Mental Toughness: Focus On The Next Play

Allowing mental focus to be channeled in a wrong direction can prevent achieving maximum potential in sports says Gregory Dale, Duke University professor of Sports Psychology and Sports Ethics.

Dale has authored a book, It’s a Mental Thing, with a message to athletes on how to use their mind as an asset and encourages student/athletes to train their minds to begin to think like people who are very successful.

Speaking to a group of student/ athletes at Lincoln High School on July 29, Dale said, “Some of you get in those pressure moments and your mind gets in the way. You fold, you don’t do what you’ve trained your body to do.”

Problems occur when focus zooms in on a distraction.

Tragically 20- year- old race car driver Kevin Ward, Jr., won’t realize his potential after reacting angrily to a collision involving 3- time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart which sent Ward’s car crashing into the outside wall during a sprint car race August 9 at Canadaigua, New York’s Motorsports Park. Ward climbed out of his car and attempted to confront Stewart with the race under caution on a dirt track but was killed when Stewart ran him over.

Ward’s reaction is commonly referred to “Road Rage” outside of racing.

Businesswoman and licensed pilot Annette Capps writes, “how you perceive the incident is what makes the difference,” in the 2012 holiday issue of Concepts of Faith produced by Charles Capps Ministries, based in England, Ark.

Capps classifies resentment, bitterness and criticism as a spiritual force that can be unleashed against institutions, organizations, situations and circumstances in addition to individuals. Such reactions are produced by circumstances provoking anger and judgment.

Those distractions can be eliminated through forgiveness.

“The point of forgiveness is to let go or loose or release,” Capps wrote. “Primarily, you are releasing or loosing yourself.”

Dale recalled golfing with Michael Jordan and picking the former NBA superstar’s brain for 5.5 hours. Jordan was cut from from his junior varsity basketball team in high school but instead of becoming bitter, he challenged himself determining to work harder than anybody else developing a worth ethic which helped propel him to six NBA championships and multiple league MVP awards.

Dale encouraged kids to have a purpose every day to improve.

“From now on where you are, you are either getting better or you’re getting worse. There’s no such thing as just going through the motions and getting better.”

One of the methods is to compartmentalize by refusing to dwell on distracting thoughts such as food, school, tests, dating or home life during practice.

“The best athletes learn how to be where their feet are,” Dale said. “When you go to church you’ve got to listen to the preacher for 40 minutes without zoning out. Learn how to do that.”

Former Duke guard J. J. Reddick, who went on to play in the NBA, made a list of things that might be a distraction and went through a process of determining how he was going to deal with each one prioritizing them so he could focus on practice.

Dale also challenged student/athletes not to beat themselves up inside over a mistake made during a game.

“In volleyball by the time the ball goes out of bounds it’s got to be gone,” Dale said. “If you are thinking about a mistake longer than 3 seconds you’re not being mentally tough. Get rid of it so you can come back and make the next play. It’s really important. Talk to yourself the way you talk to your teammates. Focus on the next play.”