In a past article, we talked about the front
brain and hindbrain. If you haven’t read it yet you might want to check
it out, but here’s a quick refresher.
Your front brain is where you do your thinking (aka in your head). It
is also where that oh so helpful (not) critic lives.
Your hindbrain (aka in your body) is where your muscle memory lives.
It’s where you must be in order to perform up to your full
potential.
That means, in order to access your muscle memory for peak
performance, you must be in your hindbrain. Sounds simple right? Well,
yes, it is simple, but not easy because of something called
distractions.
Your mind will always wander, and wandering takes you out of your
hindbrain (aka your body). So you will constantly need to take steps to
get back into your hindbrain.
To do that you have to be aware of when you are in your hindbrain and
when you are not.
Now I’m going to give you some ideas to play with that can help you
catch yourself when you’re in your head and bring yourself back into
your body. I call them guidelines, because everyone has a unique brain.
Be curious. Explore and try different things. This is the only way
you’ll learn what works for you.
Breath
Keep reading, it’s not what you think. Understand, I don’t believe
that breathing exercises are a miracle cure, but for athletes who want
to DIY without a coach working with them, it is a great way to start
building this awareness.
When I talk to my students about “breathing exercises” for the first
time, many of them have a similar response: “I tried that in the past,
but it didn’t work for me.” Then, I ask them to show me what they did
and how they did it.
Once they finish, I ask them the following questions:
- What did you notice?
- How were you feeling?
The most common response to these questions is, “I didn’t feel or
notice anything.”
Next, I have them repeat the breathing exercise, but this time I have
them pay attention to what they’re feeling in their body.
- How does their nose feel as the air moves through it?
- Are the muscles in their body tense or relaxed?
- Can they feel the muscles in their chest expand and contract as they
breath?
Where you put your attention is the key to everything. In order to
perform up to your full potential, your attention needs to be in the
right place. In your body and in the feeling of the actions you are
making.
Note, I’m not talking about the typical face scrunched, muscles
tense, front brain “focus”. I’m talking about observing what is
happening in your body.
Feeling and observing is the key. Be curious. When you’re thinking or
judging you’re in your front brain, which is the opposite of where you
want to be. You want to be in your body (hindbrain), observing the
physical feelings in your body is the way to get there.
Putting it into practice
Has your coach ever had you do a walkthrough of one of your
skills?
Many of the athletes I work with feel like walkthroughs don’t help
them. When they go to do the jump they walked through, nothing
changes.
If you have this problem, ask yourself the following questions.
- What do you feel in your body when you do your walkthroughs?
- How do you execute your walkthroughs, are you purposeful or do you
rush through them?
When I ask the athletes I work with these questions, many of them
don’t feel anything. They rush through the walkthrough, so they can get
back to doing the actual jump faster.
To them, the jump is the important part. The walkthrough is just
something to do, it’s homework.
When you’re doing your walkthroughs, it’s important to be in the
hindbrain (aka your body). And to get there, you need to focus on the
feeling.
The opposite can also be true. Some athletes are in their bodies
during walkthroughs and in their front brain when they jump.
When they’re doing the walkthrough, they’re purposeful. They’re
focused on the feeling. They’re immersed.
However, when it comes to the actual jump, everything changes. They
psyche themselves up, telling themselves “You can do it.” They talk
themselves through what they’re supposed to do, “Don’t let your left arm
move on the takeoff.” What part of the brain are they in now? Yup, back
in the front brain and in their head.
This is the reason many athletes feel like walkthroughs don’t help.
They aren’t in their hind brain for both the walkthrough and the jump.
The purpose of walkthroughs is to get your attention into your body and
the physical feeling of the jump actions.
It’s personal
If you are human, you will be distracted. This distraction is
essential for survival. The human brain has been wired that way since
day one.
The great thing is that since our brains are so big and complex, we
can learn to work with this, and change. That means that with work and
lots of practice, once you become aware that you are in your head, you
can take steps to bring yourself back into your body.
There are a variety of ways that athletes I work with bring
themselves back into their bodies when they drift to their heads.
Some take a deep breath. Some rub their fingers together. Some play
with their hair. Some make a fist. Some snap their fingers.
It doesn’t matter what action you choose, what matters is how you do
it. Don’t do it mindlessly, like a nervous habit. Remember to put your
attention on how the action feels.
You can create an action or use a little natural action you have.
Practice doing the action with attention on how the action feels in your
body parts. By shifting your attention and lots of practice, you can
change them into a trigger that gets you back into your body when you
notice you are in your head.
Now that you know this, you want to consistently pay attention to
what is happening in your body. Pick a simple skill to practice, and do
it while focusing on the feeling in your body.
Of course, learning this skill isn’t quick or easy. It’s a process.
However, if you make a point of refocusing yourself whenever you find
your mind wandering, you will make progress.
Practice it for a small amount of time every day. Then, slowly
increase the time until it becomes second nature.