RMR
Power #5 Results
Thanks for supporting your daughter(s) in this past Sunday's RMR competition. Here are the finishes for each team that competed.
| Navy: Coach Aaron Shepardson |
6th in Division 1 |
| Ruby: Coach Jolene Shepardson |
7th in Division 2 |
Congratulations to both teams!!!
Real-Time Results for Northern Lights This Weekend
If you are interested in keeping track of teams playing in the Northern Lights Qualifier this weekend, here is the website for real-time results.
Routines Help You Keep Your Cool Under Pressure
In this article we’re going to make use of information from two previous articles that talked about breathing and visualizing as we discuss the important elements of the routines you’re using and how helpful they can be.
I came across two stories recently (GOLF Magazine, March, 2007, p. 93) about how a firefighter and a brain surgeon maintain their cool under pressure. The firefighter was in a burning house and his left foot fell through the floor. When he tried to pull it free, his right leg fell through. He couldn’t move. As he tells it, “I took deep breaths. I told myself, ‘Everything’s OK – the house isn’t falling down around you.’ I broke through the boards enough to pull myself out. The key is deep breaths, looking at your surroundings, and not letting yourself get so overwhelmed that you can’t do what you’ve got to do. You focus on the job, not what might happen.”
The brain surgeon talked about a surgery he was performing early in his career. He felt so anxious that he got sick and dizzy and had to sit down. Another surgeon had to finish the surgery. His way of handling his disappointing performance – you put yourself in the situation over and over. Over time it becomes routine. Have a plan and stick with it.
Sound familiar?
Take deep breaths.
See your self doing your job, not what might happen
Have a plan and stick with it.
Put yourself in the situation over and over. Over time it becomes routine.
All of your volleyball routines will incorporate diaphragmatic breathing, seeing yourself doing your job with confidence and assurance, and quieting your mind with another breath. The more you practice your routines the more they’ll help you.
Here are five routines I recommend.
Pre-match routine:
Sit or lie down someplace where you can be relaxed and undisturbed- Take ten or more deep, relaxed breaths
- Visualize yourself doing the different jobs you are responsible for in your team plan for the upcoming match. At first, it’s OK to see images of things going wrong – you’re just noticing your fears. As you face them, you’ll find yourself seeing images of yourself succeeding. Allow the images to become rich in what you see, how your muscles feel as you make your moves, and the sounds of the ball being struck and everyone cheering. See yourself serving, passing, hitting, blocking, digging, covering, etc. – all the things you may be doing in the match.
- Take three more deep, relaxed breaths.
- Say, “Let’s Go!, Bring It On!, Let’s Play!,” something that tells you that you’re excited about the coming match, you’re ready to compete, you’re confident and fully believe you can do the job.
Pre-point routine for everyone except the server:
Stand tall and take a deep breath, letting go of the last point.- See yourself doing your job in the upcoming point (here’s where you replace any images of past errors with images of success). See and feel yourself doing your job with confidence and assurance.
- Communicate with your teammates.
- As the point is about to begin, get into athletic posture and take another deep breath to quiet your mind. Want the ball to come to you. Know that you’re going to make the play. Feel confident and competitive.
- As the point begins, mentally pull the ball to you, and continue mentally pulling every touch of the ball to you. Sometimes you’ll find the ball coming your way, sometimes not. Pulling the ball to you mentally will keep you very focused and ready for both in-system balls and also the surprises and ricochets. It will slow the game down.
Serving routine:
Stand tall and take a deep breath.- See the serve you’re preparing to hit. Imagine how it feels hitting the serve. See the ball being tossed into the air, and see how it’s leaving your hand as you hit it. See the arc of the ball going over the net, it’s speed and spin, how air pressure and gravity slow it down and bring it down into the opponent’s court.
- Take another breath to clear and quiet your mind.
- Inhale as you toss the ball up. And exhale as you strike the ball, seeing it leave your hitting hand.
Time out routine:
Take one to three deep breaths and drink water.- Listen to your coach’s instructions.
- Visualize yourself executing your coach’s instructions.
- Take another deep breath.
- Join the team in putting your hands together and yelling the team cheer.
- Return to the court and begin your pre-point routine.
Post-match routine:
Sit or lie down someplace where you can relax and be undisturbed.- Take three or more deep breaths
- Think about the things you want to do better next match and visualize yourself first making the errors that are sticking in your mind (to learn what you were doing), and then allowing the images to change as you see yourself correcting.
- Think about the things you did well and visualize those situations, feeling the confidence and competitiveness and athleticism you demonstrated on the court. Really enjoy these scenes and look forward to more opportunities to excel in upcoming competitions.
- Take one to three deep breaths.
You’ll find these routines will really help you keep your cool in competition. They’ll help you quickly learn from your mistakes, put errors behind you, clarify your job, quiet, calm and focus your mind, and put you in a very confident and competitive mindset for every point you play.
Tim Engels, M.A., sports psychology consultant to Front Range Volleyball Club, is a sports psychology consultant and counselor in Denver, CO. You can contact him at (303) 956-5691 or tengels@qwest.net.
