Every now and again, I’ll be catching up with those who call sports or elements of sports their job, profession, livelihood — to help give those outside of the business a better understanding of what goes on around the game.
One of my favorite topics to talk about with athletes, particularly professional athletes, over the years is their mental preparation toward training and once they are between the lines competing. You not only learn a lot about them as players, but people too. Renowned mental coach, Dr. Jim Afremow digs in even deeper with individual and team mental training as the founder of Good To Gold Medal in Phoenix, Arizona and author of, “The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train and Thrive” (Rodale, 2014).
While he’s worked with athletes , teams and coaches at various levels for over the last 15 years, his insight is equally applicable to executives, parents and yes — even those of us in the sports business world. Knowing this, I recently caught up with Dr. Afremow to talk some NBA news and how to build a “Champion’s Mind”.
For those not familiar with your work as a mental game coach and counselor, can you share some of the NBA players and teams you have worked with during your career and how those relationships have come about?
I provide both mental coaching and counseling services and I always maintain client confidentiality. However, I can share that I have worked with players on several NBA teams, including the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors. Although many of my clients are referred through word of mouth, I also receive direct referrals from coaches, parents, doctors, trainers, and teammates.
To be more specific, I work with athletes on fine-tuning their mental and emotional games to overcome any kind of setback―a mental block or a prolonged slump or managing off-court issues or concerns about their performance. My goal is to help athletes be the best version of themselves as players and persons, so that they can maximize their performance and enjoyment in playing their respective sport.
How does working with basketball players in college, or at a high level like the NBA, differ in terms of mental training and preparation than other sports such as the MLB or the NFL?
In all sports like demanding endeavors, peak performance is peak performance. While it can be helpful to understand the nuances of each sport and speak the athlete’s language, the mental coaching I do is similar across all sports. Specifically, I teach a science-based mental framework or performance philosophy to help athletes think, feel, and act like a champion, as well as provide effective mental skills and strategies, including refocusing techniques and visualization exercises.
My sports psychology approach is to always personalize a mental game plan for each individual client after identifying strengths, targeting areas for improvement, and understanding his or her specific struggles. The ultimate goal for all athletes: win the internal battle by reducing or eliminating mental interference―manage doubts, fears, and distractions―and get in the ideal state of mind and mood to play the way you’re capable of playing on a consistent basis. Remember that we are all champions…until we beat ourselves!
In your book, The Champion’s Mind, you dedicate a chapter to “long term survival of the most mentally fit.” With a guy like Kobe Bryant who has prided himself on playing at an elite level for a long time and recently announcing his retirement, how does he mentally prepare for the end of his career and life after the game?
Each athlete copes with this transition from a sport so uniquely. Some are ready for their sport to be over while others really struggle with it ending. Their daily agenda is no longer set, and they often feel empty. The ending of the career creates a void usually at a younger age (less than 40), and athletes then ask themselves, “Now what can I do that will make me feel good and valuable?” A healthy self-esteem and high confidence level are important for athletes to transition smoothly after the end of their sports career.
For Kobe, he’s said that his head and heart are still into basketball, but that his body is no longer able to handle the rigors of daily practice and frequent games. His “Dear Basketball” farewell letter (recently published on The Players’ Tribute website) is a remarkable document about his love affair with basketball and what playing it has meant to his life. This is a good start to coming to terms with his looming retirement at the end of the 2015-2016 season.
His successful adjustment after the season will depend on a number of factors, such as: 1) family support, 2) health status, and 3) developing other goals and pursuits (i.e., building an identity beyond that of an elite athlete). Interestingly, his former Laker teammate Shaquille O’Neal candidly discussed on the Dan Patrick Show in a recent appearance that he was emotionally down for quite some time after retiring from basketball. He said what helped him the most was receiving a call from Charles Barkley to join him as part of the crew on the “Inside the NBA” TNT show. Shaq now has a new challenge and an opportunity to shine. For Kobe, he will have to decide whether he wants to stay in basketball, as a coach, commentator, or general manager. Or, will he flex his talents in something outside of basketball, like what Magic Johnson has done in the business world? I bet Kobe will have fun finding out what interests and drives him most when he’s ready to reset his life goals.
Coping with injuries is a constant theme throughout sports. From Derrick Rose’s knee troubles to dealing with blurry vision from his orbital fracture, how does a player facing health issues manage setbacks and obvious mental distraction?
Optimism, or always seeing the positive outcome, is the key right now for Derrick Rose, as well as for all athletes dealing with any kind of injury. This includes ignoring the cynics, biding his time, and viewing the injury as situational (vs. personal), specific (vs. pervasive), and short-lived (vs. permanent):
* Situational: “The orbital fracture has nothing to do with previous injuries. This was just dumb luck what happened, not a personal reflection.”
* Personal: “If something can go wrong for me, it always will.”
* Specific: “My vision may be blurry, but I can still do x, y, and z well. I just need to make a few adjustments and do the best I can with what I’ve got.”
* Pervasive: “I can’t do anything.”
* Short-lived: “What I’m dealing with right now is temporary. I’m going to stay positive and patient!”
* Permanent: “I’ll always be injured throughout my entire career.”
One of the interesting storylines this NBA season has been the play of New York Knicks rookie, Kristaps Porzingis―4th overall draft pick, 20 years old, journeyed from Latvia to a big market like New York. What will be most important during his mental maturation in the game?
Porzingis is right in the middle of a honeymoon phase or Cinderella story with both the Knicks fans and the New York media (I can’t help but think of Jeremy Lin also). He was booed soundly by these same fans when his name was announced during the draft, but he has quickly demonstrated to himself and everybody else that he has real talent to play this game and can excel at the highest level now, thereby blowing away the projection of him as being a long-term “project.” In many respects, it’s been an ideal scenario in which to start his NBA career in that all the expectations were taken off of him at the start, as well as no real expectations for the Knicks as a team going into this season. There was nowhere for him and his team to go but up.
Two mental game-time challenges are on the horizon for Porzingis: First, how well will he respond to a setback or slump in his performance? That is, does he have the mental toughness and maturity to play through his mistakes and keep his confidence level high? The naysayers will also quickly come back out of the woodwork, and he’ll have to ignore or tune out the “noise” and stay on a positive track rather than a negative one.
Second, how well will he respond to the high expectations that will soon be piled on him to carry his team to the top of the division and make a deep run in the playoffs during the next few seasons? The better he plays, the better he will have to keep playing, until the demands become incessant. In other words, can he handle the pressure of being a superstar in the league and all the expectations and media scrutiny that comes with it? For a comparison, look at LeBron James who was ripped to shreds in the media until he finally led the Miami Heat to back-to-back NBA titles. One way to do this is to follow “the middle path” that Phil Jackson always preached about while coaching the Bulls and Lakers. He meant, don’t get too high with the highs or two low with the lows. Get off the emotional roller-coaster of living or dying based on winning or losing a particular game, and keep getting better and evolving with the subsequent games.
In terms of his mental maturation, as I explain in my book, The Champion’s Mind, champions think GOLD and never settle for silver or bronze. Everything Porzingis does must be about becoming the best version of himself as a player with an eye toward achieving longevity in the league. Sustainability of excellence is the hallmark of a champion’s career. As such, Porzingis needs to continually progress by setting improvement goals from month-to-month and year-to-year in all aspects of his game. He needs to be brilliant with the self-care basics, such as protecting his rest and recovery, so he doesn’t burnout.
Regarding motivation, or why he plays the game, he needs to keep his focus on playing with passion and a love of basketball (i.e., intrinsic motivation), and know that all accolades, trophies and financial rewards (i.e., extrinsic motivation) will come as the cherry on top if he prepares himself. He also needs to surround himself with a tight inner circle of trusted people who have his best interests in mind, including reaching out to select mentors in the league that have been there and done that so they can offer him guidance as needed.
An NBA season wouldn’t be the same without a little drama…which brings me to the Sacramento Kings. With a head coach and star player reportedly at odds and now Rajon Rondo making negative headlines, how do young players refrain from getting caught up in those headlines and the distractions along the way?
The goal in these situations is to avoid emotional triangulation (ET) at all costs. Triangulation is a psychological concept that refers to when people in a relationship (e.g., player-coach or player-player on a sports team) are in conflict, and so they avoid dealing directly with the conflict by addressing (and resolving!) it one-on-one with the other person and attempt to draw in a third party, whether another teammate (or even the media) to reduce tension and garner support. However, this can split the team, which leads to more drama and distraction. The person caught in the middle becomes resentful, and the issue between the original parties worsens.
As such, provide emotional support the other person if he comes to you by putting your arm around him and acknowledging and validating his feelings, but avoid getting pulled into the specifics of the conflict and picking sides. For example, you can say something along the lines of, “I can see how much this is upsetting you right now. I know that you and [person] don’t see eye-to-eye on X, but I support both of you and want you to work it out with each other. In the meantime, let’s focus all of our energy on what we’re here to do and that’s playing the game.” Put the welfare of the team and the organization above any minor conflicts or external distractions. Just do your job and do it great. Focus on winning!
You write about “the wisdom of a champion,” and the Golden State Warriors not only opened the season with a historic win-streak but did so after capturing an NBA title last season. What are 3 keys to coping with the pressures of being the defending champs and staying on top this season?
Here are three keys to winning after winning:
1. Clean slate, ready to win. Instead of thinking of “defending” a championship that can never be taken away (it’s earned, it’s theirs), the Warriors should set their sights on winning the 2015-2016 NBA title. The attitude needs to be all about approaching success (winning a new championship) versus avoiding failure (not repeating as champions).
2. Humble and hungry. There’s a human tendency to win big and then relax. Fight the urge to grow complacent by committing to the process of what it takes to become the very best version of yourself as a player and as a team. Let’s focus on what we need to day-to-day to play better. A gradual buildup to peak form for the playoffs is the objective.
3. Play with joy. The more fun you have, the better you’ll play. The better you play, the more fun you’ll have. Remember, “If you don’t enjoy the journey, chances are you won’t enjoy the destination.” The Warriors clearly understand this principle as their love of the game and each other shines through on the court. They are smiling and having a ball!
For those players competing overseas and/or in the NBA D-League, how can they keep a “Champion’s Mind” while grinding away and trying to reach their ultimate goal of competing in the NBA?
Understand that it’s not just a race to make it to the NBA, but a race to make it there…and stay there! The most important thing for players gunning for the next level is to embrace a growth mindset (i.e., be coachable). As such, identity your strengths, address your growth edges, learn to be a great teammate, and flourish in your unique role. This involves buying into what your current coaching staff is saying you need to work on to elevate your play (i.e., efficiency).
If it was easy to make it to the NBA, everybody would make it. So, it’s vital that you stay positive and patient on your journey, rather than giving up hope when things get tough. Maintain a powerful self-image and feel that you’re destined to be an NBA player if you do everything in your power to make it happen. You have to work on your mental skills as much as your physical skills to become your best.
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