Can A “Mental Rehearsal” Help Secure A Victory?

Sponsored by Baskets by Jean Kelsey

Accessing “The Flow State” 

Psychology has become a key role in the lives of today’s athletes.  There is now what is referred to as a “mental rehearsal” which has been incorporated into the training regiments. The core focus being on the athlete’s ability to access “flow states” and optimize mental skills. It is believed that the “flow states” make the difference between winning and actively competing. The ability to “get into the zone” is something that athletes can achieve when their performance consists of a combined effort which is physical and mental. This is what is referred to as a state of “flow”.

Jeremy Lazarus explains these techniques in his book, Ahead of the Game: How to Use Your Mind to Win in Sport. This highly effective approach is ideal for coaches, athletes and players of all levels who are eager to learn some helpful NLP techniques and approaches for competitions.

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Does Practice Make Perfect?

There are many factors that influence sporting abilities such as genetic inheritance, fitness levels, technical skills and the athletes mental abilities. “Mental rehearsal” is a technique that will not only enhance these factors, but also develop the athlete’s self-confidence and self-belief. When engaging in mental rehearsal, one imagines performing without having to actually do the physical work.

“Practice makes perfect” is a well-known mantra which has and can lead to improvement. Mental rehearsal offers the “perfect practice” which can lead to better results as opposed to merely engaging in a practice that has multiple failures and errors.  The benefit of the “perfect practice” is that it also provides a confidence boost to the athlete.  Experiencing success increases confidence; even if that experience is imagined. Although many sports performers will spend a lot of their time on their fitness and technical skills, the mental side of the game is often neglected even at a world class or Olympic-level of performance.

 

The Difference Between  Average & Excellent!

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is the study of human excellence, focusing on the difference that makes the difference, in a successful outcome. It focuses on the discovery and coding of those models or patterns of human behavior, which distinguish excellent performers (or role models) from average performance in any human endeavor.

NLP teaches individuals the strategies, techniques and physiology used by our sporting role models to achieve excellence often in a fraction of the time. Teaching people how to get into the ‘flow states’ enabling them to consciously enter states of peak sports performance as and when needed.  NLP provides multiple techniques to maintain the motivation to train, which will take the athletes skill sets to the next level.

Getting “Ahead of The Game”

Many world renowned athletes have recognized the need for mental training in addition to daily physical routines. The top athletes have mastered this and know that this combination will make the difference between being a champion or a runner up.  Ahead of the Game is written for coaches, athletes and players of all levels who want to learn how to train the mind more effectively. It draws on many of the techniques from Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) to achieve success. Ahead of the Game takes you through the techniques and approaches step by step. The book offers practical exercises and also provides examples to help determine which technique may be suitable for the individual athlete.

Meet Jeremy Lazarus

Jeremy Lazarus is an Executive Coach and High Performance Sports Coach, and a Certified Master Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).  He spent over 15 years in a business career which included senior management and director roles.  In 1999 he formed The Lazarus Consultancy Ltd, NLP training and coaching company specializing in the applications of NLP, in business and sports.

Jeremy’s clients include elite athletes, professional football and rugby clubs, and the Great Britain pistol shooting team, as well as blue chip companies, SMEs, and public sector organizations. He is a guest lecturer at Middlesex University, teaching on undergraduate Sports Psychology courses and on a Masters program.  He is the author of three Amazon UK’s best-selling books including ‘Ahead of the Game: How to Use Your Mind to Win in Sport’, and has appeared on TV and radio several times.

The Interview

Tune in to this segment of The NLP View Radio Show, as host, Donna Blinston is joined by author, Jeremy Lazarus to discuss his best-selling book, Ahead of The Game, How to Use Your Mind to Win in Sport, A Practical Guide for Coaches, Athletes & Players of All Levels. October the 13th, 2012 at 7pm EDT/4pmPST! To listen to the interview, click here or subscribe to our channel at iTunes. Stay Tuned!