RUSSIAN PHILOSOPHY OF COMPETITION LINKED TO MENTAL TRAINING
An interesting study was cited in Dr. Charles Garfield’s book, “Peak Performance Mental Training Techniques of the World’s Greatest Athletes.” Four equally skilled groups of world-class Russian skiers were preparing for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid. They trained in the following manner:
Group I: 100% Physical Training
Group II: 75% Physical Training 25% Mental Training
Group III: 50% Physical Training 50% Mental Training
Group IV: 25% Physical Training 75% Mental Training
Shortly before the Olympic Games, the four groups were compared. Which group do you think performed the best? Group IV.
How Does Your Team Train?
Before proceeding, take a moment and think about your training strategies. How much time do you have your team or athletes train? Most coaches tell me that the mental side of their sport is very important for the success of their team or athlete. In fact, some coaches say it is the most important aspect of their sport. Yet when pressed, most coaches admit they spend little time during training, teaching their athletes how to prepare mentally. If they do spend the time, a mental training expert does not direct that time. A coach who had a sport psychology course in college or read a few books usually teaches it.
The Russian View of Competition
“Russian youth,” reports Dr. Garfield, “are taught to look upon competition not only as a way to prove oneself better than others, but as the ultimate motivation for developing the best in oneself.” To the Russian athlete, the competitor is looked upon as an equal. Russian’s believe that when you compete with an equal wish to excel, you are forced to draw upon resources usually considered to be outside the normal range of your capabilities. It is through this effort the athlete can improve performance as well as develop a healthy outlook towards sports and themselves.
The Russian athletic training programs are built around two key skills: relaxation and mental imagery. The USA training programs are nearly 100% physical. Most visualization techniques found in Russian training are extremely detailed. They duplicate the training itself in every sequence of movement. Tests, using an electromyogram, reveal that the muscles actually perform as if the physical activity was occurring, even though the activity is only being visualized. Furthermore, these tests showed that athletes were able to acquire muscle memory without physically performing the actual, sometimes dangerous physical activity. This reduces the probability of injury in training.
Losing Athletes to Injury in Training?
To minimize injuries, it would be beneficial to utilize more visualization and/or incorporate some of Coach John Gagliardi’s strategies or tactics. The winningest football coach in college history, Gagliardi’s coaching strategies have been distilled into a series of “Winning With No’s” which include: 1. No blocking sleds or dummies. 2. No compulsory weightlifting program. 3.No tackling in practice. 4. No long practices (90 minutes or less) and 96 more.
Below are four tips to show you how to improve the success of your team and athletes. Use some or all of them or test them out and adjust them to your needs. Most of all, dare to give them a try.
4 Russian Training Tips to Ensure Athletic Success
1. Change your view of competition. View competition as an opportunity to develop the best in your team and athletes. DO NOT view it as a way to vanquish an enemy.
2. Use mental imagery along with your normal routine. Visualize what you want to do, in the greatest detail possible, before doing it physically.
3. Create an expectation of success. This is done by recreating vivid mental images of past or imagined moments of success, no matter how small. Be sure to use your emotions to feel your past or imagined successes. Did you know that your mind is not able to distinguish actual success from imagined success? Encourage your athletes to practice visualizing successes frequently. Remember, the expectation of success is not created in a single session, but rather through a series of sessions.
4. Incorporate relaxation techniques into your training time. The purpose is not to become limp as a noodle, but to relieve unnecessary stress and to allow the body to function optimally. Two simple relaxation techniques you can teach to your team are as follows: 1. Tense a group of muscles, hold for a count of three then relax them. Do this three times, and then move on to each muscle group until completion. 2. Practice slow rhythmic breathing. Breathe in through your nose to the count of five, hold your breath for a moment, and then exhale through the mouth to the count of eight. Do this three times.
About the Author: Dr. Raymond J. Petras’ expertise is in the areas of sports psychology (performance) and injury management. He has helped amateur, university and professional teams and individuals improve performance, dealing with injuries and win championships. Dr. Petras is available for individual or team consultation. He may be reached at 1.888.447.1429 or by email drpetras@reliefforyou.com. More information is available on his website www.reliefforyou.com, blog.reliefforyou.com or YouTube.com (type relief4u2 in the search bar).