Mindfulness in Sports

Lessons of life from athletics

HI!
Tool 7-5: Automatic Negative Thoughts
(ANTs) Burdick,p.112-113

All-or-nothing thinking

Always/Never thinking

Mind-reading

Fortune-telling
REVIEW
Magnification and minimization
Two Areas
Guilt-bearing with”should” statements
“Many clients are experts at
generating a steady stream of
Personalizing
automatic negative thoughts…
Focusing on the negative Many of these negative thoughts
originate from false core beliefs
Emotional reasoning that get programmed into the brain
very early ostensibly for survival.”
Comparative thinking

Labeling

Blaming
 A Growth Group (Clinebell p.386)

The dominant purpose is the personal growth

of participants.

The group-centered, growth facilitating style

of leadership is used first by the designated
leader and gradually by the entire group.

The growth orientation is the guiding

perspective; the emphasis is more on the

REVIEW unused potentialities, here-and-now

effectiveness in living, and future growth than
on past failures of present hang-ups and
Two Areas problems.

The group is composed of relatively functional

people so that its aim is making well people
better.

It is small enough to allow group trust and

depth relationships to develop.

There is back-and-forth movement from

sharing of personal growth issues to
considering content.
 Coaching Mindfulness

What is coaching?

Coaching is teaching

Coaching is learning

Coaching is Pastoral Care

Cast of Characters
Phil Jackson

Mike Krzyzewski

Michael Gervais
 Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson brief resume:

University of North Dakota

11-time NBA championship

coach with 2 teams

Coached two of the best players

of their era - Kobe and Michael

As a player, won championship

with NY Knicks (1972)

Student of spirituality
 Phil Jackson and Oprah
on Meditation
Define mindfulness - building mental strength: focus, one-pointed
attention, but in concert with one another

Building a team in Chicago - One breath, one mind

Process of centering yourself before every game

Kind of what we do before class

 Phil Jackson and Oprah
on Meditation
“Driving a basketball down the court can be mundane, day-to-day, boring - being
able to find the sacred in that - put spirit into it, get spirit back into things” -
Oprah’s take

Adversity within the game (life?) - reseat yourself

For instance - the joy of winning is overshadowed by the realization of

starting over again (next season)

Not being there for Kobe in Colorado - “I had to reseat myself on that one.”
 Phil Jackson and Oprah
on Meditation
“Being authentic, coming from who you are, and what
you think is important.” - Phil Jackson

“Following the Socratic injunction ‘know thyself,’ EQ

(emotional intelligence/quotient) research has shown
that awareness of one’s inner world is basic to all the
other positive attributes.” - Clinebell p.354
“Being authentic, coming from who you
are, and what you think is important.”

Phil Jackson’s
mindfulness in practice

Silence day Greg Z’s mindfulness in

practice
Playing in the dark
Think outside yourself
during aerobic WU’s

Scrimmage without
dribbling - all passing
To wrap up Phil Jackson…

Mindfulness of Intention
Tool 13-1
Explore your true intentions
Setting an intention is a first step in any activity or discipline. In setting an intention we
decide what we intend to pay attention to. Doing so helps us stay focused on a specific
goal or task. In mindfulness, we must set an intention every time we practice. Burdick
p.154
1 Corinthians 8: 2-3
The man who thinks he knows
something does not yet know as
he ought to know. But the man
who loves God is known by
God.
Any thoughts?
 Mike Krzyzewski
Mike Krzyzewski’s brief resume

Army-West Point

5-time NCAA championship

coach

Coached gold medal Team

USA (2x)

Overall record 1018-310 (.767

W-L%)

Practicing Catholic and a

good Pollack
 Mike Krzyzewski -
How can all of us together be one?
Draws the parallel of athletes and leaders - discipline must be
maintained - “Discipline is doing what you are supposed to do in the best
possible manner at the time you are supposed to do it.”

You will be put in positions that can fail

We are all going to be tested - what do we do with our tests?

Being Catholic - a reminder: part of something bigger than yourself

 Mike Krzyzewski -
How can all of us together be one?
His mother instilled the essence of a good life - be honest,
be truthful - “she made sure I touched the steps” - Sister?

It is more than just us - “Being able to give when we didn’t

have a lot to give”

“Give me strength to do my best”

 Mike Krzyzewski
How can all of us together be one?
“That’s what a sporting team does, because one of us can’t do all
the things that all of us can do together.” - Mike Krzyzewski

“The group climate of interdependency facilitates the growth that

comes when one becomes an agent of healing in the lives of
others, even while one’s healing is being nurtured by them. Group
caring and counseling are closer to the reciprocity of everyday
life.” - Clinebell p.380
“How can all of us together be
one?”
Greg Z’s mindfulness in
Mike Krzyzewski’s practice
mindfulness in practice
Fundamentals - can’t cut
Be honest, be truthful - corners - Understand and
“she made sure I touched practice your weaknesses
the steps”
You represent the team, the
Part of something bigger school, your family, yourself
than you - how do you want to be
perceived?
How do discipline and mindfulness interact?

Have you ever had to work in a BAD group?

To wrap up Mike Krzyzewski…

Mindfulness of Relationships
Tool 10-2
Explore your true intentions
Feeling felt is what happens when we allow our internal state to shift and come to
resonate with the inner world of others… It is also needed throughout life to feel known
by and connected to others.
Burdick p.141
 Psalm 133:1,3
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
Even life forevermore.
 Michael Gervais
Michael Gervais’ brief resume

Undergraduate of LMU

PhD - Studied under the Father of

American Applied Sport psychology - Dr.
Bruce Ogilvie - San Diego State,
Integrative Studies

Director of DISC Sport and Spine Center

High Performance Psychology

Works with high-stakes environments

where there is no luxury for mistakes,
hesitation, or failure (he WORKS with
stress)

Sport psychologist for the Seattle

Seahawks

Gervais is the one that has taken sport

mindfulness to a whole, new athletic level
 Michael Gervais
Sports, Performance, and Mindfulness

Mindfulness = awareness within oneself - how am I engaging and the interplay between the two
(external/internal)

Joining the mindfulness with physical ability dissolves the intensity of the moment

The goal: dissolving the pressure when fully engaged = NO pressure - now you are in the moment

The question: What is the best approach when there is a mistake or when things don’t go well?

3-5 seconds to shape the moment

build a skill set where recovery is the fastest it can be

“failing fast” - handling the intensity of the moment

 Michael Gervais
Sports, Performance, and Mindfulness

“What do you say we build a masterpiece together?” - Pete Carroll

Michael Gervais generalities:

Mindful group

Have a philosophy

Have clarity in the approach

Share this philosophy

Mindful individual

Can you create a sense of confidence in any situation?

Can you generate a sense of calmness and roundedness in any environment?

Can you refocus in the moment better than you have ever been able to do before?

TRUST and let go

 Michael Gervais
Sports, Performance, and Mindfulness

“We don’t talk about winning. It is about being engaged on a

rich level to explore what is possible in your life. The after
effect is winning” - Michael Gervais

“When people let go of comfortable answers that no longer

make sense or satisfy, they are confronted by a need that is also
an opportunity - to work out their salvation with fear and
trembling (to paraphrase Philippians 2:12)” - Clinebell p.215
 “What do you say we build a
masterpiece together?”

Michael Gervais’
mindfulness in practice
Greg Z’s mindfulness in
“failing fast” practice

TRUST and let go Understand the speed of the

game - adjust quickly -
everything has to be done as
fast as possible

Rely on your teammates

What do you think of the idea of “failing fast?”

Does it apply in life?

To wrap up Michael Gervais…

Present Moment Awareness

Tool 6-5
Can you imagine the space between?
Open focus attention training encourages awareness of how you attend to the wide
array of sensory experiences, and the space between those experiences. It helps you put
things in perspective and helps to relieve stress, manage physical pain, regulate
emotions, and set the stage for peak performance, and transcendent moments.
Burdick p.98
 James 1:17
Blessed is the man who perseveres
under trial, because when he has
stood the test, he will receive the
crown of life that God has
promised to those who love him.
 Common Ground

Each coach talks differently about their approach to mindfulness, but what are
the common areas?

It begins with the definition (to each) of mindfulness -

Phil Jackson: one-pointed attention, being authentic, coming from who

you are
Mike Krzyzewski: discipline to counteract failure
Michael Gervais: awareness within oneself, how am I “engaging” within
and without
 Common Ground

Next is the individual - always some kind of focus…

Phil Jackson: Center yourself - “It’s about being in the moment, being in
harmony with the moment”
Mike Krzyzewski: Discipline at the time you’re supposed to do it - “If
what you have done yesterday still looks big to you, you haven’t done much
today.”
Michael Gervais: Confidence in any situation - “What is in your control,
let’s invest in that”
 Common Ground

It advances to confronting adversity, rising to a challenge…

Phil Jackson: Reseat yourself - “Your problems never cease. They just
change.”
Mike Krzyzewski: What do we do with our tests - “Confrontation simply
means meeting the truth head-on.”
Michael Gervais: Failing fast - “If you are not present in the alligator pit, you
will suffer for it.”
 Common Ground

It graduates to investing your individuality in a team concept…

Phil Jackson: One breath, one mind - “You have to move outside yourself and
think about others to be a successful team.”
Mike Krzyzewski: How can all of us together be one - “Confidence shared is
better than confidence only in yourself.”
Michael Gervais: Trust and let go - “The way other people feel us, that is one
of the ways to measure success - being resonating in a personal way.”
 Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons
of God.
For fun - Pastoral counseling in coaching

Real life challenges, and I need advice…

Tool 7-5: Automatic Negative Thoughts
(ANTs)

All-or-nothing thinking

Always/Never thinking

Mind-reading

Fortune-telling REVIEW
Magnification and minimization

Guilt-bearing with”should” statements

“Many clients are experts at
generating a steady stream of
Personalizing
automatic negative thoughts…
Focusing on the negative Many of these negative thoughts
originate from false core beliefs
Emotional reasoning that get programmed into the brain
very early ostensibly for survival.”
Comparative thinking

Labeling

Blaming
 A Growth Group (Clinebell p.386)

The dominant purpose is the personal growth

of participants.

The group-centered, growth facilitating style

of leadership is used first by the designated
leader and gradually by the entire group.

The growth orientation is the guiding

perspective; the emphasis is more on the
unused potentialities, here-and-now

REVIEW effectiveness in living, and future growth than

on past failures of present hang-ups and
problems.

The group is composed of relatively functional

people so that its aim is making well people
better.

It is small enough to allow group trust and

depth relationships to develop.

There is back-and-forth movement from

sharing of personal growth issues to
considering content.
 Aly and Kaitlyn

Paternal twins who compete

AND… Mom is competitive
Kaitlyn has more talent, but gives less
I push her because of her potential
Kaitlyn resists, Mom defends
her/criticizes my approach
All-or-nothing thinking?
Aly struggles, but tries harder
Aly is short and slow for basketball
Aly berates herself, apologizes for
mistakes, driven to succeed
Mom says she never has to look over
her
Magnification and minimalization?

How does it affect the growth group?

The star athlete syndrome

Think she is better than everyone

else… and she is!
Getting her to be a team player
not in sync with team - makes
mistakes
borderline ADD
ANTs - blaming?
Arrogant mom - my daughter is
the best and I know it - she can
miss a practice or two…

How does it affect the growth

group?