The Super Mental Training Book (56 page)

The DeVore brothers, in their Muscle Memory Programming for Every Sport, say that viewing such a videotape helps "stimulate and bring to the surface for easy access the memory of fundamental skills already stored in your brain."[22] The SyberVision system, they continue, "is based

on the assumption that if you can perform the fundamentals of your sport correctly a minimum of five times out of 100 attempts, then it is possible for a high level of consistent performance to become a reality for you."[23] Add the DeVores:

Every time you practice your sport you are working from previously-stored muscle memory. If you can produce a desirable motion at the five percent level of consistency, then a muscle memory blueprint, or an electronically-encoded pattern of that movement, is dispersed throughout memory in your brain. [24]

Basically, what the DeVores have done is systematize a way to generate a phenomenon most of us have occasionally experienced. If you are a tennis player, for instance, and are watching the finals of Wimbledon or some other major tournament, you might feel a strong urge to go out to the courts and play. If you accede to this urge, you will probably find yourself playing better and more inspired than usual, because the outstanding stroke-making of the players you just saw on TV or in person has stimulated your muscle memory and subconscious, bringing your good performance potential to the surface. The SyberVision videotapes allow you to experience this phenomenon as needed, not just whenever you happen to witness your sport being well-played.

Placing the SyberVision System in Perspective

Dick Gould, varsity men's tennis team coach at Stanford University, allowed Steven DeVore in 1978 to devise for his players a customized program based on the muscle memory concept. We note in the Spring, 1986 SyberVision catalog what was done along these lines:

Each player's strokes are recorded on film and then analyzed for biomechanical correctness. The film is edited so that only the perfect strokes remain. The edited film is then duplicated; the perfect strokes are reproduced hundreds of times. Watching these tapes forms the core of the players' neuro-muscular training.

After this statement the SyberVision catalog writer went on a self-congratulation spree, saying among other things: "The results of the training speak for themselves. The Stanford Men's Tennis Team won two national championships." [These refer to titles won in 1980 and 1981.] ". . . Even a great tennis team like Stanford can be a better team. And even a great coach like Dick Gould can change his tune. Listen to him now: 'SyberVision was a strong factor in our national championship seasons... The program has the potential to help create a superior tennis player.'"

When the SyberVision catalog writer said, "Listen to him (Coach Gould) now," I decided to take him up on his suggestion. I wrote to Coach Gould, with "now" at the time being June 14, 1986. The Stanford men's tennis team coach kindly returned my cover letter along with a brief questionnaire I had sent him, making comments on each. Coach Gould, in referring to the players' strokes being recorded on film and then edited to produce a SyberVision training tape, said "this was done part of one year"—an indication that the SyberVision people might have been overreaching themselves in taking substantial credit for a second year's (1981) national championship. This assumption gained additional credence when Gould observed that during the 1980-81 time period "the (Stanford) women's (tennis) team also used SyberVision and had one of their lowest finishes ever." This interesting fact, of course, has never made it into any SyberVision catalog.

In my cover letter I made this remark: "Since mental training advocates often exaggerate the effectiveness of their preferred technique, it is important to verify claims so athletes are not misled." Next to this remark Coach Gould wrote, "True." I then informed him that "I have obtained the Stan Smith SyberVision videotape, and consider it quite good," to which he concurred, writing, "It is!"

The questionnaire I sent contained statements for Coach Could to respond to. The questionnaire appears on the following page.

(Questionnaire About SyberVision Sent to Coach Gould) Please check all statements that apply. 1. During the 1986 season my players watched SyberVision's Stan Smith videotape:

A. Occasionally.

B. About once a week.

C. Before most matches against other schools.

D. Other

2. During the 1986 season personalized SyberVision-like videotapes were made of my top varsity players:

A. Occasionally.

B. About once a week.

C. Before most matches against other schools.

D. Other

3. My players no longer watch SyberVision system videotapes. Comments/Amplification (if you wish to make any)

Thanks!

On Statement #1—"During the 1986 season my players watched Sybervision's Stan Smith videotape"—Coach Gould checked answer "A. Occasionally," and wrote next to it: "Only certain players on specific stroke production (more for fundamentals than anything else)." Statement #2—"During the 1986 season personalized SyberVision-like videotapes were made of my top varsity players. My players watched these personalized videotapes"—saw Coach Gould choosing answer "D. Other," writing "None" in the blank. Statement #3 he did not check (since the "Occasionally" answer to Statement #1 applied). Finally, in the Comments/Amplification section the Stanford men's tennis team coach wrote, "I think the concept is good and the Smith tape excellent on most strokes. However, how can you tangibly measure results after working with Sy-berVision—it is not all things to all people. P.S. I like and respect Steve DeVore a great deal!"

What we have here in Coach Gould's 1986 remarks is clearly a mixed bag. When he says, among other things, SyberVision "is not all things to all people," that hardly constitutes an unqualified endorsement of the approach. Certainly, if the SyberVision system had been instrumental in the Stanford men's tennis team winning the national championship in 1980 and 1981, as the company's catalog implied, Gould would have continued having SyberVision-like videotapes made of his top players. This was not done. Instead, during the 1986 season only some of his players occasionally watched the Stan Smith videotape ("more for fundamentals than anything else," pointed out Gould). It is necessary to note that Stanford won the NCAA men's tennis team title again in 1986—this apparently occurring without the Sybervision system playing much of a role. It seems that one must cite more telling factors—i.e., the players' superior talent, combined with good coaching—to account for Stanford's 1986 tennis championship.

After pondering Coach Gould's remarks, I wrote to SyberVision. I sent them a copy of the comments and answers Gould supplied me, and suggested that they drop all references to the Stanford men's tennis team and its coach in their Stan Smith videotape ad, because the 1986 ("now") statements of Coach Gould about SyberVision conflicted with the impressions generated by the ad. This suggestion was not adopted, and through mid-1990 the ad, with its Stanford men's tennis team reference, continued to run.

The point of this story is not to put down the SyberVision system—an approach I think contains a lot of merit. Rather, I have merely desired to demonstrate again how important it is for you to check into claims made by mental training advocates, especially those touting their expertise or a product. Ask the hard questions. Be open-minded, but not blind; meaning, do not take all the great things you hear about mental rehearsal techniques at face value. Realize that no mental training strategy is infallible, and that each approach's proponents do not eagerly admit their failures. By insisting upon receiving the total picture as to what a particular mental training strategy can and cannot do for you, followed by some verification efforts on your part, you will develop realistic expectations—expectations that will permit you to continue practicing the mental discipline of your choice whenever rough waters are encountered. Otherwise, possessing an overoptimistic assessment of what self-hypnosis, visualization, subliminal tapes, and other self-programming aids offer might lead you to give up on mental training completely after some setback, something your opponents will gladly welcome.

Subliminal Videotapes

Developers and marketers of subliminal audio tapes are now coming out with subliminal videotapes. The subliminal messages presented on such tapes are reputedly doubly effective because one's subconscious is hearing and seeing the positive statements. General subject matter subliminal videotapes are predominately available, though a few perceptive companies offer sports-specific subliminal videotapes as well.

A typical general subliminal videotape is one called "Reflections," marketed by the Institute of

Human Development.[25] In ordering this tape one can choose from several different categories, such as "Stop Smoking" and "Wealth and Prosperity." I obtained the "Reflections" subliminal videotape dealing with "Self Image, Self-Confidence," because this mind-set is such an important one for athletes to possess. This tape, as are SyberVision's, turns out to be well-produced, comes in Hi-Fi stereo, and lasts for 30 minutes. Lovely nature scenes (desert sunrises, forest meadows, etc.) combine with pleasant background music and nature sounds to guide the viewer into a calm and relaxed state. The subliminal audio messages are well-masked because neither I nor others who watched the tape with me, despite diligent efforts, heard any words. However, when employing a VCR possessing a good Stop Frame function, one can see phrases—in this tape's case, such phrases as "I am confident" and "I believe in myself." (The subliminal statements appearing on the "Reflections" videotape are printed on the tape's container cover.)

Dick Sutphen's Valley of the Sun Publishing company offers videotapes which combine subliminal messages with hypnotic visual effects and spoken suggestions. Sutphen claims in his company's catalogs that his "Video Hypnosis" tapes, with their incorporation of multiple subconscious programming methods, are at least four times more effective than the "surf or clouds" subliminal videotapes promoted by others. Having viewed on several occasions the "Incredible Self-Confidence Video Hypnosis" tape—a tape whose topic is of inherent interest to athletes— Sutphen's contention deserves respect. Certain athletes no doubt could well profit from watching "Incredible Self-Confidence," for the tape, in my opinion, is most extraordinary. The visual effects are spellbinding, while Sutphen's suggestions are strong, if not heavy-handed. Athletes I have shown the tape to either like it very much, or hate it (no one seems to take a middle ground after seeing it). To see how the tape affects you and your athletic performance, check it out; for there is no other way to find out. (Tennis players may wish to examine Sutphen's "Tennis Programming" videotape.)

It hardly interests me, though, whether one kind of subliminal videotape proves superior to another because in general I find mental training videotapes: 1) inconvenient to use (one must have access to a VCR and TV, resulting in especially difficult logistics for out-of-town competitions); and 2) inflexible in nature (the athlete's needs constantly change, while the tape's message never does). So, I encourage the athletes I help out to learn and regularly practice self-hypnosis, a supremely powerful and versatile mental training strategy, whose only cost is a little of the user's time.

Final Word on Mental Training Videotapes

For the future one can expect expanded use of subliminal and SyberVision-like videotapes, as new products in this area continue to hit the marketplace, a reflection of consumer interest and demand. It is also easy to envision a separate mental training videotape for most sports eventually becoming available, which might prove particularly helpful to the U.S. Olympic sports program. How rapidly this comes about remains to be seen, of course. But certainly, by the 21st Century videotapes and other visual mediums (such as optical discs possessing an interactive feature) will be much more widely utilized for mental training purposes, perhaps supplanting mental training audio tapes in popularity.

Mental Training Strategies: Extent of Use by Athletes

Throughout this book an attempt has been made to determine how extensive is the use of mental training strategies by athletes. Robin Finn, reporter for the New York Times, presented in a 1989 article an optimistic, though vague, estimate of the degree to which these strategies have been adopted. Claimed Finn:

. . . Only recently have large numbers of athletes abandoned the idea that obtaining psychological help is an admission of weakness.

Therapists who specialize in treating athletes are finding a growing demand from high schools, colleges, Olympic teams and professional sports franchises concerned with keeping million-dollar stars healthy in mind and body.

Sports psychology is fast becoming as familiar in training regimens as weightlift-ing, wind sprints, and sit-ups.[26]

Finn did not quantify the "large numbers of athletes" who think more favorably nowadays of psychological assistance, nor explain how great the "growing demand" has been for therapists who help athletes. The reporter did, however, note a survey conducted by the Institute of Sports Psychology, in which "fifty percent of the college coaches questioned by the institute indicated that they had consulted a sports psychologist." [27] It is, of course, one thing for a coach to consult a sports psychologist, and quite another for the coach to incorporate into his program the recommendations or services of the sports psychologist.

Despite the imprecise nature of Finn's assertions, their basic thrust appears accurate: elite level athletes are using and being exposed to mental training strategies to a much greater degree than their counterparts were 10 years ago. Finn provides interesting anecdotal evidence of this trend. The Times correspondent points out that, as of 1989, Dr. Frank Gardner served as a psychologist for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, aiding the players with their mental conditioning. The Boston Bruins also employed in 1988 the services of a psychologist (not identified by Finn), who created special videotapes to help the team defeat the Montreal Canadiens for the first time ever in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Finn mentions as well that Dr. Allan Lans has acted as "a psychiatrist on the New York Mets staff," mediating "disputes between players."[28] Whether Dr. Lans assisted any of the Mets players in their mental preparation for games, Finn does not indicate; however, the reporter does describe several other instances of sports psychologists working with athletes.