The Super Mental Training Book (27 page)

Imagine that you are in a group of swimmers awaiting the start. When you have this clearly in mind, let me know by raising your right hand. Good. Lower your hand. You feel slightly uneasy. You are a little nervous, but less than usual. You have done a lot of preparatory work, and now the time has come for you to show what you are capable of. Today everyone is seeing a new high-class swimmer, capable of swimming ... meters (figures supplied). You know that this is a routine time for you. You can do it on any occasion, under any conditions. You are an athlete who has already swum these times and you are ready for a new personal record. You are confident of this and now everyone will see it. . .

Before conducting the "modeling" session, the Soviet scientists consulted the swimmer; they then modified the pre-start message according to the athlete's needs and special circumstances. Therefore no two visualization exercises were exactly alike, which is the correct thing to arrange because every individual is different. Though Gurov et al tailored their work to each swimmer, they made sure that every pre-start message contained a core of certain essential points. For instance, the scientists always included the remark that "you are a little nervous but less than usual;" they did so because, in their opinion, "it is incorrect to suggest complete absence of uneasiness. . . Athletes produce their best results in a state of slight nervousness." Gurov stressed that "in nearly all cases the suggestion should be of confidence in one's power," which is pretty much what Coach Schleicher preached to his swimmers while they were hypnotized.

The scientists next presented the swimmer a lengthy visualization message pertaining to the start and early portion of the race; the basic theme was "you are swimming unbelievably easy." For the following stage—the first stage of fatigue—a much different emphasis was provided. The swimmer imagined this situation while in the autohypnotic state:

Fatigue is increasing gradually. The feeling of lightness is diminishing. The desire to slow down the tempo is appearing. When you feel this, let me know by raising your right hand. (The right hand is raised.) Drop your hand. This is a natural feeling. Everyone experiences it. Your opponents are now experiencing the same thing you are. They are even more tired than you. The real competition is just now starting, the competition between will powers. . .

Gurov et al note that fatigue can be handled at first with a "mind over pain" approach. The swimmer, say the Soviet scientists, mobilizes his will power "by direct autosuggestion, aimed at improved execution of the task, and by means of stimulating aggressiveness, of competitive 'anger.'" Soon, though, even this so-called "mobilization of the will" no longer works. Fatigue is too great; pain is too intense. At this point the second stage of fatigue is reached. To overcome the extreme pain and fatigue felt at this stage, Gurov et al state that "it is necessary to be able to stop feeling one's body;" in fact, they continue, "the final acceleration should be attained by means of suppression of the instinct of self-preservation." How is this accomplished? The scientists say that "this can be achieved with the help of appropriate posthypnotic suggestions." Though Gurov et al do not list examples of appropriate posthypnotic suggestions to use for this situation, it probably is not too difficult to think up some that would work.

The "psychotraining" procedure which the Soviet scientists introduced to the swimmers is interesting, but was it effective? If you have read the preceding portions of this chapter, the answer to this question will not surprise you. Reported Gurov, Svyadoshch, and Jampolsky:

The above-described method was used during the preparation of Moscow team swimmers for the USSR championships of 1977-78. All athletes produced their best performances or improved them without any negative effect on health.

The scientists were quick to point out that "competitive results can not be linked only with psychotraining" since "an enormous number of factors affect performance." Nonetheless, the Moscow team swimmers repeated the success experienced by the University of Iowa swimmers, University of Oregon swimmers, Servite High School swimmers, and Mark Spitz—swimmers who used self-hypnosis, hypnosis, or visualization to set records and achieve personal bests.

Gurov et al believe that for top swimmers to improve, the adoption of mental training strategies holds out the best hope for such improvement to occur. Increased physical training, they indicate, will only prove counterproductive. "At a time when (physical) training has become maximally voluminous and intensive," they observe, "further increases in specific work are undesirable; therefore, utilization of autosuggestive hallucination (visualization) opens new avenues for increasing sports mastery." This opinion mirrors that held by many U. S. sports psychologists. Dr. Gauron, for example, states that physical training "seems to have gone about as far as it can," while mental training "is an idea whose time has come." So, whether the scientists are Soviet or American, there seems to be common agreement on the value of mental training, certainly as it relates to swimming.

In this chapter we have seen how mental training strategies have helped swimmers and water polo players maximize their athletic potential. Several different mental rehearsal techniques were discussed, all of them generating considerable benefits upon application. This variety of techniques was presented because everyone has his own preference and idea as to what works best for himself. Dr. Gauron advises that one should carefully scrutinize different mental disciplines because "no one can claim to have a corner on the (mental training) market in terms of effective-

ness." He continues, "Be skeptical and critical," but ultimately be open-minded and adventurous. Give one or more mental disciplines a try.

FOOTNOTES

1. "Sometimes a Good Swim Can Be Most Entrancing," Los Angeles Times, July 1, 1977, Part III, p. 2.

2. John Thomas, "The Power of Positive Swimming," Old Oregon, Winter, 1979, pp. 16-18.

3. Ibid.

4. Eugene F. Gauron, Mental Training for Peak Performance, (Lansing, New York: SportScience Associates, 1984).

5. Ibid.

6. The three tapes sell for $30, and are available from: SportScience Associates, 82 Sperry Lane, Lansing, New York 14882.

7. Bill Shirley, "The Eastern Bloc Comes Into L. A. With a Head Start," LA. Times, January 25, 1984, Part III, p. 1.

8. V. M. Gurov, A. M. Svyadoshch, L. T. Jampolsky, "The Suggestive Method of Preparing Athletes for Competition," Soviet Sports Review, Vol. 15, No. 2, June, 1980, pp. 53-56.

9. Ibid.

MENTAL TRAINING STRATEGIES TIME LINE (WEIGHTLIFTTNG)

T H E

M E

E

T

Hypnosis Sessions

(Soviet weight lifters; the Bulgarians also use music to enhance concentration; Peter Siegel; Terry McCormick)

Autogenic Training and Autosuggestions

(Advanced lifters participating in experiments by Arkhangorodski et al and Seimuk et al greatly improved their performances from using these mental techniques)

Self-hypnosis Sessions

(Russ Knipp started giving himself autosuggestions 2 months before a big meet; Marshall Morris blended visualization with self-hypnosis while warming up with light weights)

Simulation of Competitive Conditions

(Michael Mahoney)

Mastery of Visualization

(Garfield says elite level Soviet weight lifters possess this; Russ Knipp; Kasyanik's study showed the value of "ideomotor tuning" for lifters)

Use of Self-hypnosis before Attempting the Lift

(David Rigert; Anatoly Pisarenko)

Use of Electrosleep during Competition

(Kopisov and Nagorniy showed that this provides many benefits)

WEIGHTLIFTING:

MIND OVER MATTER

Weightlifting is one sport where the effects of mental training have been extensively studied. Also, international class weight lifters have used self-hypnosis and other mental training strategies to advantage for years; some of these lifters have done this on their own, while others have utilized mental rehearsal techniques under the guidance of sports psychologists and coaches. The nature of the sport has probably contributed to this substantial application of and research into mental training. After all, in weightlifting you either successfully lift the bar or you don't; "almost" does not count in this sport. The tremendous weights involved, plus the perfect form required to properly lift the weights, place great demands on the athlete's concentration and psychological state. As a result, mental disciplines are called upon and investigated for their possible and actual benefits.

I talked to champion weight lifter Russ Knipp about his use of self-hypnosis (the complete interview is contained in Hypnosis Quarterly, 1978, Vol. XXI, No. 4). Knipp dominated the 165-pound class from 1966 to 1972, setting 9 world records and 34 national records. He competed in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, and set one of his world records at the '72 Munich Games. Knipp told me how he learned self-hypnosis on his own, how most athletes could benefit from practicing this mental discipline, and he discussed many facets of hypnosis of special interest to weight lifters. Knipp clearly knows what he is talking about, and his remarks should be reviewed carefully— not only by athletes, but also by coaches. Here is what this weightlifting champion has to say:

I started to dab into hypnosis when I was in high school. I wasn't even competing at the time, but I just took an interest in hypnosis. A teacher taught a course after school for anyone who was interested. I went to a few sessions and read up on it. I turned out to be a light trancer; I didn't go into any deep trance. But, I had a very strong belief factor, just depending on who would put me in a trance.

My last year in high school I began competing. At that time I started working on self-hypnosis. In fact, I worked at learning self-hypnosis for five years—it wasn't something that happened overnight—to the point where I could totally relax.

At first it was more of a way to relax. Because in competition, if you're too excited and too nervous, you wind up exploding and not doing anything right. So, I thought of relaxing; and yet, with the relaxing I'd bring out a state of aggression at the same time.

I used self-hypnosis primarily in preparation for my meets. I personally feel it has to occur in your training; you have to concentrate in training. Because whatever you do in training you're going to do in competition. If you're a haphazard workout type of athlete, leaving things up to chance, and say, "Gee, I'll get super psyched at the meet— I'll do it all at the meet," then you're just fooling yourself.

After all, in Olympic lifting it's controlled strength. You have to control your emotions, control your feelings, and pull for a position. Then, once you hit that position you explode.

I know that the Japanese do an awful lot of concentration in their workouts. They take their training extremely serious. And they're the fastest moving athletes in competitive lifting. Very explosive. The Japanese are very slow off the floor, waiting for that position; but, they move with such fantastic speed it's unbelievable. They reach a

position and just go; they don't hold anything back. And that's where hypnosis will help our athletes in lifting.

Depending on the type of meet—national championships or world championships—I planned at least a good two months in advance. I gave myself hypnotic suggestions mainly on concentration. I'd go through a systematic thinking of what lifts I'd be making, how I would approach the bar, and so on.

I'd do this every night when going to bed, and it would take me about two or three minutes to go under self-hypnosis. I worked to the point where I heard nothing. I then went through a series of suggestions of relaxing every muscle. After that I concentrated on one focal point. My focal point was the midsection; you know the power of your strength comes from the midsection. So, I blocked out all noise, controlled my breathing, and thought of nothing—reaching a point of total relaxation. And then I went through the lift step by step. I'd do this five, ten minutes, and fall asleep doing it.

I did a lot of things; I didn't just leave it to hypnosis. Like I would play the national anthem the last months before a major meet, and have everybody yell and scream every time I approached a weight close to the world record. And then at night, I'd primarily do the hypnosis.

There is much to praise about Russ Knipp's mental training regimen. Observe that he practiced self-hypnosis every day two months in advance of a major competition. Mental training, just like physical training, should be regularly practiced to ensure that it provides maximum benefits. Knipp adopted this approach of regular practice of self-hypnosis, and since he retired from competition in 1972 no other U.S. weight lifter has matched his accomplishments.

Note also that the self-hypnosis Knipp practiced seems to have included elements of visualization. After giving himself "hypnotic suggestions mainly on concentration," he then thought of the lifts he would make during competition, how he "would approach the bar," etc. This shows that one does not have to conduct separate mental training sessions in order to practice self-hypnosis and visualization; both disciplines can be easily blended, and turned to interchangeably, during a mental preparation session. Knipp's use of visualization while in the hypnotic state demonstrates again how similar the two mental rehearsal techniques are. Both disciplines can be performed with or without one achieving a state of relaxation, though self-hypnosis and visualization usually generate their best results when one practices them in a relaxed condition. Knipp opted to attain a state of relaxation when he engaged in self-hypnosis and visualization. And, by practicing both disciplines he provided himself insurance; two mental rehearsal techniques would have to fail for him to not be properly mentally prepared for competition—an unlikely event because Knipp practiced the self-hypnosis and visualization every day for two months before major championships.

Russ Knipp's mental training regimen possessed another attractive feature. Knipp practiced self-hypnosis at night just before he went to sleep. As we recall, this is what Billie Jean King did (see Tennis chapter). We also recollect Jimmy Grippo using hypnosis on Muhammad Ali at this time of night, too (see Boxing chapter). To repeat a most important point, Grippo's theory is that hypnotic suggestions are doubly effective right before you go to sleep because "they're accepted by both the athlete's conscious and subconscious mind." Several Soviet scientists, in fact, have conducted studies in this area, the results of which lend credibility to what Grippo contends. These scientists studied sleep-learning (hypnopedia), and concluded that it can dramatically help those people possessing a high degree of suggestibility. [1]