Clean Run Magazine - October 2007 - 67

the chance of error occurring as well. When we worry that bad things might happen to us we are actually rehearsing them. We are building new neural pathways toward failure. I mentioned that there were two beneﬁts to rehearsal. In the Mental Management model, performance is a function of three mental processes: conscious, subconscious, and self-image. When we rehearse running fast and clean before a run we help the subconscious to focus on what it is supposed to do and that is a conscious activity. At the same time we create an additional beneﬁt to our success because a rehearsed run is an imprint on the self-image. Our self-image moves us to do whatever is like us to do and the self-image is changed by imprinting. When we rehearse doing something well, we improve the probability of its being like us to do it well. It creates an imprint and imprints are the building blocks of a strong self-image. Rehearsing before performing is just one way to use rehearsal. There are many additional ways to effectively use this tool. One is called mental practice. When you cannot actually perform a task you can think about the performance in your mind. The great thing about mental practice is that you can control the performance and the outcome in the rehearsal. You can always run fast and clean in your imagination. I believe that the mind cannot tell the difference between what we vividly imagine and what actually happens. The self-image imprints both as fact. Given enough imprints the selfimage causes you to become what you are imprinting if you have the subconscious skill to perform the task. Another use of rehearsal is called contingency planning. I’ve read that it takes a space shuttle crew over two years to train for a mission and two-thirds of that training is contingency planning. The crew must perform countless drills so that the proper procedure is followed quickly and effectively when a certain red light comes on. There are red lights in agility as well. Our partner does not always do what is expected. What should we do then? Rehearsal helps us to discover the solutions to problems before they actually occur. Reviewing the appropriate action in advance can enhance the probability of proper execution should the contingency occur in a trial. One last comment about rehearsal is required. Because agility competitors often use video as a training tool there is a slight tendency to rehearse the run as if you are watching it on video. This technique is called visual rehearsal. When you rehearse seeing what you would actually see during the run, the technique is called actual rehearsal. The advantage of actual rehearsal is that you can feel your performance using as many of your senses as possible to make the rehearsal more meaningful and vivid. I am not against using video as long as you are watching what you are doing well much more often than reviewing your errors. Call it what you will, visualization, imagery, or rehearsal. Just remember to use this most versatile of mental tools often. D Mental Management new products from NEW PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS The Ultimate Performance Journal You cannot manage what you do not measure. Keeping a Performance Journal will help you track your daily performance while building your self-image. Includes an instructional audio CD, Performance Analysis Sheets, Travel Binder, Storage Binder, Competition Log, Equipment Log, Tabs, and a very unique stainless-steel pen. $60 plus postage. FREEDOM FLIGHT The Origins of Mental Power Two people have a conversation on a long plane trip from New York to Cairo, Egypt. One is an Olympic Silver Medalist; the other is someone that will offer a truly unforgettable story that will take you, along with the medalist, to a new understanding of the origins of mental power. You will learn 14 principles of attainment in this 70 minute program. This audio CD has two discs and is read by the author. $30 plus postage. PERFORMANCE COACHING is a program for parents, coaches, managers and teachers, and also for self-coached performers. Topics include: The deﬁnition of a Mentor and the Mentor Effect, Behavioral Styles and How They Affect Coaching, Coaching Styles, The Four Phases of Learning, The Four Coaching Processes, The Power of Self-Direction and External Inﬂuence, Readiness Factors, 20 Guidelines for Working with Individuals and Teams, and The Performance Coaching Session. 4 CDs. If you coach or teach, this program is for you. $75 plus postage. Lanny Bassham is an Olympic Coach and an Olympic Gold Medalist. He is a member of the Olympic Shooting Hall of Fame, ranks third among all shooters in total international medal count for the USA, and is one of the most respected mental trainers in the world. His book With Winning in Mind and his Mental Management concepts are used and endorsed by Olympian and World Champion performers. You can reach him at 1-800-879-5079 or at www.mentalmanagement.com. October 07 | Clean Run 1-800-879-5079 WWW.MENTALMAN AGEMENT. COM 67

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Clean Run Magazine - October 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - October 2007