PERFORMANCE MENU

JOURNAL OF HEALTH & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

MENTAL COACHING ATHLETE CHARACTER RITUAL OF COMPETITION WHEN TO MAKE CHANGES

ISSUE 72 . JANUARY 2011

PERFORMANCE MENU
Volume 7 . Issue 72 . January 2011
5 Ask Aimee/Greg
Aimee & Greg Everett

JOURNAL OF NUTRITION & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

Answers to your questions.

8 Our Little Furry Friends

Matt Foreman

Knowing if your athlete is a dog or cat personality

11 The Ritual of Competition

Daniel Camargo

Tricks to help you better prepare an athlete for competition

15 Mental Game Coaching: And Interview With Bill Cole (Part I)

Yael Grauer

Bill Cole answers questions about the importance of psychological preparation for athletic performance

19 When To Leave The One Youre With

Cameron Conaway

Conaway suggests five primary peasons to change your training environment

22 Cooking with Scotty

Scotty Hagnas

Recipes for health, performance and longevity from certified culinary stud Scotty Hagnas

Info
is published monthly in digital format by Catalyst Athletics, Inc.

Contributors
Daniel Camargo is a 20-year veteran in Olympic Weightlifting. He learned the Snatch and Clean + Jerk at age 12 and has never left the sport. As an athlete, Camargo represented U.S.A. in 9 international competitions and set three Junior American Records. Now in his 10th year as a head coach, Camargo has produced several State, Collegiate and National Champions. His latest accomplishment was promotion to U.S. International Level Coach, as well as being elected as President of the Florida Weightlifting Federation. In 2009, he was selected as Team Leader and Coach of Team USA and spent 10 days in Romania where he led the U.S. Team to the Junior World Weightlifting Championships. His current gym, Almonte Crossfit & Sports Performance near Orlando, Florida, is authorized as a USA Weightlifting Regional Training Center. Cameron Conaway, MFA, NSCA-CPT, MMACC, was the 2007-2009 Poet-in-Residence at the University of Arizonas MFA Creative Writing Program. He is the author of Caged: Memoir of a Cage-Fighting Poet, (forthcoming Fall 2011 from Tuttle Publishing) which has received endorsements from UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and renowned writer Dinty W. Moore. Hes 2-0 at 155lbs as a mixed martial artist. Camerons book of poems, Until You Make the Shore, will be released January 2012 from Salmon Poetry. Visit www.CameronConaway.com for more information. Aimee Everett is a national champion weightlifter, former resident of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and an assistant coach for the Catalyst Athletics weightlifting team. Matt Foreman is the football and track & field coach at Mountain View High School in Phoenix, AZ. A competitive weightliter for twenty years, Foreman is a four-time National Championship bronze medalist, two-time American Open silver medalist, three-time American Open bronze medalist, two-time National Collegiate Champion, 2004 US Olympic Trials competitor, 2000 World University Championship Team USA competitor, and Arizona and Washington state record-holder. He was also First Team All-Region high school football player, lettered in high school wrestling and track, a high school national powerlifting champion, and a Scottish Highland Games competitor. Foreman has coached multiple regional, state, and national champions in track & field, powerlifting, and weightlifting, and was an assistant coach on 5A Arizona state runner-up football and track teams. Yael Grauer is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in a variety of trade journals and consumer magazines and she writes regularly for various websites including MMA HQ. Yael trains in Brazilian jiu jitsu and teaches writing workshops both locally (in MN and WI) and virtually. For more information, check out her website. Scott Hagnas is owner of CrossFit Portland. He is certified as a CrossFit level 2 trainer and Circular Strength Training (clubbell) instructor. He has been riding BMX flatland for 26 years and counting and has filmed/produced/edited several series of BMX videos, plus several training videos. He formerly competed in bicycle trials, placing second in amateur in the World Championships in 1990. Cooking is one of his favorite pastimes.

The Performance Menu

On the Cover
AImee Anaya Everett

Editor in Chief
Greg Everett

Managing Editor
Yael Grauer

Design
Greg Everett

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CATALYST ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER

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ROM THE EDITO

FROM THE EDITOR

This month is the first issue of Volume 7the beginning of the Performance Menus seventh year. After six years and 72 issues, I believe we are still improving, and I have expectations of this continuing. In this time, Ive often wondered if there would come a month when we suddenly have no contentthat there would simply be nothing interesting or worthwhile left to publish, especially as weve tightened our focus over the last couple years. Fortunately, that month hasnt come yet. Weve consistently published four articles and a collection of recipes for probably about two years. This doesnt make for extensive issues, but it makes for consistency and allows us to maintain quality rather than simply padding issues with filler material. Im not interested in creating more pages if it means publishing nonsense. This year, we are expanding the content somewhat with a new feature that allows you to get direct feedback from me and my lovely wife and stellar weightlifter, Aimee (Anaya) Everett. This is a great opportunity to ensure at least some of the PM content is exactly what you want to read. Send your questions or videos for technical critique to ask@cathletics. com. Another change were making is no longer publishing any issue content for free on the siteall Performance Menu articles will be exclusive to the journal and its subscribers. We will simply be generating more content for the site. Our recent reader survey has given us an enormous amount of valuable feedback. None of it was unexpected and all aligned well with my longstanding assumptions about our readers, but all of you who participated gave us some great ideas for improving what we offer (Well almost all of you. If I had the time and energy to look up the info in the database, Id revoke the coupon from a few extraordinarily lazy survey participants but I suppose those would be the same folks who would whine about it enough to not make it worth the trouble anyway). Im looking forward to this year. Remember that were responsive to your feedback via website comments, facebook posts and email. Dont hesitate to participate. Greg Everett

ASK GREG & AIMEE

higher jumps were better jerkers doesnt mean the exercise was responsible; the exercise was, just like the jerk, an opportunity to demonstrate that particular athletic quality. Not to say that it couldnt help, but its easy to attribute success to things like that when theyre not necessarily responsible. Cheryl Asks: First off thank you for all that you do in the strength and conditioning, fitness, weightlifting and CrossFit worlds; it is very much appreciated. My question is regarding weightlifting beltsdo you need them, if so when? Pros/cons, proper fit? What type/ brand would you recommend? Ive read a lot of information both for and against their use, but I am curious to hear your thoughts on the subject. Aimee Says: I think weightlifting belts are a valuable tool if used correctly and dont become a crutch. I have seen many successful lifters lift without a belt, and I have seen many who use a belt. We can always ask questions like, Would that lifter who doesnt use a belt be able to lift more if they used a belt? or Does that lifter who uses a belt only lift that much because they have a belt on? I dont think there is a yes or no answer to the belt question; I think it really varies amongst athletes. Some may prefer it, some may find them uncomfortable, and some may have never used one and find no need to do so. I use a belt and I love it. I used to only use my belt on heavy clean & jerks and heavy squats, but now I use it during other exercises as well. A couple years ago, I started wearing the belt during my snatches after training with my good friend Natalie Burgener, who snatches with a belt. I thought to myself, Well if this girl snatches the way she does using a belt, then it must be an asset! She told me how the belt made her feel tighter when receiving, as well as off the floor. So I tried it, I loved it, and snatching with a belt became my new

Get your questions answered directly by Greg Everett or Aimee Anaya. Send your questions to Greg and AImee at ask@cathletics.com.

Brian Asks: Wouldnt the Jerk Dip Squat be more effective as an explosive exercise? I read a Russian book that outlined an exercise of jumping with 50% bodyweight (similar to a jerk drive I guess) and it found that those who could jump higher had a higher jerk, even if others had a stronger squat. Greg Says: More effective for what? To improve the drive of the jerk, yes. But thats not the purpose of the exercise; a jerk dip squat is to develop strength and position. With an athlete who has an inconsistent or improper dip position/movement, adding speed to it just reinforces the problem rather than helping to correct it. In this case, my goal is to practice and strengthen correct positioning, not improve explosiveness. Jerk drives are great in theory, but Ive never seen anyone be able to perform them without pushing the bar forward considerably. This is not a habit I want to encourage. Its also pretty rough on the body to bring the weight back down. You can do them on jerk blocks, but there is the same problem - people will push the bar forward or jump their bodies backward every time; if you try to just drop out from under the bar as it comes back down, youre going to chin check yourself. So then people, consciously or not, cut the drive short to prevent killing themselves, and then theyre just training that - not finishing the drive of their jerks. The best option in my opinion is to do a jumping quarter squat from top or bottom depending on what exactly you want to work on. Bar on traps like a back squat. In a power rack or on jerk blocks. I believe there is a video of this on the site under jumping squat. If youre working on the jerk specifically, set the start position with an upright torso and knees forward rather than more of a squat position. These can be done light to extremely heavy and there are no problems preventing correct execution at any weight. Regarding the book, that those athletes who had

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thing. However, I do not recommend snatching with a belt to any of my friends, unless they really want to. This is because snatching with a belt is uncomfortable for most, and thus, most folks think it sucks. When do I use the belt? I use it when I back squat, front squat, snatch, clean & jerk, jerk of the rack, and sometimes when I do heavy push presses off the rack. I NEVER use a belt when I do pulls, or deadlifts because I want to make sure my back is getting strong, and my body knows how to secure those positions. Never ever. Even if they are ridiculously heavy or if someone is offering me chocolate. I never want to get to a point where I am not strong, and NEED the belt; I want to be able to use the belt as a tool, something to help me out, and snaz things up a bit. Your belt should be your friend; a nice aid, a confidence builderbut never the reason you can do something. With this, I also only put the belt on when I get to about 85ish % and up. An exception to this is in my snatches, where I put the belt on at a certain weight. The reason is that I want to put it on early enough so that I get used to it. Now, there is another exception, and let me show you with an example. On a day that I am going to snatch heavy (above 80kg), I ALWAYS put the belt on at 65kgs. Always. Even if there is a fire. On days that I am going to snatch 80kg or below, I dont use the belt. This way I can get some good work in sans belt. The same thing with the CJ. If I am going to be CJing over 95kg, I always put the belt on at 85kg. If not, then I dont use the belt. So I may not use a belt in an entire workout session, and another workout session I may use the belt on every exercise. To sum that all up, I try to train without the belt as much as possible, so that when I do use it, I know I am not using it merely to get me through the workout. Regarding proper fit, again, I think this is a preference. I have seen some athletes who tighten their belt so much they can barely walk or bend-over. Have you seen that person? The gal or fella who walks over to a heavy stationary object and puts the end of their belt against it and pulls so tightly that they can then hardly get it off? Ya, thats what I mean. Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with that, but that is not what I personally try to do. I tighten it enough so it is snug, so that I can push my breath against it, but not so tight that it is causing me to pee my pants. And then I loosen it immediately after the lift or set is complete. Retighten for the next lift or set, and repeat. Some folks like to keep their belt tight the whole entire

time they are lifting, even when they are sitting on the bench resting between sets and playing scrabble on their iPhones. Not me. Once upon a time I used the leather belt. But here is my problem with that. ATTN! TMI COMING. On a day that I am having a very fat day, or extreme bloatedness due to that time of the month, my belt would never fit right because in order to get the metal thing in to the designated hole, the regular hole would be too tight, and the next hole over would be too loose. Sick of the aggravation of these times, I ordered the Velcro belt from Valeo, and I didnt have to tighten it to the standards of preset holes, but to my own desire. But, again, some folks may think the Velcro belt sucks and you must use the leather. Those people are free to make their own decisions, and likely dont have periods or fat days. Greg Says: Whether or not you need a belt, or should use one, is dependent on who you are. The first thing to keep in mind is that in few sports or activities will you be wearing a belt; weightlifting, powerlifting, strongman and throwing are the only ones that come to mind. If training for one of these sports, it makes sense that a belt will have some kind of utility. For an athlete whose sports involves strength and power but is not in a controlled environment that allows a belt, such as a football player, any strength they have will have to be applied without the use of a belt in the game, so it makes sense that these athletes will need to have the trunk strength to support their leg and hip strength. Of course, its argued sometimes that wearing a belt in training allows the use of more weight, which develops more strength. My opinion is that this doesnt make much senseif the rest of your body cant support a given degree of strength, you wont be able to use it (at least safely) anyway. For the abovementioned athletes who can use belts in competition, whether or not to use them is still a choice. I see no reason for a powerlifter to not use a belt. The sport encourages the use of gear, the goal is to move as much weight as possible, and a belt certainly helps that, and I dont see any detriment in wearing one. The same goes for strongman competitionthese guys are moving enormous weights, but more importantly, theyre putting themselves in compromised positions, and many events have a considerable stamina component. The back tends to give out before the muscles its supporting, so a belt can be the difference between success or failure and safety or injury. I havent seen many throwers wear belts, and Im not sure I think it would be particularly helpful; it strikes me as being more disruptive to fluid movement. That would be a very individual decision.

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For the weightlifter, belts are also a pretty individual choice. Theres no question that a belt will help a lifter lift more, at least in the clean & jerk. Some find it helpful for maintaining trunk rigidity in the snatch as well, but I find it too cumbersome and prohibitive of proper movement and positioning. I discourage the use of belts with anything less than 85-90% or so in the squat, clean and jerk. Its important to continuously improve trunk strength along with the rest of the body. When its time to go big, the addition of a belt will add a bit more on top. Using a belt more

frequently and with lighter weights just makes a lifter dependent on it; in some cases, psychologically more than physically. For weightlifting I prefer nylon belts with cam buckles over leather belts with traditional buckles simply because theyre more adjustable and less restrictive. As far as fit goes, the belt should be snugged up a bit tighter than you unbelted brace positiondont crank it down like a corset and turn your trunk into a skinny base that wont support any weight.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO ASK@CATHLETICS.COM

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Our Little Furry Friends

Matt Foreman
Most of the people I know love dogs and hate cats. Sure, there are exceptions to everything. I know there are a few odd ducks out there who arent crazy about dogs, and we certainly understand that the world has its share of cat people. But if I took a poll of everybody I meet on a daily basis, I would venture a guess that the majority of them would favor the puppies over the felines. Personally, I love them both, and one of the things that never stops interesting me is watching the personality differences between the two. Let me give you an example of what Im talking about. Imagine for a moment what happens when you bring one of these animals into a new house that its unfamiliar with. First, think about what the dog will do. As soon as that pooch gets through the front door, he will start running around the house to check everything out. He wants to jump on every couch, sniff every plant, investigate every room, and just generally have a wild and crazy exploring session with his tail wagging hard enough to knock over every picture frame in the place. Hes excited, and he has no fear of anything. Then, I want you to think about what happens when you do the exact same thing with a cat. For those of you who havent brought a cat into a new house, let me tell you how it goes. Most of the time, the kitty is going to get pretty cautious as soon as he realizes that hes in a new environment. He will walk low to the ground, move slowly, and most likely look for a bed or something that he can crawl under and hide as quickly as possible. It will probably take at least a few days for the cat to start getting comfortable with exploring the house and being sociable with new people. Cats are just like that, plain and simple. The thing that I really find fascinating is how these basic differences in behavior can also be applied to athletes. When you work with people in a setting of athletic training and competition, you can definitely see which ones are dogs and which ones are cats. Some people have character traits that are more similar to Fido, while others are the walking, talking versions of Garfield. As a coach, these differences become more and more clear as time goes on. The behaviors you see in this regard will determine how the athlete approaches daily workouts, competition and every other aspect of what you do in the gym. If you want to be a successful coach, you need to know how to handle each one effectively. Coaching is not a one-size-fits-all profession. Athletes have to be talked to and handled differently if theyre all going to reach their maximum potential. Failure to comply with this notion can leave you with an empty gym, so lets take this months article and see if we can come up with some useful information about how to manage the pet population of your training world.

Bow Wow Wow, Yippee Yo Yippee Yay

The first athlete personality were going to examine is the dogs. When we talk about athletes who fit the dog temperament, were talking about the ones who are high on aggression and low on fear. These are the lifters who will go 100% hell-bent-for-leather in every single workout if you let them. Theyll attack their workouts the same way that dog will attack his new house investigation. Typically, the dog athletes have a fierce enthusiasm for training and are willing to do anything you tell them to do...and more. If you want them to attempt a personal record six or seven times in a workout, theyll do it. In fact, theyll probably keep attempting it until you tell them to stop, and even then theyll argue with you because they just KNOW they can hit that snatch on the fourteenth try. You often have to run them out of the gym at the end of the day because theyll keep going until you shoo them away.

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Dog athletes arent scared of much. The idea of failing in an attempt or possibly getting injured just doesnt seem to enter into their minds. They view their whole training experience just like a golden retriever going to a dog park for the day with a master who has tons of tennis balls and all the time in the world. And like the dog with the tennis ball, these athletes like to challenge you. If youve ever played fetch with a dog, youve probably noticed how the dog brings the tennis ball back to you after you throw it, but he also makes you fight to take the ball out of his mouth before you can throw it again. He likes to battle you a little bit. You have to grip the ball and really pull to get it out of his teeth, and hes not giving it up easily. Hes not doing this because he wants to keep the ball and end the fetch game. Believe me, he wants you to take the ball away from him because he wants you to throw it again. He just likes the playfulness of grappling with you. Dog athletes are the same way. Theyre going to scuffle with you in the gym sometimes. For example, there might be a situation where the athlete wants to work up and try a max attempt in the back squat because he/she is feeling good that day, but you (the coach) dont want him/her to do any max squat attempts because youve planned some nearmaximum snatch attempts for the following day and you dont want his legs to get too fatigued. This might bring about a little back-and-forth exchange between you and the athlete about who is going to make the final decision. At this point, you have to make the decision on how stern you want to be with your treatment of the athlete. If you blow a gasket and verbally explode on him, it might cause your entire relationship to take a turn for the worse. The athlete might walk away from the tongue-lashing like a dog would walk away from being kicked, and you dont want that. When its all said and done, you still want both the dog and the athlete to feel empowered and enthusiastic. Of course, there is always a chance that you might be working with a turbocharged headstrong athlete who simply wont obey your instructions unless you verbally explode on him. These athletes are exhausting to work with because they make you ride them like a pack mule day after day. You have to practically beat them with a hammer to get them to obey, and you have to make your own call about whether its worth it to you to keep butting heads with them over and over. If the constant combat is wearing you down, tell them to get out of the gym for a while and decide whether they want to train on your terms or not. However, there are plenty of obvious positives about dog athletes. If you can get them under control, they have a much better chance of becoming successful because of their natural intensity and willingness to work hard. Laziness wont be much of an issue here. And as with dogs, these athletes will often develop

a powerful loyalty to you as they grow and develop. Through smart discipline and intelligent treatment, you will wind up with a lifter who is not only a welltrained weightlifting machine, but also willing to chew somebodys leg off if they give you any trouble. Its a good feeling when you reach this stage.

Hello Kitty
In my opinion, most of the athletes you work with in weightlifting will be dog athletes. This is simply because a person has to have some dog in them to even give weightlifting a try in the first place. This sport requires a lot of courage, even if the lifter isnt planning to compete. Most people in the world jump out of the way when they see a heavy iron weight falling towards the ground. Weightlifters jump under it and try to catch it. That tells you something about what kind of people they are. Still, regardless of the basic principles of weightlifting and what kind of personality they lend themselves to, there are going to be plenty of potential trainees coming into your gym who have a little more of the cat qualities we hinted at earlier. First and foremost, cat athletes will be much more cautious than dog athletes. I hesitate to use the words fearful or scared because these terms both carry a negative connotation, and its important for a coach to always see athletes in a positive way. However, cat athletes will be very hesitant about stepping out of their comfort zones. They will often have a particular amount of weight that they are comfortable attempting in workouts, something they know they can make consistently with very little chance of failure. And it wont be easy to get them to load a few more kilos on the bar and take a shot at it. You (the coach) will have to push them to attempt new personal records. They wont instinctively go for it on their own. Also, they will often take a long time to warm up to you or demonstrate any loyalty, much like cats. These athletes instinctively avoid situations that could result in pain, embarrassment or failure. It is worth mentioning that many coaches simply wont bother working with athletes who demonstrate cat qualities in the early stages. Coaches will dismiss these athletes as cowards and simply conclude that they just dont have the mental disposition to be weightlifters. This is where it would be wise to step back and examine some more productive ways to work with the cat athletes. Weightlifting is a small sport, and its not easy to find people who are willing to seriously pursue it. If youre lucky enough to train somebody who has legitimate enthusiasm and the desire to snatch, clean, and jerk, then it is worth your time to think of some interpersonal techniques that will keep this person around and give

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them a chance to be successful. Even if they are timid and hesitant about taking risks, there are still ways to work with them. Mainly, the coach has to find a way to push the athlete while still providing a sense of safety. Often, the cat athletes will be reluctant to attempt personal records simply because they feel like they will disappoint the coach if they fail. As a coach, you have to make it clear to the athlete that you are supportive of them even if they dont always succeed. Basic expressions like Well get it next time or Im proud of your effort can go a long way. Cats dont come out from under the bed when they get screamed at. They come out from under the bed when theyre confident in their surroundings. Now, is it also possible for an athlete to be such a basketcase personality that theyre basically impossible to work with? Absolutely, and Ive seen a few of these. There might come a time when you (the coach) have to tell an athlete to hit the bricks in order to avoid losing your other athletes because they wont train in the same gym as the wacko. My personal experience is that these types are few and far between, but you never know. Some cats have lived in a dysfunctional home for so long that theyre beyond socialization. They just need their own cage, plain and simple. Its also worth mentioning that cats can be very dangerous when they feel trapped or defensive. Try dealing with a cat sometime when its ears are pointed backwards, its back is arched, and you can hear it making a growling noise. If you try to pick that cat up and scold it at that moment, be prepared to walk away with some scratches on your face.

up in a small town where the high school weight room was the only place to train. It was a free standing building behind the football stadium, and it was always locked during non-school hours. I didnt have time in my schedule to take a weight training class, so I used to go there at five oclock in the morning and pick the lock on the back door so I could get inside and train by myself with no heat, almost no lighting, and no coaching. Then I had to get out of there before the teachers showed up and busted me for breaking in. I wanted to be a lifter, and nothing was going to stop me from doing it. When I finally hit the big time and moved to a gym where I had a coach, I was not easy to handle. I wanted to go as heavy as I could every single day, and I had no problems with trying a personal record twelve times in a row. I also had a defiant attitude and a short fuse, which didnt make me the worlds most endearing young trainee. In retrospect, I have to thank God that I had a coach who didnt get fed up and kick me out of the gym. He certainly had reason to. But as Ive mentioned in this article, he found a way to condition me to his way of doing things. To use some dog terminology, he had to swat me in the nose with a rolled up newspaper and rub my snout in my own mess a few times. And he did it in a way that let me know he didnt hate me and that he wanted me to be successful. As time passed, I learned. I learned who the boss was, and I learned that following his instructions was going to put me in a better position to be a champion. After a few years, my loyalty to him was so strong that I would have chewed broken glass if he told me to. You have to learn the same methods, and then you have to develop your own style of conditioning your athletes to follow your methods. It takes time, believe me. Coaching is a skill that takes a long time to develop, just like athletic prowess. But youll be okay if you remember that people have differences, and they require different treatment. If you dont believe me, put your cat on a leash and try to take it for a walk around the block the same way you would with a dog. See how that works for you.

Species Identification
Where do you fit in this discussion? Look at yourself from the outside and think about which animal you most closely relate to. How about your coaches? Would they say youre a dog or a cat? Looking back at myself as a young weightlifter, I think I was a pretty direct example of a dog athlete. I grew

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The Ritual of Competition

Daniel Camargo
Athletes are a unique breed of people who bring a sense of passion and ego to any activity they participate in. This is not only accepted but also encouraged. There are athletes who may play a sport for recreational purposes, join an athletic club for social reasons or train at a gym for personal enrichment. But for some athletes, there is a deeper calling to sport. Im speaking of an athlete in the truest sense of the word a competitor. Competitors have taken their athletic prowess to a new level and opt to challenge themselves in the arena of competition. They believe they are destined for greatness, whether they actually achieve it or not. Athletes are those who always ran better on the playground, jumped higher than others in P.E. class, and could perform tasks on the first try. For those who dont have the natural talent, their spirit, hunger and dedication can in many cases close the gap. This is the beauty of sport. That said, all competitors have certain things that make them special. Its their passion, pursuit of greatness and obsession that provide what all spectators come to see. During my time as an elite weightlifter, I must have experienced every emotional and physical stress possible. As a developing athlete, my stress levels were constantly changing from whether my technique was correct or how well I would do at a particular competition to how I looked or sounded during the competition in comparison to the older athletes. By the end of my career, having been a 3-time Jr. World Team Member (1995-1997), the sources of my stress were significantly more focused on making the Olympic team, staying ahead of the up and coming developing athletes, and maintaining high U.S. rankings. During this time, I developed some specific tricks to help me focus and stay at ease prior to and during competition. I teach these rituals to my athletes now and they have seen huge success, just as I did. Though not all of them have continued to practice my secrets, it certainly has allowed them to discover their own rituals to set them at ease in preparation for competition.

Pre-Competition
It is important as a coach to account for the smallest detail and prepare your athlete for anything. This begins with ensuring that he or she has their gear no matter what. It sounds so simple, so obvious, but the truth is that I have witnessed many competitions destroyed by an athletes gear being lost by an airline. As a U.S. National Team member, I was always forced to travel with my gear close by. I could check a bag during flights, but the equipment that was needed to compete such as singlet, lifting shoes, belt and tape had to travel on the plane with me. This always brought comfort to me, since I knew that even if my luggage was lost in transit, I would still have my stuff to compete. You can have my toiletries, my extra clothing and my extra sneakers, but youre not taking my gear. I continue this practice with my athletes. It is mandatory that my athletes ensure they do not check in their necessary equipment but rather carry it on when traveling to competitions. After arriving, gear in hand, preparation continues in the days prior to competition. Most importantly, the day before competing has always been a sensitive time for my athletes as it was for me. Training is a critical component the day before competition but it must be light, aimed at loosening the athlete up rather than being load intensive. Generally, I do not surpass 60%-70% in any given exercise. In fact, I recommend any coach who trains their athlete the day or evening before competition to do so by keeping in mind that the purpose is only to stimulate the nerves and keep

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an athletes muscles firing sequentially. Not that theyll forget how to do so, but because this training session serves as a good stimulant prior to competition. Following the training session, the waiting period begins. The evening leading to competition is even more important as this is often when anxiety builds. As a coach, helping an athlete to manage this anxiety is critical to achieving success the next day. Some best practices are as follows: Watch TV sitting up with all lights on as oppose to in dim lighting, lying down on the bed. Lying in bed with lights low tells your body its time to sleep. When you dont follow through on this direction to rest, you will find yourself unable to sleep once the television is off and lights are out. By then, it is too late. The body accepted watching TV with lights low as a time to be awake. Unfortunately, you will spend significant time trying to reprogram your mind, but sleep will not come easy. Sitting up with lights on offers the athlete the opportunity to shut it all down and wind down for sleep later. Ever heard how the mind can play tricks on you? Well. guess what? You too can play tricks on it. Grooming is a ritual best done the night before competition. For me, shaving my face, getting a haircut, or attending to nails etc always gave me a fresh, new feeling. This serves to revitalize an athlete and allow them to feel prepared to give a huge effort the next day. Yes, even in the sport of Weightlifting men may shave their legs. Of course, theyre going to tell you that it was to minimize friction between the barbell and the shins on the first pull as well as the quadriceps during the transition and second pull (I began my career in a time when singlets were high cut, not the knee-length they are today) but, truth is they like the way it makes their legs look. Do not try sleeping early in an effort to get a full nights rest. This is a big mistake. I have found with my own career and my athletes careers that the best thing to do is to follow the points above and only lay for bed when one feels drowsy and sleepy, even if that results in the athlete only getting 6 hours of sleep. I realize this may contradict what many specialists have to say, but I speak from experience of not only myself but also of the athletes Ive coached, which range from the 12-year-old developing athlete to the 20- year-old elite U.S. Jr. World Team to the 45-year old competing locally for the love of the sport. Attempting to go to bed early, especially if it is much earlier than normal bedtime, places the athlete at risk

of a sleepless night. Their mind may wander and they are likely to stress out about the time of night and how they arent in deep sleep, leading their body into restlessness. Now they find that they cant sleep and as a result sleep far less than the above example of 6 hours. or at least think they do. Perception is reality. If the athlete tosses and turns all night, most likely they do sleep some but feel as if they were in and out of consciousness all night long, whether they were or not. That feeling is not one to have before being asked to compete at maximal effort. So, I recommend allowing the athlete to read, watch TV or socialize quietly in a room until the point where they begin to feel drowsy. You may find this will actually come sooner as the athlete doesnt stress about getting to bed early and has the freedom and empowerment to sleep when they feel ready. By encouraging them to stay up until they feel sleepy, you will both reduce some unneeded stress and ensure that whenever they do decide to sleep, theyll do so with ease, thus providing quality sleep. 6 hours of wonderful sleep surpasses 9 hours of tossing and turning.

Day of the Meet

Athletes tend to be superstitious people. The day of the meet is key in controlling anxiety and properly preparing an athlete for a perfect day. After waking well-rested and ready to compete, the athlete should do as they normally do to shower or dress. Once youre in the day of competition, theres no turning back. Its time to hit the venue and perform. I teach my athletes the following: Never change a routine. Competitions are not the place to try something new, especially new 1RMs, which Ill touch on in a moment. If an athlete never uses certain rituals such as sitting in a hot tub for hours the night before, then dont allow them to do so once in competition mode. I encourage athletes to maintain the same practices they normally perform during training. Remaining consistent is important. For example, Ive caught some of my younger athletes overdosing on energy drinks right before competition when they normally dont in training. Without wasting space on how I feel about consuming these counter-productive products, Ill only emphatically state to keep your athletes (especially the young ones) away from them. I would certainly have a different opinion if what I have experienced was more positive but unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Ive only seen

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them cause problems. Drinking energy drinks to get pumped up to compete overstimulates the body. Ive seen plenty of athletes get the jitters during warm up or the competition. As a result, they dont think straight and lose that very important connection between the brain, nervous system and muscular system--not to mention that their heart rate speeds, blood pressure rises, and their body temperature is higher than it needs to be, or that they could be violating USADA doping guidelines for competition without even knowing it. Isnt natural adrenaline, excitement, and overall anticipation enough to heighten the athletes awareness? Now, I am not in any way bashing energy drinks for the purpose they serve. I just dont believe they have a place in competition, especially if the athlete is not used to consuming them in training. Why have energy drinks caused problems for an athletes performance? Not because of the product themselves but because the athlete will more times than not consume too much. Ive actually seen a young weightlifter kill two cans of a popular energy drink only to become nauseous and irritable, leaving them unable to perform. This next part applies primarily to Olympic Weightlifting focusing on maximal attempts. Ive had a long lasting practice that tournaments are not the place to attempt new personal records with the exception of close competition where its worth the risk in order to win. Training is the place to try 1RMs. Why? Because you have all day to try. There are not any judges, time is not of the essence and the pressure on the athlete is significantly less. This is the circumstance where continuous efforts can be made. In Olympic Weightlifting, the athlete has 3 attempts at a particular event. Thats it. Athletes should make the best use of those attempts and ensure they are successful. My philosophy has always been that it doesnt matter what you do in training; if you dont do it in a meet, it doesnt count. After all, were competitors. We dont call ourselves athletes because we only exercise. We call ourselves athletes because we compete, we fight, we challenge. What good is it to have a 150kg (330lbs) Clean + Jerk in training but you only successfully lift 125kg (275lbs) when in front of referees? It is important that attempts, especially the first two, are weights that have been executed a number of times during training, perhaps in the range of 85%-95% of their current bests. If theyre strong, those weights will be enough to place high in the competition. If theyre not, well, why not keep

the athlete in their comfort zone and let them walk away content with a good performance because they were not at the top of the class this time around? Now, as I said, there is an exception to this rule--and that is in the case of close competition. If you or your athlete is in a situation where personal records are needed to place high, and nothing else will matter, well then you do what you went there to do, win! Put it on the bar and give it your best. Perhaps the rush will give you the little extra strength and timing you need. Just keep in mind; youll only have that one chance. There are no repeats. During competition, there are always situations where athletes and coaches have to abort their game plan and quickly change strategies. For weightlifting, it comes when other coaches manipulate the score cards to optimize their athletes chances at winning but may leave you with less time to prepare or, in some cases, way too much time. It can also come from schedule delays but the most crucial component is still time on the clock. A strategy that always works for me is to not include the athlete in the decision-making process. Of course, you must know your athlete and make choices that do not negatively affect them. There are times when you consult with them to see how they feel about a scenario, but attempting to alleviate as much stress as possible is paramount. The athlete has much to worry about as is so leave them be. Its the coachs responsibility to filter unforeseen problems and reassure the athlete that they have nothing additional to stress about. Too often coaches wear their emotions on their sleeves, which will ultimately be reflected in the athlete who feeds off of the coach. If the athlete sees you stress and lose composure, theyll be thinking about the wrong thing when theyre called upon the main stage. Then whose fault is it when the athlete is distracted and does not perform? Visualization is a huge part of mental preparation and stability. If an athlete can see it happen enough times in their minds eye, they are more likely to make it happen on the platform. I once would sit in a corner between every warm up set, staring at the ground, visualizing that I was witnessing myself commit the perfect lift. I encourage all of my athletes to find their best viewpoint and experience the movement, the strength and the meet in their head over and over again. Dont worry. They will snap out of it when their name is called. You wont lose them for long. Then I ask them to see it again and again. My viewpoint was third person and

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sometimes in the first person. Once athletes get comfortable seeing or experiencing a great performance in their heads enough times, theyll be amazed at how it becomes reality. Athletes need companionship during their moments of athletic execution. Even those who prefer to seclude themselves with earphones in a corner must know that not far away from them is their companion, their coach. The person who is their only connection to the logistics of the tournament and who gives him/her the necessary information to proceed, to stand up, to get ready. It is good practice to never let your athlete feel lonely. They are in total control of their performance. Coaches prepare and mold the athlete but in the end, during those last seconds of testing, it is the athlete who has to make it happen. Nonetheless, knowing they have someone they trust nearby is essential. I make good practice of walking my athlete to the chalk tray and as far as I can until the official tells me Ive gone too far. It is at that location that I wait for them on their return, whether successful or not. Even the toughest athlete needs that comfort. Give it to them.

are continuously striving for more. During training, they sacrifice themselves to pain and exhaustion, attempting to maximize every second of their sessions. They dedicate themselves tirelessly to be just one hundredth of a second faster than their competitor or just 1kg stronger than the next lifter. Prior to competition, they are in their hotel rooms staring at themselves in the mirror, moving through their technique in slow motion, visualizing being on stage. Their rituals give them the little extra edge needed for competition. Encouraging each athlete to develop their own practices before and during competition can and will reduce a certain amount of stress and bring them comfort. After competition is over, what do they talk about? The next meet. I can tell you that I have always experienced a deeper meaning of hard work and athleticism. I had always enjoyed being an athlete, and now, coaching them, watching them grow, and feeling victorious. Athletes take with them a specific mentality to continuously strive in life when they embark on the real world after they have retired. Years after their athletic career is over, athletes are still dedicating themselves to something, be it work, school or family. Once an athlete, always an athlete. Its in us all to some degree but for those who choose, for whatever reason, to make sport an importance in their lives it is a wonderful thing. I may be a coach now but Im always an athlete. Because us athletes, never rest.

There are people among us who are either born with, or develop the attributes of, being not only athletes but also competitors. It is their physical and neurological capabilities built on an unshakeable foundation of their spirit, pursuit, ego, and passion. Competitors

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Mental Game Coaching: Interview with Bill Cole

Yael Grauer
The importance of sports psychology in elite athletics was briefly touched upon in our last issue, its importance emphasized by MMA phenom Randy Couture. We therefore sought out sports psychologist Bill Cole, who has been coaching and consulting in sports psychology for 30 years. Cole is the founder of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, and has worked as an NCAA Division I head coach, a sport psychology coach for the Stanford University Baseball and the Israeli Davis Cup Tennis Team and the mental game consultant for the Irish National Cricket Team. Cole has served as a sports psychology consultant for various elite level athletes, including 2006 Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time world curling champion Russ Howard and the Performance Menus own Aimee Anaya. I am a much calmer and more consistent lifter, thanks to him, she said. Cole answered some pressing questions about the importance of psychological preparation for athletic performance in this interview, which will continue in our next issue.

Can you describe some of the research youve done on mental readiness? Mental readiness in sport is analogous to a funnel lying on its side. The broad end represents your normal life, and everything you have in it-school, work, family, social life, friends, hobbies, etc. The narrow end represents your sport in action, whether its practice or competition. As you move closer to your sporting event, you need to let go of all thoughts and concerns about your real life and enter the world of your sport experience. Sometimes this is termed putting on your game face or stepping into the bubble. Mental preparation is comprised of long-term preparation (training) and short-term preparation (pre-event routines and rituals). Short-term mental preparation includes psyching up strategies the day before, the morning of, just before the event and during the event. These four phases are vital to handling performance anxiety, focusing you on your upcoming tasks, keeping you positive-minded and in providing energy to drive your performance.

Everyone has a story about how great preparations lead to great performances. The key is realizing that you have control over how you prepare. Athletes, sales people, teachers, public speakers, media people and anyone else who officially performs successfully uses pre-performance routines or rituals. You can use routines to help you relax, focus and prepare mentally and physically for an upcoming event. A ritual is a systematic series of steps undertaken prior to the execution of a task designed to help you sharpen mentally, emotionally and physically. You may have things you like to do ahead of your event that make you feel optimistic, confident and energized. This is your ritual. You want to perform tasks ahead of time that contribute to your focus and organization. You should have routines you use to keep you calm, in the proper mood and frame of mind. There are two times to use your rituals. One is used for mental preparation just prior to the start of your event and the other is used during the event, but during breaks in the action, to re-focus or re-energize. In

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addition, there are two broad styles of rituals. If you enjoy focusing specifically on the upcoming event and organizing details, thinking about it, imagining yourself performing well and can see yourself completing the event successfully, you use an associative style of preparation. If doing all that makes you nervous, and youd rather not focus on what is about to happen, and instead prefer to distract yourself by listening to music, reading, viewing television or the like, then you use a dissociative style of preparation. Both styles are valid and appropriate. The key is to know which one works best for you and to consistently apply that ritual. Remember that even not thinking about the upcoming event is a legitimate style of preparing if you use it consistently across all your performances. This is your customized way of preparing to perform your best. Ultimately, it may be best to work with a mental game coach to be able to purposively focus on the upcoming event so you can iron out any performance issues and to prepare as fully as possible using the associative approach. Having a ritual does not mean you are obsessed with its completion. Your ritual exists to serve you, not the other way around. We hear about professional athletes who have superstitious, elaborate rituals they must perform to feel ready to play. We hear of sports stars that may not shave the week of a big event, may eat the same meal at the same restaurant and may wear the same clothes for each event. This is extreme, but it does make them feel secure and confident. Even for professional athletes, the ritual should be easy to perform, take no longer than a few minutes, always be under your control and not require any special equipment. This way you can always perform your ritual. Can you describe your approach for helping people relax more and perform better? Oddly, sometimes athletes are too relaxed, and perform badly. I coach one jiu jitsu player who competed at the US Open this year and did very well, but his previous years, before he called me, were terrible. He was too relaxed. He would go his events, sit in the locker-room and meditate and get all Zen, then go out and be flatter than a pancake. He was not afraid; he just had no energy. So the trick with him was to add energy, add some edge. We worked out a pre-event process that got him pumped up to the exactly perfect level. Thats called psyching up. But yes, the majority of athletes who compete need the opposite, psyching down. They are already too keyed up. Thats where relaxation training comes in. To help athletes either relax, focus or handle stress and pressure I use a range of modalities. Relaxation training,

mental and muscular, are both part of our training. I use elements of both of these disciplines. These are important parts of a mental training program, but they address only one segment of an overall training plan. I utilize both Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and self-hypnosis and hypnosis techniques in my coaching. While some sports psychology practitioners use these two modalities exclusively, I use a far wider range of approaches to help people improve. Even though some of the same techniques and approaches may be shared in both disciplines, the focus, purpose and outcomes diverge sharply. Sports psychology coaching is mental training, an educational process. I teach mind skills for learning and performance under pressure. There is homework I suggest they complete, and how much they do is based on their motivation, their goals, and how fast they want to progress. I want them to reflect on the coaching session, to make notes about their reactions to my advice and strategies, and how they performed in their sport. I ask that they maintain a mental training journal and do mental game techniques I present and then return with reports about how they worked. In short, I want them to be engaged in the coaching process as a co-partner. My Master Plan For Peak Performance In Sport 1. Demanding, smart, realistic game-like training to build deservedness to win. 2. Self-image consistent with the task ahead. 3. Self-discipline to build mental toughness. 4. Comfortable, trusted mental readiness system before the contest. 5. Consistent pre-action readiness routines in the contest. 6. Trust in solid, repeatable, reliable technique. 7. Smart strategic game plan with contingencies. 8. Contest management plan. 9. Focus in the present. 10. Continuous monitoring of stress signals and alleviation of those symptoms. 11. Continuous monitoring of thoughts and images with redirection of negative thoughts to a positive mindset. 12. Supportive, confident self-talk and images. 13. Give yourself permission to win. 14. Create a supportive, smart coaching team. 15. Recall memories of past successes and apply them to the present situation. Key Concepts In Mental Training Self-coaching: The set of skills that allow you to learn, perform and achieve to your abilities, in a self-contained manner.

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Self-Reflective Skills: Looking back on your performance and learning situations so you can extract additional wisdom, learning strategies and focal points for continued excellence. Self-Monitoring: Actively becoming aware of yourself as you learn and perform, in the moment, and after the fact. Sport Is Not A Game Of Perfect. Its A Game Of Adjustment: The concept that perfectionism has limited powers in achievement, and carries damaging effects to your focus and ability to get in the zone. Rather, it is adjusting performance parameters that gets you closer to your goal, and keeps you there. Self-Regulation: The ability to monitor, adjust and control mental, emotional and physical processes so learning and performance is optimal. Non-Mental Factors That Masquerade As Mental Issues: The phenomenon of faulty technique, strategy, nutrition, and other training and performance factors that either cause mental problems, or to mask mental issues. If someone doesnt have a sports psychologist, what are some steps they can take to break past their own mental obstacles or limitations? There are athletes who make it big who dont believe in sports psychology. But they are practicing its tenets every hour of every day. They just dont know it. They may not be able to even explain what they are doing mentally. But they still do it. When an athlete is positive minded, determined, sets goals, does not allow set backs to deter them, believe in themselves, and push themselves past normal limitations, this is mental training par excellence! On the flip side, far too many athletes practice what I call accidental mental training. This is where they allow negative images in their mind, talk about themselves in less than positive terms and dont take charge of what is in their minds. But for many athletes, mental training as a do-ityourself project is not all that easy and simple. But for those who want to begin a mental training program I suggest reading books and inspirational quotes. Here are a few quotes now: There comes a time in every race when a competitor meets the real opponent, and understands that its himself. -Lance Armstrong

If youre trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. Ive had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles dont have to stop you. If you run into a wall, dont turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. -Michael Jordan To succeed... You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. -Tony Dorsett Studying the mental game pays dividends far beyond the value you get from applying it in your sport. It can raise the quality of your entire life. What are some common mental games people play with themselves, or thought patterns that can limit people? More athletes would realize their potential if they could just get out of their own way. This means that somehow the person is blocking their own performance, that they are engaged in self-destructive behavior, that they are shooting themselves in the foot. If they only would stop harming themselves, their naturally brilliant performances would simply come forth, as if on command. For experienced performers, who possess solid skills in their discipline, if they can do the activity well in practice, but not in a competition or performance, then very possibly they may be blocking themselves or standing in your own way of success. Why is this not true for inexperienced performers? These folks very likely have actual technical flaws in their skills, or lack well-formed habits that allow the natural flow to occur once in the performance. These people become tortured souls when their skills collapse under pressure, and they then announce to themselves and others: I am a choker. I am mentally weak. Not so. Their actual SKILLS are weak, not their minds. Years ago, I was a young tennis pro teaching on the staff at the World Headquarters of the Vic Braden Tennis College in southern California. Vic Braden used to say this about mental skills versus physical skills: People who have lousy physical skills, but who have a positive mental attitude are STILL just going to be happy losers. If your skills are suspect, you will always doubt your abilities under pressure. If you are not too sure your skills will hold up, you will not trust them at crunch time. If you know your skills are flaky, your mind will be also.

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Now back to the skilled performers and how they DO get in their own way. What are some of the ways skilled performers block themselves? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Lack of trust. Trying too hard. Self-distraction. Poor focus. Over-analyzing. Thinking too much. Thinking at the wrong times. Showing off. Conscious performance. Wanting to succeed too badly. Focusing on the outcome, not the process. Worrying about what others think of them.

Whenever I compete (typically in BJJ), I always feel like Im on drugs. Everything seems slow motion, I get tired quicker, everyone feels heavier than they are. Can you give some tips on how to handle that? This disconnected, surreal, numbed-out experience you describe is common, and comes from the shock of competition. You can train yourself out of it. Aside from my usual interventions, these seem to be key to correct this malady: 1. Become more tournament tough. Play more events and each one will seem to be less pressure-packed. You will see competing as normal. 2. Make an overall game plan. 3. Make back-up and emergency contingency plans. 4. Stretch and exercise to burn off excess nervous energy. 5. Visualize your success in the event. 6. Warm-up everything you will use in your performance. 7. Watch your best performances on video tape, if you have them. 8. Be around people who support you and make you feel confident. 9. Be around people who are excellent models of mental toughness. 10. Know your opening strategy cold so it is automatic. 11. Focus primarily on your strengths and leave practicing your weaknesses to your long-term training. 12. Plan your day so as much as possible you avoid stressful situations or conflicts that drain your energy and focus. 13. Avoid over-training and scheduling any lastminute panicky practices that drain your confidence.

If your skills hold up in practice, but not a performance, you must ask yourself, What is different about the performance? Discover what that thing is, and remove it. THEN, you will stop getting in your own way. Here are the real answers of how to achieve peak performance under pressure: 1. Make your skills solid enough to withstand the levels of pressure to which you will subject them. 2. Let go of thinking, self-instruction, self-doubt and trying too hard during your performances. 3. Realize that you do NOT need to think your way through your performances, if you truly know what you are doing. 4. Learn to LET GO of over-controlling and trust your skills. If you can do them at a high level of skill in practice, believe that you can do this in a competition also. 5. Seek consistent excellence, not perfection. 6. Relax, enjoy and learn from the competitive experience. You are there to be a student of the game, as well as to have a favorable outcome on the scoring side of things. Youve heard confident people brag about their abilities? If you can do it, it aint bragging.

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When to Leave the One Youre With

Cameron Conaway
It is a tale of love and loyalty. A love that causes blindness; a loyalty that causes stagnation. When should you leave your gym? When should you leave your coach or trainer? Is leaving the right move? Most athletes think about this at some point in their career. MMA fighters who leave their team to train elsewhere, even if for a short period of time, often make headlines. Like anything in life, the choice to leave and the way its viewed by outsiders can be positive or negative or both. Georges St. Pierre is lauded when he temporarily leaves Greg Jackson in New Mexico to train with John Danaher and Renzo Gracie in New York. BJ Penn is criticized for rarely leaving his camp in Hilo, Hawaii. When he loses, many pundits bring up the fact that his training camps are often with his friends. Shane Mosley made ESPN breaking news when he fired Jack Mosley, his trainer and father. A few months later, Mosley crushed heavily favored welterweight titleholder Antonio Margarito. The issue of leaving, however, is much more complex than what we see. Athletes in all sports should always leave the one they are with, even if just for a single workout or a few days. Here are five primary reasons why leaving can be a good thing: (1) Discomfort (2) Athletic Expansion (3) Reducing Burnout (4) Relationships Matter (5) Cross-Training Discomfort. An uncomfortable athlete can be a good thing and a bad thing. First, the bad. Too much discomfort, that is, training in an environment or with partners the athlete is unaccustomed to can take a serious mental tool. Functional fixedness is a term used to describe the way our brain conserves its energy and makes our lives easier through memory and repetition. For example, we no longer have to think about how to brush our teeth. Our brain has formed functional patterns so that this process can be done without thought. The positive result? We can multitask and brush our teeth while pondering if Lululemon Athletica is the stock to buy. The negative result? All patterns arent perfect, and dentists often find that the same patients miss the same areas of their teeth when they come in for a cleaning every six months. So, an athlete who is two weeks out from a competition and needing to peak at just the right moment should not switch camps and stay elsewhere. However, an athlete fresh off a fight or competition should absolutely take some time and travel, say, to Brazil to learn of a new culture while sharpening their BJJ. From a muscular/neurological standpoint, comfort can be the body adapting. The powerlifter, like any athlete, can and must benefit from adaptations. Their lower back no longer gets sore from the deadlift the way it did when they were a novice. If their form is solid, they no longer have to think of all the details necessary to perform the lift. This means they can enter the gym, load up the bar with plates and bands and attack it with 100% of their mental and physical energy. For the multi-movement performance athlete, this adaptation principle can be manipulated. A boxer, for example, can stick with bread and butter moves like hitting the mitts, but may occasionally throw in a session of yoga just to teach their body new movement patterns that may make them more athletic come fight night. After all, sheer athletic attributes can often trump sheer technique. See Bob Sapp vs. Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira or a prime Roy Jones Jr. vs. anybody.

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The choice isnt if to leave your gym or training partners, its when. Athletic Expansion. Different athletes at different training locations move differently be it because they train different techniques or because they train the same techniques in different ways. Like any other animal, we humans mimic the successful movements of others. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we often dress with the style of those who are financially wealthy even if we are not. The same can often go for training. When GSP heads east to Manhattan, he brings his grappling flaws (it may seem unreal, but he does have them) to John Danaher who, like a blacksmith shaping cast iron, refines GSPs techniques. In this sense, GSP is improving his technique and becoming a more efficient athlete. BJ Penn, although he often stays at the same camp, did bring in Marv Marinovich, a strength and conditioning coach who has worked with many elite athletes including Pittsburgh Steelers star safety Troy Polamalu. Marv revamped BJs training routine by incorporating different explosive movement patterns than what BJ was used to using. The result? BJs body was able to retain the benefits of training movements he became comfortable with because hed been using them for years rolling in the gi, for example but he was also able to develop a more dynamic lower-body capable of moving explosively in new ways and new directions thanks to Marvs unique training regimen. Obviously, BJ is the top dog at his gym, and when youre the top dog at your gym its essential that you either leave from time to time or bring in people who can push you in ways youre unaccustomed. The mental game is an oft-neglected aspect in every athletes program. Shane Mosley, by firing his trainer/ father, cleared himself of a certain stressor and was able to develop a new professional relationship, and learn a new, perhaps more efficient way of performing the same fundamental movements of boxing. He now had a trainer without the baggage of also being an empathetic father. He now had a trainer, Nazim Richardson, who didnt know how Shane was used to training, who wouldnt do a workout routine just because Shane had been doing it for years. This, in my opinion, helped Shane to avoid becoming stagnant as a fighter. He responded brilliantly with an upset 9th round knockout victory over Margarito. Reducing Burnout. Seeing the same gym signs, rolling on the same mat, squatting in the same rack, chatting with the same people it can all lead to a loss of love for the activity. From the beginning of time, functional fixedness has been whats kept us alive. Our ancestors didnt have to wonder if a certain berry was poisonous theyd been eating it every day for twenty years.

They didnt have to wonder if the meat of a deer was edible. However, functional fixedness isnt what kept humans evolving. It provided a base that allowed for creativity and the learning process. Athletes need to hear different sounds, see different people at the gyms front desk, compare themselves to new athletes and wonder how or if they stack up. Traveling to various gyms across the country is a new experience that can keep the flame for their chosen sport alive. A soccer player burnt out in the United States might find a renewed interest if he or she travels to Costa Rica and practices with their team. Burnout can inhibit an athlete from pushing themselves to their limits. It can change their sleep patterns, make them question how theyve spent their life and even cause them to sink into a minor bout of depression. The best time to temporarily leave your gym is before any of these symptoms occur. Learning cant stop. If it does, so will the fire and the love. Relationships Matter. As in Shane Mosleys case, he needed a new relationship to progress his career. However, even relationships are under intense study right now by sociologists. Because of advances in technology and our increasing reliance on television as a form of companionship, studies are finding that people who are not members of groups in their community or who do not know the neighbors who live just a few feet away are more likely to suffer from depression and cognitive decline than those who are active in their community and engaging with their neighbors. The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World is a book by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler M.D. that explores this issue as a central theme. Relationships matter, not only practical relationships that help our business careers or advance us financially, but relationships for the sake of conversation, new perspective, friendship. Relationships matter because they develop trust and help develop deep inner-happiness. A happy athlete is more likely to respond to negativity and loss (inevitable in any profession) with confidence and courage than an athlete without a support system, without a sense of happiness that is achieved outside of their given sport. Kevin Rooney, Mike Tysons former trainer, told me that Tysons decline coincided with the decline of the relationships in his life. When Tysons trainer and father figure (Cus DAmato) died, he began losing control of himself. When Tysons marriage to actress Robin Givens began to crumble, so too did his training and subsequent in-ring performances. Cross-Training. We all know the benefits of crosstraining, but sometimes even our idea of cross-training isnt radical enough. Sometimes we swim or hit the

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mountain biking trails instead of heading to the gym sometimes were too consistent in choosing these methods. The advice here is simple: expand your horizons. Bikram Yoga, a 90-minute intensive power yoga sequence performed inside a 105-degree room, will test any athletes endurance, balance and stabilizer muscles. It can and will test an athlete in a way their body is not ready for. The following morning, the minute muscles in an athletes feet may ache from balancing on one foot. Their hamstrings may be sore from the deep stretching that only a super-heated body can tap into. An athlete used to sprinting will feel sore in their traps and abs after incorporating box jumps. A world-class Olympic lifter will feel awkward in a Zumba class. An athlete used to performing low reps with heavy weight may absolutely shock their system when they bang out sets of twenty-five-rep squats. Anderson Silva received a lot of attention when he brought in Aikido-celebrity Steven Seagal to help train him for Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. But, it was new and fresh training. Anderson was constantly laughing and having fun while he was learning (even if what he was

learning wasnt the most practical stuff in the world). Here he was cross-training by learning another martial arts core, and, by all accounts, he had a good training camp filled with a ton of humor. Early in an athletes career, they may get by with pure hunger for success. That hunger may stem from past pain, as a result of financial instability or for many other reasons. But when an athlete reaches a certain level of personal success, their past hungers wear off and they often find themselves struggling to find the same fire they once had. Some athletes continue to be driven by money to support themselves and their family, some by their pure passion for the sport. But either way, the negative energy they once used as a fire may fade, and if its replaced by genuine happiness, an athlete may be able to stay on top for a long time. After all, sustainability is what were after. These are just a few reasons of many to leave the one youre with. Moves can be temporary (a 90-minute Bikram class) or a permanent relocation. They can be forced on an athlete or consciously decided by the athlete. Regardless of sport, think about where you or your athletes are mentally, environmentally and bodily. Can advances be made in any of the five areas above as a result of exploration?

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COOKING WITH SCOTTY SCOTT HAGNAS

This month, well look at a couple more Maui inspired recipes, plus well delve into a few fermented foods. Also, by popular demand, Ive included a few really quick recipe ideas. Enjoy, and best wishes in 2011!

Red Caraway Sauerkraut

Fermented foods have long been a part of ancestral diets. Sauerkraut is easy to make, and it improves digestion and nutrient availability. Youll need a wide mouth canning jar and a smaller bottle that fits inside. Active time: 8 minutes Total time: 10 days-2 weeks 1/2 head red cabbage 3 tsp caraway seeds 2 tsp sea salt (non-iodized) Chop the cabbage thinly, or use a food processor. Place into a large bowl, add the salt and caraway seeds; mix well. Allow to sit for 30 min to 1 hour. Add the cabbage to your canning jar, pushing the cabbage

down and packing it tightly. The brine should begin to rise above the cabbage. An empty bottle works well to pack the cabbage. Dont fill the jar all of the way; leave some space at the top. Fill your bottle with water, then leave it in the canning jar. The weight of the bottle will keep the cabbage from floating to the top during the fermentation process. Let the jar sit out at room temperature for around 2 weeks. If the brine level drops, add a bit of salted, de-chlorinated water* so that the cabbage remains covered. Once the fermentation is complete, cover and refrigerate the sauerkraut. *Chlorine in the water will prevent the fermentation process. Use filtered water, or you can leave the water to sit out overnight before using. Nutritional info: 8 servings at 3g carb

Hawaiian Chicken Livers

Here is a delicious way to prepare chicken livers. This recipe can be a good introduction for those not used to eating organ meats, as the strong spices will cover the flavor of the liver. Time: 12 minutes 1 lb chicken livers 3 green onions, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1 Tbsp minced ginger 1 Tbsp coconut oil

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 2 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce (wheat-free) 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice 1/4 cup water Bring a skillet or wok to medium heat. Saut the onion, ginger, and red bell pepper in the coconut oil until soft. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and saut, tossing a few times. Be careful not to overcook the liver. You may want to slice the livers into bite-sized pieces before serving. Nutritional info: 2 servings at 10g carb, 40g protein, 15g fat

Quick Wasabi Shrimp

This recipe is written as a quick snack for one, but you can easily adjust it to meet your needs. Use the wasabi to your tastes; a little can go a long way! Time: 3 minutes 4 oz pre-cooked shrimp 1/2 cup tomato or marinara sauce 1 Tbsp olive oil juice of 1/4 lemon 1/4 to 1/2 tsp wasabi powder Combine everything in a small bowl; mix well. Allow to stand for several minutes to allow the flavors to infuse before eating. Adjust the quantity of olive oil to meet your needs. Nutritional info: 1 serving at 5g carb, 24g protein, 14g fat

Poi
Poi is a traditional Hawaiian side dish. It is made from taro root. There are several ways you can do this. Well explore two simple versions here. There are other more traditional methods that become fairly complicated. As an interesting note, I was recently in Maui for a vacation. Though I could find poi there, I was unable to find taro root anywhere in stores. I had to wait until I got back to Portland, where I easily found taro in several Asian markets. 1 taro root (~2 lbs) water Peel the taro, then chop it into about 1 inch cubes. Either pressure cook the taro in 1/2 cup water for 5 minutes, or boil it in water using a covered pot for 15 minutes. Drain the water, then transfer to a food processor. Process into a thick paste, adding water slowly until reaching the desired consistency. Chill before serving. Alternatively, you can ferment the poi for a more sour taste. Leave the poi out at room temperature, covered by a cloth. After about 2 days, the poi will have fermented and can now be considered a probiotic food. Cover and refrigerate. Poi has a fairly short shelf life, so be sure to eat it within a few days of preparation. Nutritional info: 8 servings at 20g carb

Northwest Cabbage Slaw

Time: 8 minutes 1/2 head red cabbage 1 carrot 2 Tbsp chopped hazelnuts 1 Tbsp currants (or raisins) 1/2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp olive oil Shred the red cabbage and carrot in a food processor or chop by hand. Add the remaining ingredients; toss and enjoy. Nutritional info: 3 servings at 10g carb, 7.5g fat

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