Mind Games

As promised, we’re back this month with the next couple sections of Gary Mack’s book, Mind Gym. If you missed the first chapter review, we highly suggest returning to our blog to glean the knowledge revealed. It discusses mastering your mind to excel at a higher level than the competition and highlights a quick activity to help you do it. This will be a building block for the rest of the book.

“Everybody looks at my body, but I use my mind more than my arms.” — Mark McGwire

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This week, we’re diving into Chapter One, Parts Two and Three.

Mind Games

Mind Games opens with the story of a kicker who couldn’t perform when his coach was watching him play. He was becoming self-conscious instead of task-conscious—a fatal flaw in sports.

The main concept in this section is that the mind can only focus on one thing at a time. The number one key to success in sports is learning to focus on the task at hand and to not let negative thoughts intrude.

This is easier said than done.

How many times have you choked under pressure, with invasive feelings or thoughts of not being good enough creeping in and distracting you to the point of failure?

Gary says the mind is akin to a television. You have to change the channel to get the results you want. Oftentimes, we’re stuck watching the wrong channel for the wrong program.

If you want to change your game, change your thinking.

More importantly, don’t suppress what you don’t want to happen. If you keep thinking to yourself: I can’t hit the ball to the left, I can’t hit the ball to the left… Guess where the ball is going? Instead,You need to tell your mind what to do, not what not to do. You can even think about something neutral so that your skill can take control.

Try This Exercise

Here’s a quick way Gary Mack lays out to “change the channel” on your brain during competition: Pick a word that, when you say it to yourself, it blocks negative thoughts and relieves tension. For example, Al Del Greco of the Tennessee Titans used the word, “Birdie.” Why? He was an avid golfer. The word creates the feeling of fun and success for him.

So, give it a try. Think about a word that helps you feel calm, successful, in the moment, and capable.

Don’t believe it works? There’s even physiological proof that this distraction technique can help you relax. Herbert Benson, a Harvard cardiologist, performed a study where patients simply breathed and repeated the word “one,” representing a low, slow state. It immediately lowered their heart rate and blood pressure.

The Head Edge

The Head Edge is a section we valued greatly here at DRYWORLD: It’s all about the power and value of mental rehearsal and imagery. For Gary Mack, this mental edge was critical to an athlete’s success, and it’s been demonstrated time and time again in dozens of studies:

When you take 20 athletes of equal ability and give half of them mental training, they will outperform the 10 with no mental training every time.

Even the legendary Pelé believed in—and used—the power of the Head Edge in his game. He would visualize for 30 minutes before a game focusing on three key areas:

1. Playing as a kid—Re-experiencing joy
2. His greatest moments at the World Cup—Re-experiencing success
3. Rehearsing for the current game—Visualization

By the time he was ready to hit the field, Pelé was guaranteed to be on the right channel. He’d also build the right mental skills to stay on it.

Try This Excercise

Now you get to experience why Gary Mack called his book Mind Gym. This exercise involves building one.

Lie down in a quiet place and start focusing on your breath.

Now, build a gym in your mind. It can look however you want it to, with whatever features you’d want. This is your oasis—an imaginary retreat you can go to before big moments or even practices to reflect, mentally prepare, and ensure you’re on the right channel. Make it as real as possible.

Return to this place often, just like Pelé did. Visualize everything with as much detail as possible, including all five senses. See yourself overcoming mistakes, imagine yourself performing well. Gary Mack liked to say that confidence comes from knowing you are mentally and physically prepared. That’s why you need two gyms, one for your body and one for your mind.

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Change The Channel, Hone The Mind

To reiterate, the best thing you can do to find success in sports is to learn to steer or block your mind from stress and refocus the task at hand. To do that, build a mind gym and spend time in it visualizing what success looks like, remembering joy, and mentally preparing for your upcoming game. Train yourself on a word that will reset your channel anytime you feel your focus slipping. Mental rehearsal and visualization are invaluable to your game.

“Enthusiasm and the mental edge are the keys to winning.” —Pelé