ON DISCOVERY

Here are three things that I have recently been reminded of (which is like a new discovery) or have discovered to be true:

Recently science has discovered or learned or whatever, that there are tiny receptors, reservoirs, at the tip of all nerve endings where either endorphins & enkephalins or barbiturates & depressants are retained for hours on end. Two things here:

a. The runner’s high is for real. Endorphins & enkephalins are pain killing drugs that are produced by the brain so ease the pain of hard physical exercise. All runners know that the ‘high’ they experience after working out lasts up to 24 hours – till the next run. That’s why if they miss a day or two they get really antsy.

b. Same thing holds true if you are sad or depressed. The ‘mood’ continues. You get into a funk. The feeling perpetuates itself until you break the cycle and do something to clear out the ‘downers’ and replace them with something else . . . endorphins & enkephalins.

Your perceptions have the power to change your genetic makeup; Your beliefs can and do control your biology. One of the things that I used to teach in psychology class was, “Don’t think Bad thoughts, think Glad thoughts.” Thinking makes it so. If you are thinking or surrounded by dark, depressing thoughts, words, actions, then your brain will produce a corresponding set of drugs that will flood the system and be retained in those reservoirs in all those nerve endings. Correspondingly, if you are thinking good thoughts, then those feel good drugs are entering the system and being retained. Zig Ziglar preachers to fill your mind with the “good, the clean, the pure, the powerful and the positive” and I would add to stay away from the “bad, dirty, tainted, weak, negative” inputs.

We also know that you are motivated by your current most dominant thought and the mind completes whatever picture you put into it. So . . . knowing this, which kind of day, week, month, year do you want to have? Good, clean, pure, powerful, and positive; or bad, dirty, tainted, weak, negative? The choice is up to you.

A recent study concluded that physical performance was significantly improved when the subject (player) has a goal, feedback and encouragement. In the study, people who were challenged with setting a better personal mark, given feedback on how they were doing and provided positive encouragement did 30+% better than they had no goal, given no feedback or encouragement.

So knowing these three things, what should you be doing as a coach to provide the best possible training and guidance through the season? What are the perceptions that they take with them out the locker room door at the end of the practice day? What will stick in their system for the next 24 hours till the come back for more? What kind of feedback are you providing? How do you encourage them to do their best?

We now know more than ever what you say to them affects not only their emotional but physical chemistry and is retained for an extended time period.

You can get them to play above their heads. You can get them to achieve beyond what anyone ever expected – even themselves. You can actually orchestrate it. “Your vision of the future, determines your future reality.” What you say to them becomes what they ‘see’ (perceive) which alters their chemical balance for better or worse.

The question is, “Which do you want for your team?”