| If every championship tournament game, and all of the | | | | can’t do issue. The workshop on composure |
| regular season conference games were decided by a | | | | immediately led to a win over a top 20 ranked |
| 40 point margin each and every night, very little | | | | program. |
| ‘pressure’ would exist in the game of basketball. | | | | Developing the composure skill |
| The dominant teams would roll into arenas full of | | | | Contrary to popular belief, composure can be taught |
| confidence and perhaps even arrogance, expecting | | | | as well as a baseline jump hook, bounce pass, or pick |
| another blowout and the poor opposing much weaker | | | | and roll. After understanding what composure is and |
| team would play with a hope of just trying to keep it | | | | how to practice composure, the key quickly becomes |
| as close as possible and a hope to ‘look good’ | | | | composure practice consistency. |
| losing. But we all know that there is no such thing as | | | | Step 1 – understanding how the mind creates stress |
| 100% certainty in sports. Further, games are often | | | | People are often concerned and sometimes fearful |
| decided by single digit deficits, and at times by just a | | | | about things that they do not understand. For this |
| point or two. A cursory glance at last year’s | | | | reason, pressure and nervousness in sports is often a |
| NCAA tournament brackets and the deciding score | | | | huge area of pre-game, in-game and post-game |
| line will quickly reveal what every coach in America | | | | anxiety for many athletes. Worse still, discussing these |
| and every sports fan already knows; games often go | | | | thoughts and feelings is a ‘place where few |
| down to the wire. | | | | athletes enjoy going’ for fear of being perceived |
| So why spend a short paragraph writing about | | | | as mentally weak, foolish, giving away a mental edge |
| something that is already so well understood? The | | | | or advantage to teammates who may be competing |
| purpose is to provide a strong reminder of the critical | | | | for their playing time, or having their playing time |
| link between tight games, clutch situations and | | | | affected by a coaching decision due to their public |
| pressure, a concept and a link that is not so well | | | | admission of nervousness. For these reasons, game |
| understood. | | | | time anxiety and nervousness remains an almost silent, |
| More than anything else, pressure affects an | | | | unspoken pain. Smart coaches find smart ways to talk |
| athlete’s ability to relax, which in turn can alter shot | | | | about this vs. sweeping it under the proverbial game |
| selection, assist to turnover ratios, shooting | | | | time rug, and these smart coaches find innovative |
| percentages, overall clutch performance, and the list | | | | ways to broach the subject without athletes fearing |
| goes on and on. Yet for many coaches, composure | | | | they have lost face or will be seen as weak. There is |
| and the ability to relax is a double edged sword, with | | | | a tremendous sense of bonding and togetherness |
| some coaches believing that in order to remain | | | | among a group of athletes who begin to realize that |
| relaxed, intensity must be sacrificed. This is simply not | | | | “its ok,” “everyone is pretty much |
| true. An inverse relationship between composure and | | | | experiencing the same things,” “and we’ll get |
| intensity does not exist. A player can maintain 100% | | | | through it together.” In itself, these types of informal |
| intensity, yet still be fully composed and relaxed when | | | | team meetings (some may be player lead, other |
| she needs to be. | | | | meetings coach led) can be of some help to |
| The dangerous approach | | | | maintaining composure levels, but it is just a first step. |
| So how do we develop composure in our players? | | | | As we will discover, the next step is to develop a |
| Lets us begin by exploring how NOT to develop the | | | | team practice routine to develop the composure skills |
| trait. Yelling, screaming or evenly quietly admonishing | | | | that will have a huge impact on game time |
| players to “RELAX!” during a timeout or game is | | | | performance. |
| certainly not the most efficient way of achieving player | | | | Before we get to step 2 however, we must first |
| composure. In fact the opposite effect sometimes is | | | | outline the type of conversation that needs to occur in |
| unintentionally created by the coach. A command to | | | | step 1. The first thing to discuss is the fact that this |
| relax that is given to a player who does not have the | | | | feeling of nervousness has been common to all |
| skills to relax and deal with the pressure, is only going | | | | athletes, from Michael Jordan to Diana Taurasi. The |
| to make that player increasingly anxious and nervous, | | | | feeling is normal and not necessarily a negative. The |
| making them increasingly aware of their state of | | | | key is what becomes of this feeling of nervousness. Is |
| anxiety in addition to their inability to deal with the | | | | it transferred to excited energy, or does it become |
| nervousness, tension and lack of composure. Any | | | | uncomfortable and debilitating muscular tension? We |
| coach will tell you that a team can only consistently | | | | should next discuss, the process by which |
| execute a terrific flex offense if they know what the | | | | nervousness is created. On a very basic level, any |
| flex offense is and have practiced the flex | | | | area of the brain called the hypothalamus recognizes |
| successfully together as a team at some point. Can | | | | stress and activates two different response systems. |
| you imagine the look of astonishment on the faces of | | | | Picture this like a rainstorm at the top of a mountain |
| the assistant coaches if the head coach yells to the | | | | that results in two different rivers that flow down this |
| point, “run the flex.” “Ummm Coach,” the | | | | mountain. The first river is the ‘sympathetic |
| apprehensive assistant coach might begin, | | | | river’ which activates many of our primary organs |
| “we’ve never run the flex before….they | | | | directly (causing changes in our heart rate, perspiration, |
| don’t know it.” Obviously, few head coaches | | | | muscular tension etc), and the second river is the |
| would call for the flex to be run under these | | | | ‘pituitary’ river that flows through the pituitary |
| circumstances! Yet when coaches tell players to | | | | gland (a small pea sized gland in the brain), that in turn |
| ‘relax’ or ‘not be nervous,’ in a similar | | | | stimulates our stress hormones, often resulting in the |
| way, they may be asking for something that the | | | | same traits as river #1 – increased heart rate with |
| players simply do not know how to execute. An | | | | altered breathing patterns, the shutdown of the |
| additional approach which certainly can help with | | | | digestive system, an uncomfortable knotting sensation |
| composure, but is often seen as the only solution to | | | | in the stomach and throat, and increased muscular |
| composure, is physical skills practice. Some coaches | | | | tension. Collectively, these rivers are caused the |
| mistakenly believe that if you practice something | | | | ‘fight or flight’ reaction. The interesting thing |
| enough, then it will become automatic under game | | | | about this phenomenon is that when this energy is |
| conditions. If this were the case, then clutch free throw | | | | used to positively focus and sustain intensity, it can |
| shooting percentages would always be as good as | | | | produce lifetime best performances, but when this |
| practice free throw percentages. As we all know, this | | | | energy turns into an uncomfortable level of muscular |
| is not always the case. Shooting 800 jump shots a | | | | tension and nervousness, fine motor skills and intricate |
| day will certainly improve shooting composure in | | | | firing patterns of the muscles (responsible for things like |
| games, because being more proficient at any skill | | | | free throw shooting) are altered, and smooth practice |
| creates greater confidence levels which in turn can | | | | mechanics quickly become ‘brick city’ in games. |
| have a positive affect on composure levels. However, | | | | In time, we will learn how to solve this. However, I |
| shooting 800 shots a day in a practice environment | | | | cannot emphasize the following point |
| has a much greater effect on the proficiency and | | | | enough…clenching our teeth and fists and wanting to |
| execution of that skill in that practice environment than | | | | win a game the most is NOT the path to a |
| it will do compared to execution in a competitive | | | | combination of great composure and intensity. There is |
| situation or harder still, a high pressure competitive | | | | nothing wrong with intensity and ‘wanting it the |
| situation (such as a free throw to ice the game). The | | | | most.’ In fact it is an important trait of any |
| key to performing consistently in high pressure | | | | championship team. However, this mindset does not |
| conditions, is to specifically develop composure as an | | | | guarantee clutch composure. Any accomplished coach |
| actual skill. | | | | will tell you that only Hollywood gives the win each and |
| When I travel the country to work with teams on | | | | every time to the team that ‘wants it the most.’ |
| mental skills and toughness training who may be | | | | In real life, the team that executes their offense and |
| performing well, but want to increase their conference | | | | defense the best will win the game – period. And |
| or national ranking, or work with teams that are | | | | skills execution in high pressure/clutch situations takes |
| underperforming or in a slump, one of the questions I | | | | composure. Again, even a simple, basic working |
| ask as I examine the critical mental skills and | | | | knowledge of this process is somewhat comforting |
| toughness trait issues affecting the team is, is this issue | | | | for athletes, especially as they arrive at the realization |
| a ‘won’t do’ or a ‘can’t do’ issue | | | | of how much control they truly have over a process |
| or a combination of both of these issues? If it is a | | | | that is set in motion by their own perceptions of the |
| ‘won’t do’ issue, then there is an attitude | | | | game or game specific situation. |
| adjustment or a very strong sense of commitment | | | | Part 1 of this discussion has so far examined the need |
| that I will install. If it is a ‘can’t do’ issue, then | | | | for greater composure training, explored some of the |
| there is a critical skills gap, which requires a different | | | | myths connected to clutch composure, and provided |
| type of training – mental skills development in a | | | | an overview of the mind-body connection of |
| specific area. I share this because in my experience, a | | | | composure, important for each coach and athlete to at |
| lack of composure or consistent loss of composure, | | | | least have a basic understanding of. The next issue of |
| be it during critical on court decision making or on the | | | | the WBCA journal will include Part 2 of “Poise |
| free throw line, is a ‘can’t do’ issue requiring | | | | under Pressure,” and will examine more of the skills |
| skills training. A team I worked with in the past four | | | | training necessary to achieve a consistent level of |
| weeks was a strong underachieving division one | | | | clutch composure. Part 2 will discuss: |
| program that was not nationally ranked, yet probably | | | | 1. Reducing muscular tension |
| should have been were it not for a number of defeats | | | | 2. Mistake management to increase composure |
| by just 1-3 points, almost all of which had occurred as | | | | 3. Finding a player’s optimal emotional arousal |
| a result of an inability to execute in the clutch. For this | | | | 4. Reducing the stress response under pressure |
| particular team, their clutch performance was often a | | | | 5. |
