Michael first asked him what he thought would happen if someone else used
the same method on him from the outside. The player said he would tell the
outsider to be quiet and allow him to play for himself. It was suggested that the
method works no better internally than it would externally. The player began to
laugh. Michael encouraged him to start laughing at his mistakes and start
looking for his good shots and to continuously praise himself every time he
executed a shot successfully.
In addition Michael instructed him in a way to learn to believe how much he
loved tie-breakers. After getting over the initial feeling of strangeness in
believing something that he previously hadn't believed, the player started
looking forward to tie-breakers and when the first one came around, he actually
enjoyed it as he had the feeling he could win. It was only a matter of time until
he started winning his tie-breakers and enjoying his tennis more. He stayed
more relaxed and focused upon praising himself rather than mentally beating
himself up.
Michael's client become more prolific as he became more driven to succeed
by setting high standards. He was advised to tie his self-evaluation not to
winning but rather to his ability to execute his shots consistently well and to
being able to remain positive and relaxed regardless of the conditions,
circumstances and opposition.
The elite are driven to succeed by setting stringent, high standards for
themselves. They tie their self-evaluation to standards of athletic excellence and
in meeting those standards, reinforce already strong beliefs.
From our research and our training with top athletes we have observed that
the top achievers in sport also have a particular kind of belief in themselves
http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/NLP/cohen39.htm (5 of 6) [11/01/2001 3:17:57 PM]
Self-Belief in Sport using NLP
which allows them to block out distractions and control disruptive or negative
thinking. Carl Hooper, the Vice Captain of West Indian Cricket Team, recently
explained to us "when I bat, I block out everything apart from being one with
what I am doing. I am locked in. This requires me to feel supremely confident
in my capabilities. I remain focused and positive whatever the situation."
Strong self-efficacy beliefs, based on real, progressive development and
success, serve as a protective factor against slumps or performance plateaux.
The history of sport gives us many great examples, and perhaps one of the
greatest was Muhammad Ali.
In 1974, Ali fought George Forman in the fight that was called the 'Rumble
in the Jungle'. Ali had been beaten twice and many people believed that, at 32,
he was past his prime. The boxing world thought that he would be brutally
beaten by a much younger, stronger and seemingly more dangerous man. Even
Ali's training camp had serious doubts. However, Ali had a different idea, he
told the world he was going to win, saying in every interview: "I'm 32, the stage
is set, my legs haven't gone, I'm still strong, I'm still the fastest, the prettiest, the
most scientific, classiest boxer, I'm the greatest fighter of all time." He won the
fight in emphatic style shocking and pleasing millions of people.