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Cricket Mental Toughness Workbook

Sandy Gordon, PhD, FAPS


Introduction Questionnaire
Mental toughness is probably one of the most used but least understood terms used by the global
cricket community. It is also, arguably, one of the most important psychological attributes in
achieving performance excellence in any sport, and especially cricket. Sport psychology research
that addressed both definitional and development issues related to mental toughness (Bull,
Shambrook, James, & Brooks, 2003; Gould, Dieffenbach, & Moffett, 2002; Jones, Hanton, &
Connaughton, 2002; Middleton, Marsh, Martin, Richards, & Perry, 2004; Tobin & Gordon, 2003)
guided recent research funded by the BCCI (Gordon & Sridhar, 2004). An important objective and
outcome of that research was the creation of this Cricket Mental Toughness Training Workbook,
which represents a curriculum of topics and activities specifically designed to facilitate the
development of mental toughness among cricketers of all ability and age ranges.

How to use the workbook


1. It is recommended that coaches and players first carefully read the definitional statements and
theory regarding each topic before attempting the exercises. The best environment to do this is
in a quiet setting.
2. All exercises should be completed honestly and truthfully.
3. Each of the seven topics in this workbook - Motivation & Commitment; Resilience; Self-Belief
& Optimism; Positive Perfectionism; Focus; Handling Pressure; and Sport Intelligence - begins
with a working definition of the area, followed by theoretical principles and applications that are
illustrated and/or supported by practical exercises. Full understanding of each topic is best
achieved through learning/reading the theory (principles) followed by practice (completing the
exercises).
All supplementary reading material associated with each topic, should be obtained and made
available in a designated Sport Psychology area within a Club/Association Sports Science library.
References
Bull, S. J., Shambrook, C. J., James, W. & Brooks, J. E. (2003, February). Towards an understanding of mental
toughness in elite English cricketers. In R. A. Stretch, T. D. Noakes, & C. L. Vaughan (eds.) Science and
Medicine in Cricket: A collection of papers from the Second World Congress of Science and Medicine in
Cricket Capetown (pp. 172-174). University of Port Elizabeth.
Gordon, S. & Sridhar, C. (2004). Identification and development of mental toughness among Indian cricketers: Final
report, BCCI National Cricket Academy, Bangalore
Gould, D., Dieffenbach, K., & Moffett, A. (2002). Psychological characteristics and their development in Olympic
champions, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14 (3), 172-204.
Jones, G., Hanton, S., & Connaughton, D. (2002). What is this thing called mental toughness? An investigation of elite
sport performers, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14 (3), 205-218.
Middleton, S.C., Marsh, H.M., Martin, A.J., Richards, G.E., Perry, C., (2004b). Mental Toughness: Is the mental
toughness test tough enough? Int. J. Sport and Exercise Science. 35, 91-108.
Tobin, M. & Gordon, S. (2003). The design, implementation and evaluation of a mental skills training programme for

youth-aged cricketers. In R. A. Stretch, T. D. Noakes, & C. L. Vaughan (eds.) Science and Medicine in
Cricket: A collection of papers from the Second World Congress of Science and Medicine in Cricket
Capetown (pp. 174-175). University of Port Elizabeth.

Topics

1. Motivation & Commitment

2. Resilience .............................................................................................................

3. Self-Belief & Optimism .......................................................................................

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4. Positive Perfectionism .........................................................................................

20

5. Focus.....................................................................................................................

26

6. Handling Pressure................................................................................................

31

7. Sport Intelligence .................................................................................................

38

Supplementary Readings .........................................................................................

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1. Motivation and Commitment


Definition: insatiable internal desire to be the best you can be concerns both the direction and
intensity of effort expended in the pursuit of excellence
Motivation (from movere Latin meaning to move) involves having an ongoing objective or
intention in mind. This could refer to the road you wish (choose) to travel in life and consideration
of the type of person you want to be your personal mission statement. The best source of
motivation, therefore, does not lie external to the self e . g., getting approval from others, having
material wealth, winning awards etc. it lies within. Its called personal pride, and is reflected in the
following poem:
Man in the Glass
Dale Wimbrow

When you get what you want in your struggle for self and the world makes you king for a day,
then go to the mirror and look at yourself and see what that man has to say.
For it isnt a mans father, mother or wife whose judgment upon him must pass,
the fellow whose verdict counts most in his life is the man staring back from the glass.
He is the fellow to please, never mind the rest, for hes with you clear up to the end.
And youve passed your most dangerous, difficult test if the man in the glass is your friend.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years, and get pats on your back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears if youve cheated the man in the glass.

1. Principles of Goal Setting without goals you cant score!


The best means of structuring motivation and organising effort in the desired direction and with
sufficient intensity, is by using goal setting (GS). The following GS principles are listed for both
individual and team goal setting purposes.
Individual Goal Setting
Set:

. specific goals in measurable and behavioural terms


. difficult but realistic goals
. short and long range goals
. goals for practice and for competition
. positively worded, as opposed to negatively worded, goals

Identify:

. individual personality and motivational differences


. goal achievement strategies
. target dates for goal attainment

Record goals:

. write goals in a diary or log book "ink it don't just think it"

Provide:

. means for goal evaluation


. support for goals

Team Goal Setting


Establish:

. long-term goals
. short-term goals (paths to long-term goals)

Involve:

. all members of the team (coaches, support staff)

Monitor:

. progress toward goals

Reward:

. progress toward goals

Foster:

. team confidence related to team goal achievement

The GS exercises that follow use the above principles, to which both coaches and players should
become avid devotees. It is important to remember that, in psychology, if you want change or
improvement you must measure it otherwise how will you know change is occurring? Thats how
GS works and why GS motivates.

2. Commitment is the difference between a dream and a fantasy the ability to stick with a
program, method, or philosophy and apply it daily over a long period and especially in times of
adversity. Commitment is an attitude, and its attitude, not aptitude, that determines altitude. In
team settings, attitude is contagious is yours worth catching?
Attitudes that Sabotage Commitment
1. Impatience with improvement. Cricketers always want a quick fix, something that works
immediately, and if it does not work fast, they are prone to throw it away and not try it again. This
may be true of both the mental and technical parts of the game.
2. Rationalisations. Rationalisations are excuses cricketers use to avoid doing something e. g., why
they should not go to the nets or work on their mental game. Some players think they will be ready
to improve mentally when they are finished working on their technique - when are cricketers ever
finished with their technique?
3. Fear of trying and not succeeding. Players are often afraid of going after their dream and not
succeeding? There are of course no guarantees that if you work harder and put all your energy into
getting better your performance will improve. However, some cricketers can't stomach the fear of
not reaching their goals if they give it their all.
4. Distracted by others. Others often distract players and teams from their mission. For example,
friends ask players to party every night; experts give advice that contradicts what you are trying
to do on tour/during a series.
5. Over-load syndrome. Some teams and players sabotage their commitment to getting better by
listening to every expert or outside resource and trying to integrate everything anyone has ever
said. This often leads to confusion rather than commitment.
6. Over-training syndrome. Training too much can also cause players to spin wheels because they
become mentally and physically exhausted and bothered by nagging injuries. Working hours a day
on technique will not lead to success. The body needs rest, the mind needs a break.
7. Know-it-all syndrome. If players "know it all," then others, even experts, can't help them get
better. The "know-it-all" is not coachable.
So the fist step in making positive changes is to identify dysfunctional and unhelpful selfsabotaging beliefs, rationalisations, and behaviours. Then you will be more likely to improve and
sustain commitment.
4

Exercise 1. General and cricket-specific goals.


General Life Goals
1.

What are your LONG RANGE LIFE GOALS? (7 or 8 years from now what do you want to
be doing with whom and where?)

2.

What are your MEDIUM RANGE GOALS? (5 years from now)

3.

SHORT RANGE GOALS (6 months - 1 year)

4.

MINI RANGE GOALS (1 - 6 months)

5.

MICRO GOALS (1 week - 1 month)

Cricket Goals
1.

DREAM GOAL (LONG RANGE) (what is potentially possible for you if you extend
yourself to your absolute limits?)

2.

DREAM GOAL (THIS YEAR/SEASON)

3.

REALISTIC LONG RANGE GOAL THIS YEAR

4.

REALISTIC SHORT RANGE GOALS in 6 performance areas:

5.

Physical

Psychological

Technical

Behavioural

Tactical

Environmental

If you do not meet your desired REALISTIC SHORT AND LONG RANGE GOALS this
year, to what extent will you still be able to accept yourself as a worthy person? (circle one
number)
Complete
Self-rejection

10

Complete
self-acceptance

Table 1. Examples of long-term objectives and short-term goals in six goal areas for a bowler.
Goal area

Long-term objective

Short-term goal*

Technical goals
(performancerelated goals)

To improve and
sustain my strike rate

1. Execute my stock ball and at least one other


type of ball, on demand
2. Maintain line and length consistently well

Tactical goals
(strategy concerns)

To pre-plan my
performance against
opposition batsmen

1. Determine and record (in a diary)


observations of opposing batsmen
(weaknesses/strengths)
2. Prepare (with captain) to expose weaknesses
of the opposing batsmen

Physical goals
(fitness and health
goals)

To improve and
sustain my endurance,
flexibility and strength

1. Improve timed runs on fixed distances

Mental goals (e.g.


concentration and
visualisation skills)

To improve my
concentration and
technique through
visualisation

1. Obtain video recordings of my performance


to enhance my external imagery ability

To improve my levels
of enthusiasm and
determination
throughout the tour

1. Record (in a diary) negative body language


characteristics 'communicated' during entire
games

Behavioural goals
(e.g. observable
individual and group
behaviour)

2. Develop and maintain a daily flexibility and


strength programme

2. Develop written scripts of kinaesthetic cues


for performance to enhance my internal
imagery ability

2. Modify body language through active


practice at nets and games
Environmental goals To structure effective
(e.g. personal and
time with my wife and
domestic concerns)
family each day
before and during the
tour

1. Prioritise my activities for periods in each


day and include scheduled family time
2. Accommodate team responsibilities and
commitments without compromising family
time each day

* Only two goals are presented as examples.

Exercise 2. In-season goal setting.


Outcome Goals. What do you realistically expect to achieve this season?
[Runs, wickets, catches, run outs etc.]
School Cricket

Representative Cricket

Club Cricket

Process Goals. To achieve the above outcome goals please indicate (circle or write) the specific
areas you consider are your priorities for improvement.
Mental
confidence
emotional control
body language
cope with injury
other(s)?

concentration
visualisation
mental toughness
cope with slumps

goal setting
cope with pressure
cope with errors
time management

relaxation
self-talk
patience
consistency

determined
positive
take on anybody

dedicated
single minded
enthusiastic

aggressive
competitive
punctual

flexibility
endurance
sleep

power
coordination
energising/recovery

speed
reaction time
nutrition

Attitude
disciplined
balanced life
cooperative
other(s)?

Physical
strength
balance
weight control
other(s)?

Technical
Batting

WK

Bowling

Fielding

Exercise 3. General goal setting sheet.


MY GOAL IS: (To Improve..)
TYPE OF GOAL:

DATE SET:
DATE ACHIEVED:

TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL (answer all 6 questions below)


1. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO? (to improve.)

2. HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS?

3. HOW CAN I MEASURE IMPROVEMENT?

4. WHO CAN HELP ME ACHIEVE THIS GOAL?

5. HOW WILL I KNOW I HAVE ACHIEVED THIS GOAL?

6. WHAT EXCUSES WILL I USE TO PREVENT MYSELF FROM ACHIEVING THIS GOAL?

Exercise 4. Time management: Things to do today.


Appointments to Keep

Tasks to Complete
A = Must do
B = Should do
C = Nice to do

Done
(tick)

7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
1:00
2:00
3:00
P = Phone calls to make E = Emails to send

4:00

Done

L = Letters to write F= Facsimiles to send

5:00
6:00
7:00
People to see

8:00
9:00
10:00

Done

2. Resilience
Definition: a dynamic process that occurs when a severe adversity develops and the result is a
positive adaptation to the adversity the individual ability to bounce back from adversity, which
may include injury, performance slumps, setbacks, failure or any other pressure that an individual
faces
Resilience is the attribute and quality that has helped many dominant sporting legends return to the
top of their sport. When faced with extreme challenges, resilient individuals possess and exhibit
extremely effective coping skills that allow them to adapt to hardship or loss. Many factors are
thought to contribute to an individuals resilience and some of these include their level of optimism,
their temperament and most importantly, their ability to persist with given tasks. It is this ability to
persist against the odds or challenging situations that often result in resilient individuals bouncing
back.
Principles
There are several principles of resilience that are often displayed as personal qualities by resilient
athletes. It is thought that these principles are caught by athletes, not taught and in catching them
they enhance their resilience. The principles of resilience include:
The ability to:
o bounce back from failure
o persist with tasks despite continual pressure to succeed
o overcome failure (slumps) through the dedication and persistence to a goal
o act independently of others and exert some control over their environment
o create alternative solutions when faced with mental, physical, tactical, technical or social
challenges
o turn to a strong social support network when experiencing adversity
Possession of characteristics which allow them to care for and communicate well with others.
Capacity to adapt to a negative situation in order to experience positive change.
Persistence
Mental toughness is about never giving into yourself, never taking the easy option Steve Waugh
Never! Never! Never! Never! give up Winston Churchill
Nothing can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with great talent.
Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent Anon.
Every individual goes through periods when he does a lot of the right things practicing efficiently,
thinking well and gets no immediate tangible results. This is the point at which successful people
bring to bear the powers of faith, patience, persistence, and will. Faith is the ability to believe
without any tangible evidence - Bob Rotella
The ability to persist and bounce back from setbacks speaks volumes about who you are.

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Overcoming performance slumps


There are 2 incontrovertible facts about slumps in cricket:
1. they happen
2. they pass
Resilience is about how you react to slumps when they happen, what you say to yourself, what you
do about the situation. These matters are all a matter of choice. Slump-busting is always
controllable.
A slump is "an unexplained drop in performance that extends beyond the normal ups and downs of
competition"
Question: Are you actually experiencing a slump or just a natural drop in the performance cycle?
Possible Causes:
1. physical e. g., fatigue, injury, lingering illness
2. technical e. g., subtle changes in execution of skill, or timing of movement
3. equipment e. g., preciseness in weight/balance of bats, change in footwear
4. psychological e. g., external non-cricket related factors independent of athletic performance?
appropriateness of coping strategies employed?
Prevention: "are you contributing to the maintenance of your slump, or to its resolution?"
monitor your physical state "listen to your body"
schedule rest as part of training "train hard, rest hard"
reduce quantity, increase quality of training
plan a responsible competition schedule (take a break - if possible)
technical causes of slumps require "sound technique" - video, simulated competition conditions
(is there a pattern in your perceived failures?)
maintain equipment "tools of your trade"
build a resiliency plan to combat negative psychological effects of periodic poor performances
control the controllables (your reactions)
Slump-busting principles
Consider a brief time out (if possible)
Rule out their non-mental causes: are the causes physical, technical, tactical?
Develop an awareness of the role you play in feeding the slump and re-establish self-control:
what is your inner dialogue like your self-talk?
Keep yourself focused on whats important block everything else out
Take action to defeat any fears
Learn to expect success and believe in yourself
Develop the ability to mentally see what you want to happen before it does
Set slump-busting goals and create a big-enough why to help you persevere
Build your self-confidence - contrive success at practice if necessary
Bolster your mental toughness by developing the ability to quickly rebound from setbacks and
adversity: get task aware and stay there

11

Exercise 1. Choose your favourite persister (non-sport or sport).

Name and age:

Describe the early years of this person. What was their childhood like? What sort of
teenager were they? What sort of adult life do/did they have?

What makes this person special to you?

How have they shown persistence in reaching their goals? Did they overcome hurdles or
obstacles? Were there odds against them in anyway?

Exercise 2. Song lyrics on persistence

Song title, artist(s), writer?

Background/theme of the song - hope, not giving up, trying your best etc.?

Metaphors, similies, imagery used in the song?

Impact of the song on you inspire, provoke change, encourage etc.?

Exercise 3. News item(s) that illustrates persistence.

What was the problem that needed overcoming?

What motivated those involved to be persistent?

Who helped them achieve their goal?

How did they feel after they achieved their goals?

Exercise 4. Motivational memo to yourself.


Provide information concerning a task(s) you are not doing but would like to accomplish this week.
Identify how you will persist to overcome this situation.
What Im not doing:

Why doing it would be a good thing (long term benefit of doing it):

Why Im not doing it my reasons and excuses:


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What I can and will change this week:

Exercise 5. About yourself


Consider situations in the past when YOU
showed an ability to overcome self-doubt
showed an ability to bounce back from setbacks
remained focused during adversity and high pressure
showed high pain tolerance both physically and emotionally during adverse situations
How did you achieve the above? What techniques can you remember using? Did you use goal
setting? What else?
Why did you achieve the above? Why did you decide not to give in and bounce back? What were
you thinking about? What were you saying to yourself? What or who inspired this thinking and
attitude?

Exercise 6. Net/practice sessions: Resilience tests


Batting in certain frames of mind
 to regain selection (overcoming slump)
 to chase a big total
 how you would bat when in form
What would you think about? Whats the difference?
Bowling in certain frames of mind
 to regain selection (overcoming slump)
 to take wickets to win game
 how would you bowl when in form
What would you think about? Whats the difference?
Fielding in certain frames of mind
 to regain selection (overcoming slump)
 to prevent runs being scored
 how would you field when in form
What would you think about? Whats the difference?

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3. Self-Belief & Optimism


Definition: The belief individuals have in their capability to perform a particular task. A
subjective judgement of ability to meet certain environmental demands. Individual and collective
efficacy reflects what the player or team believes will happen, rather than what should happen.
Self- confidence elicits positive emotions, improves concentration, affects the setting & pursuit of
challenging goals, increases effort and persistence, affects game strategies (play to win versus play
to lose), and affects psychological momentum.
Principles
There are four antecedents to increased confidence or self-belief:
1. performance accomplishments - success in a specific task, particularly if the task is difficult
or if lots of effort has been expended
2. vicarious experience - seeing somebody else perform the task successfully or watching
yourself perform the task successfully
3. verbal persuasion (encouragement) - most effective if the person presenting it is perceived to
be trustworthy and credible
4. physiological state refers to an athletes interpretation of their physiological arousal selfbelief can be enhanced if physical sensations are interpreted as a signal that the body has
been activated and the athlete is therefore ready to perform optimally.
Interventions can be designed to increase self-efficacy by impacting on the four proposed
antecedents above. The most effective involve cognitive (thought based) techniques some of which
are illustrated in the exercises that follow. The main message is choice.
Noone can make you feel inferior, without your consent Eleanor Roosevelt
Everyday you have 2 choices: you can choose to feel good about yourself, or you can choose to feel
lousy Anon.
Self-belief
The best source of motivation in cricket is personal pride PRIDE = personal, responsibility, in
developing (or delivering) excellence. Look around at the great players today and youll notice a
common sense of humility and pride in getting better than their previous selves. No fanfare just
quiet determination that results in low profile/high impact on Indian cricket.
Optimism
Optimism is closely related to and highly influenced by self-belief. Optimism is reflected in the way
we characteristically react to whatever happens to us and how we regard the future. How we
interpret situations or events affects both current and future performances, and is called explanatory
style. There 3 dimensions: permanence, pervasiveness and locus of control. Optimistic cricketers
interpret success as permanent (I usually succeed), general (Im a good player) and internal (I
earned it) and failure as temporary (missed out this time), specific (I did not bowl well today)
and external (I didnt know enough about the batsmen). Pessimists interpret success as temporary
(I was lucky), specific (It was easy today) and external (the batsmen were poor) and failure as
permanent (I always bowl poorly), general (nothing ever works) and internal (Im no good).

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Mental Momentum: Building it.. and Keeping it


You cant play your best without it. It begins (and ends) with the last thing you did. It can
hit you all of a sudden and leave you just as quickly. One minute you are walking on air, after
stroking a boundary to the fence or taking a wicket, next minute you are gasping in disbelief at your
own incompetence! Its called momentum and its psychological. To catch a wave of momentum
and ride it all the way to the beach:
1. Prepare yourself mentally by believing you can play well. Prime your self-beleif by recalling
past successes. Picturing yourself playing well in one or two games in the past can kick start
your confidence in the present.
2. Avoid unrealistic expectations of yourself. Expect to play as well as you do. This is much
more realistic and often all that is required.
3. Develop a game plan. Focus on executing your strengths.
4. Avoid concerns with poor warm-ups or net performances. Focus instead on getting loose and
relaxed for the beginning of games or sessions.
5. Focus on the first over. Rather than outcomes (runs, wickets, catches etc.), think about what you
need to do in the first over. Pot reds first then the colours..
6. Focus on the process. Focus on execution with each delivery. Such task awareness will nullify
preoccupation with performing poorly.
7. Anchor only positives. Use the advantage of good performances to get onto that wave e. g.,
good rhythm, well left. Use each early success as a sign of even better things to come. Talk
to yourself in a nurturing way.
8. Dismiss concerns with the past. The opposition, ground, and conditions may not have been kind
to you in the past. However, history seldom has much to do with the present, unless you decide
differently. Stay in the present.
9. Be patient with a shakey start. Never assume a poor start is a bad omen for the rest of the game.
You can turn bad starts around by considering the next delivery as the opportunity to kick start
momentum.
Regaining lost momentum
1. Never give up, tank, or sulk. You can never know when the powers of momentum will
jumpstart your performance. And you cant continue with that monkey on your back, so start
somewhere!
2. Bad breaks occur but they are flukes, not a bad omen. So dont talk yourself into having a
lousy day. Write off each bad break and get on with preparing for the next delivery.
3. Always look on the bright side of life. Pick out the good things from every delivery. Did you
watch the ball? Did you pick and hit the correct target? Did you execute well?
In Summary:
Momentum states in cricket negative, neutral, positive are psychological. Negative
momentum will ruin your day and render you miserable. In neutral you wait for others to
determine your attitude and to make things happen. Look on the bright side and you will always
be a formidable competitor and enjoy what you are doing. Momentum is psychological its
always a matter of choice.
You may not be able to win a match with the next delivery, but you can make the journey
shorter. Never, ever quit on yourself or the team.

15

Solution-focused approach
Whatever you focus on grows. Focus on problems and they will grow. Focus on solutions to those
problems and they too grow.
Optimistic Solution-Focused Approach: Basic Principles









Focusing on solutions (v.s problems) means you use the solutions that are happening
anyway.
Start with small changes and build on these successes
Problems are simply a set of circumstances that can be changed. Simply reframe
problems.
Explore the past but only to help provide possible solutions for present problems and to
enhance your future.
There is always a better way
If it works, keep doing it. Do less of what doesnt work.
There is no failure, only feedback.
Encourage, praise, compliment and acknowledge each other.

Solution focused approach:


You need to:
Clarify your goals
Decide what you want to change
See the problem as something you have
(not are)
Focus on times when you have coped

Clarify central goal or issue

Also means that:


Instead of dwelling on the problem, look
for the solution
May need to try many solutions till you
find one that is right for you
Need to find and use resources that can
help build solutions
Need to find past encounters with similar
problems and how you dealt with them
successfully
Simplify the problem and break them down
into component parts

16

Exercise 1. Thought Stoppage


The technique of thought stoppage provides one very effective method for eliminating negative or
counterproductive thoughts. It involves concentrating on the undesired thought briefly and then
using a cue or trigger to stop the thought and clear you mind. Thus, it is an effective method for
eliminating negative thoughts and restoring self-belief. The steps are:

Identify negative or destructive self-talk

Use a trigger to disrupt or stop the undesirable thought

The trigger can be a word such as stop or focus, or it can be a physical action.

The trigger utilised must be natural and meaningful to the individual and must be used
consistently

Replace the negative self-talk with more productive alternatives.

Exercise 2. Changing negative thoughts to performance enhancing thoughts


An alternative to stopping negative thoughts altogether is to learn to couple any negative thought
with a positive thought.
1. Choose an area of your game in which you are aware that you participate in negative selftalk.
2. List the typical self-defeating things that you indulge in and would like to change
3. Substitute the identified negative self-talk with a more positive and beneficial thought by
looking at it from a different point of view.
Negative self-statement

Reframed positive statement

Playing at 60% today!

Maybe, but Ill give 100% of 60%!

Exercise 3: Affirmations
Affirmations (self-talk) develop confidence, assist with skill acquisition, create and change mood
(affect), control effort, and focus attention and concentration.
Cricket Situations
Physical training
Net practice
Opening innings/bowling
Dealing with errors
Dealing with pressures
Dealing with slumps
Coping with injury

Affirmation Statement(s)
e. g., I love training and its rewards

17

4. Positive Perfectionism
Definition: Perfection is what you are striving for, but perfection is impossibility. However,
striving for perfection is not impossibility. Doing the best you can under the conditions that exist.
That is what counts. John Wooden
Principles: The best cricketers:
Set high standards for themselves and others
Experience few doubts about their abilities
Like to be organised and prepared
Not overly concerned with making mistakes or the opinions of others
Pursue perfection but settle for excellence
Practice creating and sustaining their zone.
Mental preparation routines are like funnels that channel thoughts and actions before training - or
a game or an innings or a delivery - to where they need to be. They set conditions or standards that
give you the best chance of having a peak performance. Think of your routines as checklists of
things to do before you perform, like pilots who use a checklist each flight before taking off for a
safe journey. For example:
Before going to the ground
1. give yourself a steady diet of positive thoughts
2. think about playing well which helps build trust in your technique(s)
3. spend 10 minutes quietly with yourself and do some relaxation and imagery e.g., visualise
yourself performing successfully (see it and feel it actually happening)

At the ground
1. choose a time that signifies leaving all the other roles you play in life behind, to become the
professional cricketer (e.g., when changing into your warm up gear)
2. familiarise yourself with the environment (the field, square, wicket)
3. choose your focal point - that something you can focus on, in or beyond the playing area, when
you need to slow down and collect/compose yourself, and get back in control (e.g., signage, a
tree, a car in the car park)
4. set your mission or plan or purpose for the day - what I want to do today is., this is going to
be a good one

Team stretch/warm-up
1. check on how you are feeling
2. during the chatting/razzing/banter stage discipline yourself for at least a few moments to focus
on some mental preparation
3. ask yourself: am I where I want to be mentally right now? too tight? too relaxed? is my head in
the game or am I thinking about other concerns outside cricket?
4. use your breathing: slow, steady, focused breathing gets you into the present moment and helps
you check in on yourself as well as enhance the quality of your stretches
18

At training
Practice does NOT make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
The quality of your practice is YOUR responsibility.
2 Basic ideas:
Have a purpose or mission: What is the purpose of today/tonight? Avoid lets see what
happens, up to the trainer/coach. Dont give away training/practice time by going through
the motions - like you sometimes give away runs or give away your wicket?
Have a present moment focus: One repetition of weights at a time (one set, one stretch etc.) like
one delivery/over at a time in a game - make practice like a game, so you can make games like
practice, as the adage goes train hard, win easy.

Specific Mental Preparation for Training/Practice


1. Look forward to practice - visualise accomplishing things you want done well.
2. Pick a time when training starts - set a moment that you become an athlete/cricketer e.g., getting
into your car to go to training. Leave all other concerns behind - they will be there when practice
is over.
3. Set a mission or two for each day - could be technical, physical or mental/attitudinal (e.g.,
becoming known as a hard worker).
4. Take one repetition or drill at a time - keep your mind in the muscle(s) or technique you are
working on.
5. Use your breathing to psych up or relax you same as you would in a game.
6. Stretch to prepare for lifting/exercise and to relieve tension - as you would in a game.
When NOT training, work on your concentration skills
1. Practice switching channels of concentration from channel 1 (point of delivery concentration) to
channel 2 (between deliveries) then back to channel 1
2. During yoga use channel 1 during stretches, channel 2 between stretches, and channel 3 (off)
during meditation
3. When driving gaze at each traffic sign in turn briefly but intensely (channel 1) on your journey
to/from training - switch down between signs
4. Playing other sport (e.g., golf, football, squash) practice switching channels of concentration
during critical moments. What are the critical cues at those critical moments?

19

Exercise 1. Pre-Game Routines


How well you perform is very often decided before you play.
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare to win is essential.

1. Day and Night Before a Game


Activities (things to do)
(exercise, diet, hydration, rest/sleep?)

Emotions (feelings, attitude)


(good thinking, self-talk?)

TIME (timetable the day to bedtime)

2. Morning of a Game
Activities (things to do)
(exercise, diet, hydration, relaxation?)

Emotions (feelings, attitude)


(good thinking, self-talk?)

TIME (3 hrs, 2 hrs before etc.)

3. At the Ground
Activities (things to do)
(exercise, diet, hydration, energising?)

Emotions (feelings, attitude)


(good thinking, self-talk?)

TIME (2 hrs, 1 hr before etc.)

20

Exercise 2. Creating the Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)


Step 1: Identify Best Ever and Worst Ever cricket performances.
a. Concentrate on your own previous best and worst performances in Cricket. Indicate your BEST
EVER performance or game (date, place, figures, opposition). Provide any important details about
this game/performance.
b. Indicate your WORST EVER performance or game (date, place, figures, opposition). Provide
any important details about this game/performance.

Step 2: Identify HELPFUL positive and HELPFUL negative emotions.


Go to the list of HELPFUL positive (pleasant) emotions and select from the list up to five (5) words
that describe the emotions you felt during your best ever game. Each line in the list consists of
several synonyms. You can select only one word on the same line. Circle the words that you
selected. If you don't find a word describing an emotion that is important to you, you may add your
own word at the end of the list. Follow the same procedure for HELPFUL negative (unpleasant)
emotions.
HELPFUL POSITIVE EMOTIONS (P+):
active, dynamic, energetic, vigorous
relaxed, comfortable, easy
calm, peaceful, unhurried, quiet
cheerful, merry, happy
confident, certain, sure
delighted, overjoyed, exhilarated
determined, set, settled, resolute
excited, thrilled
brave, bold, daring, dashing
glad, pleased, satisfied, contented
inspired, motivated, stimulated
light hearted, carefree
nice, pleasant, agreeable
quick, rapid, fast, alert
Your own emotion(s): .......................................................................................
HELPFUL NEGATIVE EMOTIONS (N+):
afraid, fearful, scared, panicky
angry, aggressive, furious, violent
annoyed, irritated, distressed
anxious, apprehensive, worried
concerned, alarmed, disturbed, dissatisfied
discouraged, dispirited, depressed
doubtful, uncertain, indecisive, irresolute
helpless, unsafe, insecure
inactive, sluggish, lazy
intense, fierce
jittery, nervous, uneasy, restless
sorry, unhappy, regretful, sad, cheerless
tense, strained, tight, rigid
tired, weary, exhausted, worn out
Your own emotion(s): ...............................................................................................
21

Step 3: Identify HARMFUL negative and HARMFUL positive emotions.


Follow the same procedure as for step 2, selecting up to five (5) words to describe the HARMFUL
negative and HARMFUL positive emotions you felt before your best ever game. These are likely to
be the emotions you were aware of but which you kept under control (minimised). Circle the words
that you selected. Again, you can add words of your own to the ends of the lists.
HARMFUL - NEGATIVE EMOTIONS (N-):
afraid, fearful, scared, panicky
angry, aggressive, furious, violent
annoyed, irritated, distressed
anxious, apprehensive, worried
concerned, alarmed, disturbed, dissatisfied
discouraged, dispirited, depressed
doubtful, uncertain, indecisive, irresolute
helpless, unsafe, insecure
inactive, sluggish, lazy
intense, fierce
jittery, nervous, uneasy, restless
sorry, unhappy, regretful, sad, cheerless
tense, strained, tight, rigid
tired, weary, exhausted, worn out
Your own emotion(s): ...............................................................................................
HARMFUL - POSITIVE EMOTIONS (P-):
active, dynamic, energetic, vigorous
relaxed, comfortable, easy
calm, peaceful, unhurried, quiet
cheerful, merry, happy
confident, certain, sure
delighted, overjoyed, exhilarated
determined, set, settled, resolute
excited, thrilled
brave, bold, daring, dashing
glad, pleased, satisfied, contented
inspired, motivated, stimulated
lighthearted, carefree
nice, pleasant, agreeable
quick, rapid, fast, alert
Your own emotion(s): ............................................................................................

22

Step 4: Emotion Intensity in your BEST EVER game


On Table 1, entitled Emotions in your BEST EVER game, write the words you chose as helpful
(P+N+) and harmful (N-P-). Make sure that emotions in each category are entered correctly under
the appropriate subheadings: helpful-positive (P+), helpful-negative (N+), harmful-negative (N-),
and harmful-positive (P-). This is your individualised scale with the content of emotions important
for your performance. Then circle the number from 1 to 13 to the intensity of your emotions.

Table 1. Emotions in your BEST EVER Game


1=no emotion, 3=very little, 5=moderate, 7=much, 9=very much, 11=very, very much, 13=max.
(P+)
(P+)
(P+)
(P+)
(P+)

1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4

5
5
5
5
5

6
6
6
6
6

7
7
7
7
7

8
8
8
8
8

9
9
9
9
9

10
10
10
10
10

11
11
11
11
11

12
12
12
12
12

13
13
13
13
13

(N+)
(N+)
(N+)
(N+)
(N+)

1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4

5
5
5
5
5

6
6
6
6
6

7
7
7
7
7

8
8
8
8
8

9
9
9
9
9

10
10
10
10
10

11
11
11
11
11

12
12
12
12
12

13
13
13
13
13

(N-)
(N-)
(N-)
(N-)
(N-)

1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4

5
5
5
5
5

6
6
6
6
6

7
7
7
7
7

8
8
8
8
8

9
9
9
9
9

10
10
10
10
10

11
11
11
11
11

12
12
12
12
12

13
13
13
13
13

(P-)
(P-)
(P-)
(P-)
(P-)

1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4

5
5
5
5
5

6
6
6
6
6

7
7
7
7
7

8
8
8
8
8

9
9
9
9
9

10
10
10
10
10

11
11
11
11
11

12
12
12
12
12

13
13
13
13
13

Identifying, re-creating and sustaining effective routines that facilitate your zone does not
guarantee that you will perform well again. But it does guarantee that you have prepared to
perform well again Yuri Hanin.

23

5. Focus
Definition: Paying attention to the right things at the right time Selectively attending to certain
cues, thoughts or behaviours whilst disregarding others
Principles:
1. Selective attention is the ability to block out irrelevant information and attend to important
information. Selective attention is one of the most important cognitive characteristics of
mentally tough players. Cricket contains critical cues that must be attended to.
2. Selective attention is a skill that can be learned. Coaches, players and sport psychologists
should identify critical cues that should be attended to at critical moments. Drills can then
be provided that require the athlete to selectively attend to these cues.
3. There are a number of different types of focus. Most people associate focus with an external
focus such as a target, team-mate or opponent. However, this is only one type of focus. We
can also focus our attention on internal cues (e.g. thoughts, feelings, kinaesthetic
sensations). These types of focus can be broad (where you are actually attending to many
things at one time) or narrow (when you focus on only one thing). Therefore, there are a
possible four types of attention. Cricket requires certain attentional demands. Performers
should develop different types of attentional focus and be able to effectively match their
type of focus of attention with the attentional requirements of a particular situation. Coaches
can assist athletes to identify the appropriate cues required for successful performance and
to design drills to enhance the athletes capacity to utilise this attentional focus.
4. Cricketers must learn to keep a present focus while playing. The next moment in time is all
that is controllable.
5. Nobody can focus or concentrate for long periods of time without fatiguing mentally.
Cricketers have to learn how to switch channels of concentration at critical moments (e. g.,
point of delivery) to up (channel 1), down (channel 2, between deliveries) and off (channel
3, lunch/tea).
6. Best techniques to optimise focus at critical moments are pre- and post-performance
routines. Routines instil confidence and composure as well as full attention during pressure
situations.
7. Finally, cricketers must expect and anticipate surprises and distractions. This is not
negative thinking, its thinking ahead. Anything that could possibly disrupt focus
concentration should be prepared for and, most importantly, practiced.
What can cause poor focus in cricket?
You overload your focus. When you bat you think about your grip, stance, type of bowler
that you're facing, the score, field settings, last shot you played. Similarly, when bowling,
you might get overloaded thinking about your run up, line and length, last delivery, next
delivery, batsman. Keep it simple focus on the critical cue(s) at the critical moment(s).
You focus on the wrong aspect of your game. Concentration can become ineffective if you
allow yourself to become distracted by irrelevant thoughts and feelings. Paradoxically, you
can be distracted by concentrating on how well you are concentrating. When you are
concentrating effectively, you don't realise that you are doing it.
You focus on the wrong time. Focus can be disrupted and performance impaired when your
attention is focussed on events that have happened in the past, or that may happen in the
future. For example, a batsman can be distracted by thoughts about their previous shot, a
milestone that they are approaching; or they can be distracted by what they think others will
think about their innings.

24

Exercise 1. What should you pay attention to at the point of delivery?


As a facing batsman:
As a non-facing Batsman:
As a pace bowler:
As a medium/spin bowler:
As a fielder:
- Wicket Keeper
- 1st/2nd slip
- 3rd slip
- Mid on/off

- Gully/point
- Cover/Midwicket
- Any boundary
- Other positions

Discuss your answers with coaches and peers.

Exercise 2. Preparing for distractions


Identify situations that can distract you and describe how you will practice dealing with them.

"So, if (this happens).

I will (say and do this)"

e..g. When batting I play and miss

I will say thats not like me, I usually do this


(rehearse the shot/technique 3 times)

1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

4.

4.

25

Exercise 3. Batting Routines


2 Basic ideas
have a plan - what are you trying to do?
keep it simple - e.g., watch the ball hard and let yourself react, see it - hit it or let it go
For batting practice (private sessions, school training, club training)
1. prepare the same way each time
2. have a plan and a clear purpose
3. set about executing that plan
4. visualise what you want to achieve with your plan
Pre-game batting practice (school, club, representative games)
see 1-4 above
During games
1. padded up
get your gear ready
get your body ready
study bowlers
establish your plan
rehearse/remind yourself of mechanical/technical pointers (basics) helpful to you
(for your body) - shadow these techniques
periodically focus channel 1 on something 20metres away then switch to channel 2,
then up to channel 1.
2. walking to the crease
tell yourself with each step that your focus on the ball is clicking in deeper and
deeper this innings will be a good one
3. at the crease
forget mechanics/techniques - just play
take deep breaths and check your body for tension
use yoga or stretching and focus on the air as it comes in and out as you breathe
use your pre- and post-delivery routines EVERY delivery

26

Exercise 4. Bowling routines


2 Basic ideas
have a plan - what are you trying to do?
keep it simple - e.g., rhythm, line and length, stock ball, trust yourself
For bowling practice (private sessions, school training, club training)
1. prepare the same way each time
2. have a plan and a clear purpose
3. set about executing that plan
4. visualise what you want to achieve with your plan
Pre-game bowling practice (school, club, representative games)
see 1-4 above
During games
1. while fielding
keep your body ready
study batsmen
establish your plan and field settings
rehearse/remind yourself of mechanical/technical pointers (basics) helpful to you (for
your body) - SHADOW these techniques
2. preparing for your spell
tell yourself that your focus on your plan is clicking in deeper and deeper
this spell will be a good one
3. when bowling
forget mechanics/techniques - just bowl
take deep breaths and check your body for tension
use yoga or stretching and focus on the air as it comes in and out as you breathe
all the above (and other activities) helps to build your strength and confidence
use your pre- and post-delivery routines EVERY delivery

27

Exercise 4. Fielding routines


2 Basic ideas
have a plan - what are you trying to do?
keep it simple - e.g., all mine, hit it to me, nothing gets past me, stay down
For fielding practice (private sessions, club training, squad training)
5. prepare the same way each time
6. have a plan and a clear purpose - what do you want your reputation as a fielder to be? what
must you do to earn that reputation? what do you love/enjoy most about fielding?
7. set about executing that plan - do it with passion, love, intensity, purpose
8. visualise what you want to achieve with your plan
Pre-game fielding practice (club, state, national games)
see 1-4 above
During games
While fielding: be in a peak performance zone, not the Twilight Zone! Its so easy for your mind to
wander that your real opponent isnt always the other team - its boredom.
keep your body ready
study bowlers and batsmen imagine you are captain what would you do?
establish your plan by (privately) commentating on the stage of the game
rehearse/remind yourself of mechanical/technical pointers (basics) helpful to you (for
your body) - SHADOW these techniques
forget mechanics/techniques - just play
take deep breaths and check your body for tension
use yoga or stretching and focus on the air as it comes in and out as you breathe
all the above (and other activities) helps to build your strength and confidence
use your pre- and post-delivery routines EVERY delivery
tell yourself with each delivery that your focus on the appropriate cues (e.g., ball, edge
of bat, cues from the batsman) is clicking in deeper and deeper one delivery at a time,
patience, this session will be a good one personal PRIDE in your fielding
standards

28

6. Handling Pressure
Definition: the ability to keep both mental and physical arousal levels within manageable limits
during adversity and pressure
Principles:
1. Anxiety is an emotion that arises in response to how we interpret and appraise an environmental
situation such as competition. It is the physiological and psychological response of perceiving
something to be stressful.
2. It is believed that there is both a cognitive and somatic component to anxiety. Cognitive anxiety
is the mental component of anxiety. Somatic anxiety is the physical component of anxiety and
reflects the perception of such physiological responses as increased heart rate, respiration and
muscular tension.
3. These two components can be manipulated independently of one another by working on
relaxation techniques that focus on either cognitive or somatic components.
4. Inverted V arousal-performance relationship. Cognitive and somatic anxiety manifest themselves
in different ways as the time to the competitive event approaches. However, they both dissipate
quickly when the event begins. It is normal, even desirable, to feel nervous leading up to a
game/event. As soon as the event begins, however, anxiety quickly reduces as players focus on the
task of playing the game.

Cognitive anxiety

Somatic anxiety

PRE EVENT

POST EVENT

5. As illustrated in the Inverted U arousal-performance relationship cricketers needs to be


sufficiently aroused to perform at their best. However, if arousal levels become too high,
performance will begin to suffer. Cricketers often allow their arousal level to become too high when
they are in pressure situations. Learning to control arousal levels at the optimal level will help you
to retain your competitive advantage. Some physical and mental techniques for moderating arousal
levels up or down are illustrated below. These and others will require considerable practice and
refinement before they are likely to be effective. Every player and coach is different, which reflects
the highly subjective nature of perceiving stress and choice of effective means to deal with it.

29

Pre- or During Competition Strategies for Under or Over Arousal

Physical (somatic) Strategies


Under aroused

Over aroused

1.
2.
3.
4.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Take at least 3 diaphragmatic (deep) breaths


Take one or two release breaths
Stretch to relax muscle tension
Shadow technical aspects of technique (slo-mo)

5.

Use progressive muscle relaxation, or


biofeedback

5.

Increase breathing rate (short and deep)


Introduce cheering and yelling
Play lively or loud music
Build from mild to vigorous exercise eg
rapid sit-ups, push ups
Take a cold shower

Mental (cognitive) Strategies


1.
2.
3.

Give yourself a severe pep talk


1.
Stress the importance of the competition to 2.
self and others
Consider the strengths of the opposition
3.

4.
5.

Set yourself a challenging goal


Complete a full pre-competitive workout

4.
5.

30

Focus on your task "what is it I have to do.?"


Use "thought stoppage" to replace negative
thoughts
Use 'switch on, down, and off' concentration
skills
Use visualisation techniques
Use autogenic training

Choking
When you get anxious, your heart beats faster, you may perspire and your muscles tense. These
feelings won't ruin your performance, but if you worry about them enough your worries, coupled
with the physical changes will result in a decrease in performance. Athletes and coaches call this
"choking." The choking process is usually a vicious cycle. Your somatic anxiety triggers negative
thoughts, which leads to more somatic anxiety. These distractions keep you from attending to the
task, you concentrate on the negatives, and soon you fall farther and farther behind. The process is
explained below.

Conditions leading to choking

emotionally charged situation in any sport


critical plays in a game
evaluation by coaches and parents

Physical responses

Attentional responses

increased heart rate


breathing rate
muscle tension

internal focus "I'm scared"


external focus "opponent looks awesome"
narrowed focus of attention

Performance impairment

erratic timing and coordination


muscle fatigue and tightness
rushed decisions
inability to stay "task aware"

31

Dealing With Errors: The 3 Rs - Recognise; Release; Refocus


learn to get the monkey off your back after an error, before he turns into a gorilla!.. if you dont
get yourself under control between deliveries its unlikely youll be in control during them!
Recognise: The first step to getting back on track is to recognise the negative emotions that are
harmful to your confidence e.g., anger, frustration, irritation, disappointment, guilt, sadness.
Release: The second step is to interrupt or stop the negative emotion by using symbolic release
mechanisms that are both acceptable within the game and functional. Suggestions for developing
your own release are:
1. Talk to yourself sternly. By saying to yourself things like thats not like me and next time do
it this way your vocabulary (and hence your emotional state) becomes more task oriented,
productive, and enabling. Whatever happened is now history. By telling yourself what to do and
by shadowing the technique(s) required you quickly regain control in a vulnerable situation and
refocus on the task(s) at hand. Better to think of what you have to do next rather than the
negative emotions from the mistake.
2. Take a deep breath. Chances are your face, neck and chest muscles are tight with anger and
frustration. Take a couple of breaths and make sure your muscles let go as you exhale.
3. Use your focal point. It tells you that youre fine, youre working hard, you deserve to continue
to trust yourself, and that you should just focus on the next delivery.
4. Take off your hat/helmet (or gloves, or wrist band, or untie your boot laces). While the
hat/helmet is off you can be disgusted. When you put it back on, however, it means you are
ready to focus on the next delivery.
5. Turn your back to the play area. You can be upset when your back is turned to the play but when
you turn around everything is positive and focused on determining your plan for the next
delivery.
6. Smooth things over. Wipe smooth the crease or wicket area - to symbolically wipe away your
error with the last delivery.
7. Pick up some grass or pebble or anything else handy. Squeeze it and put all your negative
emotions into it. When youre ready throw the object, and your negative emotions, away.
8. Lift your sternum into a confident position. Youre probably hanging your head pretty low.
Make a conscious effort to raise it up and carry yourself the way a great cricketer would.
9. Talk to a teammate(s) between deliveries. Players often go internal and get dark as they go
to war on themselves when they make an error. Use the period between deliveries to check in on
yourself, but get your focus and energy going outwards in order to play well during the next
delivery e.g., talk about field positions, responsibilities. Get your energy going out onto the
game, stay in the present not the past.
The above suggestions (and others) can be used in combination e.g., turning your back on play,
deep breaths, and using your focal point.
Refocus: The final step in dealing with an error is to focus on the next delivery. You might ask
yourself during your pre-delivery routine what is it I have to do right now? or whats important
here? The past is over, the mistake has happened. Anger and frustration are unhelpful emotions
unless they make you more determined to get it right next time.

32

Exercise 1. Write down the symptoms of arousal levels that are too high and too low.
Mental and physical signs that you are experiencing arousal-performance difficulties.
Too Low

Too High

Exercise 2. Muscle-to-Mind relaxation exercises: Breathing


Consideration points for breathing techniques:
Proper breathing comes from the diaphragm, the thin muscle that separates the lung and
abdominal cavities. During inhalation, the diaphragm should move down slightly.
For practicing a deep, complete breath, imagine your lungs are divided into three parts:
lower, middle and upper.
Start by filling the lower lung with air by pushing the abdomen out and diaphragm down
Continue by filling middle portion by expanding chest cavity and raising rib cage
Move to upper portion by raising chest and shoulders
When exhaling, pull abdomen in and lower the shoulders and chest to empty lungs
Inhalation should be done through the nose, exhalation should be slow and focus on release
of body tension.
Learn to feel a sense of stillness immediately after exhalation
Exercise 2a: Inhale for a count of 4, exhale to a count of 4, pause for a count of 4. Repeat
Exercise 2b: 1:2 ratio. Inhale to a count of 4, count of 8 for exhale. Repeat

Exercise 3: Muscle-to-Mind relaxation exercises: Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR)

PMR consists of a series of exercises that involve contracting a specific muscle group, holding
the contraction for several seconds and then relaxing.
Exercises progress through each of the muscle groups.
The contraction phase teaches an awareness of what tension feels like, whereas the relaxation
phases teaches an awareness of lack of tension and that this can be voluntarily induced.
The ultimate goal of PMR is for athletes to develop automaticity, whereby one can
automatically, unconsciously and effortlessly identify and relax tension.
Examples of PMR scripts are available in the supplementary readings.

33

Exercise 4: Mind-to-Muscle relaxation exercises: Positive self talk


How you think, is how you feel, is how you behave/act.
Self-talk is an effective technique to control thoughts and to influence feelings. You engage in self
talk any time you carry on an internal dialogue with yourself, such as giving yourself instructions
and encouragement or interpreting what you are feeling or perceiving. Self-talk can take many
forms but can simply be categorized into positive self-talk or negative self-talk. Self-talk becomes
dangerous when it is negative, distracting an individual from the task in hand, or so frequent that it
disrupts the automatic performance of a skill. Write down typical and often automatic dialogue that
is negative when you are at training and games. Transform or re-write those dysfunctional and
counter-productive thoughts in more positive terms in the spaces below.
My inner dialogue (self-talk)
1. What I say to myself before a workout
Negative statement

Transformed positive statement

2. What I say to myself before a match


Negative statement

Transformed positive statement

3. What I say to myself after a match


Negative statement

Transformed positive statement

34

Exercise 5. Self-Instructional Training (SIT)


List situation(s) you find stressful

List self-talk and behavioural activities you will use at each phase below. These you must have
practiced previously.
1. Preparing for the stressor

2. Confronting the Stressor

3. Coping with high levels of Stress/Pressure

4. Post-event Evaluation and self-reinforcement


Write reflections and responses here.

Exercise 6. 20-Minute Worry Technique

Observe your thinking during the day closely and learn to identify the early beginnings of
worrying.
Establish a half-hour worry period, to take place at the same time and in the same place each
day.
Postpone your worrying, as soon as you do catch yourself, until your worry period.
Replace the worrisome thoughts with focused attention on the task at hand or anything else in
your immediate environment.
Use your daily worry period to think intensively about your current concerns.

35

7. Sport Intelligence
Definition: the ability to learn, understand or deal with new or trying challenges.
Sport intelligence means having an ability to analyse and exploit opportunities, being a student of
cricket, creativity, self-coachability, good decision-making, understanding the nature of the elite
cricket environment, being a quick learner, adaptability to change, self-awareness, and having
cricket-smart habits.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle
Development of Sport Intelligence
Physical preparation, technical skills and psychological readiness are pre-requisites for a champion
cricketer. In particular, research on champion athletes, found that the ability to focus on the process
of performance rather than the outcome was critical to the maintenance of athletic success. In
addition, there is evidence that support and encouragement from the athletes community, family,
and non-sport personnel socialise sport intelligence like most other psychological factors. These
sources influence athletes both directly (through teaching or emphasizing psychological lessons)
and indirectly (involving modelling or unintentionally creating psychological environments).
Techniques and Strategies
Self-talk. Words have immense power on developing sport intelligent attitudes. For example,
players can bounce back after being hit for a six by employing self-talk. If hit for a four or
six, it is important to analyse what went wrong and shift attention to the next ball.
Trust. Place trust on your sport skills performance, coach and yourself. Express trust
through your words and actions to the team and the coach.
Honest self-appraisal. Players need to identify their strengths and weaknesses. When a
particular shot is your drawback, avoid playing that shot until adequately practiced and
mastered. A player may possess immense talent but if no effort is made to work on their
shortcomings, he/she will eventually plateau in form.
Quick learner. A loser is one who not only loses the match but also loses the lesson.
Making a mistake is not stupid, repeating it is. Focus on the learning even from the most
appalling match. Observe and learn from great players, how they train and handle pressure
situations, provides insight when faced with similar situations.
Evaluation and Planning Learning about opponents identify their assets and weak points,
focus on how you got a player out last time or how you tackled a particular bowler
effectively the last time you played.
Reading (new) opponents. Observe body language, watch for the signs opponent batsmen or
bowlers give out and utilize it to your advantage.
Understanding conditions. Observe how the pitch is moving or the ball working and even if
things dont work out the way you planned, re-think quickly instead of sticking to a plan.
Flexibility in strategies and not rigidity is the key mantra.
Being in the Zone. Matches are often won or lost due to lapses in concentration. Isolate
events when you need to focus and block out distractions.
Creativity. Try viewing a problem from a different perspective; often the novelty of a
situation takes the opponent by surprise.

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Exercise 1. Performance Profiling


Over the past few years, performance profiling has become a major tool to augment motivation and
achieve desired results. It is also helpful in creating a platform for effective communication between
the coach and athlete, thereby facilitating team goal setting. Specifically profiling:
Assist in identifying an appropriate intervention programme
Enhances the athletes level of self-awareness, motivation and adherence to goals
Monitors progress
Performance profiling involves the following steps:
1.
Players arrange a meeting with an assessor (e.g., fitness coach for the physical
characteristics, coaches for the technical aspects and sport psychologist or significant other for
the mental facet).
2.
Players identify core areas (physical, technical and mental), which are essential for
their game development, and rate themselves on a scale of 0-10 (where 0 is not all competent
and 10 is extremely competent).
3.
The coaches then rate or assess players on these same areas.
4.
The discrepancy between ratings is discussed and then priorities are decided on for
immediate training..
5.
Reassessment should be conducted at least once every four weeks and ought to relate
to the same areas or characteristics identified until the player and coach are satisfied that
weaknesses have been improved to an acceptable standard.

The table below provides an example of mental skills profiling


Characteristics identified
Self-belief
Control
Refocusing after errors
Being in the zone

Players assessment
10
10
9
9

Coaches assessment
7
8
7
4

Benefits:
Aids players in taking control over their training to a large extent
Facilitates coach/player understanding on key areas
Enables two-way communication
Effective tool to monitor change

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Exercise 2. Trusting your stuff: To Know Thyself


Stay within yourself means doing what you are capable of doing and not trying to do too much.
The key is knowing your capabilities. The message is play as well as you do, and youll do fine.
Carefully consider and record your responses to the following questions:
1. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a bowler?
Strengths
Weaknesses

What is your best delivery?

How do you get most of your wickets?

Complete the following statement at least 3 different ways: I am most effective when..
a.
b.
c.

When bowling well:


. what are you focusing on at the point of delivery?
. what is your mind-set/attitude (e.g., try and play this buddy, smooth, easy, rhythm)?
. how are you feeling physically?

List the events that can happen during play that can throw you off form

List your mental and physical responses to these events.

38

2. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a batsman?


Strengths
Weaknesses

What is your best shot?

How do you get most of your runs?

Complete the following statement at least 3 different ways: I am most effective when..
a.
b.
c.

When batting well:


. what are you focusing on at the point of delivery?
. what is your mind-set/attitude (e.g., come to me , patience)?
. how are you feeling physically?

List the events that can happen during play that can throw you off form

List your mental and physical responses to these events.

39

3. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a fielder?


Strengths
Weaknesses

What is your best position?

Complete the following statement at least 3 different ways: I am most effective when..
a.
b.
c.

When fielding well in the above position:


. what are you focusing on at the point of delivery?
. what is your mind-set/attitude (e.g., come to me , this is the ball)?
. how are you feeling physically?

List the events that can happen during play that can throw you off form

List your mental and physical responses to these events.

40

Exercise 3. Game reflection: Personal match evaluation for batting


Game vs. .......................................... Ground: .................... Date: ...........................
Conditions:...............................................................................................................................
Outcome(s): batting
bowling
fielding
Quality of My Batting
What was todays performance goal(s)? Did I accomplish it/them?
Self-rating:
my pre-game routine
my pre-innings routine
my pre-delivery routine
my point of delivery routine
my post-delivery routine

very poor
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2

3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4

excellent
5
5
5
5
5

How was my confidence today? What helped and what hurt my confidence?

What yellow and red lights did I experience today? What upset me or got me out of my rhythm
before or during the game?

What skills did I use (or try to use) to get myself back under control? How effective was I at getting
myself back?

How well was I focussed on the process of playing the game, instead of the outcome of my actions?

Did I play the game one delivery at a time?


Did I have a plan for what I wanted to do on each delivery?
Did I trust myself on each delivery?
Am I proud of what I did today?
Did I respect the game of cricket today?
Did I get the most out of my ability?
Did I learn?
Did I have fun?
Self-rating:
overall performance
mental preparation
clear mission/performance goal
self-control
focus/concentration
self-confidence
energy level
body language

very poor
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2

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Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4

excellent
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

Supplementary Readings
1. Motivation & Commitment
Cox, R.H. (2002). Goal setting in sport, In R. H. Cox Sport Psychology. Concepts and Applications
(5th Ed) (pp. 89-104) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gould, D. (2001). Goal setting for peak performance. In J. M. Williams (Ed.) Applied Sport
Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance (4th ed.) (pp. 190-205). Mountain View,
CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.
Ravizza, K. (2001). Increasing awareness for sport performance. In J. M. Williams (Ed.) Applied
Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance (4th ed.) (pp. 179-189). Mountain
View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.
Weinberg, R. (2004) Goal setting practices for coaches and athletes. In T. Morris & J. Summers
(Eds.) Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed) (pp.2278-293) Milton,
Qld: John Wiley & Sons.

2. Resilience
Bell, C. C. (2001). Cultivating resiliency in youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 29, 375-381.
Carbonell, D. M., Reinherz, H. Z., Giaconia, R. M., Stashwick, C. K., Paradis, A. D. & Beardslee,
W. R. (2002). Adolescent protective factors promoting resilience in young adults at risk for
depression. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 19, 393-412.
Harvey, J. & Delfabbro, P. H. (2004). Psychological resilience in disadvantaged youth: A critical
overview. Australian Psychologist, 39, 3-13.
Luthar, S., Cicchetti, D. & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and
guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71, 543-562.
Martin-Krumm, C. P., Sarrazin, P. G., Peterson, C. & Famose, J. (2003). Explanatory style and
resilience after sports failure. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 1685-1695.
Reivich, K. & Shatte, A. (2002). The Resilience Factor. 7 Essential Skills for Overcoming Life's
Inevitable Obstacles. New York: Broadway Books.

3. Self-belief & Optimism


Cox, R.H. (2002). Motivation and self-confidence in sport. In R. H. Cox Sport Psychology.
Concepts and Applications (5th Ed.) (pp. 18-34) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Greene, J.& Grant, A.M. (2003). Solution focused coaching, Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
Henschen, K. & Newton, M. (2004). Building confidence in sport. In T. Morris & J. Summers
(Eds.) Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed). (pp. 322-343) Milton,
Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Morris, T. & Koehn, S. (2004). Self-confidence in sport and exercise. In T. Morris & J. Summers
(Eds.) Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed). (pp. 175-209). Milton,
Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Zinser, N., Bunker, L. & Williams, J. M. (2001). Cognitive techniques for building confidence and
enhancing performance. In J. M. Williams (Ed.) Applied Sport Psychology: Personal
Growth to Peak Performance (4th ed.) (pp.284-311) Mountain View, CA: Mayfield
Publishing Company.

42

4. Positive perfectionism
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Happiness, flow and economic equality. American Psychologist, 55,
1163-1164.
Hanin, Y. (2000). Emotions in sport, Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics.
Eklund, R. C. (1996). Preparing to compete: A season-long investigation with collegiate wrestlers,
The Sport Psychologist, 10, 111-131.
Jackson, S. A. (1999). Flow in sports: The keys to optimal experiences and performances,
Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics.
Jackson, S. A. & Wrigley, W. J. (2004). Optimal experience in sport: Current issues and future
directions. In T. Morris & J. Summers (Eds.) Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications and
Issues (2nd Ed). (pp. 423-451). Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Williams, J. M. & Krane, V. (2001). Psychological characteristics of peak performance. In J. M.
Williams (Ed.) Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance (4th ed.)
(pp.162-178) Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

5. Focus
Bond, J. & Sargent, G. (2004). Concentration skills in sport: An applied perspective, In T. Morris
and J. Summers (Eds.) Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed). (pp.
388-422). Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Cox, R.H. (2002). Attention and concentration in sport, In R. H. Cox Sport Psychology. Concepts
and Applications (5th Ed.) (pp. 131-154) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hardy, L., Jones, G., & Gould, D. (1996). Concentration and attention control, In L. Hardy, G.
Jones, & D. Gould Understanding Psychological preparation for Sport: Theory and
Practice of Elite Performers (pp.173-202). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
Moran, A. P. & Summers, J. (2004). Attention in sport, In T. Morris and J. Summers (Eds.)
Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed). (pp. 101-120). Milton, Qld:
John Wiley & Sons.
Nideffer, R. M. & Sagal, M-S. (2001). Concentration and attention control. In J. M. Williams (Ed.)
Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance (4th ed.) (pp.312-332)
Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.
Schmid, A., Peper, E., & Wilson, V. E. (2001). Strategies for training concentration, In J. M.
Williams (Ed.) Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance (4th ed.)
(pp.333-346) Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

6. Handling Pressure
Burton, D. (1988). Do Anxious Swimmers Swim Slower? Re-examining the Elusive AnxietyPerformance Relationship. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 10, 45-61.
Cox, R.H. (2002). Anxiety, arousal and stress relationship, In In R. H. Cox Sport Psychology.
Concepts and Applications (5th Ed.) (pp. 191-210) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Cox, R.H. (2002). Coping strategies in sport, In R. H. Cox Sport Psychology. Concepts and
Applications (5th Ed.) (pp. 231-238) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Cox, R.H. (2002). Relaxation strategies for sport, In R. H. Cox Sport Psychology. Concepts and
Applications (5th Ed.) (pp. 239-249) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Cox, R.H. (2002). Arousal energising techniques for sport, In R. H. Cox Sport Psychology.
Concepts and Applications (5th Ed.) (pp. 250259) New York: McGraw-Hill.

43

Landers, D. & Arent, S. M. (2001). Arousal-performance relationship, In J. M. Williams (Ed.)


Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance (4th ed.) (pp. 206-228)
Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.
Marchant, D. B. & Morris, T. (2004). Stress and anxiety in sport, , In T. Morris and J. Summers
(Eds.) Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed). (pp. 74-100). Milton,
Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Smith, R. E. & Smoll, F. L. (2004). Anxiety and coping in sport: Theoretical models and
approaches to anxiety reduction, In T. Morris and J. Summers (Eds.) Sport Psychology:
Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed). (pp. 74-100). Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
Terry, P. (2004). Mood and emotions in sport, In T. Morris and J. Summers (Eds.) Sport
Psychology: Theory, Applications and Issues (2nd Ed). (pp. 48-73). Milton, Qld: John Wiley
& Sons.
Williams, J.M. & Harris, D. V. (2001). Relaxation and energising techniques for regulation of
arousal, In J. M. Williams (Ed.) Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak
Performance (4th ed.)(pp. 229-246) Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

7. Sport Intelligence
Durrand-Bush, N. & Salmela, J.H. (2001). Becoming a world or Olympic champion: A process
rather than an end result. In A. Papioannou, M, Goudas, & y. Theodorakis (Eds.), In the
dawn of the new millennium: 10th World Congress of Sport Psychology (Vol 2, pp. 300302). Skathos, Greece.
Gould, D., Dieffenbach, K., & Moffatt, A. (2002). Psychological characteristics and their
development in Olympic champions. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14, 172-204.
Holt, N.L. (2003). Coping in professional sport: a case study of an experienced cricket player.
Athletic Insight: The Online Journal of Sport Psychology.
Seligman, M.E.P. (1991). Learned Optimism: How to change your mind and your life. NY: Pocket
Books.
Shatte, A.J., Gillham, J., & Reivich, K. (2000). Promoting hope in children and adolescents. In J.E.
Gilhams (Ed.) The science of optimism and hope: Research essays in honor of Martin
E.P.Seligman, Philadelphia, PS: Templeton.
Shinke, R.J., & Peterson, C. (2002a). Enhancing the hopes and performance of elite athletes through
optimism skills. The Journal Of Excellence, 6, 36-47.
Shinke, R.J., & Peterson, C. (2002b). Resilience training for national teams: Athlete Manual.
University of Pennsylvania.

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