Fall 2022 - 24

THE 4 C'S OF EMOTIONAL
& MENTAL CONTROL
By Wesley Sykes, Managing Editor
F
or the tactical athlete there is always a
great deal of stress present. It starts in the
preparation or training phase and continues into
'live' situations.
Unlike sport athletes that have an off-season,
the tactical athlete doesn't have this luxury,
so state-of-mind management is even more
critical. If state-of-mind is not controlled, in
a positive manner, it can cause the tactical
athlete to react both physically and mentally
in a manner that will negatively affect their
performance abilities.
They may become tense, their heart rates
race, they break into a cold sweat, they worry
about the outcome, and they find it hard
to concentrate on the task at hand. Mental
strength training to develop a warrior mindset is
yet another weapon in the combat and tactical
athlete's arsenal in gaining the winning edge.
There are many components to state-ofmind;
here are the 'Big Four' - concentration,
confidence, control, and commitment. These
are generally considered the main mental
qualities that are important for successful
practice and operation.
* Concentration - ability to maintain focus
* Confidence - belief in one's abilities
* Control - ability to maintain emotional
control regardless of distraction
* Commitment - ability to continue working to
agreed goals
24 | Tactical Training & Conditioning | Fall 2022
C
oncentration -This is the mental quality
to focus on the task at hand. If the tactical
athlete lacks concentration then their abilities
will not be effectively or efficiently applied to
the task, and this can have deadly effects.
Research has identified the following types of
attention focus:
* Broad Narrow continuum - the athlete
focuses on a large or small number of stimuli
* Internal External continuum - the athlete
focuses on internal stimuli (feelings) or
external stimuli (the threat)
The demand for concentration varies with
the situation-sustained concentration,
short bursts of concentration, and intense
concentration. Common distractions include
anxiety, mistakes, fatigue, weather, crowd
noise, teammates, superior officer, opponents,
and negative thoughts.
Strategies to improve concentration are very
personal. One way to maintain focus is to set
process goals for each practice session. The
individual will have an overall goal for which
they will identify a number of process goals that
will help them focus on specific aspects of
the task.
For each of these goals, the athlete can use
a trigger word, that instantly refocuses the
individual's concentration on the goal.
Here's an example from sports, a sprinting
technique requires the athlete to focus on
Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fall 2022
