The Super Mental Training Book (40 page)

I recorded the electromyograph responses of an Alpine ski racer as he summoned up the moment-by-moment imagery of a downhill race. Almost instantly, the recording needles stirred into action. Two muscle outbursts appeared as the skier hit jumps. Further muscle bursts duplicated the effort of a rough section of the course, and the needles settled during the easy sections. By the time he finished this psychological rehearsal of the downhill race, his EMG recordings almost mirrored the course itself. There was even a final burst of muscle activity after he had passed the finish line, a mystery to me until I remembered how hard it is to come to a skidding stop after racing downhill at more than 40 miles an hour. [54]

Garfield feels that, based on what he learned about sports psychology research and applications in the USSR, "the Soviets had demonstrated that optimal human performance could be orchestrated." For this to occur, he continues, an organized mental training program must be in place. Garfield emphasizes:

The foundation of every peak performer's training is contained in a single word: program. Without the structure provided by a clear, step-by-step training program, the athlete can waste precious hours, or even years, seeking a path to excellence . . .[55]

Having said this, Garfield presents his Peak Performance Training Program. This program culminates in a four-step exercise, called "Letting Go," which Garfield attaches great importance to because it "is the focal point for every skill you have developed thus far." A brief summary of this exercise follows:

Letting Go

Time: One 20-minute session prior to an athletic event

Step 1 — Visualize the Event

From an hour to as little as fifteen minutes before you are to begin an athletic event, sit down in a quiet place and create a mental image of the activity you will be performing.

... While creating these images, go over them repeatedly in your mind, filling in more and more details as you go.

Step 2 — Quiet Your Mind

As concentration on athletic activity increases, your mind will become calm, active only where your upcoming activity is concerned. As this focus improves, marked by the disappearance of thoughts and feelings not directly associated with your sport, stop creating the mental imagery.

... If it is at all possible, given your surroundings, close your eyes.

... As thoughts, ideas, or feelings of any kind—athletic or nonathletic—enter your mind, let them go.

Step 3 — Rid Yourself of Negative Thoughts

Visualize negative thoughts written on paper; then visualize wadding the paper up and burning it. Use this or other visualizations to rid yourself of negative feelings prior to or during any athletic performance.

Step 4 — Focus on the Present

As your mind becomes more and more clear through application of the preceding processes, allow your attention to turn increasingly toward the reality of the present moment. Focus on your senses. If there is noise around you, focus on the quality of the sound rather than on its meaning. This takes some practice, but it will become easy in time. [56]

Garfield states that this four-step exercise, once mastered, will "allow your mind and body to come together as one and function at optimal levels" during competition. [57] While mental training provides no guarantees, Garfield's point is well taken; this is because there are many elements of the "Letting Go" exercise which correspond to the mental preparation approaches used with success by athletes mentioned throughout this book. Step 2, for example, is similar to what Valery Borzov did, who, we recall, quieted his mind before a race this way: "During the warmup process I call to mind a forest and a fishing scene. This leads me to feel tranquil and discourages a feeling of bustle and hurry." Step 3, meanwhile, is virtually identical to the "attunement exercise" Barbara Lynch utilized in winning the 1979 European 15 Trench Trap-Shooting title (see Amateur Athletes chapter). And on we can go with the comparisons.

That elite level Soviet athletes regularly engage in mental training of the sort described by Garfield was reconfirmed three years later by Dr. Yessis in his exceptional work, Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness and Training (1987). In this book, Dr. Yessis reports that top Soviet "athletes are placed in a six-month-long psychological training schedule to develop proper mental attitudes. Thereafter, they spend at least ten to fifteen minutes of every training day in psychological preparation." He goes on to note that this psychological preparation involves the employment of such mental training strategies as autosuggestions and visualization. Further, some Soviet athletes, relates Dr. Yessis, told him that they had developed an "instant relaxation" capability which, when necessary, they employ "in the midst of competition."

Without reciting in detail all the salient points Dr. Yessis makes in his book, I shall merely provide a crude, though instructive, summation of the work's thrust:

Soviet Elite Athletes U.S. Elite Athletes

1. Are immersed in a variety of mental 1. Rarely meet with a sports training programs. psychologist more than once or

twice.

2. Employ advanced conditioning 2 - Adhere to strength training concepts, particularly speed-strength regimens, which make one training. slower and more injury-prone.

3. Win the lion's share of medals in 3. Continue to lose "the American international competitions. wa Y-

Also in 1987 the Soviet national basketball team toured the U.S., playing several college teams, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks. The October 25th game against the Bucks was televised

by ABC. During halftime a segment was shown of Aleksandr Gomelsky, coach of the Soviet national basketball team, leading his players through a "relaxation session." The players, with closed eyes, were seen lying down on a gym floor, forming a circle; their feet pointed toward Coach Gomelsky, who stood in the center. The players, having already attained a relaxed state, were listening to positive statements (i.e., hypnotic suggestions) from Gomelsky. Such sessions, the viewer was informed, are conducted every day, and last approximately five minutes. The documentary, in short, brought to life, as only visual images are capable of doing, the obviously well-grounded contentions of Dr. Raiport, Dr. Yessis, and others. (To follow up on this report, it should be noted that this same Soviet team captured the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, upsetting in more ways than one the highly favored U.S. Olympic basketball squad in the semifinals.)

5ji 5ji 5ji

The training regimens followed by Soviet Olympic athletes have deservedly earned the reputation as being the world's best. We have seen in this chapter that these regimens most assuredly incorporate mental training, a key element in the Soviet's quest to develop the high-level athlete. Assuming you also wish to raise the level of your athletic performance, try out some of the mental training strategies described throughout this chapter and book. The alternative is to continue to rely on obsolete psych-up gimmicks—such as fiery pre-game speeches by the coach—that are rarely more than transitory and minimal in effect. But, to do this is to retrogress, not progress. As Dr. Yessis points out, "'Win one for the Gipper' is out the window now." That approach just does not do the job. Because the subconscious can, and often does, sabotage the best-laid conscious plans, something else is called for. Specifically, the subconscious mind needs to be addressed and properly programmed. Only mental training can do this for you. Therefore the smartest course of action to adopt is to emulate Valery Borzov and all the other great athletes appearing in this book who have learned and applied mental disciplines to attain peak performance.

FOOTNOTES

1. Dick Douce, "Hypnosis: A Scientific Training Aid for Bodybuilders," Joe Weider's Muscle magazine, July, 1979, p. 51.

2. William S. Kroger, Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis, (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1977), p. 340.

3. Ibid.

4. Richard Suinn, "Body Thinking: Psychology for Olympic Champs," Psychology Today, July, 1976, p. 38.

5. "East German SECRETS?" Track and Field News, November, 1976, p. 32.

6. Ibid.

7. Henry Gris and William Dick, The New Soviet Psychic Discoveries, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1978), p. 243.

8. Rich Roberts, "Russians Will Do Anything to Win and Often Do, Says Expert," Los Angeles Times, July 21, 1978, Part III, p. 10.

9. Gris and Dick, op. cit., p. 239.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid., p. 240.

12. Ibid.

13. "Karpov Celebrates Saving Chess Title," Los Angeles Times, October 19, 1978, Part I, p. 14.

14. "Chess Brain Waves Doubted," Los Angeles Times, October 19, 1978, Part I, p. 15.

15. P. M. Kasyanik, "Psychological Aspects of Weightlifting Competition," Soviet Sports Review, March, 1980, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 31-33; originally published in Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoi Kultury, 10:18-21, 1978.

16. E. I. Gamal, "The Psycho-Prophylactic Method Prior to Competition in Wrestling," Soviet Sports Review, March, 1971, Vol. 6, No. l,p. 26.

17. Mike Spino and James L. Hickman, "Beyond the Physical Limits," Runner's World, March, 1977, p. 53.

18. Without belaboring the point, the instance of hypnosis decreasing sensitivity to pain in patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center will be cited (see Baseball chapter). The reader is left to discover other related cases.

19. B. Blumenstein and N. Hudanov, "Psychological Preparation for Competition," Soviet Sports Review, March, 1980, Vol. 15, No. l,p. 1.

20. Ibid., pp. 1-2.

21. Ibid., p. 3.

22. Ibid.

23. Ibid., pp. 3-4.

24. Ibid., p. 4.

25. G. D. Gorbunov, "Contemporary Psychological Preparation of Athletes," Soviet Sports Review, June, 1982, Vol. 17, No. 2, p. 53.

26. Ibid., p. 54.

27. Ibid., p. 55.

28. Ibid., pp. 56-57.

29. Ibid., p. 56.

30. Ibid., p. 57.

31. Subscription information on this journal can be obtained from: Soviet Sports Review, P.O. Box 2878, Escondido, California 92025.

32. Leslie Maslakov, "Interpreter Makes Sports a Universal Language," Santa Ana Register, February 22, 1979, p. CI.

33. Fundamentally, there are two major reasons why we in the U.S. have gained little understanding of how the Soviets train. One of these reasons is the language barrier. The two Soviet athletes I interviewed both communicated quite well in English. This proved most fortunate; otherwise, I would have remained in the dark, as I do not speak Russian. So, it is necessary for us somehow to overcome this language barrier. Dr. Yessis suggests this could be accomplished by having college students act as interpreters between U.S. and Soviet athletes. No matter how it is done, though, Dr. Yessis emphasizes that "it's very important to talk to these people and really know what they're doing."

The other main reason why we know little about Soviet training techniques is because American officials and coaches actually discourage our athletes from talking to the Soviet athletes. This at least is what Dr. Yessis personally told me. I contacted Dr. Yessis in September, 1979, and was surprised to hear about this problem of interfering American officials. Dr. Yessis said that, as editor of the Soviet Sports Review, he constantly translates Soviet sports journals into English. To him it is clear the Russians have developed extremely advanced training systems. But, he noted, the American officials and coaches in charge of the various U.S. national teams believe we can learn nothing from the Soviets! This erroneous belief, though, is not supported by results of Soviet-U.S. meetings. In fact, Dr. Yessis contended in 1981 that because many American coaches "are living in the dark ages" and "are afraid of science," the U.S. would finish behind the Soviet Union and East Germany in the 1984 Olympics (see "Soviets Are More Serious About Playing, Fullerton Professor Says," Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1981). The USSR and East Germany participated in the '84 Winter Olympics, though not the Summer Games. In the '84 Winter Olympics the final standings more than confirmed Dr. Yessis's prediction: 1) USSR (25 medals overall), 2) East Germany (24), 3) Finland (13), 4) Norway (9), 5) Sweden and U.S. (8; tie). The 1988 Summer Olympics reconfirmed the pattern, with the USSR finishing first once again (132 medals total), followed by East Germany (102 medals), and then the U.S. (94).

34. Bill Shirley, "The Eastern Bloc Comes Into L.A. With a Head Start," Los Angeles Times, January 24, 1989, Part III, p. 10.

35. Ibid.

36. Beth Ann Krier, "Soviet Approach to Sport a Precise Science," Los Angeles Times, July 12, 1983, Part V, p. 1.

37. Ibid.

38. Shirley, op. cit.

39. Krier, op. cit.

40. Ibid.

41. Pete Donovan, "Soviets Are More Serious About Playing, Fullerton Professor Says," Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1981, Part III, p. 12.

42. Shirley, op. cit.

43. Valery Borzov, "An Hour Before the Start," Soviet Sports Review, December, 1981, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 202-203.

44. Steve Grimley, "Mind Games: U.S. Slow to Accept Sports Psychology," Orange County Register, April 19, 1985, p. D15.

45. V. Zobkov, "Psychological Preparation of the Young Sprinter," Soviet Sports Review, March, 1983, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 21-23.

46. Zobkov defines this trait: "Athletes with a sport-as-work motivation are characterized by a desire to attain high goals— to fulfill Master of Sport norms and to win a place on the national team. These athletes clearly see the stages leading to this goal. They are typically adept at working actively to overcome obstacles and they display creative initiative, tenacity and a self-critical attitude toward their successes and failures. Such athletes are able to assess quite accurately their preparedness for participation in competition. They set high but attainable goals, remain convinced that they can achieve them and show sound emotional stability. These positive personality traits are seen in meticulous preparation for the start, in an overall uplift of their strengths and in maximum realization of their capabilities in competition."