The Super Mental Training Book (59 page)

No matter how proficient the athlete and coach become in the use of imagery, self-hypnosis, and other mental disciplines, the availability of a sports psychologist still can be valuable. Dr. Ravizza sometimes serves as a mediator whenever Coach Wolfe and a gymnast need to air differences. This is a role few sports psychologists ever fill; usually they just concentrate on teaching mental rehearsal techniques to athletes. However, acting as the impartial third person in encounter meetings between the coach and athlete is clearly a service sports psychologists can offer; they can act in a safety valve capacity so to speak. The "5 and 5" meetings Ravizza deftly mediates between Coach Wolfe and alleged underproductive gymnasts demonstrate that there is a lot more sports psychologists can do than simply lead visualization sessions.

APPENDIX 2

This appendix contains two of the more entertaining stories of tennis players who have achieved success with self-hypnosis (details about additional tennis/self-hypnosis success stories are obtainable from the author).

Andy Jablonski's experience with self-hypnosis is perhaps the most unique of all those appearing in this book. Jablonski actually played matches while in the hypnotic state. He clearly demonstrates this can be the most flexible of strategies—and a devastating one as well. I had originally doubted that playing tennis while in the hypnotic state would prove significantly superior to one's giving himself suggestions before the match and between games. I no longer hold this belief, and await the reports of others who try playing tennis while in the hypnotic state.

Testimonial of ANDY JABLONSKI (Spring, 1977)

Last year I went out for the men's tennis team at Fullerton Junior College. The first few days of practice I played three guys in ladder matches, and lost to them; but, each time I did better (came closer to winning). Without warning I was suddenly cut from the team by Coach Moore, our tennis coach. This upset me greatly, and especially because Moore had promised me he'd keep me.

This bad incident provided me incentive to practice every day and run, so that I could make the team next season and show what my true potential was. I also learned self-hypnosis in mid-December, 1976 from Bob Stevenson. I thought knowing self-hypnosis would be a good way to help me achieve and display my potential.

I went out for the team this year (January, 1977). The very first day of practice I played Gary Keefe, the number five man on the team. This was a ladder match. Coach Moore expected Keefe to thoroughly demolish me.

I had a suspicion I'd be playing Keefe. So, before practice I had hypnotized myself: 1) to "return every serve," 2) to "relax, not worry, and be happy when playing," 3) "watch the ball intently until the point of contact, especially the volley and return of serve," and 4) to "play extremely well, play up to my potential."

So, I played Keefe and beat him 6-0 the first set. I hardly missed a return. In the second set Keefe played much better. It went to the tie-breaker; Keefe tried for winners, and made them, winning the set.

Now, here's where it gets good. Before the match I had also given myself the suggestion to play under the hypnotic state, and immediately incorporate any necessary suggestions. (I told myself to "appear normal to the average person." ) Roger Farquhar, Keefe's best friend on the team, walks over between the second and third sets, and tells Keefe to hurry up. Coach Moore wanted to run us, Farquhar says, and have the team practice some doubles next. Keefe replied that he'd be finished in 15 minutes.

I immediately became enraged, and gave myself the suggestion to "destroy him!" Keefe was lucky to score 8 points that third set, even though he was playing as well as he had during the tiebreaker, and I beat him, 6-1; that made me number five on the team, to everyone's surprise.

I've played Keefe twice since then, using self-hypnosis both times. He edged me once in three sets, and I beat him in three in the most recent. In this one I came back from being down 2-4 in the tie-breaker in the first set with Keefe serving; I also was down 2-5 in games in the third, and beat him, 7-5. Needless to say, Coach Moore hasn't dropped me from the team this year.

While playing in the hypnotic state, my won-loss record against opponents from other JC tennis teams is 3-1. The one defeat was against a guy from Orange Coast who was just better.

Playing in the hypnotic state seems more helpful than just putting myself under before the match because I can give myself on-the-spot suggestions. I also feel more in control. However, both ways are effective.

The following story of Tim Kilker's illustrates again how beneficial self-hypnosis can be when it comes to your taking tests and and exams in school. While it is nice to be a winner and an achiever out on the tennis courts, it has come to the point where it is indispensable that you be a winner in the classroom. Fierce competition for scarce well-paying jobs has made strong academic performance mandatory. Kilker, by utilizing self-hypnosis, brightened his future in this respect—indeed, he is now a dentist.

Kilker's story also contains one of those all-too-common rude opponent incidents. It is satisfying to read how Tim's suggestion to "hang in there every point, never give up" ultimately paid off.

Testimonial of TIM KILKER (Spring, 1977)

As a student at Fullerton Junior College, I've regularly used self-hypnosis (which I learned from Bob Stevenson on September 10, 1976) in studying for big tests. What I'll do is put myself under hypnosis at home before I study and then before I have to leave for school for the test. The suggestions I usually give myself are: 1) "I will remember and retain everything I read," 2) "I will answer correctly and without hesitation any test question asking about material I've studied," 3) I'll often give myself the suggestion to get an "A", and 4) "be relaxed during the test, and not get uptight."

In my first semester at Fullerton College I received straight A's. In History I scored 3 A's on 3 tests. In Zoology I scored 2 A's and 2 B's on the lecture exams, and 3 A's and 1 B on the lab tests. My other classes didn't give tests. Without self-hypnosis I expect I would have gotten B's in my classes.

This semester—my second semester at Fullerton College—I've continued doing well on tests while using self-hypnosis. So far in American Government we've had one test; I got an A, scoring the second highest grade in the class. This really surprised me. In Zoology so far I've scored an A on a lab test, and a B on a lecture exam. I'm very pleased with these scores because I had heard stories about how hard college was. The tests always go smooth; and, I immediately put down the right answer to questions asking about facts I've studied. I'm now able to go into the hypnotic state in 10 seconds if I want to. Usually, though, I take my time.

I've used self-hypnosis for my tennis as well. I play number three on the men's team at school, and estimate I have won 70% of my matches; this is against stiff competition, and with my using self-hypnosis. There's one match in particular which really stands out.

I played this LA Pierce guy at Pierce [Junior College in Los Angeles]. He was a very good player, and dusted me off 6-2 in the first set. I had given myself hypnotic suggestions for this

THE SUPER MENTAL TRAINING BOOK

match, the most important one being to "hang in there every point, never give up." This is exactly what I did. In the second set I kept playing consistently good while my opponent cooled off some, didn't play as hot as he had first set. The LA Pierce guy still played good, though; but, I kept in there and won the second set, 6-2.

At this point my opponent started getting (expletive) off. Throughout the third set he was cussing and calling me lucky. At 4-4 he tried to intimidate me. Whenever I missed a shot, my opponent taunted, "That takes a lot of coordination" or "Where did you learn to play tennis?"

I had kept my cool the whole time; now I started to throw insults back to him. Like once he told me I was a "shitty player;" and I responded, "Well, if I'm a shitty player, you're even shittier, because you're losing!" Anyway, the guy had three match points on me at 5-4; he thought he had me, and was smiling and laughing at me. But, I hung on, and broke his service.

Now more than ever he started dishing it out. At 6-5 mine I was ahead 2-0 (we played no-add scoring), and hit a winning volley that was in by 1 1/2 feet. My opponent calls it out; when I asked him if he was sure of his call, he defiantly challenged me to do something about it. In my own way I did; I won the next point, making it match point.

At match point the guy hit a passing shot. Somehow I lunged for it and successfully slammed a volley past him for a winner and the match. And with that I shouted, "Yeah! You son of a bitch!" and walked away without shaking hands.

(Karl Pagel photo)

Tennis player Tim Kilker gave himself hypnotic suggestions at home before important matches. This is what he is doing here—not napping.

SUGGESTED READING

* == highly recommended by author

Bennett, James G. and Pravitz, James E., The Miracle of Sports Psychology, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1982).

Fowler, Corky and Smith, Christopher, The Hidden Skier, (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1977).

Garfield, Charles A., Peak Performance: Mental Training Techniques of the World's Greatest Athletes, (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1984).

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

Herrigel, Eugen, Zen in the Art of Archery, (New York: Pantheon, 1953).

* Kroger, William J., Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1977).

Maltz, Maxwell, Psycho-Cybernetics, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1960).

Mitchell, Wilfred M., The Use of Hypnosis in Athletics, (Stockton, California: Department of Psychology, University of the Pacific, 1972).

Murphy, Michael and White, Rhea, The Psychic Side of Sports, (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1978).

Nideffer, Robert M., Athletes' Guide to Mental Training, (Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc., 1985).

Oates, Bob, The Winner's Edge, (New York: Mayflower Books, 1980).

Orlick, Terry, Psyching for Sport, (Champaign, Illinois: Leisure Press, 1986).

Schubert, Frank, Psychology from Start to Finish, (Toronto, Canada: Sport Books Publisher, 1986).

Silva, John M. and Weinberg, Robert S., ed., Psychological Foundations of Sport, (Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc., 1984).

Syer, John and Connolly, Christopher, Sporting Body Sporting Mind, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984).

Watson, Tom, Getting Up and Down, (New York: Random House, 1983).

* Winter, Lloyd B., Relax & Win: Championship Performance in Whatever You Do, (San Diego, California: A. S. Barnes, 1981).

* Yessis, Michael and Trubo, Richard, Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness & Training, (New York: William Morrow & Co., Inc., 1987).

Bell, Marty, "Hypnosis in Sports: How to Slip Into a Trance and Out of a Slump," Sport, March, 1984.

* Blumenstein, B. and Hudanov, N., "Psychological Preparation for Competition," Soviet Sports Review, Vol. 15, No. 1, March, 1980.

Borzov, Valery, "An Hour Before the Start," Soviet Sports Review, Vol. 16, No. 4, December, 1981.

Bricker, Rebecca, "Psychologist Barbara Kolonay Helps Athletes Train Themselves to Overcome the Clutch," People Weekly, February 1, 1982.

Goodman, Jonathan, "Athletes Game for Relaxation Tapes," Los Angeles Times, November 24, 1983.

Grimley, Steve, "Mind Games: U.S. Slow to Accept Sports Psychology," Orange County Register, April 19, 1985.

* Gurov, V. M., Svyadoshch, A. M., and Jampolsky, L. T., "The Suggestive Method for Preparing Athletes for Competition," Soviet Sports Review, Vol. 15, No. 2, June, 1980.

Himmelberg, Michele, "Mind Games," Orange County Register, August 20, 1985.

* Ho, Eugene H., "Hypnotism in Self-Defense," Blackbelt, October, 1973.

Kodzhaspirov, Y. G., "Monotony in Sport and Its Prevention Through Music," Soviet Sports Review, Vol. 20, No. 3, September, 1985.

Kopisov, V. S. and Nagorniy, A. D., "The Use of Electrosleep in the Training of Qualified Weightlifters," Soviet Sports Review, Vol. 18, No. 4, December, 1983.

Krier, Beth Ann, "Olympians Exercising in Mind Arena," Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1983.

Lundgren, Charlie, "Hypnosis in Tennis," Tennis, June, 1970.

* Seimuk, A. A., Arkhangorodski, Z. S., and Zaitsev, U. K., "Autogenic Training for High Level Weightlifters when Using Heavy Training Loads," Soviet Sports Review, Vol. 18, No. 4, December, 1983.

Shirley, Bill, "The Eastern Bloc Comes Into L.A. With a Head Start," Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1984.

* Stevenson, Bob, "Self-Hypnosis for the Athlete," Hypnosis Quarterly, Vol. XXI, No. 3, 1978.

* Stevenson, Bob, "Self-Hypnosis for the Athlete (Part II)," Hypnosis Quarterly, Vol. XXI, No. 4, 1978.

Stewart, Robert, "Zazen and the Martial Arts," Blackbelt, April, 1978.