Summer 2022 - 19

1
.What is Your Why?
Why are you doing this particular task?
Why is it important to you? What is your
personal connection to this particular task?
Find meaning in what you're doing as a moral
compass or North Star in your journey to
remain motivated and focused. It's simply not
enough to be doing things for the sake of doing
them. Keeping your purpose present allows for
deliberate, concise action and decision-making.
" It can be such a powerful tool in keeping
us on track in difficult times, " Dr. Schumacher
said. " Reflecting on your why, both individually
and collectively as a unit, can help build and
maintain resiliency in the face of adversity. "
2
..Words of Affirmation
Memorizing a set of affirmative phrases
before entering a performative task can help
alleviate the 'flight or fight' response your
body has in stressful situations. What can you
say to reframe the experience into a positive
one to remove a feeling of fear or anxiety and
complete the performance?
During Dr. Schumacher's open-water swim
between two Hawaiian islands, she had to face
one of her biggest fears - swimming with
sharks. Thanks to memorizing a few words
of affirmation, specifically " It's not the shark
you see that you need to worry about, " she
was able to continue and finish her swim -
turning a potentially debilitating situation into a
moment of her lifetime. This skill coupled with
a rhythmic breathing strategy can help your
return to focusing on the goal.
3
..Visualization
This is a great skill to use when
performers don't have access to the place in
which they will be performing. Creating an
immersive experience - whether through AI
technology or stimulating the senses through
physical recreation (i.e. photos, sounds, and
smells of the environment). Much like how a
golfer practices their swing to create a muscle
memory of the swing motion, tactical operators
can submerge themselves into situations to be
more prepared to focus on the task at hand.
During Dr. Schumacher's crossing of the
Catalina Channel off the coast of California
featured a rocky, mossy climb amid choppy surf
to complete the race. After spending afters
horizontal and not using her legs, suddenly
she was asked to go vertical and rely on her
leg strength on uneasy terrain. She devised
a visualization strategy for that scenario and
envisioned herself moving accurately across the
wet rocks to her finish.
" When the moment came, I remember I had an
almost out-of-body experience where I scurried
up the beach it was as though my hands and feet
were finding the exact perfect rocks to select. I
was upright before I knew it, " she said. " I credited
much of my success to being able to develop that
confidence through the skill of imagery. "
4
..Being Present
Too often in performance-driven activities,
the performer is focused on the outcome. That
type of mindset can lead to performance anxiety
and a lack of focus in the moment in an attempt to
force a favorable outcome.
" We don't know what the end result will be.
Sometimes we fail to focus on the process of
getting to that end result, " Dr. Schumacher
said. " We help tactical operators remain
present and focused on the process, especially
when there is some pressure, or level of
anxiety, or competition that might need us to
focus on the outcome. " n
tacticaltrainingandconditioning.com | 19
http://www.tacticaltrainingandconditioning.com
Summer 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Summer 2022
