone who does not have an interest in the outcome. Often your family’s beliefs are the same or at least very similar to our own beliefs. This means that they may not offer stories or narratives that are substantially different from our own and their stories may not give you a better course of action.

Find an “objective 3rd party”, i.e. someone who is not part of the “problem”, and see what types of explanations they can find for you.

What if the new story is not true?

Living in denial of the truth will certainly bring poor results but the reality is that there are a multitude of ways that events in your life can be interpreted. Clearly you need to recognize the facts of the case, like in our example the fact that the coach said you are not starting in the next game.

The key is how you react to the facts… and the sooner you realize that while you might initially think a particular circumstance is “good” or “bad” it is often how we react that makes it good or bad for us. Choose to be mentally tough and create your own story.

You can change your story…

… and this can open up all kinds of opportunities that you would have missed.

“Problems are not solved at the same level of thinking that created them.” – Albert Einstein

Comments on Changing Your Narrative and Creating Your own Story are welcome and encouraged…

2016 Basketball Camp Completed

The first Score More Basketball Camp by InviteOnlyBasketball.com was held last Saturday at Keene State College and for all those who attended, it went over very well. Campers came from as far away as Rhode Island and each camper got a great looking, reversible practice jersey to take home.

Highlights…

Parisi Speed School presented the first session and showed drills to improve agility and explosive movement. Ben from Parisi also tested each camper for their vertical leap while providing pointers along the way. Each camper got a “Speed Pass” for a free session of Parisi Speed School at the Summit facility in Marlborough, NH and there loads of other prizes from Parisi during their highly energetic and engaging session.

Keene State Associate Head Coach Tyler Hundley helped out with the second session focused on shooting. Coach Hundley scored over 1000 points in his high school career and gave the campers insights into what it takes to become a scorer. He also gave each camper specific feedback as they put up 100 shots on Keene State’s Shooting Machine (aka The GUN).

Keene State Men’s Head Basketball Coach Ryan Cain, who himself scored over 1800 points in his college career, stopped by and spoke to the campers as well.

The shooting / scoring session included loads of shooting drills at various distances and against different challenges (defense, competition). In total, each camper must have put up over 500 shots!

Scoring Moves were also discussed including the 29 Signature Moves of some of the best NBA players. Here is the link to Coach Wheeler’s blog where he presents the list of moves along with a video showing clips of the moves. 29 Signature Basketball Moves

The final session, after a number of shooting contests, 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 contests, focused on the mental aspects of competition. Coach Dave Wheeler ran the campers through a “scorer’s meditation” which focused on the skill of mindfulness. Obviously one meditation won’t give you complete control of your mind, but it was a good introduction to a skill that will allow you to disregard distractions while being present for key experiences so you can perform at your best. The concept of visualization was also presented, combined with the relaxation process of meditation, as a way to improve your shooting while also resting your body.

The camp ended with awards based on the contest results and, as an added bonus, all campers got to meet Croix Sather, a friend of Coach Wheeler’s who had stopped by to help with the videotaping of the event. Croix is a keynote speaker and author who ran across the United States, from San Diego to New York City, doing 100 marathons in 100 days. He also spoke 100 times, mostly to at-risk groups, as he ran across the country. Each camper also got a copy of Croix’s book, “Dream Big, Act Big”.

Overall it was a great day with lots of great information, challenging drills and so much more. Keene State College is an excellent location for the camp and everyone involved was incredibly supportive. We are looking forward to doing it again next year !

What could have been better?

Attendance was lower than we would have liked but everyone involved got some great value out of the camp. The lower numbers also allowed us to give more attention to each camper and give everyone a chance to use KSC’s GUN. (Rated as one of the highlights by the campers.)

Marketing will need to be expanded and when we schedule the Fall Camp in 2017, we should be able to market via events throughout the Spring/Summer/Fall leading up to the November event. With the video of Coach Wheeler’s “Mindset” session, we may even be able to get speaking opportunities at other camps or events in 2017.

Expanded middle & high school connections and a longer, multi-point marketing program with the schools around Keene would also have helped. Coach Wheeler had a few connections but more will be developed through the 2016-17 basketball season.

Scheduling would also have been better if we were at least one weekend later. After picking Nov.5th (based on availability of the facility at Keene State), Coach Wheeler learned that there was one more AAU tournament on that weekend. Since AAU players are a prime audience for InviteOnlyBasketball.com, it would have been better to have the camp later, perhaps the second or even third weekend of the month.

Looking forward to next year’s
pre-season basketball Camp…

There will definitely be another camp next year. If you or someone you know would like to be part of it, be sure to apply for an invitation over at www.InviteOnlyBasketball.com. This way you will get “into our system” and we will be sure to let you know as more information about the next camp becomes available. Hope to see you at a basketball camp soon !

Coach’s Obstacle of the Week (COW) #2 – Words

cow-basketball One of the biggest pet peeves I have as a coach is the damaging words that players sometimes use. As we get older, we appreciate how important the words we use are and, as a coach, one of the worst things to hear is when one of the players on the team says “I can’t”. I know how much damage those words are doing to that player in terms of confidence and future potential and I can feel my blood pressure starts to rise. I would much prefer them to say “I am not yet able” and I will tell you why…

Words program our minds

We all have an “internal dialog” going on in our head. We are telling ourselves what everything means that happens to us and this often leads to the mood we are in, or worse, whether we quit and never reach our full potential.

The good news is that we can take control of our internal dialogue and start to program our mind to take us where we want to go in life (and on the court). The first step to controlling our internal dialogue is noticing what you are saying and putting a stop to the words or phrases that are holding you back.

light-hford As I mentioned before, one great example is “I can’t”. Whenever you catch yourself saying, or thinking, the words “I can’t”, immediately STOP and take another look at the situation. When you say “I can’t” that implies that you never will. The reality often is that you simply have not trained long enough to accomplish the task or have not learned what is required to do it. I always come back to the idea that if someone else has done it, then I can too. I just need to find out what they did and do the same thing (or at least use their path as a guide to my success). This is called “modeling” and is a powerful tool to get what you want.

What words or phrases are holding back your players?

Another word that I hate to hear are the infamous, “But”. “Coach, I know that is the right way to do it, but…” Typically the word “but” is followed by an excuse. At the very least, it says that the statement they just made is not true or they don’t believe it is possible. As a speaker friend of mine likes to say, “You can either have results or excuses. Your choice.”

Are there words or phrases that you hear that are holding back players? What are they? How do you turn them around? What words are better replacements? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Did you miss COW# 1? Check it out here…
Coach’s Obstacle of the Week (COW) # 1