home about the TAP clients press about us member login   General Questions How important are goals? Why does having a specific goal help? How high of a goal should I set? What should I do if my report says, "You want to do it fast, not right"? What if my report says I practice things at three-quarter speed? What if my report says I tend to go harder in practice than in competition? How important are details? Why does my report talk about attention to detail? What should I do if I use too much force in a technique when frustrated? Are there any suggestions if my report says I hesitate at times in competition? Are there any tips to help me finish what I start or to stay on track? What does it mean if my report says I use conditioning or practice as punishment? How do I raise my confidence level? Can an athlete ever be too confident? My results talk about making accurate versus quick decisions. Which is more important, accuracy or speed? Is it better to be lower in motivation or desire and more relaxed before the game or higher in motivation? My report talked about building commitment. How do I do this? How do I take criticism from a coach or parent more positively? My report talks about not getting frustrated or upset. It suggests that I keep things in perspective. How do I do this? In my report, it talks about my work habits. Is it better if I work on my own or work within a structure provided by the coach, teacher or parent? What are concentration drills? How do I sharpen my concentration?   How important are goals? Why does having a specific goal help? How high of a goal should I set?   Your TAP manual explains the process of goal setting and the worksheet helps you come up with a plan. The plan becomes specific, an important step in the goal setting process. Goals are very important, for they provide a source of motivation to help you improve and a sense of accomplishment when you reach them. Make sure your goals are realistic, not too high. Keep in mind that you should try to set a goal that is under your control. If you play a team sport, winning the conference championship is not totally in your control. Thus, your personal goal may include a reduction of errors, more points scored, etc. While the research is not in total agreement, the weight of evidence supports more short-term goals. Also, most evidence points to setting performance goals rather than focusing on outcomes. An example of this would be to catch a hundred balls a day (performance means you are doing something) rather than an outcome goal such as so many catches in a game.   return to top   What should I do if my report says, "You want to do it fast, not right"? What if my report says I practice things at three-quarter speed? What if my report says I tend to go harder in practice than in competition?   All of these concerns center on your rhythm, tempo and speed when learning a new technique and executing it in the game. If your report said you tend to do things too fast that means you are in too big of a rush to learn proper execution. By not practicing it correctly you are more prone to make mistakes in competition. There are many ways to practice with more patience. Make sure you are assessing your performance when executing the drill in practice. Have your coach give you feedback, both overall and specific feedback such as where your feet are, the height of your elbow, etc. If your report says that you go harder in practice than in competition this means you are holding yourself back in the game or match. In other words, you know how to do it correctly but you will tend to hold back, either due to low confidence or too much concern about making a mistake. By staying focused on doing it correctly in the game or match this should help you pick up the tempo. In sports that have a natural break in the action, like between plays in football or between batters in baseball (when on defense), it is wise to focus on what you are going to do on the next play prior to the snap or pitch. Whatever technique you decide to try, the goal is to be able to execute automatically, without thinking.   return to top   How important are details? Why does my report talk about attention to detail?   Often the difference between success and defeat is doing the little things better. Our research shows great athletes are fairly attentive to detail. However, just as important is picking out important vs. unimportant details, especially in game situations. If you focus in on one tiny detail and miss the big picture you could easily be out of position or allow your opponent to outmaneuver you. Thus, you need to consider your sport or your position. Talk to your coach and other good players about the cues they attend to. Then rehearse attending to these kinds of cues or details both at practice and in game situations.   return to top   What should I do if I use too much force in a technique when frustrated? Are there any suggestions if my report says I hesitate at times in competition?   These are two sides of the same coin. Your physical intensity, especially in competitive situations, is often affected by your thoughts and feelings. In the first case, when a player gets frustrated and starts using too much force, this is akin to running into a brick wall over and over again. In other words, your tendency is to simply keep trying the same thing with more effort, rather than adjusting or adapting your approach. A good guideline to follow is: try it again with more effort and see if this fixes the problem. If the extra force does not work then you need to change your approach. We suggest you use others like your coach or teammates as a sounding board to discover what elements need to be changed.   If your results suggest that you are showing hesitation in competitive situations, then you need a slightly different approach to fixing this problem. It could be corrected by simply increasing your own trust in your instincts. If you know you practiced it correctly all week then simply go out and react without thinking. Also, more repetitions may help. For instance, a good basketball player does not have to think when dribbling the ball. With enough repetition dribbling the ball can become automatic. Finally, hesitation sometimes stems from a player not making a decision quickly enough, wanting more time to get a better look. Seek advice from your coach on tips to decrease your reaction time such as when to make a break for the ball or the goal, when to plant your foot, when to make your turn, etc.   return to top   Are there any tips to help me finish what I start or to stay on track?   Great athletes have great work habits. Typically, they surpass their teammates in off-season conditioning and practice intensity during the season. Your ability to do this will be affected in large part by your background and previous experience. If things have come easily to you in the past, you may simply be impatient and unrealistic in the amount of time it takes you to acquire a new skill. This will apply to you as you move up into more elite levels of your sport. Staying on track means establishing a goal and then following the steps of a plan to get there. Sometimes you may stall out on a step or simply not recognize progress you have made. Highly competitive people tend to be a little more impatient and often overlook strides they have made. Rome was not built in a day and your support system will often point out areas where you have improved that you may not be able to see on your own. It is usually more fun to start something new than maintain a steady pace in the middle of the project. Don't forget to reward yourself when you accomplish each step of your plan toward your goal-this helps you maintain progress. This will help you hang in there and overcome obstacles.   return to top   What does it mean if my report says I use conditioning or practice as punishment?   Coaches and parents know that a little guilt in a player can be a good thing. Guilt can help us make the right decision in our lives and learn from our mistakes. But if your report had a comment to this effect it means that you often feel needless guilt. This tendency will start to take the fun out of your sport experience. In the short-term it may be good in that you push yourself harder but in the long run you lose the enjoyment. Much of your guilt can be alleviated by changing the way you view the situation. Realize the purpose for practice and conditioning is to make you better. Look at hard work is something good people do and will eventually be rewarded, not something bad people do as a means of punishment. Whether you are thinking about your study time, the amount of conditioning or your effort in practice, avoid using words like "should" or "ought." This tends to conjure up feelings of guilt. Sure, every student should study more. But if you substitute the phrase "it will help me" for "should" you get a more realistic appraisal of the situation.   return to top   How do I raise my confidence level? Can an athlete ever be too confident?   Cockiness is different than confidence. Arrogance and cockiness are social behaviors that involve bragging about the fact you are better than everyone else. Confidence is more internal and includes your thoughts and feelings about yourself and your abilities. It has more to do with believing what you can do rather than constantly comparing yourself to everyone else. Confidence can be increased by reflecting on your past accomplishments, situations where you succeeded. Then picture yourself succeeding in the current situation. Don't focus so much on beating the other person as executing your skill or drill successfully. Rehearse this over and over in your mind. Likewise, you can apply this after you have made a mistake in competition. It is proper to analyze and reflect on your mistake, make your mental corrections. But don't evaluate or judge yourself. Finish your reflection by seeing yourself do it proper on the next play. If you view confidence this way you can't have too much of it. It will not cause you to overlook an important game or be cocky. Confidence is all about you, not the other person.   return to top   My results talk about making accurate versus quick decisions. Which is more important, accuracy or speed?   There is not a simple answer to this question, for it depends totally on the situation. Obviously, the best decision is one that is both accurate and made quickly. If your results indicate you lean towards accuracy, then your mental mistakes are probably due to the speed at which you make a decision and then react physically. This gets back to attending to the proper cues and having the confidence to trust your own instincts. You can improve your speed of decision in other ways. Make sure you practice things at full speed. This allows your mind to get in repetitions at this speed, not giving you the luxury of time. With enough practice you will learn from your mistakes and your mental errors will decrease in competition. If your results indicated the opposite, preference for speed over accuracy, then most of your mental mistakes will stem from overlooking important details or developing tunnel vision. For instance, you may force the ball or try to execute without being under physical control. Your remedy rests on a better analysis of the situation. You may not need to process a greater quantity of information, but make sure you are attending to the right kinds of cues. A discussion with coaches and teammates can help you create the right kind of filter. If you do make a mistake take the time to analyze and make sure you know what you did wrong. In other words, break it down and see the exact point where the error occurred. You may be surprised that you are unable to do this and need input from someone else. An adjustment here and a fine-tuning there can quickly reduce your level of mental errors.   return to top   Is it better to be lower in motivation or desire and more relaxed before the game or higher in motivation?   Peak performance requires a balancing act between these factors. In general, the higher you are in desire the more vigor you apply in competition. But you can sometimes want something too bad. Simply wanting a win or a medal is not enough.   Obviously, if you don't care or if your motivation is low you probably won't perform as well. But at the same time you need to be relaxed enough so that tension doesn't interfere with performance. This is the balancing act. There is a big debate on how much tension vs. relaxation is optimal. Right now, most believe that much depends on the situation and your sport. If you are shooting at a target, for instance free throws, you want to be relaxed. If you are trying to lift a heavy object or smash into your opponent then more desire or arousal is considered optimal. In either case, prior to the game you should think about proper execution. In your mind's eye you should see yourself performing plays or routines with perfection. If you can do this with the added ingredient of confidence, confident anticipation before the match, then you are more likely to be in the zone.   return to top   My report talked about building commitment. How do I do this?   There are several tips provided both in the TAP manual and in your individual report. The act of writing down your goal and the steps in your plan builds commitment. Leaning on others for support and communicating your worksheet plan to others also builds commitment. Rewarding yourself when a step in your plan is completed reinforces commitment, adds enjoyment and produces a sense of satisfaction. Thus, you are learning the process of goal setting and sticking to the plan. You are developing more patience and confidence in your own abilities to overcome obstacles. There is nothing wrong with revising your plan, adopting a new approach when you start to plateau. But don't give up on your goal. Great athletes, when they encounter setbacks or failure, learn from these experiences and move on. People who struggle with commitment tend to focus on failure and self-blaming. They are more likely to give up.   return to top   How do I take criticism from a coach or parent more positively?   It is true that some coaches and parents attack players personally. When this happens, naturally you will probably take things on a personal level. But before becoming defensive and attacking back, try to step back and see things from their perspective. Then analyze the situation, where exactly your mistake occurred and how to correct it. You can also disarm people in the attack mode by asking them what they suggest. Ask them for clarification. Also, keep in mind that criticism is not always a personal attack. In fact, these people may be trying to help you. Keeping things in this perspective also helps you from getting defensive. When you become defensive you don't listen as well and will probably not follow their advice. You may even deny or fail to recognize your actions that led to the mistake. In short, view criticism as an opportunity to improve and learn. Ask for criticism of your actions not your person.   return to top   My report talks about not getting frustrated or upset. It suggests that I keep things in perspective. How do I do this?   When people overreact to a situation emotionally it is because they are not thinking straight or clearly. For instance, if you get an F on the exam your life is not over. If you think that this event is catastrophic then negative emotions, sometimes very damaging, will follow. The key is to perform an accurate cognitive appraisal of the situation. Once you simmer down step back and size up the situation. You can even ask others for input. Consider your options and future actions. Decide the things you are going to change that are in your control. Stop your tendency to label events as "horrible" or "awful" in a knee-jerk fashion.   return to top   In my report, it talks about my work habits. Is it better if I work on my own or work within a structure provided by the coach, teacher or parent?   We have found that many athletes prefer to work on their own. We have also found that most players need more structure to get the most out of their work, rather than being left to their own devices. Indeed, if you are capable of getting a lot accomplished on your own you are very unique. Structure allows you to be productive. You do not have to reinvent the wheel. For instance, most coaches who provide a structured off-season conditioning plan have done their homework. Structure also provides supervision and monitoring. This is important in weight training so that you are using the right technique. Sometimes you may be unaware of cheating on a lift or using the wrong technique. Also, in most structured situations you are working out with others. This provides support and there is much research to show that you push yourself harder in the company of others. Plus, team chemistry can start to gel when everyone works out together.   return to top   What are concentration drills? How do I sharpen my concentration?   There are many books and products out there to help you in this area. Although somewhat dated, the Inner Athlete is a resource (you can find this on Amazon.com). Other exercises include focusing your vision on one spot. For instance, try to focus or picture one spot on the basketball rim, a spot on the baseball or on the goal. Another technique is to try to picture a sharp image in your mind. You can practice this in the quiet of your bedroom. Try to picture a simple image like a flower, candle or glass of water. Try to make this image very clear and sharp in your mind. Then you can practice trying to picture "movies" in your mind. Maybe it is something like a powerful jaguar walking through the jungle or an eagle soaring on the wind. Eventually, you can try to see yourself in a "movie" executing with perfection. Each of these steps should be practiced many times.   Another approach is to picture a scene that you have visited before that you like a great deal. Perhaps this is a forest, mountain scene or a beach view. Try to find a place where you can go that will make you calm. This not only helps you clear your mind of distracting thoughts but also helps relax you. There are many distraction drills that you can run. For instance, try a tip drill involving you catching a pass with a defender deflecting it slightly. Or perhaps you are shooting at a goal with a hand in your face. Make sure you practice these drills at full speed. Do an analysis of the things that distract you the most. The chief criterion is whether your distractions come from inner thoughts or from external stimuli. If your distractions come from within, like thoughts about self-doubt, then practice picturing yourself in a calm place. If external distractions are your downfall, try practicing the focus of vision mentioned above.   return to top     Email Us Your TAP Questions   More Information About The TAP Handbook Of Athletics The Player Report The Coach Report Parents Coaches/Administrators Athletes Member Login Contact Us www.troutwine.com View My TAP       The Handbook Of Athletics   Ideal for High School Athletic Departments

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