Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hypnosis For Sports 1
Hypnosis For Sports 1
SPORTS
Brain training for mental focus
in sports
By
Sheila Granger
Clinical Hypnotherapist (UK) DHP, GHR Reg.
!
Sheila Granger
The Beverley & Molescroft Surgery
30 Lockwood Road
Beverley
East Yorkshire
United Kingdom HU17 9GQ
Tel +44 1482 638198
www.sheilagranger.com
Email [email protected]
I am very pleased that you have made the decision to take this
training, and I hope you will find it both useful and informative.
It has been designed to give you the tools and techniques to help
aspiring sports people in your local community and beyond to perform
at their best.
If you feel I can offer you further advice in the future, please do not
hesitate to contact me by email or telephone.
Sheila Granger
Sports hypnosis can help anyone - from the young person new
into sport to the elite athlete.
• Confidence Building
• Anxiety Management
• Arousal Control
• Dealing with Self-Talk
• Improving Motivation
• Maintaining Focus
• Competition Preparation
• Improving Mental Toughness
• Performance Enhancement
• Technique Rehearsal
There are 151,000 sports clubs in the UK, which each club having
an average of 141 adult members. That is a lot of potential exposure
for you and your business!
Organised youth sports are highly popular for youth and their families
in the USA with approximately 45 million children and adolescent
participants.
Seventy five percent of American families with school-aged
children have at least one child participating in organised sports.
Other key findings in the uk report include the average sports club
having 33 non-participating members - evidence that clubs don't
merely offer opportunities to play sport, but a social environment for
the community to be part of.
This in part perhaps explains why when I give a talk to the sports
people I also come away with work with all the other issues
hypnotherapy can help with!
I went along to meet the team on one of their regular training nights,
and watched them train before introducing myself to them afterwards.
(I noted the number of times when they weren’t really focused on the
game, or were distracted by other things).
It appeared that their only issue was lack of focus and belief in
themselves.
They all seemed to enjoy this little exercise, and it seemed to get
them on side. I also checked in with the coach, that he was happy
with what we were doing and that he would reinforce this during any
practice sessions.
Session 2
After talking about it for a while, they decided that when the ball
wasn’t with them they were simply going to recite the word “focus” in
their mind to fight off any needless distractions.
The Results
Match day came, and my little football team went off to play the team
of “big lads” who had previously beaten them 11-1.
This time with a determined attitude to play at their best they still lost,
but..this time the score was 3-2! A huge difference, and they came
away feeling really proud of themselves.
The Press
It really took me by surprise where this little story ended up.
My local newspaper ran the story about how hypnosis had helped this
football team, and all the boys were thrilled to see their photograph in
the paper, but this was just the start of it….
The national newspapers feed out of local newspapers and it was the
start of the football Euros, so the biggest selling national Uk
newspaper picked the story and used the story as a lead in to the
Session 1
Out of hypnosis, we set a three week plan for her riding. For the first
two weeks even if she really wanted to jump she wasn’t to do so until
the third week. ( we always want what we can’t have)
Before every single ride she was going to do some self hypnosis
“Each and every time before you ride, sit somewhere quiet for a
moment, use self hypnosis to become relaxed, then see yourself in
your minds eye riding/jumping etc. looking calm and relaxed,
everything going how you want it to”.
Horse jumping
I wonder if you can take yourself soon to a time, place in your mind
where you felt most relaxed, perhaps a holiday maybe, somewhere
skiing perhaps. Just take yourself in your mind to a time, a place
where there was really nothing much to think about, be concerned
about. Just take yourself in your mind there for a moment, almost as
though you're there again right now, all you could see, all that you
could hear, how it felt being there when you could just go with the
flow.
While you're there you can begin to ponder, perhaps, how good it
would be to be able to jump in a positive way, to just be able to get
over all the jumps.
Just get that sense, that belief within you, how you would perhaps
feel after you've done it, just going with the flow. Just for a moment,
As you create that feeling, I'd like you to create a really clear image in
your mind of how you want things to be, a success image of you
jumping and making it happen, what that looks like, almost like taking
a snapshot photograph of yourself. Then getting that really clear
image in your mind of
what you want to achieve you going over all the jumps. Maybe it's the
body language of that you there that looks so calm, relaxed. Perhaps
it's the expression on your face but think about a really clear image in
your mind. Any time you find yourself with any of those self-doubts,
you immediately become aware that you're thinking negatively. Find a
way to dump those thoughts, bury them in the garden, throw them out
a car window. It really doesn't matter how you do this, but
immediately replacing those doubts with that image of you, that
success image, you making it happen.
Just take a moment to get a sense or feeling of going and doing that
right now and to see how much better things can be when you do just
go with the flow, getting a sense of going over those jumps, letting the
horse just do what it knows how to do, so that you can just enjoy it
and allow things to be and be positive with just going with the flow.
The more you practice this ... As human beings, whatever we do and
whatever we practice, we become really good at. The more you
practice this and the more you're in a very relaxed place, you find that
it's just how things will be.
You can find yourself going with the flow and making it happen feeling
calm, relaxed, feeling good.
I'm going to wake you up now. I’m going to count from five to one.
When I get to one you'll be able to open your eyes. You'll be wide
awake, fully alert. You'll feel really good inside. Five, just slowly,
slowly waking, four, waking a little bit more. Three, feeling some
energy. Two, feeling really good inside. One, you can open your eyes.
I caught up with this lady after two weeks, and the change in her was
remarkable, she was raring to go to do some jumping and felt like she
was being held back from this now.
We finished off by finding away for dealing with any self doubts that
may creep in when she was actually riding, any negative self talk
about hers or her horses ability to get over a jump, and for her it was
simply enough to realise that it was “just a thought” and she didn’t
have to think it, she had the control back. She’d got her winning
streak back.
I’m sure some of you remember the angry outbursts of John McEnroe
at Wimbledon. “You cannot be serious!”
It goes to show that some very simple techniques can make all the
difference.
Self-image is something that your client has created on their last few
performances. Out of hypnosis find out about the self-talk and images
that the client will be without doubt continuing to replay over and over
in their mind about these past performances. Are their specific words,
negative statements that they are reinforcing to themselves? Is their a
particular scene from the competition/match that is the part that they
are highlighting?
Once your client has written down their affirmations, get them to
practice using them in the desired situations, remembering that the
self-affirmation can be expressed internally or externally. Both can be
equally effective.
The affirmations must be stated in the present tense, for example “I
am performing at my best and it feels fantastic.” This way the
message is more effective as it directly relates to a current emotional
state.
Ask your client to close their eyes and focus on their breathing for a
moment . Next asking them to imagine a time when they performed at
their best - thinking of one of their greatest past performances
Continuing imagining this with their eyes closed recreating all the
sights, sounds and feelings of that greatest past performance. Then
leave them for five minutes or longer indulging in this performance,
asking them to nod their head when they have no doubt that they can
recreate that past performance again in the present moment.
Self-talk is an umbrella term for the way individuals think and talk to
themselves about a situation. Self-talk can be positive, for example
‘’’Great shot!’’ or negative, such as ‘’you idiot!’’
The Australian Sports Commission carried out research that
demonstrates the detrimental impact negative self-talk has on
performance and having a positive attitude when it comes to athletic
endeavours improves performance.
Young people, in particular, can benefit from learning more about
positive self-talk. Improvements in their inner dialogue can improve
both their attitude and performance and can have a positive influence
on their interactions outside the sporting sphere.
A common presentation for our young athletes is an inner dialogue
that is dominated with doubt and negativity. Common expressions we
hear from our young athletes are:
“I’ll never be able to do it!”,
“I am no good at it,”
“there is no point trying.”
This type of negative self-talk can prevent a young athlete from
performing well and create a negative cycle of poor self-esteem and
poor performance. If a child feels they can’t be successful at a task,
they often accept, and even expect failure. Negativity can turn a
child’s insecurities into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Negative self talk leads to tension, increased anxiety, frustration,
anger and lower self-confidence. Positive self-talk can enhance
motivation, confidence, focus and subsequently overall performance.
I would like you to take yourself in your mind to a time and place
where you felt really relaxed. Perhaps a time just being on holiday, or
just somewhere really peaceful. Take yourself in your mind to a time
or place where you felt really relaxed. Almost as though you are there
again right now. All you can see, all you can hear.
Then for a moment I would just like you to focus on your breathing. I
want you to notice every inward breath and every outward breath and
imagining that each breath is coming from a point that’s just behind
your belly button, that every breath is coming from that point, just
behind your belly button.
I would like you to take a moment to think about all those thoughts
that hold you back. All the ‘what if’s?’, the self- doubts, and just
wonder for a moment how you performance may be without any of
those intrusive kinda thoughts.
I would like you to find a way, your way, to dump all those thoughts.
After all, they are just thoughts. All those unhelpful thoughts. You
could maybe imagine dumping them in a rubbish bin. Throwing them
out a car window. Burying them in the garden. Find a way, your way
of dumping all those unhelpful thoughts.
Next I would like you to create an image in your mind of you. Your
winning image, your success image, and image of you performing at
your absolute best. It feels good. It feels so good, and you can make
that image bigger, you can make it colourful, you can make it loud.
Anytime you find yourself with any of those unwanted thoughts you
will immediately become consciously aware that you are thinking
negatively and immediately imagine dumping those thoughts and
replacing them with your winning image, your success image, and the
more you practice this the better you become at it, the better you
become at it, the more confident you feel, the more confident you feel
the better you perform, just nod your head if you understand. Good.
Awaken
“The best athletes say that they always visualise succeeding in their
sport they are about to undertake in before it happens. This allows for
their brain to comprehend and understand what it is needed to do and
achieve.is actually a mental rehearsal of an event that you create in
your mind. This allows you to practice as many times as you want, at
any time in any place. At little as five minutes a day can have a huge
Increasing Arousal
You can increase arousal at a time that it is needed most by creating
a power trigger. a surge of energy when your client needs it the most.
Specific sports people may benefit most from this technique. For
example:- Swimmers, Runners.
Awaken.
The first step is to get the client to recognise who and why they tend
to lose focus.
Once you have identified the triggers that cause them to lose focus,
you can figure out what can help them to forget those distractions and
get back on task.
I always recommend using a statement or mantra to help regain
focus, such as "that's not important, lets play" or "let it go, focus on
the next play".
To make this refocusing stick, I would also recommend that you install
the strategy in hypnosis, and make it part of the mental rehearsal in
their pre-competition routine.
At anytime in the future you can put yourself into this very relaxed
place simply by closing your eyes and counting from one to ten,
matching each number with your breathing, and with each outward
breath saying to yourself the word relax.
So, at anytime in the future you can put yourself into this very relaxed
place simply by closing your eyes and counting from one to ten,
matching each number with your breathing and with each outward
breath saying to yourself the word relax.
And in this very relaxed place you will find it incredibly easy to
practice anything you choose with great precision. You will be able to
practice your chosen routines and competitions over and over in your
mind in great detail, perfecting every detail calmly and with great
clarity, and the more you practice this the better you become at it and
the more relaxed you feel.
I wonder, if you can think of a time in your life when you felt most
relaxed, a time when you felt at ease, maybe a country you visited
sometime. Just take yourself and your mind to a time, a place where
you felt most relaxed, almost as though you're there again. Back at
that time. All you could see, all you could hear, how it felt. A time you
can remember, any time you choose. While you there how good it'd
be if you could shoot just how you wanted to, if everything could just
be done correctly just like a sewing machine. How you would feel
achieving that again.
While you're feeling so relaxed I'd like you imagine the time just
before you go on the stands and notice that you there looking totally
relaxed, determined. Before you go on that stand you can even take
a moment to take yourself in your mind to a time, a place where you
feel totally relaxed, undisturbed. You can notice yourself finding a way
to almost tune out any distractions. Focused, completely determined.
You can notice yourself maintaining that focus. If at any time you find
yourself with any of those distractions or perhaps that you there
looking around you'll be looking for problems that don't exist, become
consciously aware you're losing focus, you immediately refocus on
the job in hand.
Notice yourself, on that stand standing correctly. You can check that
you're standing correctly. As you do so you can imagine that you
‘pull’. You maintain that position as you see that clay away 10 yards
you find your eyes, your gun move in unison, fast, smooth.
I'm going to go quiet for a moment George while you can take the
time, so you can practice in your mind all of the necessary moves.
That you there relaxing before you go on the stand determined and
focused, standing correctly, mounting that gun, focused, mounting
that gun, relaxed, your eyes fixed.
The more you rehearse this, the more you practice it in this very
relaxed place the sooner it will be you can find yourself relaxing more
and more, maybe doing that pre-competition routine. Relaxing before
you go on stand. Practicing focus. Knowing that you can be your very
best. As human beings whatever we practice become really good at.
The more you practice with this recording the more improvement
you'll see.
I'm going to wake you up now. I'm going to count from 5 to 1. When I
get to 1 you'll be able to open your eyes. You'll be wide awake, fully
alert and you'll feel really good inside. Five, just slowly slowly waking,
Four, three, feeling some energy now starting to work its way through
3/1/17
This month I would like to offer your team a one hour “Psychological skills training
for success” training with myself, completely free of charge.
Psychological skills in Sports can help with focusing on success, feeling calm and
focused at will, overcoming mental blocks and barriers, reinforcing self-belief,
performing at your best when it matters most, motivation and positive thinking.
If you would like to accept this offer, please contact me on the telephone number
above, in order that further arrangements can be made.
Kind Regards
Sheila Granger
Clinical Hypnotherapist
Tickton FC in East Yorkshire had suffered a heart-breaking defeat of 11-1 in the previous
season against another team whose players who were bigger and bolder. The coaches
and parents were in despair as the youngsters said they couldn’t take another
hammering and didn’t want to play the match.
“Sheila came along to watch a training session and found players were lacking self-belief
and focus. They undertook two group sessions at our training ground. The lads were a
bit reluctant at first but Sheila made it fun and worked on their level. There was nothing
magical or strange about it, instead Sheila told us how to hypnotise someone and guided
us all through a simple process of relaxation and visualisation of a success image
performing at their absolute best. In the second session we focussed on removing
distractions to avoid giving competitors the advantage.
“Some sport psychologists believe that selective attention is the most important cognitive
characteristic of successful athletic performance. A split second loss of concentration
during a critical play can spell the difference between winning and losing. I see this a lot
with my clients, but hypnotherapy helps to switch off these negative thoughts and focus
on winning instead which in turn improves performance.”
“We also introduced a pre-match routine so that prior to playing they spent a couple of
minutes using self-hypnosis, visualising their winning image and dumping negativity by
chanting positive affirmations.”
“On match day the team went off to play the “big lads” and this time with a determined
attitude to play at their best they still lost, but the score was 3-2, a huge improvement
and they came away feeling really proud of themselves.”
“This team is a classic example, that shows football and many other sports are as much
a mind game as physical fitness and skill.”
Ends.
I wonder, if you can think of a time in your life when you felt most
relaxed, a time when you felt at ease, maybe a country you visited
sometime. Just take yourself and your mind to a time, a place where
you felt most relaxed, almost as though you're there again. Back at
that time. All you could see, all you could hear, how it felt. A time you
can remember, any time you choose. While you there how good it'd
be if you could shoot just how you wanted to, if everything could just
be done correctly just like a sewing machine. How you would feel
achieving that again.
While you're feeling so relaxed I'd like you imagine the time just
before you go on the stands and notice that you there looking totally
relaxed, determined. Before you go on that stand you can even take
a moment to take yourself in your mind to a time, a place where you
feel totally relaxed, undisturbed. You can notice yourself finding a way
to almost tune out any distractions. Focused, completely determined.
You can notice yourself maintaining that focus. If at any time you find
yourself with any of those distractions or perhaps that you there
looking around you'll be looking for problems that don't exist, become
consciously aware you're losing focus, you immediately refocus on
the job in hand.
Notice yourself, on that stand standing correctly. You can check that
you're standing correctly. As you do so you can imagine that you
‘pull’. You maintain that position as you see that clay away 10 yards
you find your eyes, your gun move in unison, fast, smooth.
I'm going to go quiet for a moment George while you can take the
time, so you can practice in your mind all of the necessary moves.
That you there relaxing before you go on the stand determined and
focused, standing correctly, mounting that gun, focused, mounting
that gun, relaxed, your eyes fixed.
The more you rehearse this, the more you practice it in this very
relaxed place the sooner it will be you can find yourself relaxing more
and more, maybe doing that pre-competition routine. Relaxing before
you go on stand. Practicing focus. Knowing that you can be your very
best. As human beings whatever we practice become really good at.
The more you practice with this recording the more improvement
you'll see.
I'm going to wake you up now. I'm going to count from 5 to 1. When I
get to 1 you'll be able to open your eyes. You'll be wide awake, fully
alert and you'll feel really good inside. Five, just slowly slowly waking,
Four, three, feeling some energy now starting to work its way through