PSYCH

BY DR. JUDD BIASIOTTO

 Published by StrongFirst, Inc.

9190 Double Diamond Parkway

Reno, NV 89521, USA
www.StrongFirst.com
Cover photo © David Pu'u/Corbis
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Biasiotto, Judd
Psych ISBN 0-933079-93-1
I. Education Textbook 2. Sports
I. Title. Psych.
© 2012 Power by Pavel, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission by the copyright holder,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and
reviews.
Disclaimer
The author and publisher of this book are not responsible in any
manner whatsoever for any injury that may occur through following
the instructions contained in this material. The activities may be too
strenuous or dangerous for some people. The readers should always
consult a physician before engaging in them.
 THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO CHRISTOPHER
MCBRAIRTY
There is no one I admire and respect more than Christopher McBrairty.
Not because he is such a great athlete, which he is, but because he is a great
person. In all candor, I have never met anyone quit like him. He is the most
loving and caring person you would ever hope to meet. He is by far one of my
greatest blessings in life. Every word of this book was written with him in mind.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
FOREWORD
I vividly remember the first time I saw him. It was at the All-Star
Powerlifting Championships in Statesboro, Georgia. The pre-competition scene
was typical of most powerlifting meets. The air was charged with excitement
and nervousness. Competitors were screaming, pacing, and sniffing ammonia
capsules. All of them were burning up valuable energy, except one. Judd
Biasiotto lay asleep on a foam pad.

The weight being lifted on the platform reached 450 pounds, yet Biasiotto,
who was competing in the 132-pound class, remained fast asleep. When but five
lifters had yet to lift, Biasiotto’s coach woke him up. He rose, pulled up the
straps of his suit, and started wrapping his knees.
I had to laugh. How could such a strong athlete be so foolish as to miss his
warm-ups? “Just another powerlifting moron,” I thought. “That’s all this clown
is.” But when Biasiotto stepped on the platform to attempt his opening lift, my
opinion changed drastically. Within 10 seconds, he brought about a
physiological transformation that could only be described as bizarre. His facial
features seemed to change before my eyes. The hair on his arms and legs stood
up, and his breathing became deep and rhythmic. His muscles actually seemed
to increase in size. The whole scene was a little scary.
Without a single warm-up, Biasiotto unracked the weight, descended, and
then exploded up with it for a new ADFPA National record. The lift was
ridiculously easy. Eight more times during the meet, Biasiotto repeated his
astonishing transformation, and eight more times he made seemingly effortless
lifts. By the end of the day, Biasiotto had surpassed 7 ADFPA National records
and captured the outstanding lifter’s award. He left me and 1500 others
wondering where he got his power. Who was this man?
People who have seen Judd compete use words like amazing,
unbelievable, and unique when talking about him. Dwight Chandler, who
witnessed Judd perform at the Southern States Powerlifting Championships,
described him this way for Powerlifting U.S.A. magazine:
I’ve never seen an athlete get more out of himself than Biasiotto. Looking
at him, it would appear that he was a tennis player, or a golfer, indeed not a
powerlifter. His muscularity is minimal; however, his strength is awesome. His
mental control is something to behold, and something that more lifters need to
develop. He seemed capable of changing his mood at a moment’s notice. It is
the closest thing I’ve seen to the David Banner—Hulk transformation that
appeared on television. Perhaps this explains how the Hulk and Biasiotto are
capable of performing such outrageous strength lifts. Actually, Biasiotto’s
lifting, which consisted of many records, was not half as exciting to me as his
mind over matter control.
I often wondered how Judd was able to bring about such changes. Was it
hypnosis or was it some other mind control technique? I wanted to know for
certain, and I wanted to be able to use that type of control for my own lifting. I
contacted Judd. I found him to be intellectually stimulating and more than
helpful. We became close friends, and I discovered a few things about him that I
can only describe as amazing. He holds a master’s degree in exercise
physiology and a doctorate in sports psychology. Furthermore, he has worked
with professional baseball teams and numerous athletes in a number of sports.
His articles and talks to organizations, such as the International Athletic
Association and the United States Sports Committee, have helped Judd to
become one of the most renowned sports psychologists and hypnotists in the
United States.
His insights into individual sports, especially powerlifting, far exceed
those of most sports psychologists. He is not just another psychologist
consumed by the reward of dealing with team sports. Judd also understands the
emotions, pressures and different psychological needs of the athletes involved in
individual sports. Through his research, Judd has learned to control his heart
rate, brain waves, and most importantly, his thoughts. The secret to his great
strength lies in these abilities. Through scientific means he has achieved world
class status with a body that is not genetically constructed for powerlifting.
Judd Biasiotto is indeed a light in the darkness within the world of
powerlifting. He has introduced psychology into a sport where it was relatively
nonexistent. Through scientific research and hard work, his efforts are
revolutionizing the sport and its practices.
For years, many lifters, including myself, have tried to convince Judd to
put his thoughts on paper for others. Our attempts always failed. Early in 1983,
Tim McClellan, the assistant strength coach at Arizona State University visited
Judd’s home. McClellan convinced Judd of the need for his esoteric information
in the powerlifting world. He finally succeeded where all others failed.
The start was a feature article in Powerlifting U.S.A. on the comeback that
Judd made after major back surgery... a comeback that gave him the number one
ranking in the American Drug Free Powerlifting Association throughout 1982
and 1983. The end result was his desire to outline his vast experience in this
book, which I feel is the best sports book ever written.
This book, like his others, is in a class by itself. You’ll love it, and
because of it, your performance will improve significantly. I promise.
George Herring,
World Powerlifting Champion
INTRODUCTION
When I first started powerlifting, I was at best a joke. In my first seven
meets I finished dead last. I wasn’t just beaten either, at times, I was absolutely
destroyed. It wasn’t uncommon for me to find myself two or three hundred
pounds behind the leaders going into the deadlift. After the deadlift, well, the
leaders weren’t even in sight. I hate to admit this, but some guys could have
beaten me without even benching. Their squat and deadlift totaled more than I
totaled on all three lifts. Heck, at that time, even women and children could beat
me. There was even a joke going around that the U.S.P.F. was going to revoke
my lifting card because I was impersonating a powerlifter. At least I think it was
a joke. My little sister Mary Jean would say, “Judd, you have to quit competing
you are embarrassing the family. She was serious.
Obviously, I’ve come a long way in the sport. From a total that placed me
dead last in a novice contest, to the seventh best total of all time. In 1982 and
1983, I was ranked number one by the A.D.F.P.A. and number three by the
U.S.P.F. and that was after going through major back surgery. During my
career, I had literally gone full circle-from one of the worst lifters to ever step on
a lifting platform, to one of the best. And I did all that with a body that is not
genetically constructed for powerlifting. In fact, it’s been said that I have the
body of an 11-year-old stamp collector and that my legs are so skinny they look
like a pair of pliers in shorts.
 How did I do it? Well it wasn’t the way I stacked or staggered some
anabolic drug. In fact, I’ve never taken any drugs. The way I achieved world
class status was through my mind. I learned to play the game of powerlifting
above my shoulders. Through scientific means, I learned to take control of my
environment, the people in it, and best yet; I’ve learned to take control of
myself. The secret to my success and strength lies in these abilities.
The best part of all this is that you can achieve these abilities just as I
have. That’s what this book is all about. It’s designed as a learning manual and
was written with the intent of presenting a systematic approach to prepare you
for powerlifting competition.
The methods in this book are based on scientifically validated research.
They will work whether you believe in them or not. The only thing that is
required is understanding and practice. If you apply the concepts outlined for
you in this book, I flat guarantee you that your competition total will increase
significantly. I’m not just blowing smoke here either; I’m speaking straight
from the stone tablets.
CHAPTER 1
SPORTS

PSYCHOLOGY... A SECRET WEAPON

If I had to point to one factor that would enhance your athletic

performance beyond any other, it would have to be sports psychology. As a
sports psychologist, the importance that I assign to psychological factors may
have been anticipated, but I’m also a realist.

I’m aware that performance is affected by many factors such as genetics,

nutrition, psychomotor development, training, etc. However, I think that you
will agree that such factors are not equally important, and that it is legitimate to
ask about the comparative effects of such factors.

Theoretically, it would be possible to write a sport equation with terms properly

weighted to reflect the average contribution of each factor. I’m not going to do
this, for the simple reason I can’t, and at this time, neither can anyone else. But,
I can demonstrate the importance of sports psychology in another way.

If you are a competitive athlete, you have a lot in common with other
athletes. The nature of the sport guarantees this. For instance, you probably
train up to twenty hours a week, take vitamin supplements, and cuss like a
sailor. But, so does every athlete.

So, although a given factor may contribute heavily to performance, there may be
almost no individual difference with respect to that factor. In other words, the
factor becomes a constant with no advantage to be gained. Consequently, only
factors that are not constants will afford the athlete an advantage.

Take anabolic steroids for example. Athletes who were among the first to
use anabolic steroids had a tremendous advantage. The drugs clearly increased
their strength. When this became common knowledge, the other athletes started
using steroids in order to stay competitive. As a result, individual differences
that existed when one athlete used drugs and another didn’t were wiped out, or at
least reduced. The secret weapon effect of anabolic steroids was eliminated.
Now, let’s take a closer look at psychology. I believe that psychology still
has “secret weapon” status in sports. As mentioned, most athletes are not paying
much attention to psychological factors, nor do they know how to use
psychology to enhance performance. Despite the fact that the majority of
coaches and athletes that I talked to feel that the psychological aspects of sport is
extremely important, they, more often than not, completely ignore this in
training. They talk a lot about psychology, but they rarely practice what they
preach. It is strange.

Many of the world-class athletes I know train three to six hours a day for as
many as six days a week. They push themselves to their physical limits and then
return the following day for more. When they are not training, they are either
talking or reading about how to increase their performance. They spend hours
calculating biorhythm charts in order to predict their physiological highs and
lows. They won’t smoke or drink and even abstain from sex if they deem it
necessary in order to reach peek physical performance. They use any
mechanical device they can find or afford that promises to increase
performance. Nevertheless, during the 30 to 40 hours per week that these
athletes are involved in the sport, usually not one hour is consciously spent
preparing for the psychological aspects of the sport. In fact, other than the
athletes I work with, I know of only a handful of other athletes who use a
systematic program for mental training.

Thus, on the surface at least, there appears to be a great inconsistency

between coaching philosophy and coaching practice. Obviously then, what
makes psychology so important to an athlete is that it is a highly relevant and
beneficial variable, but also a much neglected variable.
Of course, this begs the question, “Why is such an important aspect of
performance neglected by most athletes and coaches?” I believe there are a
number of reasons for this inconsistency, but perhaps the lack of knowledge
concerning psychology is the most salient factor. The fundamental reason for
this stems from a lack of formal training.

Many coaches and athletes have not taken college courses in psychology and
have not been exposed to this field as a science. Hence, most of the coaches’
and athletes’ knowledge of psychology is based on personal experience and
unscientific sources. Mass media sources emphasize the unusual and sensational
fringe areas of psychology which deal with topics such as ESP or witchcraft.

The few articles that do appear in sports magazines are often devoid of any
useful systematic approach to problem solving, and many times these articles
create unrealistic expectations which eventually lead to further discouragement.

Also, a lot of what is written is just pure unadulterated bull. Professional

research journals and textbooks in the field of psychology are not much help
either. Although these articles and books are not developed with methodological
inelegancies or inaccuracies, they are written in a language only a Ph.D. could
understand. Without any schooling in statistical research or psychological
principles, it is difficult, if not impossible, to cut through all the technical
jargon. Not only that, but the books that are on the market seldom applied
behavioral principles to sports in a meaningful way. The reason is that most
psychiatrists or clinical psychologists are not that knowledgeable about sports.
They are not familiar with the customs, aspirations, or motivations typical of
most athletes (nor are they concerned with such things). Their writing generally
revolves around clinical patients who have deep-seated emotional problems. In
short, they are more concerned with the abnormal than the normal. Then too,
very few psychologists have ever participated in highly competitive athletics.

Consequently, such individuals do not know how it feels to make a comeback

from a serious injury or what it is like to perform under extreme pressure. Nor
do they know what it is like to fail or win at an important competition, or for that
matter, what it’s like to really exert oneself physically.

Psychologists may read about these experiences or observe them, but there
is a big difference between those vicarious experiences and the real thing. In
reality, they are worlds apart.

In a nutshell, because of the aforementioned, most athletes and coaches perceive

athletic performance as primarily a complex physiological process.

Thus, coaches and athletes are more preoccupied with the physical and often
ignore the mental and sociological. The problem with this viewpoint is that the
athlete, like any human being, is a unified and integrated living system.

Therefore, behavior is a function of physical, mental, and sociological aspects.

Therefore, behavior is a function of physical, mental, and sociological aspects.

It stands to reason then, that we can only reach an optimum level of

performance when we account for the physical, mental, and social factors that
influence performance. That is to say we must perceive ourselves as an
incredibly complex system which contains a body and a mind and which
functions among and reacts to those who surround us.

If we focus on only one aspect of performance, chances are that we will

significantly limit our performance capabilities. Only when all systems are
taken into account can we reach our optimum parameters.

So, one more time, just for emphasis...what makes psychology so

important to coaches and athletes is that it is a highly relevant factor that is all
too often neglected. Now here’s your chance to change all of that.
CHAPTER 2
THE

ACADEMY

It was truly one of a kind with no precedent and no imitator. It was an

institution of the future that was functioning in the present. An Orwellian
adventure into sports science that was easily five decades ahead of any sports
complex the world has ever known.

I know because I lived and worked there for three solid years. It was simply
known as The Academy and there was no better place to be in the early seventies
if you were into sports.

The Academy was the brainchild of Ewing Kauffman, the owner of the
Kansas City Royals baseball team. Kauffman believed that athletes who had
raw physical talent could be turned into major league prospects by scientific
means. Thus, athletes were procured for The Academy not on the basis of their
baseball experience or talent, but rather on the basis of their physical and
psychological prowess. In fact, many of the athletes who were drafted by The
Academy had never played a day of baseball in their lives. The Academy,
unlike other professional baseball organizations, went after the world’s biggest,
strongest, and fastest athletes regardless of what sport they played. In short, they
were looking for the best bodies in the world, not the best baseball players.
Once they had the best bodies, they attempted to turn them into the best baseball
players in the world. No expense was spared by Kauffman to make his dream a
reality. A fifteen million dollar complex was constructed in Sarasota, Florida.
The complex consisted of five major league baseball fields, an Olympic-size
swimming pool, tennis courts, handball courts, two lakes, living quarters for 125
athletes that were fit for a king, a large cafeteria, ten classrooms, a huge
clubhouse, and a scientific sports laboratory that was equaled by none in the
Western World. The laboratory had every piece of scientific equipment
imaginable related to sports. It was a researcher’s paradise. The Academy was
staffed by the best baseball people money could buy, and some of the most
renowned sports scientists in the world. Besides the extraordinary facilities and
the excellent staff, the athletes at The Academy were absolutely magnificent.
They were all giant mesomorphs who could run like the wind and move like
lightning.

They were intelligent, well-groomed, and well-disciplined. They reminded me

of a group of James Bond clones. Believe me, there was enough power and
speed at that Academy that they could have easily fielded a competitive
professional football team. But, baseball was their game, and they played it to

perfection. In the first three years of their existence, The Academy team won
over 90% of their games and three championships. In the process, they set
season records for home runs, stolen bases, batting averages, slugging
percentages, fielding averages, hits, runs, earned run averages, and wins.

This was an amazing feat, especially since The Academy was composed of non-
experienced baseball players who competed against professional teams.

Of course, The Academy players had a tremendous advantage over their

competitors. They were given extensive physical and mental training well
beyond what the professional ballplayers were getting. For example, The
Academy had a professional ballerina who taught them flexibility, a fitness
coach, a resident psychologist, a vision expert, a sprint coach, a biomechanical
analyst, a professional photographer, a kinesiology expert, a physiologist, and a
masseur. They also had a coach to help them in each aspect of the game. There
was a hitting coach, a pitching coach, a fielding coach, a running coach, a
bunting coach, and even a coach’s coach to teach the coaches how to coach.
They also had the advantage of scientific equipment. Special shoes and
suits were designed so that the players could run faster and move easier. Bats
and gloves were constructed to meet each individual’s biomechanical needs.
Scientific formulas were developed by computers to help take the guess-work
out of game strategy. Even the lighting and color schemes used throughout the
Academy complex were arranged in an attempt to control behavior. For
example, the athlete’s bedrooms were painted with colors and lighted in a
manner that was conducive to sleep. The doors were painted with colors that
had been scientifically shown to increase motivation, and the recreational rooms
and cafeteria were painted and lighted to induce relaxation and comfort. Even
the bills on the baseball caps were colored to enhance performance. The
Academy left nothing to chance. It was indeed the scientific sports institute of
the future, and it was accomplishing its primary purpose to develop
inexperienced, raw talent into super human athletes.
INTELLECTUAL TRAINING WAS BORN
The success that The Academy was having traveled like wildfire
throughout the world. Without question, The Academy had proven that
scientific innovations in the field of sports (more specifically baseball) could
significantly enhance athletic performance.

Actually, that finding was not all that surprising. For years, research in the field
of psychomotor development had indicated that advances in equipment,
pharmacology, nutrition, biomechanics, cybernetics, and psychology could
significantly enhance athletic performance. What was surprising though, was
the finding that the more information The Academy afforded a ballplayer about
the physiological, psychological, and mechanical demands of his position and/or
sport, the more likely he was to excel. In other words, there seemed to be a
linear relationship between the knowledge an athlete had about his sport and
how well he performed. Before you could say, “A mind is a terrible thing to
waste,” researchers all over the world started researching the effects of
intellectual training on athletic performance. Even I got involved...utilizing 147
male weightlifters at Albany State College, I found a significant increase in
weightlifting performance when the subjects were given special intellectual
training which dealt with the physical and/or mechanical and psychological
aspects of weightlifting. These findings were compared to a control group who
received no special attention and who were exposed only to the physical and/or
mechanical demands of weightlifting. At the completion of the eight month
study, the experimental group not only exhibited superior weightlifting scores,
but also a significantly better attitude toward the task at hand.

I certainly wasn’t alone in my findings. The results of similar studies

indicate that the more information extended to an athlete about the demands of
his sport, the more likely he will excel. The Eastern Bloc countries, namely the
Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany caught on very quickly. It
became a standard requirement in these countries for coaches to expose their
athletes to the theory and mechanics of their sport.
According to Vanek and Cratty’s book, Psychology and the Superior
Athlete, coaches in the Eastern Bloc countries frequently assign readings to their
athletes. At other times, discussions are held and lectures are given by
authorities who discuss the psychological or physiological ramifications of the
activities in which the athletes are engaged. Also, athletes are frequently
exposed to training films in which their own movements are analyzed and
compared to those of more proficient performers around the world. These
programs consistently revealed that athletes who were intellectually prepared for
the demands of competition performed significantly better than athletes who
didn’t receive such training.
Although the United States had conducted a prolific amount of research on
intellectual training, it wasn’t until recently that a systematic program of
intellectual training was incorporated into their Olympic Sports Programs. Even
more surprising is the fact that few professional sports teams in America use
intellectual training, and to my knowledge, not a single amateur team uses the
technique. It’s true that most American athletes do engage in some form of
intellectual training.

Such training, however, is seldom systematic or detailed. It generally consists of

reading non-scientific publications or talking with fellow athletes.

Without question, even this type of meta-method is beneficial. However, a more

comprehensive program is necessary to enhance performance significantly. In
short, most athletes tend to rely strictly on their physical prowess to perform.

High school coaches and

athletes...well, they may be the worst culprits of all. A survey of more than
2,000 amateur high school athletes revealed that less than seven percent of them
use a systematic program of intellectual training to enhance their training and
more than 90 percent of the aforementioned athletes were not even familiar with
the term intellectual training. Worse yet, a study conducted in 1989 by James
Elias revealed that high school coaches were less knowledgeable than the
average physical education instructor when it came to nutrition, biomechanics,
sports medicine, sports sociology, and sports psychology.

Actually, according to Elias, high school coaches knew little more than how to
train physically and spent significantly less time than the aforementioned
individuals educating themselves about factors that were directly related to their
sport. I believe this is a mistake of significant magnitude.

Although most of us are heirs to the Judeo-Christian ethic, which states in

principle that there is a linear relationship between hard work and success, that
concept has all but lost its credibility in the field of sports. No longer can an
athlete expect to excel simply by outworking everyone else. Today’s athlete
must supplement hard work with scientific means to be successful.
When I was actively competing, I went to great pains to procure as much
information as possible about strength training and powerlifting. I read
practically everything I could get my hands on...books about training routines,
ergogenic aids, nutrition, biomechanics, etc. I searched the literature for
experiments that dealt with any of these subject areas. I also called or visited
prominent coaches and athletes throughout the country. Through it all, I
obtained a prolific amount of information that greatly enhanced my training and
competitive performance.
If you want to reach an optimum level of performance, you will need to do
the same thing. The fact that few athletes and coaches engage in intellectual
training gives you even a greater edge by doing so. Even a small edge can mean
the difference between being good and being great. Without question, the more
you know, the better you are likely to be. As Yogi Berra, America’s most
beloved sports pseudo-psychologist once said, “Ninety percent of this game is
half mental.” Bad arithmetic, but good thinking.
This is one concept that most athletes do not understand. In sports as well
as in every aspect of life, intelligence can take you to a higher level.
Unfortunately, a lot of athletes don’t seem to comprehend that the body serves
the mind. It’s not the other way around. If you have a strong mind, your body
will follow. Indeed, there is considerable research in the field of psychomotor
development which has revealed a linear relationship between the knowledge an
athlete has about his sport and how well he performs. In brief, the more
information extended to an athlete about the demands of his sport, the more
likely it is that he will excel.
THE BLACK ATHLETE
I would like to tell you about an extremely propelling investigation that
was conducted by the Kansas City Royal Baseball Academy in the early
seventies. The research was designed to

ascertain why the black athlete excelled in sports. That was a pretty

provocative undertaking, don’t you think? Still, it was a rather intriguing

inquiry. At the time there was no athlete in the world who was as great as the
black athlete. In just about every sport, the black athlete was enjoying
conspicuous success. For instance, the sports of boxing, basketball, karate, track
and field, and football were totally dominated by the black athlete. The sports of
baseball, wrestling, weightlifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding while not
dominated by the black athlete, were significantly influenced by them. In actual
fact, most of the superstars in these sports were black.

Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that the majority of national and
world records were held by black athletes. This took on an even greater
perspective considering the fact that blacks comprised only about 14 percent of
the American population.

The Academy felt that if they could determine why the black athlete was
so great, they could use the information to help their athletes. Consequently,
they embarked on one of the most

comprehensive investigations ever conducted on the black athlete. Not

surprisingly, The Academy was hoping that by studying the black athlete, they
could find a physiological substructure or some characteristic that was
responsible for the black athlete’s success in sports. They assumed that if there
was a biological, anatomical, or biomechanical focal point of general motor
ability, as well as strength, speed, and endurance, surely it would be found in the
black athlete. As a result, The Academy recruited researchers throughout the
country to investigate this possibility. Their findings were not only surprising,
but extremely enlightening and motivational for all races who are interested in
pursuing the joy of athletic competition.
THE PHYSICAL VIEWPOINT
In the seventies, if you were to ask a large group of sports enthusiasts why
they thought the black athlete excelled in sports, most of them would tell you
that the black athlete was simply physically superior to other athletes. In truth,
many of these individuals would probably tell you that blacks were athletically
superior because of race linked physical characteristics. In other words, in
reference to sports, these individuals believed that blacks were genetically
superior to other races. Even today, many individuals believe that blacks are
physiologically superior to other ethnic groups when it comes to sports.
Certainly, this viewpoint was one that warranted closer attention. After
all, it was an issue that was deeply ingrained in the American psyche and one
that entailed both extreme partisanship and racism. Did the black athlete possess
race related physical characteristics that gave him an advantage over athletes of
other races? Translated into its simplest terms, was Jimmy the Greek right when
he said that black athletes were bred for sports? Again, the Academy wanted to
know.
Two decades ago, before Jimmy the Greek and MTV, Martin Kane, the
senior editor of Sports Illustrated noticed that just about everybody who was
anybody in the field of sports was black. It seemed that wherever he looked,
blacks were enjoying tremendous athletic success. Not surprisingly, Kane
wanted to know why this was the case. Therefore, he took it upon himself to
study the black athlete in detail. Actually, he conducted a review of all the
existing studies on the subject. From his review, Kane concluded that there were
indeed substantial differences between the black athlete and his white
counterpart. On January 18, 1971, in a copyrighted article in Sports Illustrated,
Kane advanced his theory along with the following tentative conclusions:
Blacks tend to have longer limbs, smaller calves, less fat and narrower hips
than whites, and this combination gives the black athlete a superior agility.
Whites have a substantially greater lung capacity than blacks.
Blacks have marked superiority in hyper-extensibility, or capacity for
double jointedness (lay term) and in general looseness of joints. This may
only be because they tend to have more tendons and less muscle.
This point is subjective, and not measurable, but many observers who have
 worked closely with both black and white athletes contend that the former
have a superior capacity to relax under pressure.
One researcher points out that all living things from tropical climates tend
to have longer limbs, which aid them in dissipating heat. Blacks share this
characteristic.
Black infants are able to control their heads and muscles much sooner than
white infants.
Perhaps because of physical inheritance, no black has ever been a
swimming champion or even a near champion.
And finally, the most contentious theory of all: centuries of slavery placed
a premium on the superior physical specimen and weeded out the
weakling, so that in time the black genetic structure became superior.
Kane also pointed out two black athletes who were outspoken supporters
of this theory. Calvin Hill, the great Yale and Dallas Cowboy running back said,
“I have a theory about why so many sports stars are black. I think it boils down
to the survival of the fittest. Think of what the African slaves were forced to
endure in this country merely to survive. Well, black athletes are the
descendants. They are the offspring of those who were physically tough enough
to survive.”
Lee Evans, Olympic champion in the 400 meters says, “We were bred for
it. Certainly, the black people who survived in the slave ships must have
contained a high proportion of the strongest. Then, on the plantations, a strong
black man was mated with a strong black woman. We were simply bred for
physical qualities.”
After Kane’s article appeared in Sports Illustrated, a prolific number of
anthropological studies were conducted throughout the country. During the
1970s, it seemed as if every doctoral student in the field of physical education
did his dissertation on the black athlete. Unfortunately, none of these studies did
much to substantiate or refute Kane’s theory of black physical supremacy.
There was however, one exception. And of course The Academy found it.
FAST VS. SLOW TWITCH MUSCLE FIBERS
In 1983, a sports physiologist named Robert Simpson theorized that the
reason blacks ran faster and jumped higher than whites was due to a difference
in their muscle composition. In order to test his theory, Simpson gathered
muscle biopsies from 146 black athletes and 123 white athletes. After careful
and extensive microscopic examination of the muscle fibers, Simpson
discovered that blacks had a disproportionate distribution of fast twitch fibers
when compared with whites.

Conversely, whites had significantly more slow twitch fibers than blacks. The
significance of Simpson’s study was rather obvious, at least to a muscle
biologist. You see, skeletal muscles are made up of different types of muscle
fibers. The so called “slow twitch” fibers contract more slowly and have a
higher capacity for aerobic production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate...the fuel
or chemical energy, which is used by cells). The “fast twitch” fibers contract
rapidly, can generate more force, and have a higher capacity for the anaerobic
production of ATP.

Fast twitch muscle fibers

predominate in short term, explosion or power-type activities (i.e., sprinting or

lifting of heavy weight) which depend almost entirely on anaerobic metabolism
for energy. Slow twitch muscle fibers are more active in endurance activities
where energy is generated by aerobic metabolism. The success of an athlete in a
particular sport is determined in part by the proportion of fast and slow twitch
muscle fiber. For example, long distance runners may have between eighty and
ninety percent slow twitch fibers in their leg muscles, whereas top sprinters have
about the same amount of fast twitch fibers.

Although training can increase the metabolic capacity of both fibers,

training does not appear to alter either the proportion or distribution of slow and
fast twitch fibers that an individual possesses. Rather, this seems to be
genetically determined. Because the relative dominance of each fiber type is
associated with success in different types of sports, this would seem to be
another predisposition affecting potential athletic performance. As a result, if
blacks have faster twitch fibers, it would seem that they would have an
advantage in sports that require strength and speed. This would seem to lend
credence to the idea that blacks are physically superior because of genetics.
THE RACIST IDEOLOGY THEORY
What might surprise you is that a lot of people, many of whom were black,
took exception to the aforementioned findings. First of all, it was pointed out
that if the research was correct in its supposition, the assumption could be made
that blacks were successful in athletics not because of hard work and
intelligence, but rather because of some genetic difference. It also was pointed
out by Dr. Harry Edwards, a sports sociologist from Berkeley, that if blacks are
superior only because of

race-linked physical characteristics, it is not illogical to take the thinking

position that whites excel in other areas because of intellectual prowess. The
inevitable consequence of such reasoning is that if blacks are physically
superior, whites must be intellectually superior. Edwards further reasoned that if
in the affirmation of black identity African Americans accept the myth of
racially innate black physical superiority, they could be inadvertently
recognizing and accepting an ideology which has been used in part as

justification for black slavery, segregation, and general oppression. For in the
final analysis, the argument of black physical superiority over whites is a
potentially racist ideology.

Actually, The Academy people bought into Edward’s racist ideology

theory, but what they couldn’t understand was how Edwards could ignore all of
that research which clearly indicated that blacks were genetically superior. The
answer came about two years later in an article Edwards published in the
November 1973 issue of Psychology Today.
HARRY EDWARDS FIGHTS BACK
Harry Edwards was a little more than upset about Kane’s publication. To
put it mildly, he was down-right irate about Kane’s comments. The problem
was that Kane’s theory may have been correct. In order to ascertain its validity,
Edwards went over Kane’s research with a fine-tooth comb. What Edwards
found after carefully scrutinizing the research made him a very happy man.
First of all, Edwards discovered that every one of the studies that Kane
cited contained numerous methodological and statistical errors. For instance, he
found that none of the experimenters utilized random sampling to draw their
sample groups. Instead, they used “established” black athletes as their subjects.
Thus, his findings from these studies could not be generalized to the entire black
population.
Edwards also found that the sample groups used in the experiments were
so small that to extrapolate data from them was scientifically unacceptable.
Perhaps more importantly, Edwards produced a prolific number of
methodologically sound experiments which clearly showed that there was as
much physical difference within the black population as there was between
blacks and whites. In other words, there was as much variance within the groups
as there was between the groups. Edwards also pointed out that because of the
high incidence of miscegenation, it is doubtful that there exists a purely defined
race, black or white.
Interestingly, the vast majority of research conducted after the “Edwards
Report” strongly supports his argument. In fact, experiments conducted to
investigate physiological differences between blacks and whites during the past
two decades have at best yielded inconclusive results. To make a long story
short, there is an overwhelming amount of research which clearly refutes the
hypothesis that blacks have athletic superiority because of race-linked physical
characteristics.
If it is not genetics, then what is it that allows the black athlete to reign?
What is it that gives the black athlete seemingly superhuman abilities? The
Academy investigated further.
JOHN LAWTHER’S IDEA
In the early 1960s, a research team headed by James Henderson went to
the York Barbell Club in York, Pennsylvania in order to study a human
phenomenon named Paul Anderson. At the time, Anderson was considered the
strongest man to ever have walked the face of the earth. There was strong
evidence for this claim. For starters, Anderson held all of the world records in
both Olympic and Powerlifting, a feat unequalled before or since. Consider this
for a moment. At the time when the world’s strongest men were struggling to
master 700 pounds in the squat, Anderson had already managed a 1,200 pound
squat. Even today, close to three decades later and with the aid of drugs and
sophisticated equipment, no man has come close to even cracking the 1,100
pound barrier. To put that in perspective, that record would be analogous to Bob
Beamon long jumping 40 feet, or Barry Bonds hitting 100 home runs. Just for
the record, Anderson is still the only human being to back lift more than 6,000
pounds, one arm press more than 300 pounds, and neck lift (ouch!) more than
800 pounds.
Not surprisingly, Henderson and his team were hoping that by studying
Anderson, they could find a physiological substructure or some characteristic
that was responsible for Anderson’s awesome strength and power. They
assumed that if there was a biological, anatomical, or psychological center of
strength, surely it would be found in Paul Anderson.
After considerable testing, Henderson concluded that Anderson was
indeed different from other lifters he had studied. From a biomechanical
standpoint, Anderson’s body was almost perfectly constructed to lift heavy
weights. However, Henderson theorized that Anderson’s superior
biomechanical structure was more the result of strength training (muscle and
body mass have been shown to increase biomechanical efficiency) than good
genetics. Henderson concluded that strength performance may be nothing more
than a product of strength training...a process available to every athlete.
Although the Henderson research on Anderson left a lot to be desired from
a scientific standpoint, it did act as a catalyst for similar but more scientifically
sound experiments. In fact, after Henderson’s study, a prolific number of studies
were conducted, many of them by the Academy to ascertain what variables
correlated with world class performance. Interestingly, most of the research that
was conducted supported Henderson’s theory. For instance, a series of studies
conducted by John Lawther, a researcher who worked for the Academy, found
that the number one variable related to elite performance was time spent in
training, not genetics. According to Lawther, heredity may provide numerous
biological advantages, but there is strong evidence to suggest that elite
performance is due more to quality training than to genetic superiority.
Lawther estimated that 20 hours of quality training per week for a period
of eight years (approximately 10,000 cumulative hours) appears to be the
amount of work required to reach a world class level. Apparently, a certain time
is needed for an athlete to learn the most efficient methods and skills for
enhancing performance. Even a would-be elite athlete must learn the basics of
his sport to build a firm foundation. To train twenty hours a week is, to say the
least, very difficult. Yet, as Lawther emphasized, it is twenty hours of quality
training with great intensity, not just the time spent in training that is required for
elite performance.
Interestingly, the Academy found considerable research which clearly
indicated that blacks in general spend significantly more time training and/or
playing at sports than do whites. They also found some evidence which
indicated that blacks not only trained longer, but with greater intensity than their
white counterparts. The Academy concluded that the black athlete’s dominance
in sports was primarily contingent upon their work.
Actually, this raised another question for the Academy. They wanted to
know why black athletes work so hard. What drove blacks to be the very best of
the best? Accordingly, the Academy took a broader view of what made the
black athlete great. In laymen’s terms, they looked at what made the black
athlete tick.
THE SOCIAL VIEWPOINT
In 1973, Kirson Weinberg, a budding sports sociologist at Harvard
University, conducted an ingenious study to prove that black superiority in
sports was not due to race-linked physical characteristics, but rather to their
social environment. At the time, the sport of boxing was almost completely
dominated by black boxers. In every weight division, at least six out of the
world’s top ten boxers were black, and in the heavyweight division, all of the top
ten were black. From an empirical standpoint, it certainly appeared as if the
black boxers possessed physical skills far superior to their counterparts. But
were these skills race-linked?
As mentioned, Weinberg didn’t believe that to be the case. He noticed that
just about every one of the top-ranked boxers came from low socioeconomic
backgrounds, and that none of the boxers came from the middle or upper
socioeconomic classes. He theorized that boxing success was to a large extent
contingent upon the athlete’s socioeconomic class. In order to prove his theory,
Weinberg simply profiled boxers who had appeared in the world’s top ten
rankings over a hundred year period. What he found was quite revealing.
As Weinberg had guessed, just about all of the fighters over that one
hundred year period had come from low socioeconomic environments. At first,
all the fighters bore sturdy English names, for the ring was the traditional avenue
of escalation for underprivileged English workmen without an education. But
after the English became well established, and any workman could find a good
paying job, the fighters all became Irish. It was Kid this and Kid that. But now,
the theory broke down, for when the Irish gained a social and economic
foothold, they should have exited the ring, but they did not. The Irish names still
continued, until the researcher looked a little more deeply into the matter and
found that the new cycle of Irish fighters were really European Jewish
immigrants, who had adopted Irish names to profit from Irish popularity in the
preceding cycle. In real life, Battling Johnny Kilrain the Second was apt to be
Hyman Finkel.
After some time, Jewish fighters were free to fight under their real names
and for some years they dominated the Boston rings, but one should not be
surprised to find that they quickly established themselves in the community and
no longer had need of pugilism as their escape route. Next came the French
immigrants, and at long last the Black fighters.
 To a large extent, Weinberg’s findings also could have been applied to
other sports. Why was it that whites tended to dominate such sports as tennis,
golf, swimming, hockey and gymnastics? Did whites possess some race-linked
physical characteristics that gave them an edge in these sports, or was it their
social environment that gave them an advantage? Why was it that Latinos
excelled in soccer, the Chinese in ping-pong, the Japanese in volleyball, the
Bulgarians in weightlifting, and the Germans in ice skating? Are we to assume
that all of these examples are a product of good genetics, or is it more logical to
assume that the sport an athlete gravitates to, and how well he performs in it, is
greatly contingent upon his social environment.
Perhaps James Michner put it best in his award-winning book Sports in
America. He said and I quote here:
I suspect that any group of people on earth has about the same
percentage of skilled physical specimens as any other. It is the
customs of society that determine whether or not the young men of
any one group seek excellence in athletics as a primary mode of
expression. Blacks dominate in many areas of American sports not
because they are racially superior, but because for generations,
sports have been the one area in which they had a chance to excel. I
know of few young white boys in the North whose dream of
excellence is to excel in sports, although there are still many in the
South. But there must be thousands of black youths who have no
other aspiration, especially those tall enough to play basketball.
Indeed, from a social/behavioral viewpoint, the success that the black
athletes demonstrate in sports can be explained largely in terms of what he has
learned from his social environment. But just as it is a mistake to attribute
success in sports to a purely physiological factor, it would be a mistake to
contribute such success solely to the athlete’s social environment. As a result,
the Academy took an even broader view of behavior and performance.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
Now here’s something that might freak you out. The Academy found that
some sports analysts and psychologists they interviewed believed that the reason
blacks dominated sports was not because of any physical characteristics, but
rather because of psychological factors. Indeed, studies by Thomas Tutko and
Bruce Ogilvie, two Academy staff researchers, revealed that in reference to
sports, blacks tended to exhibit greater self-confidence, mental toughness,
determination, optimism, and competitiveness.
Another Academy researcher, Ray Reilly, also presented considerable
evidence which indicated that blacks exhibit less fear, anxiety, and stress in
reference to sports competition.

Interestingly, there has been considerable research conducted which indicates

that the number one variable that correlates with athletic success is self-
confidence. Generally speaking, the more confident the athlete, the more
successful he is in his sport.

Of course, this research begged the question, “Is the black athletic
superiority due to some race-linked psychological factor?” Although there had
been few studies conducted to investigate this question, the experiments that had
been conducted are all in accord, indicating that there is no basis for a “racial
character.” Not surprisingly, most sports psychologists contended that
psychological factors such as self-confidence, mental toughness, and
determination are learned not inbred. In brief, most sports psychologists contend
that the behavioral characteristics which differentiate blacks from others were
not a part of an immutable genetic inheritance, but are merely social
acculturations which are reinforced by the success blacks have in sports. In the
simplest terms, blacks exhibit superior psychological characteristics because
they have been conditioned to think they are athletically superior. Conversely,
whites have been conditioned to believe they are inferior to blacks athletically.
Perhaps Dr. Edwards summed it up best when he said, “If the black athlete has
any psychological advantage, it is because the white athlete has psyched himself
to think so.”
THE HOLISTIC APPROACH
Which of the three viewpoints, the physical, the psychological, or the
social/behavioral, gives you the greatest understanding as to why the black
athlete is the greatest athlete in the world? As I have already mentioned, the
Academy believed it was all three of them taken together. Their major premise
was that there was no single cause for behavior. Rather, behavior was always
multi-dimensional. They contended that as individuals’ thoughts and actions are
always affected by biological inheritance, past experience, and present
environment. They further contended that to ignore any of the three main
viewpoints toward the mind-body connection would significantly limit our
understanding of why we think and act as we do.
Not surprisingly, most good sports psychologists adopted this line of
thinking. They are convinced that for an athlete to reach his optimum level of
performance, he would have to concern himself with all three systems. What an
athlete needs most according to most renowned sports psychologists is someone
who could help the athlete and coach put all the systems together to form an
integrated whole...someone who could teach them to get the most out of his
biological side, mental side, and social side. That line of thinking is the
foundation for what we are going to learn in this text.
CHAPTER 3
THE

POWERS OF THE MIND

There is a peculiar, even mysterious power of the mind that cannot be

articulated by the relationship of mind and body. The power is there, its
magnificence has been observed, but it is not yet totally understood. Perhaps it
never will be, but the power is there. Once man learns to unleash the reservoir
of power in his mind, there is no telling how great he can become. Without
question, the greatest gift that God has given us is our mind. Thomas A. Edison
once said, “The only reason we need a body is to carry the brain around.” In
other words, your brain is your governing force. It is a powerful instrument, far
more than most people realize, and far more so than the body. You have to
realize that the body serves the mind, not the other way around. I have
witnessed individuals turn their life completely around once they’ve discovered
the powers of their minds. It’s amazing and at times even scary to see an
individual go from nowhere right to the top in less than a year, simply because of
the powers of his mind. It’s hard to comprehend, but I have seen it happen more
than once.
I remember vividly the first time I witnessed the powers of the mind. It
was an awesome experience, one I most likely will never forget. It was a
demonstration of mind power conducted by a “yoga master” named Raja from
the Far East. This Swami, who was every bit of sixty years old, had been trained
in yoga since the time he had crawled out of his mother’s womb. It was rumored
that the Swami had been instructed by his own pedagogue to come to the
western world to teach us lesser folks what mind control was all about.
In all candor, the guy did not project an image of power. At best he looked
like a Kinder-Care dropout. He was dressed in what appeared to be an oversized
diaper, with a dirty bed sheet wrapped around his head. Not only that, but he
was so skinny that I doubt he could trip the automatic door at a grocery store. I
remember thinking, “If this guy has mind power, I don’t want anything to do
with it.” It didn’t take him long to convince me otherwise. Believe me, if this
guy had been a boxer, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis would still be looking for
their first world title.

He was just that awesome.

The first bit of magic that he performed was what he called the “changing
of colors.” While sitting in the middle of the room, he extended his arms so that
they were perpendicular to his body. He then closed his eyes. Almost instantly,
his right hand started turning bright red, while at the same time his left hand
turned a clammy gray.

Apparently, he had pulled off that little trick by controlling the blood flow to his
hands. If I had to guess, I would say that he probably visualized his one hand
over a flame, thereby bringing about vasodilation of the peripheral vessels and
redness of that hand. Conversely, he probably visualized his other hand over a
block of ice, bringing about vasoconstriction and the grayness in that hand. Like
I mentioned, an impressive little trick, but nothing to write the Enquirer about.

I still have trouble believing what followed, even though I saw it with my
own eyes. The Swami took a needle about six inches in length from a little
purse he was wearing across his shoulder.

With the needle held firmly in his right hand, he positioned its point so that it
was three inches above his left forearm. Then, without warning, he slammed the
needle through his forearm. The razor sharp needle pierced the tissue cleanly,
but to the amazement of everyone, not a trace of blood appeared. Not only that,
but when the Swami removed the needle from his forearm, the hole
disappeared. From that moment on, I was sold.

During the next half hour, I watched in amazement as the Swami walked
across white hot coals, held his hand over a flame, and burned his chest with a lit
cigarette. Actually, I shouldn’t say that he burned himself because when he
applied heat or fire to his body, nothing burned. It was as if his flesh was made
of asbestos.
What he did to conclude his act was the icing on the cake. First, he
hooked himself up to a physiograph so that his heart rate could be recorded. He
then played around a little by raising and lowering his heart rate. He took it up
to approximately 150 beats per minute and lowered it to about 30. After he got
tired of his little game of heart rate ping-pong, he leveled his heart rate at 70
beats per minute. Then, came the clincher! While monitoring his heart at
seventy beats per minute, he elevated it in the space of one beat to 240 beats per
minute. This resulted in atrial flutter, a condition in which the heart vibrates so
fast that the blood does not fill the chambers. The valves do not work and no
blood is pumped to the rest of the body. Some people who experience atrial
flutter can add their names to the checkout list, but the Swami sat there smiling.
It wasn’t long after I witnessed the Swami’s performance that the Public
Broadcasting System showed a documentary film of Swami Raja performing one
of his remarkable feats of mind control. A team of scientists monitored the
event to insure that what the Swami was doing was indeed genuine. The Swami
had electrodes pasted on his body to monitor his heart rate, respiration, skin
temperature, and brain waves via an electroencephalograph (EEG).
Subsequently, he was placed in an airtight tank that had a five minute oxygen
supply. Just before the door closed, the Swami’s bodily functions were as
follows: heart rate -- 68, respiration -- 12

per minute, skin temperature -- 91°F, EEG wave -- beta pattern, indicating
normal brain activity.

Five minutes later the Swami’s vital functions had dramatically changed:
heart rate -- 24, respiration -- 3

per minute, skin temperature -- 68°F, EEG waves -- alpha pattern, characteristic
of brain activity just before going to sleep. Incredibly, the yogi Swami Raja had
slowed his bodily functions, which at the time were thought to be under
involuntary control, to an almost unbelievably low level. The Swami remained
in the tank for thirty minutes, six times longer than the air supply would allow a
normally breathing person. When the tank door was opened, his bodily
functions quickly returned to normal and he emerged as healthy as ever.

How do the yogis perform these feats? The remarkable mental control
over the autonomic nervous system is acquired through years of mental imagery
training. Just how much control can a person acquire over his or her bodily
functions? Well, the answer to that may really surprise you.
Consider psychosomatic illness.

This is simply an illness that originates in the mind, but takes on physiological
symptoms. In other words, it’s someone who makes himself sick simply by
believing that he is sick. The American Medical Association has recently
indicated that more than 60 percent of the illnesses in the United States are
psychosomatic in nature. Doctors even treat such an illness by prescribing
medication in the form of a placebo. I am sure you know what a placebo is, but
just in case you don’t, it is an inert substance such as a sugar pill, which contains
no medicinal value. Its power lies in belief (there is that word again...belief).
The placebo is given to the patient to make him believe he has taken a powerful
and appropriate medicine for his symptoms.

Here is the real kicker...they work, with some individuals like magic.

Actually, placebos have a psychology of their own. Psychologists have

found that as a pill, a placebo works better when it is large and brown or small
and red. It also works better when it tastes slightly bitter. The one thing that
makes it work best is its price. The more you pay for this fraudulent pill, the
better the results. It is also better when injected intravenously rather than taken
orally. And, of course, as with any other medication, whether real or imagined,
two placebos work better than one placebo.
Another interesting aspect of placebos is that they can be used to work on
specific parts of the body.

Subjects who were suffering from asthma experienced bronchial dilation or

easier breathing after receiving a placebo. Subjects who were given a fake
stomach pill responded appropriately when they were told that the pill would
increase gastric activity. When they were given another placebo (a different
color this time) and told that their gastric sensations would decrease, once again
the appropriate response was elicited. Who says there is no magic in believing?

Here is something that will really freak you out...the mystical stigmata. It
is an experience where an ecstatic person is inflicted with the marks and
sufferings of the Passion of Christ...the crucifixion wounds of Christ. The
visible wounds appear on the side, palms, feet and head, and often appear and
disappear in the space of a few hours. They can appear in one area alone or in
all areas at once. Often, intense bleeding accompanies the wounds. Even more
amazing, physicians can not cure the wounds of the stigmata with traditional
remedies. Even more amazing, if the blood is wiped away from the wound it
immediately reappears. Also, stigmatic wounds do not get infected, a condition
referred to as “super immunity.” Also, unlike natural wounds of extended
duration, those of stigmatics do not give forth a foul odor nor does the flesh
decay.

Intriguingly, some stigmata wounds supposedly smell of roses and the skin is
smooth as glass.

Another interesting fact about stigmata is that it corresponds with the

Passion and Death of Christ. Many wounds appear during the Last Supper and
the holy days of Easter. They disappear on Easter itself. Stigmatics reportedly
speak to visions of Christ and angels during their trials and smell strange scents.
There are even reported cases of the blood types not matching between stigmata
blood wounds and the subject’s blood.
Padre Pio was one of the most famous stigmatics. He had stigmata for 50
years, bleeding up to a cup of blood a day. His wounds were open and sore his
whole life and he had to wear special gloves. Even with all that blood loss he
never experienced any type of edema or ill heath associated with the blood loss.
Current research has concentrated on how the mind can wound the body.
In the case of stigmatics for example, it has been long debated that the stigmata
is a psychosomatic effect brought on by intense prayer, i.e. asceticism, the more
you suffer, the closer you are to Christ. Researchers believe that the mind has a
very powerful influence over our physical being and vice versa. One of the
more interesting theories to explain this phenomenon is the idea of “theological
placebo effects.”

According to this line of thought, stigmatics are so emotionally and physically

tied to their belief that they experience a state of mind similar to ecstasy.

It is a fact that the immune system can be controlled by the waking mind, and in
some cases, a heartbeat can be consciously slowed. It is this belief that leads
some to think that the wounds of the stigmata are personally, albeit
unconsciously, produced.

Actually, the discipline of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) was created to

study the mind-body connection and its impact on the immune system and
disease. Psychoneuroimmunology brings together knowledge from multiple
fields of study in endocrinology, immunology, psychology, neurology and other
fields. Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of how all these mechanisms and
bodily functions interact to produce states of health and disease. Through
clinical research, neuroscientists are beginning to discover pathways between the
brain and body that may show how it is possible for the mind to influence the
immune system. In one study, for example, 14 subjects with seemingly
intractable warts on both sides of their body were given the suggestion that all of
the warts on the right side of their body would disappear. Within three weeks
the results were indisputably positive. In the experimental subjects, all or nearly
all of the warts on the suggested side had vanished, while the warts on the
control group remained the same in size and number. Amazingly, the warts on
the left side of the experimental subjects also remained intact. Other studies
revealed that through visualization or mental imagery, such diseases as cancer,
diabetes, arthritis, asthma, hepatitis and bronchitis were cured.
Here is something else that might interest you. Have you ever heard of
pseudocyesis? Actually, you probably have, you just don’t recognize the word.
Pseudocyesis is imaginary pregnancy in women usually resulting from a strong
desire or need for motherhood. In the absence of conception, the menstrual
periods nevertheless cease, the abdomen becomes enlarged and the breasts swell
and even secrete milk, mimicking genuine pregnancy. The uterus and cervix
may show signs of pregnancy, urine tests may be falsely positive, and the
woman may report sensations of fetal movements. A woman may believe in her
pregnancy to the point of delusions and show acute depression when no baby is
born. It has been suggested that depression can sometimes alter the activity of
the pituitary gland so as to cause hormone level changes that mimic the hormone
changes of real pregnancy.
And how about couvade? Couvade is the common but poorly understood
phenomenon whereby the expectant father experiences somatic symptoms
during the pregnancy for which there is no recognized physiological basis. The
couvade syndrome is considered to be psychosomatic. Symptoms commonly
include indigestion, increased or decreased appetite, weight gain, diarrhea or
constipation, headache, and toothache.

Basically the same symptoms that a women experiences during pregnancy. The
onset of these symptoms is usually during the third gestational month with a
secondary rise in the late third trimester. Symptoms generally resolve with
childbirth. Couvade has been seen as an expression of somatized anxiety,
pseudo-sibling rivalry, identification with the fetus, ambivalence about
fatherhood, a statement of paternity, or parturition envy.

An even more astonishing example of the power of the mind and its effect
on behavior is seen among those who practice voodooism. In some primitive
cultures it is believed that the witch doctor has magical or voodoo powers that
are strong enough to kill or cure members of their tribe. If someone in the
village angers the witch doctor, he may cast a spell on the person. This is
usually accomplished by pointing a bone or magic wand at the person while
muttering some dreadful curse or incantation. If the individual believes that the
witch doctor has the power over life and death, he may actually die within a few
days after the spell has been cast. Researchers who were highly skeptical of
voodoo deaths actually went to such countries as Haiti and Egypt to investigate
such deaths. Guess what? In less than two years they were actually able to
confirm more than 50

“Voodoo deaths.”

These Africans and Haitians are convinced that if a spell has been cast
upon you, it will come to pass. This is somewhat like the “nocebo effect,” the
opposite of the placebo, where a negative expectation becomes a “self-fulfilling
prophesy.” In other words, “as we think, so we become.” For instance, if you
are of the opinion that accidents come in threes, and you have had two already
and you believe you are destined to have the third accident, get ready because
there is a good chance you will have it.
Without question, the human mind is a miracle. It is limitless. No one has
even guessed its potential. Believe me, the powers of the brain are literally
beyond human comprehension. Brain researchers estimate that even prodigies
don’t use more than a fraction of their brain’s potential. “If man used the full
potential of his brain,” says Dr. Stephan Berhardt, a leading neurophysiologist,
“he would most likely cross the parameters of mortality. He would become
Godlike.” Think about that.

What an awesome gift God has given us.

I venture to say that one of the greatest mistakes that an athlete can make
is to sell his mind short.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what a lot of athletes do.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what a lot of athletes do.
THE MIND
In 1957, a neurosurgeon named Wilder Penfield was performing a cranial
operation on a patient under local anesthesia. During the course of the
operation, Penfield accidentally stimulated a part of the patient’s temporal cortex
with a weak electrical current. Immediately, the patient who was conscious
during the cerebral cortex exploration began to relive an incident that had
occurred when he was five years old. When Penfield stimulated a different
portion of the temporal lobe, the subjected relived an experience that took place
when he was nine years old. From this experience Penfield discovered that by
stimulating certain areas of the brain, he could evoke specific imgrams
(memories) of the subject’s past in vivid detail. Not only would the electrical
stimulation evoke past events that were recorded in the subject’s memory banks,
but it would also elicit the feelings and sensations associated with those
memories. For instance, if Penfield stimulated an imgram in which the subject,
let’s say, fell out of a tree, he would not only envision himself falling out of the
tree, but he would also experience emotions of the event...the fear of falling and
even the pain associated with hitting the ground. Just as incredible was the fact
that when Penfield took the electrical stimulator away from the brain, the recall
of the event would stop. When he placed the electrical stimulator back on the
same point on the brain, the same experience would again be relived.

From hundreds of similar experiences after this initial discovery, Penfield

concluded that the brain is a highly complex computer which is capable of
storing and recalling recorded events.

Penfield’s mind-computer analogy is kind of an understatement. Actually,

your brain is a lot more sophisticated than any computer ever slapped together.
Do you know how many storage units are contained in that six inch square on
top of your shoulders? Ten billion!

That’s billion with a B. In order to construct a computer as comprehensive and

sophisticated as your brain, a company like IBM would need a chamber as big as
the Empire State Building to house it and enough electricity to light up New
York City for a week to run it for an hour. It’s mind-boggling when you think
about it.

Anyway, if we accept the mind-computer analogy (and there is a prolific

amount of neuro-physiological research that indicates that we should accept it),
we must also accept the major premise governing the science of cybernetics.
Briefly and simply, that premise states that computer performance is directly
related to computer input. In other words, our brain or computer will respond
directly to the way it has been programmed. If we fill our brain with positive,
happy thoughts, we will respond in direct proportion to that programming. In
essence, we will tend to be positive and happy. Conversely, if we bombard our
brains with negative thoughts, we will respond negatively. It’s the old garbage
in garbage out principal.
Of course, if we respond directly to the way our brain has been
programmed, it would only make sense that we would want to program our
brains in a positive manner. The obvious question then is how do you program a
human computer? That’s easy. It works the same way IBM’s computers work.
In case you didn’t know, computer language is actually a complex series of
electrical circuits. At the input terminal of a computer (the keyboard), words are
typed into the machine. The computer then converts the input into an electrical
current and circulates it through its memory banks. The typed “input,” now an
electrical current, is modified by the attitudes and responses that have been
previously programmed into the computer. After the incoming information is
processed, it is sent to the output terminal (screen) where it is once again
converted into words and numbers.
Guess what! That’s exactly how your brain and nervous system work. In
truth, IBM stole the whole idea from God. That’s right! They used the brain
that God gave us as their prototype.

Talk about copyright infringements. Here’s how it all went down. A couple of
those brainy people at IBM noticed that human beings receive incoming
information from their various senses...human input terminals. They then
discovered that all of this incoming information...feelings, words,
sensations...are converted into electrical current and circulated through the
nervous system and the brain. The attitudes and responses that have been
previously programmed into the brain modify the electrical current or incoming
information. Then, it is sent to the output terminals (lips, tongue, vocal chords,
hands and feet) where it is converted into actions.

Sound familiar?
 Remember I told you that IBM stole the idea. Those brainy people looked
at the human brain and said, “We can do that!” And they did, only not as well.
Of course, the important point of all this is that the brain is a highly complex
computer that is programmed by words, thoughts, and actions.
WHAT GOES ON IN THE BRAIN WHEN IT IS HAVING AN
EXPERIENCE?
A couple of decades ago Dr. Brian Fisher and a few of his buddies at
Michigan State University were sitting in the lab drinking coffee and playing
Old Maids when all of a sudden Brian got this incredibly neat idea. His idea was
to investigate what went on in the brain when it was having an experience.
Everyone thought it was a great idea except for Harry Swartz, who was
reportedly holding the Old Maid. So, while Swartz was complaining, the people
in the lab got a number of subjects together and hooked them up to an
electroencephalograph (EEG) so that they could record their brain waves.
While the subjects sat in the lab all wired up, the experimenter introduced
them to various experiences: a gunshot, a woman’s scream, and a dog running
across the room. After each experience, they checked the reading on the EEG to
see how the brain responded. After a number of trials, one of the researchers got
a “brainy” idea. He theorized that the brain responded to physical events in the
same manner that it responded to conceptualized events. For instance, when the
subject watched the dog walk across the room, light from the dog was converted
to electricity at the subject’s retina, passed over his optic nerve, and stimulated
his brain. Consequently, the subject saw the dog. The dog was envisioned in the
subject’s brain even though a dog outside his body caused it.
Of course, the question asked by the researchers was, “How would the
brain respond if the subject just visualized the dog walking across the room?”
They decided to find out. The subjects were blindfolded and asked to visualize
the dog, the gunshot, and the woman screaming. When the brain waves recorded
for the imagined experience were compared with the brain waves recorded for
the real experience, they found them to be absolutely identical.
What did this mean? Simply that the brain and nervous system cannot
distinguish between an experience that is real or one that is imagined. It only
follows then that an imaginary experience is just as much a conditioner of
attitudes, habits, and responses as a real experience. Of course, if an individual
closes his eyes and vividly visualizes himself performing a particular behavior,
his brain will actually process that information in the exact same manner that it
would if he had performed that behavior in real life. Hey, that’s not all, it gets
better!
IDEOMOTOR CONCEPT
A researcher at the University of Texas named Sherman Smith later
discovered that not only will mental imagery condition our mind, but it will also
condition our body. What Smith found was that when the brain conceives of an
idea, it generates impulses throughout the body which facilitates neurons of the
body to perform the idea being conceived. For example, Smith showed that
when weightlifters lied down and visualized themselves performing a lift, the
imagery actually resulted in subliminal activity in the muscles associated with
the imagined performance.
To illustrate this concept further, let’s assume that as you visualized
yourself performing a bench press (of course any skill could be visualized) there
was someone in the room observing you. As he watched you run through this
mental conceptualization, he would see no muscle movement in your shoulders
or arm. However, if he hooked your chest and arms to an electromyography
(EMG), he would not only be able to get a muscular reading, but he would
actually be able to tell which muscle groups were coming into play during the
conceptualized version of the bench press. Of course, the strength of the
impulse is not as strong as one that is being generated through actual
performance. Still, neuromuscular activity is present. The beauty of this is that
by visualizing your performance, you are actually doing two things that will
make the real “lift” easier. First, since the brain cannot distinguish between
what is real and what is imagery, you are programming your brain to believe that
you have actually made the “lift,” thereby increasing your self-confidence.
Second, you are also programming your body because as your brain conceives of
making the “lift,” there is a cortical spill over (brain messages) which facilitates
the neurons in the body to perform the idea that is being conceived.
Well, there you have it, a theoretical blueprint of the working of the mind.
But don’t get too excited. Just because you know how something works doesn’t
mean you can make it work for you. I will show you how to do that.
CHAPTER 4
COGNITIVE

STRATEGIES

Since your brain is a computer and it is programmed by words, thoughts,

and actions, it is imperative that every word, thought, and action be a concise,
positive affirmation. I cannot emphasize that point enough. Keeping with the
mind-computer analogy, we are the absolute product of the events we
experience. The environment in which we function, the people with whom we
interact, and the thoughts that we entertain are all data constructs by which we
are programmed. Therefore, the environment in which we operate should be
stimulating and progressive. The people with whom we interact should be
enthusiastic and positive. The words and thoughts we entertain should be
powerful and positive. There is no way around it because computer (brain)
performance is directly related to computer input.

Program yourself to be positive, and you’ll be positive. Program yourself with

negatives, and you’ll be negative. It’s just that simple or so it would seem.

Actually, it is a little trickier than most people realize. Let me explain why.
THE POWER OF WORDS
Anytime we think about something, we are in a sense talking to ourselves.
Anytime we talk to ourselves, we are in a sense thinking. Consequently, when
we talk to ourselves, the words we use have an impact on the way we think. Of
course, when we hear words coming from our external environment, they are
also converted into thought. Obviously then, words are pretty important. If
you’re like most people though, you probably haven’t given words much thought
(no pun intended). Well, get ready because I am going to change your thinking
about words (pun intended). The first thing you need to realize is that words
have no meaning in their own right...they are simply symbols. We give words
their essence and meaning. Consequently, the power and influence that words
have on us are directly related to our social conditioning.
Let me give you an example. Most African Americans that I have met
over the years prefer to be identified as black. In all truth, I believe that this is a
mistake of significant proportions. Before you label me as a racist, let me
explain. First of all, none of the African Americans I have met are black. Black
is...well, the color of your car tires. None of them are even close to being that
color. They are more like brown or pecan tan...certainly not black. In fact, I
have never seen an African American who was black. One of my colleagues
happens to be an African American and he is...well, the color of our tires...see,
there is always an exception to the rule.
Anywho, you are probably thinking what’s the big deal...black, pecan tan,
who the hell cares? Well, the major reason you might not want to use the word
black to describe someone is that the connotation for the word black is negative.
In fact, I can’t think of too many instances where the word black represents
something good. Conversely, the connotation for the word white, the word used
to describe Caucasians is extremely positive. It might be noted that you won’t
find any white Caucasians either. Paper is white. Did you ever see a Caucasian
who is white as paper? If you did, he was probably dead.
Let’s look at the connotations of these two words and how they are used in
society. For instance, a good guy wears a white hat. A bad guy wears a black
hat. If you are into bad magic, you are into black magic, but if you are into good
magic, you are into white magic. If you commit a sin, you get a black mark on
your soul. However, if you are forgiven for your sin, your soul becomes white
and pure. Black witches are evil and white witches are good. Black cats bring
bad luck and white cats bring good luck. Angel’s food cake is white. Devil’s
food cake is black. If you are a good girl, you get married in a white dress, but if
you are a bad girl, you get married in a...wait a minute, that may have changed.
I am sure you get the idea. Just about everything that is described by the word
black is bad, and everything described as white is good.
The point is that words are merely input “symbols” by which we program
our minds. Thus, if the words we choose evoke negative connotations, we are in
effect programming ourselves in a negative manner. From a strictly psycho-
cybernetic standpoint, it is better to address African Americans as such rather
than as blacks.
Another thing you need to realize is that words are capable of evoking
images in the mind, which in turn can bring about physiological reactions
appropriate to the conceived images. For example if I say to you “stand up,”
most likely you would not envision in your mind’s eye the letters S-T-A-N-D U-
P, but rather an image of yourself standing up. In short, the mind converts the
words we use into mental images. The body then responds appropriately to what
the mind conceives. It’s the old “what your mind conceives, your body
believes” axiom.
Actually, this very concept has been consistently demonstrated in
laboratory experiments that were designed to study the effects of autogenic
training, a relaxation technique that is used in Europe. Subjects who were told to
visualize their limbs as being heavy, consistently brought about heaviness in
their muscles as measured by an electromyograph. The reverse was found when
the subjects were instructed to visualizing the sensation of lightness in their
limbs.
Other studies have revealed that words and thoughts could raise and lower
body temperature, secrete hormones, dilate and constrict arteries, and raise and
lower pulse rate. Such research indicates the power that words can have upon
performance and the need to be conscious of the language we use.
Unfortunately, few individuals are aware that words can have a significant effect
upon performance. Of course, now you know. So the first thing you need to do
is to start using powerful positive words to build a powerful mind and body.
THINK POSITIVE
Magnus Ver Magnuson, the world’s strongest man, once said that in order
to be successful, you have to conceive, believe, and achieve. Simple statement,
but it is very profound. It is easy for most individuals to conceive themselves as
being successful, even great.

Magnuson mentioned in his autobiography that during his early days of

competition, he was always sitting around visualizing, or maybe a better word
would be fantasying, about breaking world records or winning gold medals. He
never had a problem conjuring up images of himself doing something
spectacular. The problem was that in his heart he really didn’t believe he could
reach such heights. However, once he learned to believe that he could achieve
such things, achieving them, he said, was rather easy.

Obviously, there is a big difference between conceiving yourself as being

great and actually believing that you are going to be great. Once you believe
that you can be great, achieving your goals is just a short step away. Belief is
the “deus ex machina” or the “magic elixir” that can transform mediocre
individuals into world class human beings. Believing opens the doors for
success. Nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself. Anyone can do
amazing things regardless of who they are or what their circumstances are. They
can become or do whatever they want if they put their minds to it.
As the saying goes, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re
right.” There is magic in believing.

You are what you think you are, and you become what you think you will
become.

I don’t want to belabor this point, but it’s just that simple. If you believe, you
can go beyond what other people think is your breaking point, you most likely
will transcend that barrier. Indeed, you can go beyond even what you may think
is your breaking point...if you believe. Let me say it one more time...you can do
anything if you put your mind to it. If you believe, there is just no telling what
heights you can reach.

Naturally, the question is, “How do you get to the point where you really
believe in yourself?” The answer is so simple that I am afraid to tell you for fear
that you will stop reading. You see most people are looking for complex
answers to simple problems. They tend to let their minds get in the way of their
progress. Accordingly, when you give them simple solutions to their problems,
they tend to dismiss the answer because it sounds too simple for it to work.
Worse yet, they look at you like you’re Gomer Pyle. With the hope that you will
see things differently, I am going to tell you the secret to believing in yourself.
THINK POSITIVELY!

That’s right, think positively.

As mentioned, the mind is a highly sophisticated computer with awesome

potential, but just like IBM’s computers, it’s only as good as its programming.
Also as mentioned, according to the principles governing the science of
cybernetics, computer performance is directly related to computer input. If you
program your brain with negative affirmations, you’re going to respond
negatively (garbage in garbage out).

However, if you program your mind with positive affirmations, you’re going to
respond positively. It’s that simple. Like I already mentioned, you are the sum
product of the events you experience...the environment in which you function,
the people with whom you interact and the thoughts that you entertain are all
data constructs by which you are programmed. If you constantly entertain
positive thoughts and events, you will develop a positive mentality.

There is no way around it.

The great thing is that positive thinking always works if it’s used properly.
The problem is that many times people don’t understand the nature or process of
positive thinking. Positive thinkers do not deny that negative things happen or
that failure exists. They simply refuse to dwell on such events. Rather, they
look for the positive element in each situation and build upon it. Concisely,
positive thinking is a form of thought, which habitually siphons the positive
element in each situation and builds upon it. Of course, when you seek out the
good in a particular situation, you are more likely than not to find it. Note also,
that seeking the positive is a deliberate systematic process. It takes effort and
concentration. It requires hard work, perseverance and discipline. It is not easy
to perfect, but positive thinking will work if you are willing to work at it. I
promise. But don’t take my word for it, try it...you’ll like it.
For the next seven days make an honest effort to bombard your mind with
positive affirmations. When you wake up in the morning, think that you are
strong, powerful, and happy, whether you feel that way or not. Throughout the
day, reinforce these feelings and thoughts. If at times negative concepts enter
into your mind, stop yourself from dwelling on those thoughts, analyze why you
are having them, and manipulate them into positive affirmations.
At first, you may find these concepts phony or artificial, but the more you
persist and force these positive thoughts into your mind, the more realistic they
become. Eventually, you will transform yourself from a tired, dull person into a
happy, enthusiastic human being full of life and energy. Better yet, you’ll begin
to believe, and when you believe in yourself, nothing will defeat you. Nothing!
A word of warning concerning positive thinking...it’s not magic. There’s
no way you’re going to pass your midterm exams just by thinking about it. The
only thing positive thinking can move is you. Sitting around thinking that you’re
great won’t make you great.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of guys sitting around in mental institutions who
think they are God! How positive can you be? But those guys aren’t exactly
setting the world on fire. Belief is ineffective without action. All of the positive
thinking in the world won’t make you great, but positive thinking, sound goals,
and hard work will. You can believe that.
PSYCHIC DRIVING
One method that can help you develop self-confidence and ultimately
enhance performance is “psychic driving.” Actually, psychic driving is just a
fancy phrase for positive self-talk. Basically, it’s the same type of psychological
masturbation that Muhammad Ali used prior to a fight. You know the dialogue,
“Oh, I’m so beautiful. I’m so great. I’ve had hundreds of fights, and my face is
still as soft and pretty as a baby’s bootie. I’m so great! I float like a butterfly
and sting like a bee. I’m the best! I’m so fast, so strong, I scare myself.

Oh...I’m Great!”

Interestingly, when Ali ran down that “rap,” everyone called it -trash talk,”
and it was considered a “No! No!”

by most coaches and athletes. Now that it has a fancy name, it’s not only
acceptable, but it’s encouraged. Good thing too, because running a rap, trash
talk, psychic driving, self-talk, or anything else you want to call, it can be
extremely effective in enhancing confidence and performance. It can be
especially effective in helping you to increase your self-confidence and your
motivation to succeed.

Technically speaking, the method consists of making statements or

affirmations that reflect positive attitudes or thoughts about yourself. Obviously,
the more frequently you bombard your brain with positive affirmation, the more
positive you’ll become. You can use psychic driving every day. When you
wake up each morning, tell yourself that you feel strong, powerful, and happy.
Also, tell yourself that you can do anything. Then, constantly reinforce these
concepts throughout the day, always suggesting that you are great and that there
is nothing you cannot do.
And guess what? Eventually you will believe it! In order to get the most
out of psychic driving, there are a few suggestions you might want to follow.
Research has revealed that the most effective affirmations are ones that are both
believable and vivid. Experimental studies have also found that spontaneous
suggestions, those that capture the true feelings of a successful experience, are
the best to utilize.
Consequently, power words such as “I feel strong and powerful. I feel confident
and self-assured” are good phrases to use right before you have to perform in a
pressure situation. Words like “easy,” “relax,” and “calm” are important when
trying to maintain your composure.

Another thing to consider is negative self-talk. As mentioned, research has

consistently revealed that negative talk will produce undesirable effects upon an
individual’s

self-concept and performance. Unfortunately, most people are not even aware
that they make negative statements, nor are they aware of the powerful impact
that words have on their feelings and behavior. For this reason, it is imperative
that you are aware of the dialogue you use. In fact, the key to enhance control of
self-talk is to become aware of what you say to yourself.

If by chance you find yourself saying something negative, STOP yourself,

analyze why you used a negative, and manipulate it into a positive

affirmation. By self-monitoring your words, you will eventually be able to

eliminate the negative and focus on the positive.
SCRIPTING
A modification of psychic driving is a method called scripting. Scripting
is a written or tape-recorded dialogue, which is designed to enhance self-
confidence and performance. A brief example of scripting would be as follows:
“Today is going to be a great day. I feel refreshed and wonderful. There
is nothing that I can’t accomplish today. Whatever comes my way, I can handle.
I have the talent, ability, and most importantly, the attitude to finish on top...etc.
etc. etc.”
This may seem a little extreme, but remember, it works. It’s a good idea to
write your own scripts. After all, nobody knows what turns you on like you do.
Wasn’t that what Pee Wee Herman said? Be careful to say words and statements
that will elicit the emotional response you want at that particular time. Get the
hang of making statements that elicit totally positive images.
Avoid all negative words such as “don’t,” “not,” “no,” and so on. For
example, “I am not tired would be better phrased “I feel fresh and energetic.”
Think of words that motivate or emotionally stimulate you. These words are
known as “trigger” words. One way to find trigger words and positive
statements is to review books on positive thinking. Once you have a good script,
you might want to record it on tape. This will grant you the freedom of listening
to the script while driving, lying in bed, or even while bathing.
Many individuals who use scripting to enhance their performance listen to
their tapes prior to their work, school sessions, or prior to competition in order to
get mentally prepared for what they have to accomplish. As mentioned, the
more you use positive affirmations, the more positive and powerful you will
become. However, a word of caution, while you cannot overuse the scripting
technique itself, you can reach a saturation point with a script that is played to ad
nauseam (neat word, huh...it means to a sickening degree). Therefore, it is a
good idea to have different scripts available and use them randomly.
MOTIVATIONAL TAPES
Some individuals find it useful to buy commercially produced
motivational tapes. Several tapes now on the market utilize sessions to enhance
relaxation and motivation. You can also purchase tapes that are designed to help
your self-confidence. If you decide to use a commercial tape, make sure that the
motivational sessions are preceded by a three to five minute relaxation
procedure. There is considerable research that indicates that suggestions that are
paired with relaxation are more effective than suggestions alone.
Also, try to find tapes that contain words or phrases that will meet your
specific needs. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Commercial tapes are
generic in nature. Thus, they seldom meet the specific needs of each individual.
It goes without saying that tapes developed specifically for enhancing athletic
performance are your best bet. If you want my opinion, and you’re going to get
it whether you want it or not, you’ll be better off making your own tapes. It’s a
lot cheaper, and you can design the tapes to meet your specific need. Like I said
before, you know what turns you on better than anyone else.
COVERT TRAINING
Another way to enhance your mental powers is to paint pictures in your
mind or engage in covert training. You don’t have to belong to Shirley
McClain’s fan club to do this. It’s not that metaphysical. Actually, what I am
talking about here is simply human imagery or visualization.
In recent years, psychologists have identified human imagery as one of the
most promising techniques for enhancing performance. There is a good reason
imagery is such a hot item...namely it works like r-e-e-a-1 well. In point of fact,
some research indicates that mental imagery is just as effective in facilitating
performance as physical practice.
Covert training is actually no more than mental training. It’s a method in
which no overt response is necessary. With this method, the individual mentally
or covertly visualizes as vividly as possible the behavior that he is trying to
perfect. For instance, if you were trying to improve your piano playing, typing
skills, or maybe even your golf game, you would lie down, close your eyes and
induce deep muscle relaxation. Once you are totally relaxed, you would then
visualize yourself performing the behavior you are trying to improve. By
mentally rehearsing the aforementioned scenario, you are preparing yourself for
the real life situation. There are a number of reasons this is effective and I am
going to tell you what those reasons are.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL IMAGERY
One thing that should concern you is how to visualize. In recent years,
sports psychologists have identified two types of mental imagery as it pertains to
physical performance and mental conditioning. These are known as internal and
external imagery. Generally speaking, internal imagery is kinesthetic imagery in
which the athlete perceives his or her task at hand from within one’s body. In
this type of imagery, the

individuals see the event as if they were looking through their own eyes, but do
not see their own bodies. For instance, if you were using internal imagery to
visualize yourself squatting, you would see the rack, the bar, and the weights. If
you were very good at the technique, you would probably also be able to feel
yourself performing the lift.

External imagery, on the other hand, is more visual in nature. In this type
of imagery, the individuals see themselves performing as if from afar, or as if
they were viewing their own performance on their own screens. Naturally, the
question now is which technique is the best one to use?
Well, actually there is no clear cut answer to that question. There is some
research which seems to indicate that internal imagery is superior. In all candor
though, the research in this area is riddled with considerable methodological
inadequacies. In other words, it stinks. Perhaps the best study in this area was
conducted by B.D. Hale in 1982. Hale brought a number of world class athletes
into his lab and wired their biceps to an electromyography (EMG). After the
athletes were wired, Hale had them visualize themselves doing curls first using
internal imagery, and later external imagery. Hale consistently found that the
athletes experienced greater biceps muscle activity as recorded by the EMG
when the lifters used internal imagery. Likewise, other electromyographic
studies recorded that internal imagery elicited greater EMG activity in muscle
groups where a particular exercise or skill was visualized. Naturally, just
because internal imagery generates greater muscle EMG activity, this does not
mean that it is better in terms of facilitating physical performance. Actually,
there are a few studies which have reported that neither method is superior.
Considering everything, it would seem that some type of guided combination of
the two techniques would be most beneficial. However, if you were to choose,
internal imagery would probably be the wisest choice.
 Before you use either technique, there are a few other things you need to
know about imagery. First of all, research has shown that there seems to be a
linear relationship between skill level and the effectiveness of imagery in
facilitating performance. Generally speaking, the more skilled the athlete, the
more useful mental rehearsal techniques will be to them. For instance, research
has consistently shown that highly skilled athletes benefit more from imagery
than novice athletes. This is probably due to the fact that highly skilled athletes
have a much clearer concept of what constitutes perfect form for the skill they
are developing.

Interestingly, there are some studies which actually indicate that for world class
athletes, mental practice can actually be more beneficial than physical practice.

It is also important to note that if you visualize improper techniques or

inappropriate responses, it may actually cause a decrement in performance. If an
athlete visualizes himself performing skills with imperfect form, he is actually
programming his mind and body to perform the skills improperly. It’s the old
mind conceives, body believes trick. In short, the body is just as capable of
learning the wrong response as it is of learning the correct response. The
research is clear on this point. In actuality, it has been found that negative
imagery is more powerful in causing decrements in performance than positive
imagery is in facilitating athletic performance. For this reason, it is imperative
that you thoroughly understand the biomechanics of the sport you are
participating in.
In my powerlifting training, I went to great lengths to obtain
biomechanical analysis of the form I wanted in each skill. For example, I had a
series of cameras set up to photograph my lifts from different angles,
concentrating all the while on using correct form. I had a cartoonist and a
biomechanics expert devise a series of drawings that portrayed the affected
muscle groups for each segment of the lift. This was of value in my imagery
training because it provided me with a clear picture of myself executing lifts
while employing perfect form. In the event that you do not have access to such
sophisticated personnel, you may approximate what I attempted to achieve by
acquiring a copy of Gray’s Anatomy and examining the muscle insertion,
movement, and enervation required to perform the skill you want to perfect. It
may not be necessary to go to such great lengths, but the more you understand
about the biomechanics of the skill, the more effective your imagery training
will be.
Without question, imagery is a skill that requires considerable practice and
hard work. However, once you perfect it, your performance will increase
significantly. I flat guarantee it.
GUIDELINES FOR VISUALIZATION TRAINING
In order to use mental imagery effectively, there are a few simple
guidelines you will need to follow.

1. Induce Deep Muscle Relaxation

Research has consistently revealed that imagery combined with relaxation
is significantly more effective than imagery alone. Actually, relaxation is an
excellent method for desensitizing fear and anxiety. Understand that relaxation
and anxiety are antagonistic to each other. It is impossible to be anxious and
relaxed at the same time. When an individual achieves deep muscle relaxation,
he cannot experience anxiety or the physiological arousal associated with the
stimulus. Thus, by continually pairing an anxiety or fear-provoking stimulus
with deep muscle relaxation, the subject will eventually learn to relax in the
presence of the stressful stimulus. I will talk more about the significance of
relaxation in chapter 5 on relaxation strategies. Still, it is an important concept
to understand, and sometimes saying things more than once drives the point
home. Okay! I know that you know I get paid by the word. Hey! Give me a
break here.
Anywho, even if the situation is not that stressful, it is still to your
advantage to mentally rehearse your performance while under deep muscle
relaxation, because in essence, you are developing an association reflex between
your performance and deep muscle relaxation. In this manner, your chances of
being calm and composed while engaging in the behavior will be greatly
enhanced. The ability to bring about deep muscle relaxation while in stressful
situations will not only improve your performance in those situations, but also
allows you to resist burning up valuable energy by controlling your anxiety
level.
2. Visualize as Vividly as Possible
Research has revealed that the more vivid an individual can visualize the
behavior he is practicing, the more significant the improvement. As mentioned,
individuals differ in their ability to form mental images. Some individuals can
visualize in technicolor, others in black and white, and some individuals claim
that they can only think in words rather than in pictures. As with any skill, the
ability to visualize will improve with practice. The more you practice, the better
you will get at producing vivid imagery. When you visualize something, you
should be able to focus on the image vividly. You should be able to see the
image, its shape, color, and all the sensations associated with it. In imagery
training, the visual, auditory, olfactory, taste, tactile, and kinesthetic senses are
all important. By using all your senses, you will be able to create more vivid
images. Even the emotions associated with your various experiences are
important in practicing imagery. In using imagery to desensitize anxiety, fear, or
anger, you must be able to recreate those emotions in your mind.
One thing that you can do to improve your visualization skills is to become
more observant. When you are training or competing, take mental notes of your
surroundings. Try to become more aware of all the sensations that are
present...sights, sounds, and smells. Also, try to be more conscious of the
feelings you are experiencing during this time. Focus on your strengths: feelings
of power, confidence, and success are the types of feelings you want to mentally
record. It’s a good idea to mentally rehearse successful experiences right after
they occur, if possible. Close your eyes and vividly see the skill that you have
just performed. Once again, make sure that your mental images are as you
would see them through your own eyes. It cannot be overemphasized that, as
with any skill, the more you practice, the more proficient you will become. In
brief, the more you visualize, the more your visualization skills will improve.

3. Mental Rehearsal
Recent studies have revealed that the best results are obtained when
individuals use mental images which include movement or action, rather than
static position. According to Lars Eric, a renowned researcher in
psychophysiology, “More positive results were found when individuals were
instructed to use mental images of action than when they created mental images
that focused on static mental pictures.” Because motion is essential to any
performance, movement and one’s response to changing circumstances created
by movement must be included in mental rehearsal. Consequently, to get the
best results from your mental imagery training, you should create moving mental
images that will allow you to respond fully to your environment.
4. Use Internal Imagery
Although the research is not entirety in accord, it seems that internal
imagery may allow more realistic images than external imagery. Internal
imagery seems to help the individual to become more aware of how his body
feels during the performance. Concisely, try to visualize your performance as if
you were seeing it through your own eyes rather than through the eyes of a
spectator. Try not to visualize your performance as if you were standing back
and watching it. Take more of an active part, live the performance, feel it as if it
were actually taking place right then and there. Note however, if you tend
naturally to imagine externally or if you don’t feel comfortable with internal
imagery, feel free to use external imagery.

5. Be Realistic About What You Visualize

For instance, if you are typing 20 words a minute, you wouldn’t want to
visualize yourself typing 150 words a minute. Research has revealed that
unrealistic imagery is significantly less effective than imagery that is realistic
and consistent with the individual’s ability. Obviously, mental imagery is not
magic. It cannot take you beyond your genetic parameters. In a word, it is
better to visualize a performance that is just out of reach rather than imagining
one that is completely unrealistic.

6. Never Use Imagery That Is Negative

Visualize only positive mental images. Remember that you can learn
negative responses as well as positive ones. Therefore, never picture yourself
doing anything wrong. Always see yourself as being confident, relaxed and
positive.
I cannot over emphasize that, as with any skill, the more you practice
visualizing, the more proficient you will become. In short, the more you
visualize, the more your power of visualization will improve. With a little
imagination, you can see how this type of conditioning could be used to increase
your self-confidence, motivation, and assertiveness. Better yet, it grants you the
ability to program your mind and body to act as a positive person would act.
Think, act, and most importantly, see yourself as being confident and self-
assured. END OF STORY!
CHAPTER 5
ANXIETY AND ITS EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE
Kenny Norton vs. George Foreman. It was being billed as the fight of the
year. It turned out to be the slaughter of the century. Just in case your memory
fails you, or you were never into boxing, I will tell you what went down. At the
time, Foreman was considered invincible. He had literally destroyed every
opponent that was put in front of him. He was so powerful that he could knock
the bad breath out of you with one blow. In his world title fight against Joe
Frazier, Foreman beat poor Joe around the ring like a rag doll. He knocked him
down six times in the first seven rounds and beat him into a bloody pulp of
unconsciousness in the eighth round. When they revived Frazier a few minutes
later, the ring doctor asked him if he was okay. Frazier replied, “I wull lite a
pissa with anchovy and estra cheez.” It was a good ten minutes later when
Frazier changed his order to three extra strength Excedrin and an ice pack.
Of course, Frazier wasn’t the only guy who Foreman beat the IQ out of. In
fact, mental irregularity was quite common among Foreman’s former
opponents. His devastation was so complete and awesome that the Mattel Toy
Company came out with a George Foreman doll. It was great. You would wind
it up, let it go and it would beat the hell out of you for three minutes...a great gift
for a nosy neighbor or mother-in-law.
In short, George Foreman was an “ass kicker” of major proportions.
Norton, on the other hand, was considered a highly skilled boxer with a good
right hand. How good was Norton’s right hand? Good enough to shatter
Muhammad Ali’s jaw. Good enough to put Dwayne Bobick into the land of OZ
just 57 seconds into the first round of their fight.
Was Norton’s right hand good enough to defeat Foreman? The betting
line was against Norton and for once, Jimmy The Greek was right. When
Norton entered the ring, it was obvious that he was anxious. When Foreman
entered the ring a few minutes later, Norton’s anxiety turned into, “I’m scared
shitless.” By the time the bell rang to begin the fight, Norton was cataleptic.
The next thing Norton knew, he was in his dressing room ordering a “pissa wif
estra cheez.”
A few days later, after Norton had gained some semblance of sense, he
tried to explain what had happened, “I just wasn’t myself,” explained Norton.
“My legs and arms felt like lead. I could hardly move. Worse yet, I felt
exhausted before the fight even started. I couldn’t seem to focus on anything
either. I was completely out of sync.” Oh yeah! Norton also admitted that he
was a little anxious. Translated into more accurate terms...he was scared
shitless.
Most people can relate to Norton’s experience, which is a primary example
of cranial-rectal inversion. I also venture to say that every competitive athlete
has experienced similar emotions. I don’t care who they are...Wayne Gretsky,
Nolan Ryan, Mario Lemeuix, Michael Jordan, or any other superstar. If they are
human, they all have experienced competitive anxiety in one form or another.
To put it in statistical terms, ninety nine percent of the competitive athletes in the
world have experienced stress and/or anxiety. The other one percent is liars.
Not surprisingly, in recent years a prolific amount of research has been
conducted to determine the effects that anxiety has upon performance. As you
probably guessed, the majority of the research revealed that anxiety can have a
significant decrement on performance. There is considerable research which
indicates that anxiety can completely destroy performance.
Let’s take a closer look at anxiety. This can get a little confusing, so give
me your undivided attention for the next few minutes. When individual athletes
experience anxiety, their heart rates and respiration rates increase, the muscles in
their arms and legs tense, vision gets distorted, their mental set and attention
levels are interfered with, and they experience this not so nice feeling of
apprehension. Consequently, most psychologists define anxiety as heightened
physiological arousal and a subjective feeling of apprehension. Actually,
physiological arousal is a neutral response to a particular stimulus and in itself
does not indicate what emotions are being experienced. This is a rather
interesting concept. For example, both anxiety and joy can cause a similar
physiological response. However, anxiety is interpreted as an undesirable
response, whereas joy is interpreted as a positive response. Briefly, cognitive
interpretation is what separates one emotion from another.
As you are probably aware, anxiety can be experienced at various levels of
intensity. The term tension is usually used to describe a low-level anxiety. Fear
is a still greater level of anxiety, and panic is the most serious level of anxiety.
The terms tension, fear, and panic are used by psychologists to identify the level
of anxiety that an individual is experiencing. Note that Norton’s “I’m scared
shitless” response to Foreman is a good example of panic. In order to add chaos
to confusion, a number of psychologists have used the term stress synonymously
with anxiety. This really screws up a lot of physiologists because they view
stress more as a physiological phenomena. For instance, Hans Selye, the father
of stress research, defines stress as the “nonspecific response of the body to any
demand made upon it.” In summary, stress is simply a neutral physiological
response to a particular stimulus. The stimulus could be physical or
psychological and may involve such things as pain, injury, financial loss,
humiliation, or exercise.
It should be noted that not all stress is negative either. Some stress is
rather beneficial...exercise for example. Sex is not bad either. Actually, Selye
was the first to differentiate between the two types of stress by referring to
positive stress as eustress and negative stress as distress.
Interestingly, some psychologists often refer to positive stressors such as
joy, exhilaration, and happiness as eustress and anxiety in terms of negative
stressors such as fear, apprehension, and worry. Selye’s use of the term distress
is virtually identical to what some psychologists call anxiety. So the question is,
“What is the difference between stress and anxiety?” Simply put, stress deals
primarily with a physiological response where anxiety deals with both a mental
and a physical response. Confused? Don’t feel bad, I am too and I am writing
this. I do have good news though. The following information on anxiety I
actually understand, which means it will be as easy as picking up a $25 tab with
a $100 bill. Not only that, but the information is both exciting and informative.
Don’t take my word for it though. Go ahead and check it out yourself.
TRAIT AND STATE ANXIETY
In 1970, C. D. Spielberger, a psychologist noted for his extensive work in
the area of anxiety and behavior, clearly identified two distinct types of
anxiety...state anxiety and trait anxiety. Spielberger defined state anxiety as an
immediate emotional state that is characterized by subjective, consciously
perceived feeling of tension and apprehension, and heightened autonomic
nervous system activity. In a nutshell, Spielberger viewed state anxiety as a
psychophysiological response caused by an individual’s immediate perception of
his or her environment. On the other hand, Spielberger viewed trait anxiety as a
relatively stable feature of an individual’s personality. In short, a type of
predisposition of

proneness to perceive certain environmental situations as threatening and to

respond to those situations with increased state anxiety. I know what you are
thinking. I said this stuff was going to be fun. Okay, so I lied, but it is
informative and it’s important that you understand anxiety if you are going to
learn to control it.

Let me see if I can make this a little clearer for you. When an individual is
confronted with a potentially distressing situation, the degree of state anxiety
that he experiences will be directly related to his trait anxiety and/or his
predisposition to perceive the situation as threatening. In plain English,
individuals who have a high level of trait anxiety tend to be more anxious in
threatening situations than individuals with low levels of trait anxiety.
Although research has revealed that the personality characteristic
identified as trait anxiety is present in all of us, it is not clear why trait anxiety
varies from individual to individual. It could be genetic, biological,
environmental, or psychological. Most likely, it is a combination of all of the
above variables. The good news is that although I don’t know the exact origin of
trait anxiety, both trait and state anxiety can be controlled. Don’t worry; I am
going to tell you exactly how to do that. But before I do, let’s take a look at
what causes anxiety.
ANXIETY
In life, certain competitive situations naturally produce more anxiety than
others. For example, going in a boxing ring to do twelve rounds with Mike
Tyson would probably be a little more anxiety provoking than going twelve
rounds with your paperboy, unless your paperboy is Evander Holyfield. You
would probably also find that the pressure of making a three foot putt in the
middle of a friendly golf outing would be a lot less anxiety provoking than
attempting a similar putt on the final hole of a tournament in which a hundred
thousand dollars was riding on the merits of sinking your shot. What inquiring
minds want to know is, “Why?” In simple terms, the perception of threat and
the individual’s subjective interpretation of the situation are directly related to
how much anxiety the individual will experience. Put in other words, the
individual’s response to anxiety is congruent with how threatening he or she
perceives the actual situation. If the individual perceives the situation as being
threatening, he will likely experience a high level of state anxiety. The
individual’s perception of how threatening a particular situation will be
determined by a number of factors.

Let me explain.

Remember trait anxiety? Sure you do. As you will recall, an individual
who has a high level of trait anxiety will often react to a stressful situation with
higher state anxiety. Why?

Because individuals with high trait anxiety tend to perceive situations to be more
threatening than would an individual with a lower trait anxiety level. I know I
said that a couple of hundred times before, actually I said it so much it’s starting
to sound like a religion, but some things just need to be said more than once. I
said that before too, didn’t I? That’s what happens when you get old. Still, trait
anxiety isn’t the only factor that will determine your state anxiety level. In point
of fact, even if you have a high level of trait anxiety, you still can learn to
control your state anxiety. For instance, your proficiency level will significantly
affect the amount of state anxiety you experience in a given situation. Generally
speaking, the more experienced you are, the less state anxiety you will
experience in a particular situation.

There are other factors that will influence state anxiety too. For instance,
fear of failure and fear of physical harm are prevalent determinants of state
anxiety. The individual’s self-confidence and ability to accept failure and his
perception of the importance of the event also influence state anxiety. There are
other factors that are psychological in origin.
Indeed, the majority of factors that influence state anxiety are
psychological in nature. Hence, it only stands to reason that they can be
influenced by psychological and cognitive strategies. Good news! I am expert
when it comes to such strategies. Before we get into all of that though, I need to
discuss stress as an independent entity.
STRESS
There are a number of reasons to be concerned about stress. After all, it is
a major cause of high blood pressure, ulcers, headaches, strokes, heart attacks,
arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, diabetes, cancer, and a whole lot of other
physiological and psychosomatic disorders. That’s serious ca-ca. Therefore,
how well we are able to control or adapt to stress will certainly affect our health
and performance. Stress can be thought of as either an environmental event or
as a reaction to such events. Remember how Hans Selye, the father of stress
research defined it? In case you forgot already, he defined stress as the
“nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it.” Stressful
situations are those which threaten the individual in some way. The threat
usually involves some type of negative consequence. This may be physical or
psychological and may involve such things as pain, injury, financial loss,
humiliation, failure, and etc.
Some psychologists have attempted to discover the common stresses of
life and list them in terms of their seriousness. The widely used Social
Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) assigns a weight to many of life’s events. In
general, it has been shown that the more severe the stressors you are
experiencing at any given time in your life, the greater the risk to your mental
and physical health. Incidentally, you might be interested in knowing that the
three most stressful events in life all involve termination of a relationship with
one’s spouse, namely:
1. Death of a spouse
2. Divorce
3. Marital separation
What does that tell you? If you are single, don’t get married. If you are
married, you better pay real close attention when I talk about stress inoculation
later on.
Most stress researchers have been interested in the population at large, so
there is a lack of information about how stressful events might affect specific
groups of people like athletes and students...yes, students and athletes are human
beings...at least the majority of them are. Most people are not engaged in trying
to save the world or changing the course of history. They are concerned with the
more normal events of life like a meeting with the boss or getting the dog to the
vet.
To the extent that you’re similar to most people, such rating scales like the
SRRS can be helpful in analyzing your level of stress, but problems arise when
you have very special interests and needs. In this sense, most serious students
(and athletes) are quite special, and it is not unusual for the non-student
population to think you’re mentally irregular for worrying about your grades or
education. Therefore, it will be up to you to help analyze the types of situations
which are particularly threatening to you. You have to know what’s really
important to you as well as learn how to achieve these goals and protect
yourself. In a nutshell, you need to discover your individual needs before you
can find NIRVANA.
One very interesting result in the attempt to categorize life’s events, which
cause stress, is in the discovery that “good” events are also stressful. Getting
married, winning a contest, receiving large sums of money, and other rather
positive events can change your life in very significant ways and require you to
make adjustments that are very stressful.
With respect to the second way of looking at stress...the reactions of
individuals, Dr. Hans Selye, the father of stress research, has determined that
there is a predictable sequence of reactions to stress. All serious stressors, when
prolonged, cause the individual to go through three stages which Selye calls the
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). The first stage is called alarm reaction.
In this stage, the body’s defenses are called upon to counteract the effects of
stress. The autonomic nervous system is excited, the heart rate increases, more
adrenaline is secreted, the level of acid in the stomach increases, and all that
other good stuff that occurs which only a microbiologist can understand. These
arousal reactions strain the body’s resources. If the stress does not subside, the
individual enters a second stage called stage of resistance. During this stage, the
body attempts to repair the damage or imbalance that was caused by the
excessive activity of its own defense mechanisms. Conversely, at the same time,
the individual continues to try to make an adequate adjustment. During the first
two stages, the sympathetic nervous system is the primary line of defense. On
the other hand, if the stress continues for too long, all of the energy sources of
the individual may be utilized and an overwhelming counter reaction may occur
in which the parasympathetic system takes over. This produces the third stage
called the stage of exhaustion. During this stage, resistance ultimately breaks
down and the individual can no longer sustain high levels of activation. The
bodily functions are abnormally slowed down and in some cases stop altogether.
The individual may suffer serious mental disorders as well as stress induced
physical disorders. In rare instances, death is possible because over stimulation
of the parasympathetic nervous system can cause the heart to stop beating.
That’s the part when you are literally elevated to God level.
Stress is probably best thought of as a result of life’s events which require
an adaptive response that strains the resources of the individual. So whether or
not an event is stressful depends not only on the nature of the event itself, but
also on the abilities of the individual and his resources. The manner in which
you attempt to deal with stress can determine whether or not you go through the
three stages of the GAS. Hopefully, you are already using effective coping
techniques to deal with stressful problems. At least mitigating (nice airy word,
isn’t it?) the stress before you enter the third stage of the GAS. If you’re not
using any coping methods to control stress, I can flat damn guarantee you
(meaning I am relatively sure) that you’ll never reach your peak performance as
a student, an athlete, or as a human being. Not only that, but there is a good
chance that you’ll eventually burnout, “freak out,” and checkout in both school
and life. Also, realize that some attempts to cope with stress are maladaptive
and produce additional risks to health. For example, I know a number of
students who use drugs such as Valium, alcohol, and marijuana to cope with
stress. Such practice is not only counterproductive, but it can cause a significant
decrement in performance. What I am offering is a safe alternative. I am going
to introduce you to several techniques which have been shown to effectively
reduce stress without the risk of harmful side effects.
One last thing, remember I said that a number of psychologists have used
the term stress synonymously with anxiety? Well, from here on out I am going
to do the same thing in order to simplify matters for you. In other words, I am
going to use the terms anxiety and stress interchangeably. I realize that you
realize (if you have been paying attention) that they are not exactly the same, but
what the hell, I am writing the book so I can do what I want. The good point
here is that both anxiety and stress can be coped with using basically the same
methods. Before I get to those methods though, I want to look at the relationship
between performance and anxiety.
PRECOMPETITIVE ANXIETY... THE INVERTED-V
In recent years, a great deal of research on precompetitive anxiety has been
conducted in field settings. This research has involved skydivers, wrestlers,
gymnasts, and racquetball

competitors. The research on precompetitive anxiety has demonstrated a couple

of important facts. The first is that the anxiety patterns of experienced athletes
often differ markedly from those of inexperienced athletes. For example,
precompetitive anxiety may be higher for experienced athletes than for less
experienced athletes in gymnastics and racquetball. However, in wrestling and
skydiving, the less experienced athletes are likely to have higher levels of
anxiety.

A second important finding is that precompetitive anxiety seems to follow

a very distinctive inverted-V pattern.

This phenomenon is clearly illustrated in research by using skydivers and elite

junior wrestlers. The research demonstrated that for both experienced and
inexperienced skydivers, state anxiety increased to an apex and decreased
gradually until the actual jump occurred. For the experienced jumpers, the apex
in anxiety occurred when the jumpers entered the plane at the airport.

However, for the inexperienced jumpers the apex occurred at the “ready” signal
immediately prior to the jump. State anxiety increased steadily until just
minutes before competition and dropped off rapidly. A significant difference
between high and low trait-anxious athletes was also observed. Athletes high in
competitive trait anxiety respond with greater levels of state anxiety than do
those who are low in trait anxiety. The clear finding of a precompetitive
inverted-V pattern suggests that anxiety prior to competition may be worse than
that experienced during competition. Therefore, coaches and/or athletes should
not extend the pregame buildup, since this may only increase the athletes’

anxiety. The sooner the game can get underway, the sooner precompetitive
anxiety will decline. The same situation is likely to occur if a basketball player
is forced to wait a long time to shoot free throws in a game. No wonder coaches
typically call one or even two timeouts immediately before an important free-
throw attempt by the opposing team.
 Research has also clarified a

number of other anxiety-related factors during the precompetitive period. For

example, the more important an impending match or contest is, the higher the
level of precompetitive state anxiety. Furthermore, it has been observed that less
successful athletes tend to worry a great deal more about pending

competition than do successful athletes. The kinds of things that athletes worry
most about include (1) concern about coaches’ evaluation of their

performance, (2) concern about losing, and (3) concern about making mistakes.

The most salient of these three worries is concern about coaches’ evaluation.
EFFECTS OF COMPETITION ON ANXIETY
Perception of threat determines whether or not a competitive situation will
cause an increase in state

anxiety. An important mediator between the competitive situation and the

athlete’s response is competitive anxiety-trait. Athletes who display a high level
of competitive trait anxiety generally display higher levels of state anxiety with
competition than do athletes low in this trait. Females exhibit higher levels of
competitive trait anxiety than males. This suggests that females have a tendency
to perceive competitive sport situations with greater feelings of fear and
apprehension (A-state). It has also been observed that athletes who typically
perceive themselves as being successful and satisfied with their performance
exhibit low levels of competitive trait anxiety. Boys who suffer from low levels
of self-esteem also exhibit higher levels of

competitive trait anxiety. Of course, you probably don’t need me to tell you all
of this because it seems to smack on common sense. Be warned though that not
everything that seems to be common sense is indeed...well, common sense.

Another important line of research dealing with competition and anxiety is

the effect of winning and losing upon state anxiety. The research indicates that
state anxiety increases as the percentage of wins decreases. Anxiety-state
remains relatively low in athletes who experience success most of the time. If
there is no perceived imbalance between the competitive situation and response
capability, anxiety-state will not increase. Research further reveals how success
and failure affects state anxiety reactions of youth sports participants. They
found that boys and girls participating in soccer competition experienced higher
levels of postgame anxiety when they lost than when they won. Winning
players’ experienced lower postgame than pre game anxiety-state scores, while
losing players experienced higher postgame than pre game A-state scores.
Finally, A-state anxiety

increased in young athletes who didn’t find competition to be fun or who

perceived that the coach felt a particular game was very important.

From the foregoing, it would appear that sports create a great deal of
anxiety. Undoubtedly, many young athletes drop out of competitive sports
because of the threat of failure and the

elevated levels of anxiety. However, is the sports experience more threatening

than other achievement situations? Apparently not! A number of studies
compared the precompetitive state anxiety of young people in both sport and
non-sport activities. Interestingly, several non-sport activities are more
threatening than most competitive sports. Specifically, precompetitive state
anxiety for band solos is higher than for any of the sporting events. Also of
interest is the observation that individual sports such as gymnastics and
wrestling are more threatening than the team sports. The result is undoubtedly
due to the greater stress potential involved in one-on-one competition.
EFFECTS OF ANXIETY ON PERFORMANCE
Earlier in the chapter, I said that the relationship between arousal and
athletic performance took the form of the inverted-U. Evidence of this position
was taken from research that primarily used paper-and-pencil tests of state
anxiety as a measure of arousal. Since state anxiety is associated with increased
levels of physiological arousal, this is a defensible practice. However, this
practice points out a very interesting observation about research purporting to
test the inverted U hypothesis. In virtually every reported case, it is negative
stress (distress) or arousal that is compared with athletic performance. Sport
psychologists actually know very little about the effect of positive stress
(eustress) on athletic performance.
With this brief introduction, it would appear that the relationship between
state anxiety and athletic performance takes the form of the inverted-U.
However, in recent years, several studies have reported a linear but negative
relationship between athletic performance and state anxiety. For example, in the
case of swimming, performance decreases as state anxiety increases. Recent
studies have demonstrated that the relationship between performance and state
anxiety depends upon the dimension of anxiety being measured. These studies
suggest that the relationship between performance in swimming and state
anxiety was linear and inversely related when the cognitive or worry subscale
was used and quadratically related (inverted-U) when the somatic subscale was
being used. Similarly, studies revealed that the relationship between pistol-
shooting performance and cognitive state anxiety was linear and negative, while
the relationship between somatic state anxiety and pistol-shooting performance
was curvilinear.
Generally, as cognitive state anxiety increases, athletic performance
decreases. Conversely, the relationship between somatic state anxiety (increased
heart rate, muscle tension, jittery, etc.) and performance is quadratic in nature
and takes the form of the inverted-U. As somatic state anxiety increases,
performance also increases up to an optimal level, and then decreases as somatic
state anxiety continues to increase.
What this indicates is that worry and apprehension associated with
cognitive state anxiety is a major hindrance to athletic performance. The lower
the level of cognitive state anxiety, the better the athlete will perform. The
notion that a “little” anxiety is good for the athlete is not true if it is of the
cognitive variety.
Conversely, an increase in the somatic indicators of state anxiety is
associated with increased athletic performance up to an uncertain optimal level,
and thereafter results in a determent in performance. This is the classic inverted-
U relationship between anxiety/arousal and performance.
In brief, the relationship between somatic state anxiety and athletic
performance takes the form of the inverted-U, while the relationship between
cognitive state anxiety and performance is linear and negative.
The real threat to quality athletic performance is worry, self-doubt, and
apprehension. Knowing this, the athlete and coach have to learn to cope with
these debilitating threats. At the same time, an optimal level of somatic-related
state anxiety should be encouraged and maintained. Certainly, too much
somatic-related state anxiety is bad, but so is too little. Don’t worry now...I am
going to show you how to take care of yourself both cognitively and physically.
CHAPTER 6
RELAXATION

STRATEGIES

If you’re human, you’re going to experience anxiety and stress during

some time in your life...it’s something that comes with the territory. Anxiety can
range from mild forms of apprehension to paralyzing terror. How well an
individual handles anxiety and stress is many times the difference between poor
performance and peak performance. It is widely accepted that if an individual’s
anxiety level is too high, the individual will be unable to attain an optimal level
of performance. Obviously then, it is imperative that we learn to control our
anxiety levels.
In recent years, psychologists have experimented with various techniques
to control anxiety and stress. Deep muscle relaxation was one of the first
methods used. Basically, it was used as an incompatible behavior to reduce
anxiety. The rationale behind the use of deep muscle relaxation as an
incompatible behavior is that relaxation and anxiety are antagonistic to each
other. In other words, it is physiologically impossible to be relaxed and anxious
at the same time. Consequently, whenever you experience anxiety at an
inappropriate time, all you have to do to alleviate that emotion is induce deep
muscle relaxation. Of course, this is one reason why it is so important that you
learn to induce deep muscle relaxation, but it’s not the only reason. I will talk
about the other reasons later.
THE RELAXATION RESPONSE
One of the primary steps in controlling one’s emotion is to learn how to
induce deep muscle relaxation.

There is a significant difference between relaxation and deep muscle

relaxation. In actual fact, these two states are worlds apart. Most people will
probably tell you that they have experienced total relaxation on numerous
occasions. I contend, however, that the majority of people have never
experienced deep muscle relaxation. The difference is portrayed on two entirely
different levels. Relaxation can be manifested on a number of contented
feelings, while deep muscle relaxation is an absolute feeling of nothingness,
unique in the way it feels and not mistaken after actually experienced. The
experience of deep muscle relaxation might best be described as a high-grade
valium trip, not that I would know what a valium trip feels like.

The rationale behind using deep muscle relaxation to desensitize stress and
anxiety is rather ingenious. When an individual achieves deep muscle
relaxation, he cannot experience anxiety and/or the physiological arousal
associated with the stimulus. Thus, by continually pairing an anxiety or fear-
provoking stimulus with deep muscle relaxation, you can eventually learn to
relax in the presence of that stressful stimulus. I know I said that before. I just
want to make sure you are paying attention. This is an extremely important
point to understand. So write that down on your sleeve.
Of course, the aim of deep muscle relaxation is not for you to become
totally devoid of the stresses in your environment. The purpose, rather, is for
you to feel comfortable with yourself and alert to your internal and external
environment. The idea is not to put you in a total stupor, but in a controlled
physiological state. That’s the real trick, but we’re getting a little ahead of
ourselves. First things first, and the first thing is deep muscle relaxation. There
is no right way to relax. It doesn’t matter how you get into deep muscle
relaxation, just the fact that you get there. There are a number of methods that
you can use. I will review a few trendy methods of relaxation that you might
want to check out.
PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION TECHNIQUE
According to most psycho-physiologists (mind-body gums) the technique
is one of the best manual relaxation methods that can be taught. The procedure
requires neither special equipment nor a trained administrator and it can be
performed in a variety of settings. Best yet, it is easily learned.
First, find a nice quiet room where you will be free from the distractions of
television, telephones, people, gremlins, and smurfs for at least an hour. Having
selected your practice room and time, lie flat on your back with your arms at
your side. Next, close your eyes and as an aid to concentration, keep your eyes
closed for the entire session. In this technique, you will practice direct muscle
relaxation by learning to recognize when tension and stress are present in various
muscle groups. Then, you will learn how to bring about deep relaxation of these
muscle groups by engaging in a series of exercises.
The first thing you are going to do is learn to recognize the sensation of
delicate muscular contraction. After a few minutes of quiet rest, direct your
attention to your right hand and very slowly begin to bend your hand back at the
wrist. As you do this, concentrate on the way the back of your hand feels. You
want to detect the first slight indications that something is happening...this
feeling is tension. If you feel sensations in the upper arm or biceps, you are
making too much of an effort. If that is the case, put your hand back on the bed,
rest a few minutes, and repeat the procedure. Be sure that the sensation you feel
is in the back of your hand and not the front. Note also, always rest between
trials so that fatigue is not a determining factor in your performance. Once
again, remember that what you want to detect is the first slight sensations of
tension that you experience when you bend your hand back. The objective is for
you to learn to recognize this feeling whenever and wherever it occurs in your
body. This is not as easy as it might sound because tension signals are very
slight, fleeting, and they can be difficult to recognize at first. Don’t rush through
the procedure, take your time and make sure that you identify the sensations of
tension before you go on. Often, several practice sessions are necessary to
master this sensation. When you are positive that you can identify the sensation
of tension no matter where it should occur in your body, you are ready to learn
to recognize another sensation...the sensation of strain.
Once again, you will have to lie down on your back with your eyes closed
and your arms at your sides. After a few minutes of quiet rest, lift your right arm
so that your forearm is vertical while your elbow rests on the surface of the bed.
Slowly bend your wrist back towards your shoulder. As you do so, concentrate
on the sensations in your forearm. Do you recognize these sensations? I hope so
because it is tension again. If you did not, I wasted the previous four
paragraphs. Now, direct your attention to the back of your wrist. Push your
wrist back towards your shoulder as far as it will go and hold it there. You
should be experiencing a new feeling, a new sensation distinctly different from
tension. This is strain.
The sensations of tension and strain only vaguely resemble one another.
You should have little difficulty distinguishing between them. It is certainly not
as hard as a Rubik’s Cube. On the other hand, this is not to say that you will be
able to do this without training. On the contrary, your chances of actually
identifying these sensations without practice are slim to none and slim just left
town. You’ll need to repeatedly observe these sensations until you have
distinctly recorded them in your memory banks. If you persist, if you work hard
and diligently, you will be able to detect these sensations in a mere fraction of
the time that it took you during the early stages of observation and
experimentation.
Having recognized the undesirable, you must now reverse the process of
creating tension and strain and arrive at the absence of muscular tension...a state
of relaxation. The important thing to realize about relaxation is that no effort is
required to reach this particular state. That is the secret...no work, no effort! As
if your source of power has failed and your muscular structure has disintegrated.
The feeling that you are ultimately seeking is a complete lack of tension and
strain. In this case, being brain dead beats thinking.
Once again, assume a reclined position with your arms at your sides and
your eyes closed. You ought to have this down by now. After a few moments
of quiet rest, direct your attention to your right hand once more. Just as before,
slowly bend your hand back at the wrist. Immediately, you should be able to
detect the sensation of tension. Don’t stop though. Bend your hand back as far
as you can. The sensation you are experiencing now is, of course, strain. Hold
your hand in this position for about twenty seconds, and then, “turn off’ your
source of power. To do so, you must relax instantly.
To better illustrate what it would feel like to “turn off’ as you have been
instructed, picture yourself exerting all your strength in an effort to push a large
boulder off a sheer cliff. When suddenly, the boulder goes over the edge, there
is no active resistance to your pushing and all your straining instantly ceases. It
is that feeling of nothingness after the boulder drops that you are striving to
obtain when you “turn off’ your source of power. Once you have done so, let
your arm drift back to your side and concentrate on this feeling of relaxation.
Remember, you want complete nothingness, no worries, no effort...just complete
physical relaxation. Relax a few minutes and try once more. Do this same
exercise over and over until your mind can evoke the feeling of deep relaxation.
Practice recalling this sensation until you are positive that you can recognize it
and produce it without going through the actual exercise.
Now it is time for you to put it all together. Your awareness of tension,
strain, and relaxation are all part of the effort to produce total physiological
relaxation. The first thing you will need to do is to find a quiet and comfortable
room where you will be free from intrusion or phone calls for at least an hour.
Have I said that before? A more conducive atmosphere for this type of
experimentation is one that is dimly lit or even completely dark. Your body
should be clothed in attire that will not restrict your movements in any way.
Pajamas or slacks are preferable. When you are ready, lie down on your back
with your arms at your sides and your eyes closed. A pillow or rolled up towel
should be placed under your neck and under your knees. Your entire body
should be supported as evenly and comfortably as possible, with your head on
the same level as your body. When you tighten the muscles of your body, try to
think of these muscles as being made of rubber, rope, or rubber bands stretched
tightly. Also, try to adopt the attitude that when you relax your muscles, your
body will continue into deep relaxation, even after you can no longer feel it do
so. You take at least 20 seconds or more on each muscle group. After a few
minutes of quiet rest, direct your attention to your toes because this is where we
are going to start. Curl your toes under and squeeze them very tightly. Do you
remember that sensation? You better, damn it! It’s tension.
While you hold your toes in that position, try to visualize the muscles that
you are using. Think of them as if they were rubber bands being stretched
tightly across your feet. Now, ever so slowly and passively, let them relax.
Visualize these muscles going limp as if being drained of all their strength. You
are seeking that sensation of relaxation, that feeling of nothingness.
Next, extend your toes and bring them towards your body. Tighten up
these muscles so that you are aware of the areas and the sensations
involved...remain very tight and very tense. And then let them go...“power off.”
 Your legs are next. Push them straight out with your heels towards the
floor and your toes pointing straight ahead. Tighten up your calf and thigh
muscles as if they are rubber bands pulling tight. Concentrate deeply on the
sensation there and let them go...total relaxation, limp, calm, light, and tranquil.
Now, concentrate on your buttocks. This is the kinky part. Push your
lower thighs against the pillow that you placed under your legs. Tightening up
all the muscles of your rump...you know, your bootie. Make these muscles very
tight and very tense as you concentrate on the sensations that you are
experiencing in these muscles. After holding this position for a period of time,
slowly and progressively relax the muscles. Remember the feeling of
relaxation...the zero feeling.
Next, take a deep breath and hold it. At the same time, arch your back
slowly, tightening the muscles of your back. Concentrate on these muscles,
thinking of them as if they were strong rubber bands pulling tighter. Focus your
attention on the sensations that are taking place within them. Next, slowly
exhale loosening up the muscles of your back. As you do so, think, “power
off.” By this time, you should know the feeling you wish to experience.
Your arms are next. Lift them towards the ceiling, fingers extended. Push
them straight up as hard as you can, tightening the muscles in your arms. Slowly
make a fist and squeeze your fingers together very tightly. Visualize the muscles
pulling tighter and tighter. Now, ever so slowly, begin to bend your elbow,
bringing your fist down to your shoulder while keeping the muscles in your
hands and arms very tight. Keep thinking of these muscles as being stretched
tight. At the same time, be cognizant of the sensations that you are experiencing
in them. Slowly and passively let your arms drift to your sides turning
everything off, nothingness...the zero feeling.
Next, move your head forward until your chin touches your chest,
tightening up the muscles in the back of your neck. These muscles are very
close to the nerve trucks descending from your brain. Therefore, they are of
particular importance in relaxation. Concentrate on the muscles you are using
and the sensations of tension that exist. Once again, slowly and progressively
relax these muscles, letting your head fall back to a comfortable position on the
bed.
After accomplishing the above, squeeze your eyes tightly shut. Think of
the muscles you are using, and the sensations that are involved. Relax and let
your muscles drift into the “zero state.”
Work next on the speech region. Put your lips together as if you were
blowing up a balloon, tightening your facial muscles as you do so. Feel the
muscles pulling tighter. Concentrate on the sensations that are involved. Hold
this position momentarily and blow out the air, letting your muscles go limp and
loose, feeling total relaxation once again.
Finally, tighten up all the muscles of your body. Point your toes straight in
front of you and push your arms straight into the air. Arch your back slightly.
Put your chin on your chest and blow out your cheeks. Gee, I hope nobody is
watching! Gradually, contract all of these muscles, visualizing them growing
tighter and tighter. Have I said that before? Concentrate on the sensations in
these areas and completely turn yourself off. Let your feet go limp, let your
arms drift lazily back to your sides, your head back into the pillow, and exhale.
Just let yourself sink into nothingness, the “zero state,” complete physiological
relaxation.
Concentrate on each exercise until you are able to bring about deep
relaxation in that particular muscle group. Once again, patience is the key.
Don’t rush it! An encouraging note is that once you have learned deep muscle
relaxation, it is yours for the rest of your life. So just do it.
MEDITATION
Another method that can be used to induce deep muscle relaxation is
meditation. To say the least, meditation has changed considerably over the last
couple of decades. First of all, you don’t have to wear a diaper or a wrinkled
towel around your head anymore. Best yet, you don’t have to sit in a cave
either. One thing that might interest you is that there are all sorts of meditating
techniques. There is Zen, Dhyana, Chigong, Yoga, Gurdjieffian, Silva Mind,
and Transcendental Meditation, just to name a few. Interestingly, the ultimate
purpose of every one of these techniques is the same...to promote peace and
relaxation of the mind. The research evidence indicates that although different
types of meditation redirect attention in a slightly different way, one technique is
about as effective as another in achieving attentiveness. Traditionally though,
the “masters” and/or followers of one method do not accept the teachings and
validity of other methods. It doesn’t seem to matter what method of meditation
you are into as long as you follow the procedure. In some cases, you may find
yourself going in different directions from your counterparts, but eventually, you
will all end up at the same place.
As you might have expected, in recent years there have been numerous
studies conducted to determine the physiological effects of meditation. The
results of these studies have consistently shown that during meditation the
respiration rate is lower and there is a dramatic decrease in oxygen consumption,
blood lactate, and carbon dioxide elimination. Alpha brain rhythms and galvanic
skin resistance (GSR) increase during meditation while heart rate and respiration
decrease. What all this means is that meditation can bring about a relaxation
response.
Actually, there are a lot of great things about meditation for us plain folk.
First of all, it does not require any equipment, money, or thought. That’s right,
no thought. As a matter of fact, the objective of meditation is to achieve brain
nothingness. It’s called a state of nirvana in Yoga and “one-pointedness” in
Zen. Trust us, emptying your brain of thought is not as easy as it sounds.
Thinking of nothing is hard work. To be honest though, I do have this little
problem with the concept of “brain nothingness.” Perhaps because I never
experienced this altered state of consciousness. Then again, I may have
experienced it, but never knew it because my brain was thinking about nothing,
and if you are thinking of nothing, do you know that you’re thinking of nothing?
Actually, how do you know you’re thinking? Well, you can see I still have a
little problem with the concept. One thing I am sure of, our students are
meditating superstars...they get a perfect ten on brain nothingness.
As I mentioned, there are numerous types of meditating techniques and
every one of them is designed to teach you how to clear your mind. What I am
going to do here is describe three different methods that you can use to
meditate. Choose the one that appeals to you most or try all three and decide
which you like best. It would probably be smart to use each one separately for
several weeks before making a decision on which one you want to use, if any.
First of all, you need to plan a program just as you would for effective
physical development. Two sessions a day, one in the morning and one in the
evening. This is what most people who mediate use. Begin with 10 minutes for
each session and gradually work up to 20 or even 30 minutes for each session.
Some individuals have found that meditating right before going to work or
physical exertion gives them a boost.

Others say that meditating right before going to bed is best for them. Like I said,
in this area no one seems to agree on anything. This will be something that you
will probably have to decide on your own. The important thing is that your
meditation sessions should be regular and you should not miss anyone of them.

Here are a few other general guidelines for best results. Don’t meditate
right after a meal. Sit in a comfortable position and be in a place where you
won’t be disturbed. I am going to start with meditation on breathing.
Assume a comfortable sitting posture in which the head, chest, and
shoulders are held erect and straight.

Your posture should be comfortable so your body can remain still throughout the
duration of the exercise. Once you are comfortable, begin to pay attention to
your breathing. Count slowly as you inhale, “1, 2, 3, 4.” Now, count slowly as
you exhale, “1, 2, 3, 4.” Each number you count should represent one second.
You will find that your inhalation lasts about the same number of seconds as
your exhalation. The normal ratio of inhaling to exhaling is 1:1.

It should take you about 4 to 6 seconds each way. Now, let’s change that ratio to
1:2. Inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. Concentrate and count the
seconds. The reason for making the exhalation twice as long as the inhalation is
so you can get maximum control over your lungs. Therefore, squeeze out all the
carbon dioxide gas and waste products that are in your lungs. No matter how
hard you inhale, unless all the carbon dioxide is squeezed out of the lungs, you
cannot bring in a significant amount of oxygen.

In ordinary breathing, we squeeze out only a small portion of air from the lungs.

As you meditate on breathing, be aware of how you breathe. Use your

whole respiratory system, leaving no portion of the lungs unfilled with fresh air.
The inhalation process should begin with the downward movement of the
diaphragm into the abdomen. Next, the chest is expanded and the upper part of
the lungs is inflated as the shoulders and collarbone are raised.
Okay, if you’re breathing correctly and are able to achieve the 1:2 ratio of
inhalation to exhalation, you are ready for breath retention. Inhale for 4 seconds,
hold your breath for 16

seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. You can gradually increase the seconds, but
keep the ratio the same. The ratio for inhalation to retention to exhalation is
1:4:2. You can gradually work up to doing eight seconds of inhalation, thirty
two seconds of breath retention (holding your breath) and sixteen seconds of
exhalation. The inhalation-retention-exhalation of one breath is called a round.
Perform 15 to 20 rounds during each session. If you are able to do this easily,
you have excellent control over your lungs and your power of concentration is
superb! End each meditation session by sitting quietly for a few moments,
breathing normally, and experiencing the effects of this type of meditation.

After meditation, most people feel not only relaxed, but also feel they have an
abundance of energy. After a week or so, you will be ready for the next step in
breath meditation...alternate nostril breathing.

Experts in yoga tell us that alternate nostril breathing helps maintain

equilibrium in the anabolic and catabolic processes of the body. This is
especially important for athletes. The anabolic process is the building up of
organic compounds in the body. The catabolic process is the breaking down of
organic compounds. To build bigger stronger muscles, the body must first break
down the old muscle tissues, then build up the new stronger larger ones. In
addition to all other benefits of meditation, this next step on breathing is said to
aid your anabolic and catabolic processes.
 Get into a comfortable position.

Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril.

Then, close the left nostril with your right ring finger. Remove your thumb from
your right nostril and exhale through that nostril. This is a half-round. Without
pausing, inhale through the right nostril. Next, close the right nostril with the
thumb and exhale through the left. This makes one full round. Begin again with
inhaling through the left nostril. Try to keep the proportion of inhalation to
exhalation at 1:2...as described in the previous exercise. It may seem to be a
little tricky to get it all going, but with practice it’s really easy. Work up to 20
rounds for each session. End each session by sitting quietly with eyes closed for
a few moments.

There are a number of forms of meditation on breathing, most of which are

variations of ancient techniques.

The ones I just described are derived from a system of breathing used in Yoga
called pranayama. Zen also employed meditation with breathing techniques. If
you wish to pursue Yoga or Zen, you might want to get the assistance of an
instructor or master. There are also many kinds of yoga ranging from the
stretching poses of hatha yoga to the nearly violent physical activity of kundalini
yoga. In case you are interested, Yoga originated in India while Zen comes to us
by way of Japan.

Let’s go on to another technique of meditation called visual meditation.

This technique has long been a traditional part of Yoga and has been used by
American Indians for inducing meditative or other altered states of
consciousness. One such method is called candle gazing.
Get a candle and matches. Sit in a comfortable position in a place where
you won’t be disturbed. If possible, have the candle at the level of your head 2
or 3 feet away. Light the candle, settle back, and gaze at the flame. If thoughts
pop up, let them fall away and bring your attention back to the flame. If your
eyes may dart around the room, bring them back to the flame. After several
minutes, close your eyes. You will “see” the candle flame in your head. Keep
looking at it. If it starts to slide off your mental screen, just bring it back to the
center. If you lose sight of it altogether, open your eyes and gaze at the flame
for several minutes, close your eyes again, and study the flame in your mind’s
eye.
Let your first session last for 10

minutes. Gradually, work up to 20 minutes. Visual meditation should feel

relaxing to your eyes. If it doesn’t and you feel eyestrain, reduce your
meditation time by half. If the eyestrain persists, choose another form of
meditation. If, on the other hand, you should find this method relaxing, proceed
by slowly increasing the meditation time. Keep in mind that you do not need to
force anything. Everything should happen naturally.

The third type of meditation is called mantra meditation. With this

method, you rhythmically repeat a sound which traditionally comes from the
ancient language of Sanskrit. The sound is usually nasal and tends to reverberate
in your head. The sound should have no particular meaning because you are not
to think about it, you are only to say it in your mind over and over in a rhythmic
fashion. The most well-known mantra is “om.” Begin by saying it aloud in the
following way: take a very deep breath, shape your mouth into an “O” shape and
exhale through your mouth saying “oh.” About halfway through your
exhalation, close your lips so that the “oh”

turns into an “m” sound. You will feel the “oh” part in your chest and the “m”

part in your head. Inhale deeply again and repeat the mantra. After practicing
aloud several times, sit quietly and make the long “om” sound in your head
without actually saying it aloud. As with visual meditation, you may find
yourself thinking about things rather than meditating. When this happens, let go
of your thoughts and begin again with your mantra. Eventually, the mantra may
fall away, you will not be having thoughts and you will find yourself in the
meditative state...brain nothingness.

Start out with 10 minutes per session and gradually increase to 20 or 30.
There are many other mantras.

Here are two others you might want to try: “rahm” and “ah-nahm.” In all
candor, you can use any nonsense syllable you want and still achieve the same
results.
BRAIN NOTHINGNESS
A state of brain nothingness (one-pointedness in Zen, nirvana in yoga) can
be produced easily in a physiology lab. In fact, that very state has been
produced a number of times in physiology labs across the country. The only
difference is that physiologists call it "blanking out." For instance, Smith
presented a number of studies in which a group of physiologists were testing the
theory that the brain needs continuous change. In the experiment, the subjects
looked at a totally patternless visual field called a "ganzfield." No

matter how the subjects' eyes moved, they saw the same white washed surface.
After only 20 minutes, the subjects reported having no visual experience, a
"blank-out." A blank-out wasn't merely seeing white or nothing at

all; it was a complete disappearance of the sense of vision. The subjects didn't
know if their eyes were opened or closed. There seems to be a similarity
between blank-out and the state of nothingness, one-pointedness, or nirvana. As
Smith points out, it seems to be a matter of communication. The vocabulary of
the mediator says that if you meditate well and really cut off the outside, you can
merge with infinity. You are showing lots of alpha brain waves, but you are not
registering any stimuli the same state the mediator's experience.
MANTRA
Actually, it doesn't really matter which mantra you use. For instance, a
study conducted by Herbert Benson revealed that using the word "one" for a
mantra brought about the same physiological changes as the traditional 'mantras
such as "am,"

"rahm" and "ah-nahm." In fact, there's quite a bit of

other research, which indicates that it really doesn't matter what mantra you use.
According to these studies any mantra will suffice in helping you achieve deep
muscle relaxation and eventually a state of brain nothingness if you will.
AUTOGENIC TRAINING
Autogenic training is yet another technique that could be used to induce
deep muscle relaxation. The technique is very popular among European
athletes, but only recently has it been used by Americans. John Schultz and
Wolfgang Luthein devised the technique in 1954 after they observed that
subjects under the influence of hypnosis were capable of bringing about
physiological changes in their bodies. For instance, Shultz and Luthe would
hypnotize their subjects and give them suggestions that their arms were getting
heavy. Interestingly, the suggestions caused changes in the subject’s muscle
tension, bringing about deep muscle relaxation in their arms.

Shultz and Luthe eventually realized that these suggestions, even without the use
of hypnosis, could bring about the same physiological response, thus, the
beginning of autogenic training. Autogenic training could be divided into three
specific parts. First, you are instructed to tell yourself that your arm is heavy.
You repeatedly say to yourself, “My aim is heavy, I am at peace, my arm is
heavy.” You are then instructed on how to do this for each body part.
According to Shultz and Luthe, it takes approximately three to six weeks to
learn to relax specific body parts. After mastering that, the next stage involves
learning to make your body feel warm using similar procedures. The
suggestions of warmth cause the blood vessels to dilate just as the suggestions of
heaviness cause the muscles to relax.

After you become accomplished at bringing about the sensation of warmth

to your body, you practice controlling heart rate, respiration, abdominal warmth,
and a few other neat things. All of the aforementioned practices have been
shown to correlate with relaxation.

According to Schultz and Luthe, an individual who masters autogenic training

will be able to adjust his activation threshold to meet the demands of

competition. If the individual’s tension threshold is too high, he will be able to

lower it. If it is too low, he will be able to raise it.

Interestingly, Schultz and Luthe point out that not all individuals are able
to use autogenic training. They maintain that in order for an athlete to achieve
success with the method, he usually needs an I.Q. of over 100. The individual
should also be reasonably suggestible and have the ability to concentrate
intensely. They have also found that only 40 to 45 percent of individuals who
use autogenic training will be able to achieve activation threshold adjustment.
One of the major drawbacks of autogenic training is that a trained
psychologist is usually required to help you through the initial training sessions.
The psychologist should be an expert on the finer points of autogenic training if
you are going to benefit from his help. There may be someone in America who
fits the bill, but he will probably be harder to find than a five dollar hooker on
Sunset Boulevard. Most American psychologists are just not schooled in
autogenic training. Still, if you have the concentration, the I.Q., and the right
help, autogenic training might be the method for you. Don’t forget, Europeans
swear by autogenic training.
BIOFEEDBACK
Prior to the 20th Century, it seemed that the best way to induce deep
muscle relaxation was to sit in a cave for 20 years with a bed sheet wrapped
around your behind and a towel wrapped around your head while you
contemplated your “universal self.” Initially, the 20th Century brought with it
few innovations concerning deep muscle relaxation until western technology
came to the rescue. Within less time than it takes to say transcendental
meditation, American scientists had produced a machine that could teach you
how to relax in one hundredth the time it would take with cave sitting. The
method is called biofeedback.
Biofeedback is simply an instrument that gives you immediate feedback
about the ongoing functions of your biological systems such as heart rate,
respiration, and brain waves. This is usually done by presenting you with visual
or auditory feedback that corresponds with the biological system being
monitored. Actually, the method is really based upon learning principles. It’s a
well-known fact that in order to learn something you need feedback. Without
feedback, no learning can take place. For instance, remember when you first
learned to play basketball. Initially, you had to think about everything you did.
You had to be conscious of your hands on the threads of the ball, where the
basket was, and your body position. You might say your skill level was
contingent upon cognitive awareness. You had to think about what you were
doing. After considerable practice though, your shooting skills became spinal
cord level. Meaning, you didn’t have to think about shooting the ball, you just
did it. In nature, you might say that your shooting skill had become a reflex.
Now, here is the neat part. Every time you took a shot, you learned to
adjust your physical skill by responding to the feedback you got. For instance, if
you shot a ball and it went too far to the left, you would get visual feedback as to
what you had to do to adjust for your next shot. Eventually, through a process of
trial and error, you would learn to shoot consistently good shots. Without this
feedback, it would be impossible for you to learn how to play basketball. That’s
why it would be impossible for a blind person to learn how to play basketball
unless someone gave the blind player feedback on each shot. Actually, every
skill, whether it be bowling, shooting a basketball, hitting a baseball, or lifting a
weight, requires feedback. No feedback, no learning.
Now get this. One afternoon this researcher named Harold Benson at
Harvard University got this brainy idea that an individual could be taught to
control one’s own internal organs by getting feedback from the internal organs.
Benson reasoned that since overt skills were learned by process of feedback,
internal skills could also be learned in a similar manner. Then, the researcher
devised a machine which would give an individual continuous feedback as to
what his or her internal organs were doing. Benson informed the individual by
presenting his subject with a visual or auditory stimulus which represented
fluctuations in the subject’s biological system that was being monitored. For
example, suppose you wanted to learn to control your heart rate by using
biofeedback. First, you would wire yourself up to a digital computer which
would be used to monitor your heart rate and display it on a large screen called
an oscilloscope. On the oscilloscope are numbers in intervals of 10, ranging
from 1 to 200 that correspond to an individual’s heart rate. If you are trying to
control your heartbeat at 60 beats per minute, two vertical lines will be on either
side of that number. Once you are hooked up and everything is in place, the
physiograph is turned on and immediately a white dot will flash out on the
oscilloscope. Let’s say the dot hinges at 72 beats per minute, which is a normal
heart rate. You are now, probably for the first time in your life, getting
biological feedback as to what your heart is doing. Now, through a process
called idiosyncratic imagery, which is just a fancy word for mental practice, you
think of something in order to raise or lower your heart rate. For instance, you
might think of spending a day on a nude beach. This should make your heart
beat faster if you are anything like us. Going to the other extreme, you may try
thinking of sitting through a lecture on prehistoric rock formations and find your
heart rate edging down to the lower end of the oscilloscope.
Assume that you are visualizing yourself lying in tall green grass with the
sun beaming down upon you. The sky is filled with white, puffy, and drifting
clouds moving lazily across the wide open sky. Through this conceptualized
scenario, let’s assume that the dot on the oscilloscope now hinges between the
vertical lines.
Through the use of biofeedback, you are now learning to control bodily
functions. With practice, you will find that you will eventually be able to
remove the oscilloscope and simply listen to the auditory feedback you get from
the physiograph and still keep you heart rate around 60 beats per minute.
Eventually, you will be able to do the same thing without any feedback. You
will be able to bring your heart rate to approximately 60 beats per minute no
matter where you are without conscious effort...much the same way you drive a
car without thinking about it. In a nutshell, the skill becomes spinal cord level.
Now, let’s return to the analogy of you learning how to play basketball.
Remember, I said that in your initial practice sessions you had to think about
everything you were doing. In brief, your skill level was initially contingent
upon cognitive awareness. Remember what else I said...the more you practiced,
the less conscious you had to be of what you were doing until eventually, your
skill became automatic and/or on the spinal cord level. At that point, all you had
to do to perform your skill was to respond to a few cues in your environment.
The same holds true with biofeedback learning. Initially, you have to think
about everything you are doing. However, once the skill of controlling the
internal organs is learned through biofeedback, it is like basketball or riding a
bike, you have it for life and you do not have to learn it again each time you
want to use it.
The implications for biofeedback are fantastic. Think about it. If you can
be taught to control your autonomic functions, you would be able to control your
blood pressure, brain waves, heart rate, sleeping patterns, and even digestive
processes. The implications for students are equally exciting. What would it be
like to be able to sleep soundly the night before an important test or to be able to
unleash the awesome power of your emotions at just the right moment?
It sounds like biofeedback is the perfect method for achieving deep muscle
relaxation, doesn’t it? Well, that might just be the case. Biofeedback may help
you learn to control your entire autonomic nervous system. Well, let’s not get
carried away. Let’s just say you could very well learn to control your heart rate,
brain waves, and muscle tension. On the other hand, don’t get the idea that the
technique is easy to learn. Very few people actually learn visceral or internal
control with biofeedback.
One of the major reasons that so few are able to master biofeedback is that
there are very few competent people who can train you with biofeedback
equipment. The research strongly indicates that the success of biofeedback
training is directly proportional to the competence of the technician who is
utilizing the equipment. Another thing to consider is the time element. You
can’t learn biofeedback overnight. Just to learn to induce deep muscle relaxation
is going to take at least forty minutes of practice a day, five days a week. In
actuality, learning to induce deep muscle relaxation is much easier than learning
bowel or bladder control (you know, potty training), providing that you have the
right people and the right equipment with which to work.
I just want to be honest with you, even with the best equipment and
instructor, the procedure is still time consuming and tedious. But don’t get
discouraged. If you can afford the equipment, some biofeedback machines cost
as little as $500, and you have the time, approximately 40 minutes a day,
patience of a saint, and knowhow of a neurophysicist, biofeedback can be a
valuable asset to you.
Now, I know what you must be thinking, “Why in the world did I go
through all of this discussion of biofeedback when all along I knew that at least
99 percent of you will not have the time, the money, or the patience to use
biofeedback anyway?” Well, I will tell you exactly why...I get paid by the
word. I know what you are thinking now too.
Here is something else that will put a smile on your face. Despite the fact
that all of these techniques are excellent for inducing deep muscle relaxation, I
believe the most practical relaxation method is Jacobson’s.
CHAPTER 7
INTERVENTION

STRATEGIES

Although physiological relaxation has been used successfully as an

incompatible behavior to reduce anxiety, there are a number of counter
conditioning techniques that are excellent for the reduction of more pronounced
anxiety. The primary objective of these procedures is to pair events that produce
anxiety with physiological relaxation. This is accomplished by repeatedly
exposing the subject to anxiety provoking events under conditions which prevent
them from experiencing physiological arousal. Physiological arousal is
prevented by having the subject engage in one of the relaxation methods we just
discussed. The procedure is again based on the theory that relaxation and
anxiety are antagonistic to each other. When an individual is relaxed, that
individual cannot experience anxiety and/or the physiological arousal associated
with the stimulus. I have said this so much that this has become a religion too. I
will take up a collection in a second.
It is believed that by continually pairing the anxiety provoking stimuli with
relaxation, the subject will eventually learn to relax in the presence of the
stimuli. Joseph Wolpe devised the technique in Europe sometime during the
nineteenth century. The good news is that the technique, which is referred to as
systematic desensitization, has been widely used and researched over the past
three decades. As a result, it has a proportionately larger research literature than
any other anxiety desensitization technique used in America. More good news!
The majority of this research is in accord, indicating that systematic
desensitization is a valid method for alleviating anxiety.
Wolpe’s program has three components: anxiety hierarchy construction,
relaxation training, and scene presentation. I have already explained relaxation
training, so mainly all that is left to cover is how to construct your hierarchy and
how to present the anxiety provoking stimuli during relaxation.
HIERARCHY CONSTRUCTION
An anxiety hierarchy is a series of anxiety producing scenes which have
been arranged in an array from least to most anxiety producing. For example,
suppose you experience extreme anxiety prior to giving a speech. Every time
you experience anxiety in relation to attempting that particular behavior, you
would immediately record the circumstances surrounding the anxiety provoking
situation. You record where you are, what you are doing, who you are with, and
the situation at hand. The more information you have concerning the anxiety
provoking situation, the better.
Once you identify an anxiety provoking stimuli, rate the stimuli on a scale
of one to ten with one being the least anxiety provoking and ten being the most
anxiety provoking. After recording such stimuli for a period of two or three
weeks, you would construct your hierarchy. For example, below is a modified
hierarchy constructed by a powerlifter who complained of anxiety associated
with squat performance.
1. Preparing for the squat a week before competition.
2. Morning of the competition.
3. Driving to the competition.
4. Arriving at the competition site.
5. Walking through the doors of the competition site.
7. Getting dressed for the competition.
8. Looking into the audience while waiting to be introduced for the squat.
9. Waiting for the introduction for his turn to squat.
10. Being called to the platform for the squat.
11 Looking at the audience from the platform.
12. Attempting the squat.
This hierarchy was condensed from a list of 47 anxiety producing stimuli.
Of interest is the fact that going into the competition site was rated as being
more stressful than actually squatting. This is more common than you might
expect. In fact, most individuals reveal that the anticipation of an event is
usually more stressful than carrying out the event. In other words, the actual
participation is less anxiety provoking than thinking about participating. I will
talk more about this later, but now let me say a few quick words about inducing
relaxation.
RELAXATION TRAINING
Your next step in controlling

anxiety is to learn how to achieve deep muscle relaxation. Of course, you don’t
have to wait to construct your anxiety hierarchy before you start your relaxation
training. The sooner you learn to induce deep muscle relaxation, the better off
you are going to be. As mentioned, it does not matter what technique you use to
master deep muscle relaxation as long as you are able to achieve that response.
Note that your ultimate objective is to be able to induce deep muscle relaxation
in seconds.
IN-VITRO CONDITIONING
After you have become proficient at achieving deep muscle relaxation and
after your anxiety hierarchy has been constructed, the major proportion of your
therapy will begin. Find a quiet room where you won’t be disturbed. Next,
induce as deep a state of relaxation as possible. When you are totally relaxed,
you will visualize the scenes on your hierarchy. This is called in-vitro
conditioning. To start, visualize the scene that makes you the least anxious on
your hierarchy. Visualize this scene for approximately 15 seconds. If at any
time you get nervous or anxious while visualizing the scene, immediately
terminate it. If termination of the stimulus is required, again induce deep muscle
relaxation and repeat the visualization of the same scene. Continue this
procedure until you can remain totally relaxed while visualizing the anxiety-
producing stimulus.
Once this has been accomplished, move on to the next scene in your
hierarchy and repeat the above mentioned procedure. Continue in this way until
all the scenes on your hierarchy have been desensitized. Note again that the
anxiety-producing stimuli are repeated until you can visualize them without
experiencing anxiety. The rationale for the effectiveness of this procedure is that
by repeatedly pairing

anxiety-producing events with deep muscle relaxation, the visualized scenes

become counter-conditioned or desensitized. Because of stimulus

generalization, counter-conditioned imagined scenes correspond to behavioral

improvement in the “real life” or “in-vivo” situation. In a few words, once you
are able to relax while visualizing yourself in an anxiety provoking situation,
there is an excellent possibility that you will remain relaxed in the real life
situation.
IN-VIVO CONDITIONING
Once you are able to visualize all of the anxiety producing stimuli on your
hierarchy while remaining totally relaxed, you are ready for the real thing… in-
vivo conditioning. Actually, the same procedure is used except that instead of
visualizing the anxiety provoking stimuli, you actually engage in the activity that
is causing the anxiety response. When you are totally relaxed physically, engage
in the behavior on your hierarchy that makes you least anxious. Note that you
should perform this behavior in the actual environment setting that is indicated
on your hierarchy. As with your in-vitro or visualization conditioning, if at any
time you become nervous or anxious while performing the behavior,
immediately stop what you are doing and again induce deep muscle relaxation.
Repeat this procedure until you are able to perform the behavior for three
successive repetitions without experiencing anxiety. Once this has been
accomplished, move on to the next scene on your hierarchy and repeat the
abovementioned procedure. Continue in this manner until all of the scenes on
your hierarchy have been desensitized.
As noted, many times in-vivo conditioning is not necessary. Again, it
depends on the specific situation and how well the individual responds to in-
vitro conditioning. More often than not, once you are able to relax while
visualizing yourself in an anxiety provoking situation, there is an excellent
possibility that you will remain relaxed in the real life situation. If that happens
to be the case, in-vivo conditioning would not be necessary...you would be good
to go. Perhaps, an example of how systematic desensitization can be used might
clear up any misinterpretation or non-comprehension you might have at this
point in our discussion.
A number of years ago a movie called The Exorcist was released. In case
you missed it, I will give you the Reader’s Digest version. A little girl, Lucifer,
demonic possession, girls head turns 360 degrees, up-chucks green vomit,
masturbates with a crucifix, kills three or four people, a priest, exorcism, movie
ends, and everyone goes home scared as hell. Pun intended! I am not just
blowing smoke here. The movie was so frightening that thousands of people
across the country developed a myriad of psychological problems.
Sixteen students who saw the movie found it to be a significant emotional
experience. That’s right, it scared them shitless...every one of them experienced
insomnia, extreme fear, and anxiety. Naturally, being the great American hero
that I am, I came to the rescue for each one of those poor kids from cranial rectal
inversion.
How did I help them? You guessed it...Wolpe’s systematic desensitization
program. First, I got a slide presentation of the movie from the film company.
Then, I had each student come to our office individually. Once there, I hooked
the subject up to a physiograph so that I could monitor the individual’s heart
rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and galvanic skin response. Obviously, all
of those measurements are bio-chemical indicators of arousal. After I had the
subject wired up, I flashed the first slide up on a large screen. It was the slide of
the little girl with no make-up, no green vomit, and no crucifix...just the little
girl. BAM! Immediately the subject’s heart rate, blood pressure, muscle
tension, and galvanic skin response increased significantly, indicating that he
was experiencing considerable physiological arousal. After I recorded the
subject’s physiological response to the slide, I asked the subject to rate the slide
on a scale from one to ten, with one being slightly anxiety provoking and ten
being extremely anxiety provoking. I followed the same procedure for each
slide. Within a period of less than two weeks I presented the slide presentation
in the manner described above three different times to each subject. At the end
of the two week period, I sat down and constructed an anxiety-hierarchy for each
subject using both the subject’s physiological response to the slides and their
subjective ratings of the slides. Note that during the time that I was collecting
the data to construct the subject hierarchy, I was also busy teaching all the
subjects how to induce deep muscle relaxation.
Once all the subjects had learned to induce deep muscle relaxation, I began
in-vivo conditioning. I brought each subject to the lab individually and hooked
him or her up to the physiograph so that I could monitor the physiological
response to the anxiety provoking stimuli. I instructed the subject to induce deep
muscle relaxation. Once the subject was relaxed, I had the subject visualize the
scene from the hierarchy that made him or her least anxious. If at any time the
subjects got nervous or anxious while visualizing the scene, I immediately told
the subjects to stop visualizing the scene. Of course, if I had to stop the subject
from visualizing the anxiety provoking scene, I would induce deep muscle
relaxation again. I continued this procedure until the subject was able to remain
totally relaxed while visualizing the anxiety provoking scene for 15 seconds.
Once this was accomplished, I went to the next scene on the subject’s hierarchy
and repeated the abovementioned procedure. I continued in this manner until all
the scenes on the subject’s hierarchy had been desensitized.
It might be noted that it took some subjects more than three weeks to work
through the entire hierarchy. Once the subject was able to visualize all of the
anxiety-producing stimuli on his or her hierarchy while remaining totally
relaxed, we began in-vivo conditioning. As you have probably guessed, I used
the same procedure except that instead of having the subjects visualize the
anxiety provoking slides, I showed them the actual slides. If they got nervous
looking at the slides, I took the slide away and relaxed them again. When they
were relaxed, I would again show them the slides.
I continued this procedure until the subjects could look at the slide while
remaining totally relaxed for 15 seconds. When this was accomplished, I moved
on to the next scene of the subject’s hierarchy. I continued with this procedure
until all the scenes on the hierarchy had been desensitized.
After all of that, I got all of the subjects together and showed them the
movie in its entirety. It went great... no fear, no panic, just shear unadulterated
relaxation. This just goes to show you that fear and anxiety can be controlled,
but of course, you already know that.
Now, I know what’s bothering you. Why did I use an example of a movie
about the prince of darkness instead of a sports example? Well, that’s part of
your stress management training too. You see, you can’t always have what you
want. So Chill out!
It should also be noted that there are other desensitization methods such as
Visuo-Motor Behavior Rehearsal, Stress Inoculation/Management Training, and
Cognitive-Affective Stress Management Training but Wolpe’s method is by far
the best method and you are only going to get the best here.
FLOODING
Another technique that can be used to extinguish anxiety reactions is
flooding. Like systematic desensitization, flooding can be conducted through
imagery or in the actual situations themselves. The procedure consists of
exposing the individual to the fear-provoking stimuli directly. For example, if
an individual is afraid of water, you might take him out in a boat and throw him
into the water. If the guy you throw into the water is a friend of yours, and you
prefer that he doesn’t drown, it’s a good idea to make sure the water is not over
his head.
When he first hits the water, he’s going to experience a little
anxiety...perhaps more on the order of sheer terror. Note this is not a good
technique for making friends, but an excellent method for getting rid of one.
However, after he’s in the water for a prolonged period, several minutes or even
an hour or more, his anxiety will significantly decrease. Of course, you have to
ensure that your subject does not experience any aversive (that means bad)
stimuli while he’s in the water. In other words, you want the experience to be
positively reinforcing. For instance, you don’t want to put the individual in a
situation where he might fail or might get hurt. Failure or getting hurt would
only go to reinforce the individual’s fear.
Research has consistently revealed that repeated exposure to anxiety-
provoking situations will gradually evoke significantly lesser anxiety and will
eventually completely eliminate the response. In other words, by repeatedly
exposing an individual to anxiety-provoking stimuli, eventually the stimuli will
lose their capacity to evoke anxiety.
As mentioned, imagery-based flooding can be used rather than engaging in
the actual situation. As you probably have guessed, the subject would first
induce deep muscle relaxation and visualize the anxiety-provoking scenario for
an extended period of time (30 minutes or more). As the treatment progresses
and the individual has successfully associated relaxation with the anxiety
provoking scenario, eventually he or she will be able to imagine the situation
without experiencing anxiety. The stimulus that previously elicited the anxiety
response will no longer do so. Moreover, the changes in the individual’s anxiety
response are not restricted to images or thoughts about the situation, but
eventually extend to the actual situation.
Of course, the application of flooding to competition is rather obvious. If
you were petrified of competing in front of spectators for instance, you would
simply perform in front of spectators for a prolonged period of time. The more
you performed in front of the spectators, the less anxiety-provoking the situation
would become. Eventually, through repeated exposure to the situation, your
anxiety will be completely eliminated.
In all candor, I see a major drawback in using flooding in the field of
sports. The subject can become so terrified by being placed in anxiety-
provoking situations that the subject will not be able to perform at an optimum
level. As a result, the process may actually reinforce the belief that the subject
cannot perform in that particular situation. If flooding is used, I believe it’s
imperative that no unpredictable consequences actually occur in the situation.
This is not always easy to do in the unpredictable world of sports, unless you are
into boxing where everything can be set up, including your opponent. Because
of the unpredictable world of sports, I believe it’s best to use imagery-based
flooding at first. Note however, that even with imagery-based flooding, the
direct presentation of the fear-provoking stimuli can be terrifying and scary.
MODEL TRAINING
Another technique that lends itself extremely well to the world of
competitive sports and one that has been extremely successful in controlling
competitive anxiety is model training. During practice, an athlete will usually
experience only a minimal amount of psychological stress when compared to the
stresses exposed to in actual competition. I’m sure you really needed someone
to tell you that. Still, most athletes do not account for added competitive stress
during their practice sessions. As a result, a lot of these athletes have difficulty
in adjusting to the competitive environment. Instead of identifying competitive-
stress with optimal performances, they associate competition with fear and
failure. Not surprisingly, their performance usually falls far short of their
potential.
In recent years, sports psychologists and coaches have attempted to teach
athletes to adapt to the competitive environment by inserting into their practice
sessions the variables that are present in competition. In case you have not been
paying attention, this process is called model training. Essentially, model
training involves inserting some combination of social, psychological, and
technical stresses into the practice session in order to more closely duplicate the
competitive environment an athlete is about to face.
Actually, the F.B.I. has been using model training for some time. This
reminds me of something I need to tell you. I know what I have to say is going
to shock some of you and repulse others, but I just can’t take it any longer. I
have to come clean. It’s something I feel my readers have a right to know. So
here it goes. On March 4, 1994, I killed six people and wounded three others.
In law enforcement terms, that’s a double hat trick plus. I’m happy to say that
one of the victims was a notorious criminal with two killings of his own under
his belt. His name was Eddie Mustafa Johnson. I hit him with two slugs, one
piercing the left side of his chest cavity and the other hitting him above the right
temple.
During the mayhem, I fired close to seventy rounds. That’s kind of
embarrassing considering I only hit nine people, but again it was probably a
God-send since all but one of my victims was innocent. To be honest, a lot of
the rounds I fired at had no intended purpose. I kind of fired at them just for the
effect. I’ve always been a little wild with guns.
Anyway, once I started shooting up the place and dropped two or three
people, the police department sent out a Code 7 or a 10:33 in universal law
enforcement terms (emergency in progress). After I blew away an eleven year
old girl and her grandmother, they sent out a Code 23 (a flame-throwing jackass
on the loose). I took out Eddie Mustafa Johnson a few minutes later.
Now I know this is going to sound a little bizarre, but after I blasted
Johnson, I decided to give it up. The truth is Johnson had already been killed a
few hundred times before I got my chance. The eleven year old girl and her
grandmother were new meat. You see, I killed him on DxTer. DxTer is a
combination of video and computer technology that’s used to train agents in the
F.B.I. and Secret Service. DxTer teaches the same way flight simulators help
train pilots.
I got to use DxTer through a friend who works for the Secret Service. He
was aware that I was doing some research on model training and decided that it
would be neat to give me a real-life, face-to-face encounter with the real
thing...DxTer. It was great fun and a super learning experience. I learned that if
I was a cop, I’d probably be a cross between Dirty Harry and Andy Griffith. I
cried when I killed the old lady and the kid. Don’t worry though, I’m not going
into law enforcement. I’m already a sports psychologist. Now, that’s really
scary.
What I really saw in DxTer was not my future, but its future. DxTer has
infinite possibilities, but before we get into that, let me tell you exactly what
DxTer is all about.
According to Agent Lockett, my Secret Service friend who got me access
to DxTer, DxTer consists of a computer program, a video disc player, and a
collection of video discs on which different cases are recorded. The cases are
shootouts, stabbings, robberies, etc. All of the cases are based on real criminal
cases and have been staged as short dramas with actors and excellent special
effects. This means that everything looks real. When you see Johnson pullout a
.357 magnum you get the feeling that he’s going to make your day. I know that
my DxTer experience made me glad that I was a sports psychologist and not an
FBI agent.
The cases, or episodes, are stored on video discs because a computer can
immediately call up to a monitor any part of a disc. The interactive video disc
and computer combination do not have any of the rewinding and fast forwarding
required with video tape. DxTer’s computer program is the heart of the system.
It determines the exact section of the video disc to show and tells the computer
when to switch from the emergency drama to a printed menu that offers various
courses of action for the viewer to take. The screen is touch sensitive, so all you
have to do is push and you are offered a new list of possible alternatives. The
program specifies a response to every possible decision a viewer can make
whether it’s to blast somebody, or simply beat them to shit. Like I said, it’s
great fun.
In case you would like a DxTer in your living room, you can purchase one
from IBM for the very reasonable cost of $87,000 (not including shipping and
handling). At present, I believe IBM only has three simulator systems, one each
for doctors, lawyers, and law-enforcement.
Of course, the possibilities are endless. I think IBM should be a bit more
selfish and make its fourth simulator capable of training corporate executives in
leading a mega, multi-national computer corporation that is headed for
bankruptcy, complete with unemployed carnage bleeding the office hallways and
boardroom take-over scenes.
Did I say that the possibilities are endless? A representative for IBM told
me that an idea was being kicked around to develop a training simulator for
situations that are inherently dangerous, like terrorist bombing, armed robberies,
or marriage. Great ideas, but I was thinking more along the sports line. You
know, like training simulators for professional sports.
Why am I telling you all of this? DxTer is a primary example of what
model training will be in the future. Interestingly though, the research conducted
on DxTer is in accord with the research conducted on the more conventional
method of model training. In short, both DxTer and conventional model training
works...like real good. Research indicates that while training under conditions
duplicating the competitive environment, athletes will learn to adapt to the
competitive environment much faster. Accordingly, they will improve their
performance much faster in this environment.
Obviously, the old cliché that practice makes perfect is really rather naive.
The quality of practice is much more important than the quantity of practice. If
you do not deal with the stresses of competition while in practice, these stresses
can overwhelm you in competition. In essence, you can learn that competition is
a fearful experience.
Without model training, you have only one chance to perform as desired.
If you are not prepared for the stresses of competition by way of model training,
the stresses may be so great that your performance will be substandard. This can
cause you to associate an unpleasurable feeling with competition rather than
viewing it as an arena for optimal performance.
When I was competing, I would go to great lengths to incorporate model
training into my practice sessions. For starters, I would arrange my practice
environment so that it looked as close to the actual meet setting as possible. The
bench press, squat racks, even the chalk box were arranged to simulate the meet
environment. I also tried to replicate meet conditions during some of our
practice sessions. For instance, I would go through the exact ritual...chalking my
hands, wrapping my knees, psyching, and etc. that I would use at the
competition. I’d even use a time clock, judges, judges’ lights, and crowd noise
(cassette tapes) to duplicate meet conditions.
By duplicating the technical, psychological, social, and situational stresses
of competition prior to its actual occurrence, I was able to adapt to competition
much better than my competitors. In fact, because of model training, I was
always at ease during competition for the simple reason that I knew exactly what
to expect. I had been there before. You know, like déjà vu.
CHAPTER 8
MOTIVATIONAL

STRATEGIES

Recently, there was an ingenious little study conducted on the hundred

most successful individuals in America in an attempt to determine if there was a
common strain among them that was responsible for their success. Interestingly,
there was one characteristic that was constant among every one of the
individuals studied. What was it?

Each of these individuals had a vision of what they wanted to achieve in life and
how to accomplish it. In short, they were all visionaries. Dreamers, if you will.

As the Italians say, “Inizia con un sogno.” It begins with a dream.

Everything in life begins with a dream. I am not talking about “castle in the
sky” dreaming. I am talking about vision, forethought, and revelation. I know a
lot of people who dream at night of performing great deeds. They wake up only
to find that what they experienced is simple vanity. That is not the type of
dream I am talking about.
Great men daydream. They dream with their eyes open not in some fancy
world. They are men with the ability to see what could be and the audacity to
make it happen. They know exactly what they want to accomplish and they
know from one day to the next exactly what they need to do to make their
dreams become realities. They realize from the beginning that goals are
essential to success, and without goals there is no growth. They are men who
understand that the dreams of today are the realities of tomorrow. Engagingly,
when Helen Keller was asked if blindness was the greatest handicap that a
human being could experience she replied, “No! The greatest handicap is
having sight but no vision.”
Those of us who are actively involved in sports know, perhaps more than
anybody else, how important it is to find purpose, to maintain that purpose, and
to be able to work and strive to fulfill it. For in reality, without purpose we are
limited. Consequently, it is in man’s best interest not to be dissatisfied but to
always be unsatisfied.

Once you are satisfied, you have reached a cumulative point in life, inertia will
breed, and the next thing you know you will be sliding backwards. When you
have no purpose in life, there is nothing to look forward to, nothing to strive for.
Life becomes dull and uneventful. With purpose, life is exciting. The world is
beautiful.

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the ordeal of Viktor E.
Frankl. It’s an incredible story.

Frankl was imprisoned in a Bestial concentration camp for more than a decade.

The camp was absolutely abominable, every bit as horrifying as Dachau,

Bechenwald or Auschwitz. The prisoners were stripped of all their worldly
possessions, beaten, starved, and threatened with extermination on a daily basis.
Some of the prisoners were actually held captive in holes that were 8

feet deep and two feet wide at night. Can you imagine how horrifying that must
have been? They were given so little food that they would catch and eat bugs
and rodents to keep from starving to death. Cannibalism was also a common
practice. If a prisoner died, he was butchered and eaten by his fellow prisoners.
Other prisoners who could not resort to cannibalism actually cut flesh from their
own bodies and ate it. Some prisoners even drank their own urine to quench
their thirst. Whatever it took to survive. How could anyone survive such
brutality? In actuality, very few prisoners did. Many of them committed suicide
in order to escape the horrors of the camp.

During his stay in the camp, Frankl kept close records of his fellow
prisoners’ behavior in a secret diary. After keeping the diary for a number of
years, he noticed something extremely interesting...many of the prisoners who
were physically weak survived camp life a lot better than some of the men who
were in relatively good physical shape.

At first, Frankl couldn’t understand why. It didn’t take him long to figure out
that it wasn’t a prisoner’s physical well-being that enabled him to survive the
camp, but rather his mental attitude. The question was, “What gave one prisoner
a better mental attitude than another prisoner?”
 For years Frankl researched that very question. He finally concluded that
the prisoners who had meaning and a sense of responsibility in their lives
seemed to survive the camp better than others did. For instance, he found that
married men survived the camp better then single men because they had
something to look forward to beyond the camp walls. The married men had
hope that they would one day be reunited with their family. The single men
envisioned nothing beyond the walls. Interestingly, Frankl noticed that even
some of the frailest men survived the nightmare of the camp by finding meaning
in their lives. Once the prisoners found a why or some reason to live, they
seemed capable of adjusting to the conditions in which they had to live. The
men who lost hope and direction usually died quickly.
After Frankl was released from the camp, he devised a therapy which he
called Logotherapy. That’s Logo from the Greek word Logos, meaning God.
Basically, Logotherapy is a goal-oriented therapy, which is based upon the
premise that in order to be successful in life, an individual has to have meaning
and direction in life. Frankl believed that people who had no real goals in life
had no meaning in life, and without meaning in life, they had no life. They
were, for all practical purposes, dead.

Only when an individual had purpose and direction in life would he be in a

position to succeed, to really live. Interestingly, Frankl’s theory has been
consistently validated by research studies conducted in America. In fact, there is
a wealth of research which indicates that people who are most successful and
happiest are those who are goal oriented. Generally, people who have a definite
purpose or goals tend to be most successful. There is also an overwhelming
amount of research which indicates that athletes who practice good goal setting
skills are significantly more successful than athletes who do not set goals. In
short, goal setting skills should be an integral part of an athlete’s psychological
skill development.

Not having a goal is the worst thing that can happen to an athlete or
anyone else for that matter. Goals are essential to success. Without goals there
is no direction, no hope, no growth. Every human being must have a purpose in
his life just to stay alive.
As indicated, without a purpose or an objective, an individual is,
figuratively speaking, dead. When you set a goal and channel your energies
toward that goal, you can tap the reservoir of power within you much easier.
Without a goal in life, you cannot grow, you can’t really live. Man by his very
nature is a goal striving being. Thus, true success and happiness can only be
achieved when he is functioning as he was made to function...as a goal-striver.
We are built to conquer, built to achieve goals. Without obstacles to conquer
and goals to achieve, we will never find true satisfaction in our life. When we
have no goals to strive for, no meaning in what we are doing, we are apt to
flounder around finding life purposeless. In order to be great, you have to have a
purpose. You have to have something ahead of you to look forward to and to
hope for. When you lose purpose in what you’re doing, you’re lost.
Perhaps this was never more evident than with Mike Tyson, the former
heavyweight champion of the world. When Tyson first turned pro, his goal was
to become the youngest and greatest heavyweight champion ever. That goal was
extremely important to Tyson. That’s the only thing he ever talked about, or for
that matter, ever thought about. It was his sole purpose in life. That one goal
kept Tyson on track. He sacrificed everything for it. He didn’t drink, he didn’t
date, and he trained like a madman. Even when he was encouraged by his
trainers to relax, he wouldn’t leave his training camp. All he did was train. He
was totally driven toward achieving his goal...totally focused. In the ring he was
relentless. He would beat his opponents from one end of the ring to the other.
Some of the beatings he dished out were merciless. It was said that if Tyson hit
you just right, you would be the deadest person in the cemetery when they
buried you. Even the biggest and best heavyweights feared him. He was that
efficient, that brutal.
When he claimed the Heavy Weight Championship of the World at the age
of twenty one, he was already considered by most boxing experts as the greatest
heavyweight of all time. He was considered invincible-unbeatable. However,
rather than looking to future improvement and growth, he began to think more
about immediate gratification.

When he got to the top, he felt like there was nowhere else to go, and he began
to look backwards instead of forwards. He was on the defensive, defending his
present position, rather than acting like a goal-striver and going on the offensive
to attain new goals. He started going out nights drinking and chasing women.
He also slacked off on his training.

He lost the purpose in what he was doing and in so doing, he lost himself.
And do you know what happened? I’m sure you remember. An average fighter
named Buster Douglas knocked him out.

It was the greatest upset in the history of boxing. When Douglas was
interviewed after the fight, do you know what he said?

My sole purpose in life these last six months was to beat Tyson.
That’s all I thought about. He was the first thing on my mind when
I would wake up in the morning and the last thing on my mind when
I went to bed. When I’d fall asleep, I would dream about beating
him. If there was anything else going on in the world the last six
months I didn’t know about it, because my mind had just one thing
on it... beating Tyson.
Is that incredible or what? Of course it is.
Again, understand that your goals are born out of your dreams. Achieving
your goals fuels the desire for bigger dreams. But before we can move onto
bigger dreams, you must conquer the goals before you. An average person may
wake up one morning and say to himself, “I want to be a marathon runner.” This
is a wonderful vision, but it is simply a dream. In order to fulfill that dream, this
person would need a carefully defined set of goals. The first goal might be to
get a coach and just get into shape. Once that goal is achieved, he might have a
goal of running a mile a day. Once that is achieved, his next goal might be to
run a short race, after that maybe a 10-K, then a 15-K, and eventually a
marathon. In other words, we must first achieve our goals before we can achieve
our dreams. Consequently, by reinforcing small bit of behavior, eventually you
can achieve your desired response. One of the easiest ways to achieve your
dreams is with Logotherapy.

Let’s take a look.

LOGOTHERAPY
The first step in every successful adventure is to determine your objective.
It is virtually impossible to achieve anything of true significance unless your
thoughts and desires are linked to a purpose. Success is seldom achieved by
chance. If you have no idea where you are going in life, how can you expect to
get there? Goals give you a starting place and a destination. All success starts
with a mission statement. The process is very clear. You conceive an idea, you
believe in that idea, and you achieve it.
It’s kind of interesting when people find out that I write books. Many of
these people will tell me that one of their goals in life is to write a book too.
That is a great aspiration, but it is not a goal per se. It’s too broad of an
objective. Thus, it gives the individual limited direction. Writing a book is an
objective that has to be accompanied by specific goals, deadlines, and a strong
work ethic. Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.
A couple of years ago, Novagenics publishing company asked me if I
would be willing to write a Sports Psychology textbook for them. Of course, I
immediately wanted to know how many pages they wanted and how much time
they would give me to complete the project. They said that they needed a book
that was approximately four hundred pages and they would give me two years to
complete the project. To which I responded “DARN!” Well, that’s not exactly
what I said, but it’s close.
Let’s be honest, four hundred pages is a lot of writing, even for a
professional writer. In fact, it was kind of overwhelming at first, especially
considering the fact that I only had two years to finish the project. In all
honesty, my thinking was rather myopic. I was only looking at the project from
a long-range point of view...400 pages in two years. The objective 400 pages in
two years was too broad. As a result, it gave me limited direction. As
mentioned, writing a book is an objective that has to be accompanied by specific
goals, deadlines, and a strong work ethic. It didn’t take me long to figure out
what to do. I needed to look at the project in smaller increments. So I decided
to use Frankl’s Logotherapy, which is the same therapy I had been using for
years to help people train. DUH! Sometimes you have to be smacked right in
the face to see the obvious.
In Logotherapy you have three sets of goals: primary, secondary, and long
range. Your long range goal is one that will be accomplished in approximately
six months to a year. Your secondary goal is one that you will achieve in a
week. Your primary goal is one that will be accomplished daily.
So here is what I did. I took that long range goal of four hundred pages
and broke it down to a series of secondary and/or weekly goals. My secondary
goal consisted of writing seven pages a week. Now, that’s not exactly a walk in
the park either. I will give my brilliant graduate students a seven page paper to
write and it will take them the entire semester to do it, and when they hand it in,
it looks like James Michner wrote it. And most likely he did, because they
probably copied it right out of his book. So, seven written pages are not all that
easy for anyone to write.
Therefore, what I did next was to take my secondary goal and break it
down to primary or daily goal. As you probably have already guessed, my
primary goal was to write one page a day. One page a day is not all that tough.
It takes me about an hour or two to accomplish that. One page a day is
something I knew I could handle fairly easy with a little work and
determination. In fact, anyone with a little desire can do that. Once I set my
goals down, I only focused on our primary goal. I never worried about my
secondary or long range goals because I knew that if I took care of my primary
goal, my secondary and long range goal would take care of themselves. And
that is the way it all worked out. At the end of a week I would have seven pages
and at the end of a year I had close to 365 pages. At the end of two years...well,
I didn’t have to work that long before I had the book completed. I took a project
that looked overwhelming and through a systematic goal oriented approach
made it rather easy to achieve.
I do the same thing with every other goal I set, whether it is in sports,
business, or academics. I break every one of my long range goals down to
secondary goals, then to primary goals, and then I focused strictly on those daily
goals. By reinforcing small bits of behavior, I eventually get my desired
response. Of course, I am not the only one who is totally goal oriented. Every
successful corporation, educational institution, sports team, or individual for that
matter is goal oriented.
GOAL SETTING PRINCIPLES
Goal setting is not exactly a new concept in athletics. As mentioned,
research has consistently shown that it is an effective psychological strategy for
enhancing all forms of athletic performance. Although goal setting is a rather
simplistic task, certain basic concepts should be considered when establishing
your goals.
First of all, set goals that are both realistic and flexible. Don’t set a goal
that is so impossibly high that you ensure failure. I know I just mentioned that
before, but some things are worth mentioning more than once. I see individuals
do this all the time. They will come to the gym with this idea that they are going
to be a world champion in a week. They workout like they are auditioning for a
part in a Rocky Movie. It’s a very impressive sight...heavy steel being pushed
from one side of the gym to the other. The following day you can find these
guys in one of two places, in the jacuzzi or the emergency room...like I said,
very impressive. A week later you can’t find them anywhere because they quit
when they find out that they haven’t been invited to the Olympics. Trust me on
this one, your chances of accomplishing a goal like that are about as good as
getting a date with Sharon Stone or Brad Pitt...actually, your chance of getting a
date with Sharon Stone or Brad Pitt are probably a lot better. Goals that are
totally unrealistic will only lead to frustration and failure.
In the same light, don’t set goals that are ridiculously low. I see this
happening all the time too. Guys will come into the gym with all the right stuff.
They have those nifty Nike gym bags with the matching head and wristbands,
Air Jordan’s and a Gold’s Gym shirt. Some of them will even have those cute
little red and orange Walkman radios.

Excellent cosmetics...very impressive! They will train religiously for two or

three years and guess what? They won’t look any better than the day they
started working out. Do you know why? Because their goals are so incredible
low that they don’t push themselves hard enough to even get a training effect.

If you want to make gains in life, you have to set goals that will challenge you.
If you don’t, you will never reach your full potential. Out-running your paper
boy is not much of a goal, unless he happens to be Michael Johnson. If that’s
the case, you have the former problem. Set goals that will challenge you, but
ones that are attainable. In short, keep your goals just out of reach, not out of
sight.

Also, set specific goals. Research shows that specific goals are the most
motivating. A specific goal is to increase your bench press 20 pounds within 6
months is an example of a specific goal. Many people just say they want to get
stronger. This goal is far too general to really motivate you in your training. All
your goals should be very specific so that they can be easily measured. Simply
saying that you want to get stronger is not enough detail. You need to be able to
chart and document progress toward your goal. One way to measure your
progress is to document your performance at set intervals. In the above
example, you may want to evaluate your strength on the bench press once a
month so you have a good measurement.
In addition, set adjustable goals.

This means your goals are flexible enough to accommodate unexpected

challenges without becoming obsolete. An injury may force you to modify your
goal. If you goal is to run a certain marathon and you are injured, you may need
to change your goal to do the half marathon or some other event. An injury
doesn’t need to mean you abandon all your plans. At the same time, you may
find you are progressing quickly and need to raise your goal. Another important
aspect of goal-setting is to keep your goals focused on personal action. Don’t
forget to consider not only what you want to achieve, but how you plan to
achieve it.

Once you establish your goals, write them down under the appropriate
heading and check them off as you accomplish them. This will not only serve as
reminder of your daily routine, but it will also shape your behavior by
reinforcing these small bits of behavior. Often, the achievement of your goals
will include a number of other considerations. On the sheet listing your goals,
add a column that outlines all obstacles that you may encounter while trying to
achieve your goal. These obstacles may include time restrictions, monetary
constraints, poor training facilities and equipment, lack in coaching and/or
instruction, etc. After you have identified the obstacles to each goal, identify the
people who can help you achieve your goals. This list may include family,
coaches, training partners or experts such as psychologists or nutritionists.
Along these lines, save room for another column that identifies training aids,
supplements, equipment, or knowledge that you need to succeed. Remember,
you must be systematic about goals.
Once you have charted this information, you can now construct a game
plan that will help you to deal with obstacles effectively. The idea is to devise a
systematic approach to reach your goals in the most economical and efficient
way. With this type of game plan in hand, all that’s now required is action on
your part. That’s the hard part. Merely writing a goal down does not guarantee
that you will achieve it.

You have to go out there and get your hands a little dirty if you are going to be
successful.

Whatever you do, don’t expect immediate results and don’t get
discouraged. Believe me, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t built in a day.
Chances are you won’t be either. Be patient and persistent. Remember that in
life it’s not what you start with, but rather what you end up with that’s
important. Start out slow, be systematic, work hard, and before you know
it...into the stars you go.
PSYCHING-UP STRATEGIES
Generally speaking, Psyching-up strategies are techniques designed to
increase an athlete’s arousal and activation level. While over anxiety and over
arousal may be a major stumbling block for the anxiety-prone athlete, too little
activation can also be a problem. This is especially so for highly skilled athletes
who must defeat a relatively weak team in order to play a better team in a
tournament. Under arousal causes the downfall of talented teams every year in
all sports. Invariably, one or two highly seeded teams will be beaten by weaker
teams simply because they were not ready for them.
Many of the cognitive strategies already discussed in this book can be used
to heighten arousal as well as lower it. For example, both imagery and power
talking can be used to stimulate an athlete to greater levels of arousal and
motivation, simply by selecting or suggesting stimuli that promote the activation
of the sympathetic nervous system. It is also interesting that when a group of
athletes are asked to “get psyched,” they report using all kinds of different
cognitive strategies not normally associated with activation. For example, in a
study by Caudill, Weinberg, and Jackson conducted in 1983 using track athletes,
25 percent reported using relaxation/distraction procedures to psych-up. These
are cognitive strategies normally reserved for reducing activation. Other psych-
up strategies reported by these subjects were: preparatory arousal (7 percent),
imagery 16 percent, self-efficacy statements 25 percent, and attention focus
procedures 16 percent.
It is important that athletes learn to prepare for competition using the
strategy best for them. This may involve using one strategy to control anxiety
and another to get psyched up. However, for a team rather than an individual, a
different strategy may need to be used. For example, if a coach determines that
his team is not taking an opponent seriously, he or she must do something to get
the players prepared. The coach runs the risk of over activating a few anxiety-
prone members of the squad, but this is usually better than running the risk of an
uninspired effort from the whole team. And if the coach identifies the players
with very high trait anxiety profiles, he or she can work with them individually.
Generally speaking, an above-average level of arousal is essential for
optimal performance in gross motor activities involving strength, muscular
endurance, and speed. We would expect psyching-up strategies to facilitate
strength and muscular endurance activities. As you might expect, the research
supports this conclusion. It would also follow that heightened arousal would
help any athlete whose pre competitive arousal level was below optimal. The
key, regardless of the activity, is the inverted-U. If the athlete is either over-
aroused or optimally aroused for a particular activity, psyching-up procedures
are inappropriate. However, if the athlete is under-aroused, psyching-up
procedures are warranted.
Interestingly, psyching methods tend to be specific to the individual. For
example, most weightlifters prepare for the challenge of lifting heavy weight by
going through a psyching routine which is designed to elicit maximum strength.
They attempt to heighten their senses, stir their emotions, and get themselves in
the right state of mind. The means by which they achieve the aforementioned
varies from athlete to athlete. For instance, Bill Kazmaier, three time World’s
Strongest Man, is famous for his hair raising psych routine. The six foot three,
three hundred and sixty pound Kaz, as he is affectionately called, saunters up to
the bar, breaks open two ammonia capsules and crams them up his nostrils. He
inhales the fumes and gets an eye opening burst of exhilaration. That’s just the
beginning. With his eyes bugged out and his face as red as a Georgia tomato,
the enormous veins in his neck look as if they were going to burst. It kind of
reminds you of a guy who has been constipated for two weeks and is now
making an all-out struggle for relief. Kaz lets out a terrifying scream, stomps his
feet, and proceeds to attack the bar as if he was going to break it in two.
Many athletes also commonly use self-activation to psych themselves up.
Often, lethargic activity on the part of an athlete can be reversed through the
application of mental strategies to increase activation. Over the years I have
observed Jimmy Conners’ psych up in a tennis match by slapping himself on the
thigh and by using positive self-statements. Research has clearly shown that
specific attempts to “get psyched” using various internal cognitive strategies are
effective in enhancing strength and muscular endurance activities.
Others use more dramatic techniques of self-activation. For example, take
Carroll “Nasty” Sellers, the Southeastern United States bench press champion.
Sellers sits on the end of the bench before he attempts the lift. He has his 240
pound coach slap him in the face about four or five times. When he thinks he is
ready, he attempts the lift.
If that doesn’t freak you out, I am sure this will. Multiple world
powerlifting champion, Rickey Dale Crain, has been known to psych-up by
running head first into a wall and by banging his head against the bar five or six
times prior to the attempt. I guess he figures if he can survive the beating, the
lift should be easy.
In direct contrast to these dramatics is the ten time World Champion
Lamar Grant. Grant stands on the platform glaring intently at the bar. His face
is contorted with anger. He expands his chest and back to enormous
proportions. Grant’s lat expansion is so great that if you view him from a
distance, his upper torso looks like the hood of a mammoth cobra. When it
comes time to conquer the weight, Grant does so in a rather calm and reserved
manner. His lifts exhibit much greater control than the aforementioned lifters.
When it comes to the actual lift, Grant seems to rely much more on skill than on
emotional arousal.
Again, this indicates that psyching routines are specific to the individual,
which only makes sense since each individual knows better than anyone else
what turns him on and off. Whether you are a stomper, screamer, banger, or
thinker, generally speaking, psyching-up is designed to increase the athletes’
arousal or activation level. Research has consistently shown that heightened
arousal can significantly enhance strength, speed, and endurance activities. In
fact, it has been shown that an above average level of arousal was essential for
optimum performance in these areas. Of course, every athlete will attempt to
reach a level of optimum arousal that will maximize his performance. As
mentioned, over-arousal or under-arousal can result in a decrement of
performance. The problem lies in arriving at the optimum level of arousal for
each athlete.
There are a number of factors to consider when determining the optimum
arousal level. The first is the skill to be performed. It is generally believed that
a high level of arousal will enhance the performance of a simple skill such as
weightlifting. On the other hand, a lower arousal level is more conducive to a
complex skill such as a gymnastic dismount. Keep in mind that each athletic
skill has its own theoretical optimum level of arousal. The optimum arousal
level used to perform a squat may be “overdoing it” when applied to a golf shot.
The reason for this is that the more complex the skill, the more attentive the
athlete must be to pick up the cues for performance. As you may expect, as
arousal increases, the athlete’s attention to the skill he is performing will
narrow. If you over do it, your attention will be narrowed to the point to which
the cues for performance will be blotted out, resulting in a decrement in
performance. A simple skill such as the squat requires so few environmental
cues that a lifter could actually disassociate or ignore them without causing a
decrement in performance.
Another thing to consider is the skill level of the athlete. The optimum
arousal level for a novice athlete should be considerably lower than for an elite
athlete performing the same skill. The reason for this is that the novice athlete
has to pay more attention or associate with the cues in his environment. As the
athlete improves in skill, he learns to recognize cues much faster and undergoes
a great reduction in the number of cues necessary to make the lift.
Over activation is a common mistake made by many novice athletes. They
will observe a world class athlete scream and yell and in effect, disassociate, and
proceed to mimic these techniques. At his skill level, a world class athlete
doesn’t require all the cues for performing a particular activity that a novice
would.
The competitive environment is another consideration when determining
arousal level. You may require a psyching technique in the gym, but not want
one when competing in front of hundreds of spectators. The day of competition,
by definition, usually brings about a higher level of excitement. Another
example lies in the difference between a local meet and say the national
championships. A more experienced lifter may require a psyching technique for
the local meet, whereas, the national championships carry with them a great deal
of pressure and thus, psyching would be inappropriate. If the same psyching
technique were used for both events, you run the risk of over-psyching at the
nationals and cause a decrement in performance.
Here are some points to ponder when considering individual psyching
techniques:
1. Preparing for competition involves more than just psyching-up. The
key is to find the techniques that will elicit the optimum level of arousal.
2. The optimum level of arousal is a function of the skill, the skill level of
the athlete, and the environment. A highly skilled athlete performing a simple
task should use a high level of arousal for the maximum performance. A novice
athlete performing the same skill requires a relatively lower arousal level for the
same performance.
3. When an athlete is over-aroused or optimally aroused, a psyching
routine would be inappropriate. However, if an athlete is under-aroused, a
psyching procedure would be appropriate.
 4. Remember that each athlete responds differently to the competitive
environment. Each athlete’s own perception of the situation will dictate which
competitive strategy is best for him. An athlete may wish to control anxiety in
one situation, whereas another situation may require a psyching technique.
Either way, the athlete must determine the right course of action for himself. In
short, psyching procedures are specific to each and every athlete. What works
for one athlete may not work for another.
CHAPTER 9
THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION
Another important thing in achieving success is the ability to live in the
moment. It is the capacity to focus all of your energies on the task you are
performing. When you are totally focused, you can put yourself mentally and
physically into whatever you are trying to accomplish. And once you are
capable of doing that, you can make something extraordinary happen. When
nothing exists except the game, or the task that you are engaged in, that is when
you can perform at a higher level of existence. Some athletes refer to this as
being in “the zone.” In business and medicine it is referred to as “the white
moment.” During this time, nothing seems beyond the boundaries of possibility.
The great athletes have all discovered through experience that the ability to
fuse mind and body into each and every task is of paramount importance in
reaching an optimum level of performance. Having complete communication
with your mind and muscles is a significant edge, a power if you will that can
help transcend performance beyond what most people believe is possible.
Case in point, a number of years ago, I saw this guy on Wide World of
Sports named Mas Oyama demonstrate what he called the powers of the
consciousness, which happens to be a fancy way of saying focusing. Oyama
was a Korean who just happened to be teaching karate in Tokyo. At the time, he
was considered by most karate experts as a master of masters and the greatest
martial artist since Bruce Lee. People who were close to him claimed that he
had absolute control of every muscle in his body and that he could generate
super-human power by fusing his mind and body into a single, disciplined unit.
In all honesty, I thought they were selling wolf tickets...selling wolf tickets
is just another way of saying they were B.S.ing. Oyama’s demonstration
changed my mind. He walked into a bull ring with a 2,000 pound bull. He was
completely unarmed and faced off with this huge beast. At first, the bull walked
around the ring rather peacefully. Then, when it saw Oyama, the bull stiffened,
began snorting and pawing the dirt, and then charged straight at Oyama with its
horns lowered in the classical attack position. Oyama stood squarely in front of
the bull until it was a foot or two away, he took one step sideward and slammed
two punches into the bull. His first blow sliced one of the bull’s horns in half.
The second blow brought the huge beast down killing it instantly.
Oyama explained in a post-event interview how a man of moderate stature
could drop a 2,000 pound bull with his bare hands. Oyama talked with Howard
Cosell, “I relaxed until the moment, then I brought every energy source of my
body into play, but I concentrated all of that power into just my fist. To generate
great power you must first totally relax and gather your mind and all your
strength on hitting your target. When you have this union of mind and body,
you have the power of many.”
Of course, such power and control will benefit every athlete. In fact, I
believe it is essential for quality training. Without the ability to focus, optimum
performance cannot be achieved. Every athlete has experienced workouts where
his mind was somewhere else. Like thinking about what happened the day
before or about what’s going to happen later in the day. Generally, these non-
focused workouts are not very productive, especially when compared to
workouts where all of our mental and physical energy is focused on our training.
The secret to success in anything is to keep your mind focused on the thing
you want to achieve. If you learn to become totally consumed with every task
that you perform, you can bring about amazing results. By being completely
preoccupied with the here and now, you can accomplish things that you never
thought possible in a time span you thought was impossible. For instance, when
I am training, I get so involved in what I’m doing that I literally lose the concept
of time. I’ll lift for one or two hours and it will seem like it’s been only 15
minutes. That is how engrossed I get in my work. When that happens, you
become one with the activity you are performing. Each event is a single-minded
focus.
When you think about it, the only reality that there is in life is what is
transpiring now. What is happening between us at this very moment in time is
what is important. What has occurred moments before is irrelevant, as is what
will happen in the moments to come. Only the immediate moment has
significance, for it is only that moment that you can control. The past is
important only because it has brought us to where we are today. We can’t
change the past, we can only learn from it, so why make it a focal point of our
existence? The future has even less significance because it is only a figment of
our imagination. We can’t determine what the future will bring. No one can
foretell the future. So why be concerned with the future? We need to be
concerned with what we do have control of, and that’s the present.
 Focusing means being totally in the here and now...in the present. When
your mind drifts to the past or into the future, you are not going to be very
efficient in the present. You need to learn to increase your attention to relevant
stimuli and divert your attention away from irrelevant stimuli. In short, you
have to learn to engage in selective awareness. No matter how small the task,
understand that it is important...everything is significant. Perform every act as if
nothing else in the world matters. This is an old Zen principle, you put your
whole soul and being into every act that you perform. Arnold Schwarzenegger
was a master at this type of focused concentrated training when he was
competing in bodybuilding. He would centralize all of his body’s energy into
the muscle he was training. Let me read to you what Schwarzenegger says about
focusing on the moment and/or the task at hand. He says:
When I trained, the most important thing was that my mind was
always in touch with my body. That not only helped my training, it
was like meditating. I could get into myself I locked my mind into
the muscle during training, as if I transplanted my mind into the
tissue itself I became one with the weights. Nothing else in the world
mattered to me.
Without the ability to focus, optimum performance cannot be achieved. I
think every athlete has experienced workouts where his mind was somewhere
else...like thinking about what happened the day before or about what’s going to
happen later in the day. Generally these non-focused workouts are not very
productive, especially when compared to workouts where all an athlete’s mental
and physical energy is focused on his training.
When you are totally focused on each and every activity, when your mind
is fused with your muscle in a single-minded focus, the will to perform is
transmitted into the act of performing. At that moment, muscle and mind are
mixed in a crucible of intensity. It is at that moment that the awesome power
from within surfaces. That is when you become AWESOME!
It should also be noted that when your mind becomes totally focused on a
task, all doubt and uncertainty is pushed aside. In brief, you cease to experience
a body that is inhibited by mental or physical distractions. The mind becomes
one with the task at hand.
As an illustration, consider what would happen if I asked you to walk
across a board that was 12 inches wide, 15 feet long and a foot off the ground.
I’m sure you would be able to complete that task without any difficulty at all. In
fact, you probably could do it blindfolded. On the other hand, what if I extended
the board between two New York skyscrapers with a drop of about 100 feet to
the ground? I would be willing to bet a walk across that same board would
cause considerable anxiety for most of us. I’ll bet some of you would not be
able to do it. The skill level required to walk across the board is exactly the
same, whether it is 12 inches or 100 feet off the ground.
The difference is the psychological response to the perceived trepidation.
Instead of totally focusing on the task, your attention is directed to the possibility
of what could happen. If you were totally focused on walking across the board...
if your mind became one with that task...you would not experience any fear or
uncertainty. Walking the board would be...well, a “cake walk.”
Once you achieve this type of single-mindedness, you can become
immersed into each event that you encounter. Each moment will be infused with
importance and necessity. When you reach that point, you can go beyond what
even you think is possible.
Of course, this principle can be applied to every endeavor in life. And it
should be if you want to be successful in life. No matter what you are doing,
whether it is reading, lifting weights, writing, listening to music, watching
television, or eating, strive to immerse yourself completely into the activity. No
matter how trivial the behavior you are engaging in, give it your full undivided
attention. You will find that all activities, the important as well as the
unimportant, will assume a new dimension of reality because they have your full
attention. The power that can be derived from such intimate cooperation
between mind and moment is absolutely extraordinary.
Such control does not come cheaply nor can it be learned though a
haphazard effort. Unfortunately, it is even tougher for Americans than it is for
Europeans because there are so many distractions in America. Actually, the
American culture lends itself to an unfocussed life style that is unparalleled
anywhere in the world. I would venture to say that few Americans are capable
of doing just one thing at a time. They seem to need multiple stimuli to
function. They read, listen to the radio, watch television, eat, drink, think, and
talk...all at once. Their lack of aptitude for concentrating is clearly evident by
their inability to sit still for five minutes in an easy chair. Americans can’t even
watch a television program from beginning to end without channel surfing every
five minutes. I find this very amusing because Europeans are taught at a very
young age to focus on what they are doing. They are taught never to do two
things at once. For instance, if they are studying, they are not allowed to listen
to the radio or television at the same time. I have witnessed children in America
eat, listen to the television, and radio while they study.
Still, the ability to concentrate can be learned. In order to reach this
integration of mind and body, you will first need to understand the concepts of
concentration and attention. Let’s take a look.
TYPES OF CONCENTRATION
Whether you realize it or not, there is more than one type of attention
level. For an athlete to reach an optimum level of performance, he must be able
to engage in at least four different types of attention. To understand what I’m
talking about, it is necessary to think of attention as requiring two different types
of

focus...width and direction. Let’s look at width of attention first. In certain

sports situations, an athlete will need to have a fairly broad focus of attention
because the athlete must be aware of several different cues in his or her
environment. A quarterback in football, for example, is required to be aware of
almost the entire field. On the other hand, some sports situations require a
narrow focus of attention. Lifting weights is a primary example where a narrow
attention level is required because the athletes focus is predominantly on the skill
of lifting.

Now, let’s look at the other type of focus that needs to be controlled,
namely the direction of the athletes attention. In some situations, the athlete’s
attention must be focused externally towards the opponent, the ball, etc. For
example, the quarterback on the football team must not only be aware of the
receiver, but also the defensive backs and the rushing defensive line players. At
other times, the athletes focus must be internalized. During this time, the athlete
might mentally rehearse the performance or attempt to control physiological
arousal.

For instance, a weightlifter might visualize making a lift or the lifter might focus
on inducing deep muscle relaxation.

With these two types of focus, four different types of attention are
possible: broad external, broad internal, narrow external, and narrow internal.
Since different sports situations will require different types of attention, athletes
have to shift from one attention level to another in order to match the demand of
competition. Certain sports require quicker and more frequent shifts in attention
than other sports. For instance, a basketball player would be required to shift
attention faster and more frequently than a golfer. Weight lifting for example
shifts in attention from moment to moment. Even more encouraging, if you are
a weightlifter is the fact that the shifts in attention that a weightlifter does make
are generally dictated by the lifter, and not by the competitive environment.
Again, using a weightlifter as our example...when he steps up to the bar
prior to lifting, he starts off with a fairly broad external type of attention. At this
time, he would make note of several different types of information. He would
need to be aware of the judges, the platform conditions, and any other
environmental conditions that would affect his performance. Once he gathered
this broad external information, he would shift his attention to a broad internal
focus to plan his lift. Here he would recall his past performance in this type of
situation, remembering how he played it and what the outcome was. He might
also think about any changes he might have to make to improve his
performance. For example, is he in a different tactical position, should he play it
conservative or should he take a risk? After he analyzes all of the information,
he is in a position to determine how he will attempt his lift.
Once he constructed his plan, he would shift his attention to a narrow
internal type of concentration to monitor his physiological arousal and to
mentally rehearse his performance. During this type of attention, he might
induce deep muscle relaxation and vividly visualize himself making a perfect
lift. Finally, he would shift his attention to a narrow external focus as he
addresses the bar and begins his lift. At this time, his concentration is totally on
the lift. To attend to other stimuli at this time would only interfere with his lift.
Now that you are aware of the different types of concentration, let’s see
how focusing and/or centering can be used to enhance performance.
FOCUSING
There is no doubt that if you learn to induce deep muscle relaxation and
consistently use mental rehearsal and modeling to prepare for competition, you
are going to significantly decrease the probability of choking. In all candor
though, you can significantly reduce the frequency of choking through the
aforementioned techniques, but it’s doubtful that you will totally eliminate the
phenomena. Because of the dynamic nature of sports, there will always be
unanticipated situations that we could not prepare for. If we tried to think of
every contingency that might occur, we would overload ourselves and never
move forward. Consequently, we must learn to regain our composure quickly
when we experience failure, fear, or anxiety. Learning to recover once things
are already out of control or once a mistake has been made is even more critical
than trying to eliminate choking altogether.
In the prevention strategies we discussed previously, our primary objective
was to recognize and reduce physical tension by inducing deep muscle
relaxation and thereby improving concentration. However, once you make a
mistake or experience anxiety, you may find it difficult to directly challenge
what is going on in your body. Indeed, you may even find it difficult to
concentrate long enough to induce

relaxation. For instance, imagine a situation in which you just missed your first
lift in a crucial powerlifting championship. As you stand there waiting for your
second attempt, you feel yourself tensing up. Your shoulders and neck stiffen up
and your stomach becomes a little queasy. You know you are too tense, so you
try to relax by suggesting to yourself, “This is just a game, it’s not that
important, just relax.” Almost immediately you find yourself countering your
own suggestion by saying, “The hell, this game is important and I am blowing
it. I am not going to let this happen...there is no way I’m going to choke.” If
you had a great deal of confidence in yourself, you would probably regain your
composure. You could challenge and confront yourself, using your frustration
and anger to help you refocus on your game. When you lack confidence though,
you have to adjust your set and attention level. You have to become process
focused rather than outcome focused.

Generally, during training most lifters motivate themselves by focusing on

the competition. They reason, “I will be able to get the recognition and rewards
I want. It’s all worth the hard work.” Once you are in competition though, an
outcome focus can actually increase fear and anxiety. To focus on how
important a competition is or what can be gained or lost during the actual
competition typically generates additional emotional and physical stress which
in turn interferes with performance. Actually, one of the major contributors to
choking is thinking about the outcome or the importance of the contest while
involved in it. Thus, when you find yourself focusing on the outcome of the
competition while you are competing, you must immediately become process
focused. In other words, you need to focus on the process of your performance
rather than the outcome of it. For example, instead of focusing on winning or
losing, you might attend to some technical aspect of your performance or the
feeling of your body moving through your movement. In the same light, you
must not focus on your past performance. Only the present matters. The past
can’t be changed and the future may never come. The only thing you have
control over is the present.

Accordingly, only the present matters. What your present score is or what you
did with your last lift is completely irrelevant. Only the lift you are about to
attempt has any significance, thus your attention should be completely focused
on that lift and that lift only. Every lift should be an event, an experience of
which you are an integral part.

Don’t run away from the experience, participate in it...stay in the moment,
the feeling, the development. Be a part of it all. Nothing should occupy your
awareness, only the present. Live in the moment, not in the past or the future.
This is so significant. It can make or break your game. So one more time, just
for effect, when performing a skill there should be nothing occupying your
awareness except the skill you are performing. Your mind set should be totally
focused on what you are doing.

The past and future should have no influence upon your psyche. What has
occurred moments before is irrelevant, as is what will happen in moments to
come. Only the immediate moment and event has significance, for it is only that
moment that can be controlled. There is no reason to worry about what has
transpired or what will transpire, only about what is.

At the ultimate level of focus, the distinction between subject and object
disappears. You become one with the skill you are performing...the activity
becomes the moment. When you reach that level of mind-body fusion, even the
impossible becomes possible.
MONO-IDEAISM
In 1983, conductor Carlos Kleiber was conducting Strauss’s Der
Rosenkavalier at La Scala, when all of a sudden, the entire building started
shaking and a giant chandelier hanging above Kleiber started vibrating
uncontrollably. A major earthquake was in the works. Everyone in the building
was frantic...everyone that is, except Kleiber. He was concentrating so intently
on the piece of music that he was conducting that he was completely unaware of
the earthquake or the disturbance it had caused in the symphony hall.
Obviously, Kleiber had achieved an extremely high level of single-mindedness
and exclusive concentration and attention. A mind-set that most World Class
athletes have achieved, but a skill seldom achieved by athletes of a low
classification.
Learning to associate would certainly seem easy enough. Just pay
attention. Well, that helps, but unfortunately, this is not that easy. Like other
skills, there are levels of competence. Paying attention to what you are doing
takes understanding and considerable training. As mentioned, the ability to
concentrate is a skill, and like any other skill, it can be developed and improved
through practice.
Basically, there are two ways to increase your concentration. You either
learn to become totally focused on relevant stimuli or learn to ignore extraneous
and irrelevant stimuli. You must learn the process or selective awareness the
skill of selectively paying attention to what is important and ignoring the things
that are not.

Generally, athletes learn selective awareness by the process of trial and error and
it’s usually learned during competition. Unfortunately, this learning by doing
strategy does not always work. As a matter of fact, for many athletes such a
strategy can actually teach inappropriate behavior. For instance, if an athlete
experiences extreme anxiety and performs poorly during competition, he or she
is in reality learning that competition is anxiety provoking and detrimental to
performance. In light of the aforementioned, it would seem imperative that an
athlete be able to control both internal and external stimuli before entering
competition. Fortunately, that is a very real possibility. Contrary to what many
athletes and coaches believe, athletes can be systematically trained prior to
competition to be independent and totally focused.
 Here are a few tips to help you link mind and body together:
1. First of all, put forth an effort to eliminate all distractions. It only
makes sense that the more extraneous stimuli you have in your environment, the
harder it will be to concentrate. Consequently, by eliminating extraneous
stimuli, you can create an environment that is more conducive for focusing on
your task. Music, talking, noises, and even people at times can become a
distraction. Ideally, it would be best to eliminate anything and everything that
could divert your attention from the task at hand. From strictly a concentration
standpoint, it would probably be best to work in a sterile environment. This is
virtually impossible, especially if you train in a commercial gym. Remember,
your sole purpose is to become “one” with the muscles you’re working. It is not
your intention to become a social animal or an active observer of your training
environment.
Like I said earlier, perform every act as if nothing else in the world
matters. Again, the old Zen principle applies… you put your whole soul and
being into every act that you perform.

When training, there should be nothing occupying your awareness except the
weight and the muscles you are utilizing. The past and the future should have no
influence upon what you are trying to achieve. Don’t worry about what has
transpired or what will transpire, only about what is. Remember you need all of
your energies to reach optimum performance. At the ultimate level of
association, the distinction between subject and object disappears. Again, you
must become “one” with the activity, and the activity must become the
MOMENT.

2. In training, learn to fuse mind and body into each and every skill that
you attempt. Like Schwarzenegger, get in touch with your muscles. Try to
center all of your body’s energy into the muscle you are working. Constantly
keep your mind in touch with your body. If at times you find your mind
wondering, bring it right back to the muscle you’re training. Try to lock your
mind right into your muscle...like Arnold transplanted his mind right into the
tissue itself. Once this type of focus is obtained, though, you can become
immersed into each event that you encounter.

Each moment will be infused with importance and necessity. Mind and body
will become one. Once you achieve that type of harmony, you will be perched
on the doorway to success.

3. Another helpful suggestion is to learn how to center. As indicated,

sports psychologists tell us that it is important for the athlete to “stay in the
present.” We can’t control the future, nor the past, so thinking about these time
frames can cause anxiety and stress. Yet, many athletes place themselves in the
past by dwelling on what has happened. Others jump to the future to worry
about what might occur. Both of these situations can negatively affect
performance. Centering helps you “stay in the present” by helping you
concentrate on your body and your breathing. This allows you to focus on
things other than stress, bad calls, what happened, or what will happen next in
the competition. The mere act of thinking about your breathing changes your
focus from the negative or anxiety causing event to the present task. This kicks
out the negative and helps you regroup your thoughts.
4. How do you Center? I am glad you asked. Focus on breathing a slow,
steady stream of air in through your nose. Feel the air enter your lungs and settle
into the center of your body.

Blow out through your mouth while thinking a key word or phrase that helps you
to refocus on what you need to be doing. Some athletes choose to think, “What
do I need to do now?” Others say, “Center.” Some even close their eyes and
envision a successful move. You can develop your own key word or phrase.
Just make it one that has meaning to you. Actually, centering can become
automatic if you practice it enough. Center yourself after flurries, a break in the
action, or a timeout. Teach yourself to use every break to regain focus by
centering.

Train yourself to control your thinking by using this centering skill as your cue.
Invoke that automatic refocus.

5. Once you learn this skill, you will notice a definite change in the
thinking patterns you use in your competition. You will spend less time thinking
about problems and more time focusing on solutions. You will have less stress,
and you will enjoy more success. You make the call. If centering is something
that will benefit you in competition, practice it daily until you master the skill. It
is a simple and effective way for you to control your performance self-talk and
focus.
 6. Along these same lines, behavioral changing can also be used. As you
will recall, chaining is when you construct a specific behavior and follow that
pattern each and every time you perform a particular skill. For instance, if you
are a weightlifter, before each lift you might (1) chalk your hands, (2) tighten up
your lifting belt, (3) take your position on the lifting platform, (4) take two deep
breaths, (5) visualize your lift, (6) take two more deep breaths, and (7) attempt
your lift. Note that each behavior should follow the next without interruption so
that you will only have time to focus on the behavior that you are engaging in.
By keeping your mind focused, thoughts that might evoke internal distractions
such a fear or anxiety are eliminated, and external distractions such as noise are
ignored. Of course, once you develop a behavioral pattern, you should use it on
every lift whether it’s in practice, warm-up, or in the actual competition. Each
behavior should be designed to cue in the next behavior, bringing about a chain
of behaviors that are uninterrupted. By developing a behavioral chain, you will
not only increase your ability to focus, but will also be able to reactivate your
focus if you lose it.
CHAPTER 10
METHODS USED TO ENHANCE ATHLETIC
PERFORMANCE
Perhaps no mind control technique has captured the imagination of the
American public more than the phenomenon of hypnosis. Men have long
dreamed that the awesome powers of hypnosis, once harnessed, will transcend
them to superhuman status. Whether or not hypnosis has the magical powers to
turn a man into superman is still a matter of speculation.
If there is one thing I know though, it is hypnosis. I learned how to
hypnotize people when I was 12 years old. By the time I was 13, I had
hypnotized just about my whole neighborhood. By the age of 16, I had devised
a technique utilizing hypnosis and behavior modification to bring about deep
muscle relaxation with preconditioned symbols. At 22, I already had numerous
research studies under my belt and was the first hypnotist to be hired by a
professional baseball team. I had the good fortune to spend many years working
with some of the best professional and amateur athletes in the world from a
variety of sports. Like I said, I know hypnosis. I know the capabilities and
limitations of the technique.
First of all, what exactly is hypnosis? Well, that is the really hard
question. I don’t know, nor does anyone else. Scientists still cannot agree on
what hypnosis is or whether there is any such thing at all. Hypnosis has been
variously described as a form of sleep, as a unique psychological state, as
heightened suggestibility, as a state of selective attention, as dissociation of
personality, as mere role playing, as a form of classical conditioning, and as a
state of exaggerated susceptibility. In short, there is little agreement as to what
hypnosis is. At present, there is no one who can substantiate with hard evidence
what he believes it is. If you want my true opinion, hypnosis is simply a placebo
and it works well with placebo reactors.
The truth is, in terms of physiological functioning, there is no objective
way of identifying or measuring the state of hypnosis. A subject who is
hypnotized generally exhibits the same neuro-physiological functions as a
subject in the waking state. The subject’s brain waves are typically alpha waves,
while respiration, heart rate, and galvanic skin responses are usually those of
deep relaxation. The subject’s brain waves may also be similar to those during
physical activity, depending upon the hypnotist’s suggestions. This is not to say
that there are no differences between the hypnotic and waking state.
The fact that hypnosis cannot be measured or identified may simply mean
that at this point in time, we do not have instruments capable of detecting
differences between the two states. Interestingly enough, people who are under
the influence of hypnosis generally experience mild relaxation, but hardly ever
lose control of their thoughts.
As far as the techniques effectiveness is concerned, we really don’t have to
know what hypnosis is. For instance, I don’t understand all the complexities of
electricity, but I know how to make it work. The same is true of hypnosis. I
may not understand all of it, but I know how to make it work.
For reasons not yet ascertained, individuals differ greatly in susceptibility
to hypnosis. Not everyone who is hypnotized reaches the same trance depth, nor
can anyone be hypnotized. About 80% of the general population can be
hypnotized, but only about 10% can reach a somnambulistic or deep state of
hypnosis. This should not be too surprising. After all, people vary in their skill
at any task that they attempt. For example, if we randomly tested a group of
people on the bench press, we would probably find a wide range of scores. It’s
doubtful that anyone tested would be able to bench 300 pounds. Yet, we would
not conclude that because no one could bench press 300 pounds, such a feat was
impossible, nor would we say that the bench press was an invalid method
because the subject’s score varied. On the contrary, we know that with practice
the subject’s scores will level off, and many of them will eventually reach 300
pounds. The same can be said about hypnosis. The more the subjects practice,
the less their scores and susceptibility will vary, and the greater their chance of
reaching a somnambulistic state of hypnosis.
At present, no one has discovered any psychological or physiological traits
that could be used as a foolproof indicator of hypnotizability. Research does
indicate, however, that an individual is more easily hypnotized between the ages
of 7 and 8 than at any other period. Also, females in general are slightly better
subjects than males, and drug addicts are in general better subjects than non-
addicts. (Placebo reactors are the best subjects.)
Contrary to popular belief, individuals who are highly intelligent and who
possess vivid imaginations are also good subjects. Actually, a vivid imagination
is one of the best indications of hypnotic susceptibility. The best hypnotic
subjects are those who can imagine with incredible clarity, even while awake.
Many athletes engage in techniques such as mental rehearsal and visualization,
which may explain why athletes tend to have a higher susceptibility rating than
the general population.
Although hypnotic suggestibility is not a fixed variable that is measurable
and unchanging in each individual, there are a number of crude methods of
assessing hypnotic suggestibility. The most commonly used method is the
Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, developed by Weetzenhoffer and
Hilgard in 1959. The scale rates individuals on their ability to pass various
suggestibility tests. The tests are the same ones commonly employed by stage
hypnotists to select subjects for their demonstrations. Although the scale is
helpful in identifying subjects who are susceptible to suggestion, it is not a
foolproof index of hypnotizability. Presently, it seems that the best way to
determine how well a subject will respond to hypnotic suggestion is to actually
hypnotize him.
Even though there has been a lot of research on the effects of hypnosis on
athletic performance, the findings are equivocal. Some studies indicate that
hypnosis can significantly enhance athletic performance while other studies
report the exact opposite. There is considerable evidence, however, to indicate
that the discrepancies in these findings reflect methodological errors. For
instance, the experimental design of many of these studies is ineffective in
controlling both internal and external variables.
The more systematic research involving methodological controls has
shown that hypnosis, per se, does not seem to enhance muscular strength. Nor
does hypnosis in conjunction with task-motivating suggestions in one-shot
applications seem to produce significant increments in athletic performance.
However, longitudinal studies utilizing hypnosis, task-motivating suggestions,
and visualization have revealed significant improvement in athletic
performance. Of course, this research does not indicate whether it was the
hypnosis, task-motivating suggestions, visualization, or a combination of the
three treatments that enhance strength. Obviously, all of those methods are
confounded. I think it’s safe to say that more systematic research involving
methodological control is necessary before the efficiency of hypnosis as an
ergogenic aid can either be substantiated or refuted.
The fact is hypnosis is not magic, it’s not even a therapy...it’s a tool.
Don’t get me wrong though. When hypnosis is used properly, it can bring
amazing results. Considerable research has shown hypnosis to be beneficial in
controlling anxiety, stress, and even pain. Add to this the fact that for select
individuals, hypnosis seems to be an ergogenic aid, and you have a fairly strong
case for pursuing the technique. At the very least, learning to hypnotize yourself
will teach you how to relax. And relaxation itself is very important to the
athlete.
From what research tell us, it seems to work best when used over a longer
period of time in conjunction with task-motivating suggestions and visualization
training. For instance, hypnosis and the aforementioned techniques can be used
by the athlete to mentally rehearse his workout. One thing to remember is that
hypnosis is a tool for developing your mind. Remember, your mind is a
powerful instrument, far more so than your body. Once you learn to unleash the
power in your mind, there is just no telling how great you can become.
SELF-HYPNOSIS
There are numerous methods that can be used to induce self-hypnosis. In
reality, just about every book you read on self-hypnosis has its own version of a
trance induction technique. Two techniques with which I’ve experienced
considerable success are sleep suggestion and object gaze. I strongly suggest
that you experiment with both techniques and decide which one is best suited for
you. It really doesn’t matter which technique you choose, the end result...a
hypnotic trance...is the most important consideration.
In order for you to induce hypnosis, you will need to memorize the
induction techniques that follow. While parrot-like recital of these suggestions
is not necessary, an understanding of the general basis and outline of the
techniques is essential. You will administer suggestions to yourself by thinking
them through, rather than presenting them to yourself orally. You are attempting
to produce a vivid image of what these words represent. As with the mind
experiments, as the mind conceives the suggestions, the body responds with
physiological reactions appropriate to those suggestions. For instance, when you
give yourself the suggestion that you are relaxing, you will elicit changes in
muscle potential which will bring about physiological relaxation. Also, do not
spend unnecessary time analyzing the suggestions you give yourself. Just give
yourself the suggestions and let everything happen naturally. Remember, this is
a systematic procedure, each step is important because it directly correlates to
the previous and subsequent steps.
Additionally, there is no need to hurry through these techniques, and you
may find that it will take you several practice sessions before you are able to
induce a trance state. The more you practice, however, the faster and easier it
becomes for your suggestions to take effect. Before you begin to study the
induction techniques, find a time and place in which you will not be disturbed.
It is very important that you eliminate all distractions or the possibility of
distractions. You may find that you will have to lock the door or take the
telephone off the hook. Try to choose a time of day...mid-afternoon,
perhaps...when there is very little activity in your surroundings.
The first technique that will be discussed is sleep suggestion. In this
technique, you should lie down with your right hand (or the left, if you are a
“southpaw”) positioned on your chest, palm down. Your other hand should be
relaxed at your side. Close your eyes and make your mind completely passive
and relaxed. Take as long as you need to rid yourself of any excitement or
worries that your mind may harbor. Begin the hypnotic procedure when your
mind is completely at ease.
Once you have achieved mental and physical relaxation, give yourself this
suggestion, “I feel wonderful, lazy, and relaxed. In a few seconds, I am going to
put myself into a deep hypnotic trance. I realize that by doing this I will not lose
control of myself or any of my faculties, but rather I will be in complete control
of myself as never before. I will be aware of everything that is going on around
me. If something occurs that requires my attention such as someone walking
into the room or calling me, or a fire breaking out, I will awaken immediately.
Once I am awake, I will feel refreshed, relaxed, and aware. I’m going to start
now. Through this experiment and others like it, I hope to become a complete
individual who uses both mind and body together.”
Note that the term “awake” is misleading as used in the prior paragraph.
You will not be asleep during any phase of your self-hypnosis. You will simply
be on another plane of consciousness, one more susceptible to suggestion. When
I state that you will “awaken,” it means that you will return to a state of normal
consciousness and normal alertness. You will not “awaken” from a deep sleep.
At this point, you will begin a method of factorial relaxation. Remember
we talked about this technique in the chapter on relaxation. Basically, it is the
same procedure that we discussed there. Still, let me run you through it very
quickly here because there is some modification when using it for self-hypnosis.
Begin by concentrating on your forehead. The frontalis muscles are very
important in the relaxation of tension. While you concentrate on relaxing your
forehead, say to yourself, “All the tension and strain is draining from my
forehead. All the muscles of my forehead are beginning to relax. I feel
wonderful, lazy, and relaxed.” Try to see in your mind’s eye these very muscles
relaxing, becoming very limp and flaccid.
Once the forehead is relaxed, pay attention to the remainder of your face,
keeping your eyes closed the entire time. Loosen all the muscles there, taking
away all the tension and strain. Soon your entire face will be completely
relaxed. Do not move on to the next segment of your body until you feel the
complete release of tension in your face. Once you are confident that your face
is relaxed, move on to the muscles of your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, trunk,
abdomen, rump, thighs, and so on. When one section of your body is totally
limp, go on to the next section. See your body as a soft, limber, floppy rag-doll:
very flaccid, very limp, very relaxed.
Keep practicing at relaxation until you feel sure that you are able to
achieve a totally relaxed state. Understand that you must be able to relax
completely in order to attain a trance state. Assuming you have achieved total
relaxation, let’s go on.
Visualize your head on the pillow and see how it sinks deeper and deeper
into it. See yourself very relaxed, very comfortable. As you experience the
feelings of relaxation or perhaps even sinking, give yourself suggestions
appropriate to those feelings, “I feel wonderful, lazy, relaxed. My head is
beginning to sink deeper and deeper into the soft pillow. My shoulders are
sinking into the pillow and the soft, soft bed beneath it.”
Next, turn your attention to your back and visualize the bed turning into a
soft, billowy cloud that is floating up around you. Tell yourself how great it
feels to sink into the cloud, how you are floating on the essence of softness, how
relaxed each part of your body becomes as it lies on the beautiful, lighter-than-
air cloud. By now you should feel totally relaxed. You may even experience
sensations of floating free of any support. Now is the time to visualize a place
where you could lie down and sleep. It may be on a warm spring day at the
beach, or on a cool mat of pine straw in the forest, or by a lake in the serenity of
the mountains. Visualize yourself relaxed with nothing to think about. Just
enjoy the warm sun making you sleepier and sleepier.
The weightlessness of your body is making it almost impossible to open
your eyes, even if you wanted to, but you don’t. Your mind is saying to you to
let it all go. Come down into the restfulness of this beckoning sleep. Visualize
the scene you have chosen and give yourself suggestions such as, “I am
beginning to get tired, very tired.” See yourself flying there and looking up at a
fluffy cloud or two floating across the blue sky. The clouds are very soft, very
light, and fluffy. Let your mind play with the idea of how wonderful it would be
to sleep. See yourself looking across the distance to a lake that has a smooth,
unblemished surface, a surface as serene and quiet as your mind is at this
moment.
By now you should feel very, very relaxed and quite tired. At this point,
begin to give yourself suggestions that the hand on your chest is becoming very,
very light, as if it was a feather that was gently floating upward as it rode the
slightest hint of a cooling, relaxing breeze. Continue to give yourself these
suggestions of buoyancy while you visualize a balloon tied to your hand, pulling
it gently off your chest into the air. Soon, you will find that your fingers are
rising upward, lifting higher and higher off your chest.
As your hand begins to float upward, give yourself the suggestion that the
lighter your hand gets, the more tired you become. Think, “My hand is
beginning to get light, very light, as if it were a feather, weightless in the air. It
is lifting upward, continuously upward. The lighter it gets, the more tired I
become...very tired...thinking of sleep...deep, deep sleep.”
Once your hand has levitated off your chest (don’t lift it, it should
automatically respond to your suggestions if everything is proceeding as it
should), begin to give yourself suggestions that your hand is moving to your face
as you get more and more tired. As you feel sleepier and sleepier, pretend a
balloon is pulling your hand toward your face as you drift into a dream state.
Think to yourself that as soon as your hand touches your face, you will fall into a
deep, deep sleep and you will feel wonderful, happy, and relaxed.
After approximately a minute of continual suggestions, your hand will
move to your face. As soon as it touches your face, you will fall into a deep,
complete, wonderful sleep. Move your hand back to your chest. You have now
entered the world of hypnotic suggestibility, so just relax and enjoy the new
experience of complete relaxation. A cautionary note should be sounded here.
It is not unusual to feel anxiety, even fright, while experiencing the first flushes
of success. Because you are aware that your hand is actually rising off your
chest, actually moving of its own volition, you might very well shock yourself
right out of the trance. The realization that you are truly experiencing a strange,
new phenomenon takes some getting used to, in many cases. Therefore, if such
anxiety occurs, be assured that it is commonplace and will eventually disappear
as you become more accustomed to what is taking place. Okay, with that said,
let’s continue with our journey toward self-hypnosis.
After having learned to induce a hypnotic trance, you will next need to
learn to induce deep muscle relaxation and engage in covert training. These
advanced techniques require a separate treatment all their own and will be
covered in depth in subsequent chapters of this book. For the time being, let’s
assume that you have induced deep muscle relaxation, engaged in covert
training, and are now ready to wake yourself from the trance.
You can wake yourself by thinking the following suggestions, “I am now
going to wake myself by counting from one to five. I will find that the next time
I hypnotize myself, the induction will take place much faster and I will fall into
an even deeper trance than I am now. One...I am beginning to wake up. Two...I
am coming back from a deep sleep. I feel wonderfully refreshed and strong.
Three...I am almost awake now. I feel happy, relaxed, and comfortable.
Four...my eyes are beginning to flutter now, waking up more and more.
Five...my eyes are open. I feel wonderful, relaxed and strong.”
Once you are awake, just lie there for a short time and evaluate your
experience. Having done so, get up and continue with your regular schedule or
daily routine. Now that you are familiar with the “sleep” technique, we can
move on to the second technique that I had alluded to earlier, the “object gaze.”
While this technique is not as relaxing as sleep suggestion, it is one of the
quickest methods for inducing a hypnotic trance. The first thing you will need is
an object upon which to focus your attention. A key, a candle, a coin, or even a
crack on the wall or ceiling will do. Once you have selected your object, sit in a
comfortable chair and fix the object so that it is approximately a foot in front of
you, six to eight inches above your level line of sight. Now, just as you do in the
technique of sleep suggestion, make your mind completely passive and relaxed.
In the object gaze technique, you will keep your eyes open and focused
unwaveringly on your object. Once your mind is completely relaxed, give
yourself this suggestion, “I feel wonderful, lazy, and relaxed. In a few seconds, I
am going to put myself into a deep hypnotic trance. I realize that by doing this, I
will not lose any control of my faculties. I’ll be in total control of myself. I will
be aware of everything that is going on around me. If something should occur
that warrants my attention, such as someone walking into the room or calling
me, or an emergency such as a fire breaking out, I will awaken immediately.
Once I am awake, I will feel refreshed, relaxed and aware. I am going to
become a complete individual, one who uses both mind and body together.”
Remember to keep your eyes focused on your object at all times. At times
during the process, you may find that the object looks very close to your eyes.
At other times, it may appear to vanish completely. No matter what happens,
continue to focus on the object and on any sensations that may occur as you do
so. Begin your relaxation procedure. Continue as you did in the sleep
suggestion process, relaxing the muscles of your forehead, your face, neck,
shoulders, and so on until your entire body is completely relaxed. Do not take
your eyes off the object. Continue to focus on it until all other optical sensations
have been excluded.
Once you are totally relaxed, continue to look deep into the object you
have selected and visualize in your mind’s eye that your entire body is made of
lead. As you continue to focus on the object, tell yourself that your feet are
heavy, quite heavy, just as if they were made of lead. “I am beginning to feel
lazy, relaxed, and tired. The heaviness is moving up my legs and they are
getting heavier and heavier and heavier.” Try to “see” the heavy, dull silver-
colored lead as it seeps into your legs, making them weigh more than you can
even think of lifting.
As you think of the wonderful feeling of heavy relaxation and of how tired
you now feel, keep your eyes focused on the object. Continue to think of your
body as being made of lead, as heavy as you can imagine it to be. As you get to
your face and your eyes, think, “My eyelids are getting heavy, very heavy. They
are beginning to close and the harder I try to keep them open, the heavier they
get.” Continue with this kind of suggestion until your eyes close. At this point
you are again entering into the world of hypnotic suggestibility, and you should
be able to relax and enjoy the experience.
As with the sleep suggestion technique, you would now induce deep
muscle relaxation and engage in covert training. In order to awaken yourself
from the trance, you can use the same suggestions and five-count method that
was employed in the sleep suggestion technique. When dealing with either the
sleep suggestion technique or the object gaze technique, you are attempting to
accomplish the same task, placing yourself into a state of hypnotic
suggestibility. It is not required that you use both techniques to do so, one or the
other will suffice. In general, the sleep suggestion technique is preferred
because it is a more thorough, more powerful technique, although not as quickly
mastered or used as the object gaze. In the final analysis, however, the one that
seems to be the more comfortable and the easier with which to work is the one
for you.
RESTRICTED ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULATION THERAPY
A technique called Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST)
involves the use of a deprivation or flotation tank to deprive subjects of sensory
stimulation. A deprivation or flotation tank is a large enclosed basin that is filled
with dense saltwater solution. The saltwater allows the subject inside the tank to
float in a type of suspended animation. Generally, the water in the tank is kept at
the subject’s exact body temperature. A mask is worn to block out audio and
visual stimulus, and a diver’s suit is donned to inhibit sensory input from skin
receptors. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) first used the
flotation tanks in scientific brain washing experiments in 1954.
Subjects who were submerged in the tanks for as little as two hours
reported hallucinations, distortions in the body images, and long “blank periods”
in which they were unable to engage in any type of cognitive thought. More
importantly, the researchers found that an individual who was isolated in a
flotation tank could be coerced into making profound changes in his attitudes
and values. In fact, the results of every one of the experiments conducted by the
NIMH were in accord, indicating that an individual’s freewill could be stripped
away by using deprivation tanks and brainwashing procedures.
Now I ask you, after knowing all of that, would you even consider the idea
of having someone put you in a deprivation tank for any extended period of
time? Well, not everything that is bad is bad. In fact, some things that are bad
can be very good. You know, like sex, drugs, and women. In other words, most
things can be used for both good and bad. As odd as it may sound, flotation
tanks seem to fall into this category.
Beginning in the 1960s, a number of psychologists started using flotation
tanks to employ restricted environment stimulation therapy to help people
control their behavior. That’s right. Those same sensory deprivation tanks that
were used in the brainwashing experiments in the 1950s are now being used as a
recreational and therapeutic tool.
Interestingly, the tanks have been used successfully to treat individuals
who were suffering from anxiety, depression, fear, and even alcoholism and drug
addiction. Case in point, Dr. Henry Adams of the NIMH has reported that
alcoholics who are periodically deprived of sensory stimulation reduce their
consumption of alcohol significantly. In Adam’s experiments, college students
who were classified as being social-drinkers were submerged in flotation tanks
for two and a half hours daily to deprive them of sensory stimulation. Adams
reported that after only two weeks, the subjects’ alcohol intake dropped by an
average of 33 percent.
In another series of experiments, Adams and a colleague named G. David
Cooper used 30 men and 30 women who were classified as heavy social drinkers
as their subjects. Each of the subjects voluntarily spent three hours in a sensory
deprivation chamber. After one and a half hours in the chamber, half of the
subjects were exposed to an anti-alcohol message... “If you need alcohol to feel
sociable, you’re in trouble.” The other half received a supportive message...
“You don’t really need to use alcohol as a routine part of your life style.” The
experimenters also tested several control groups who were also classified as
heavy social drinkers. One control group spent three hours in the deprivation
chamber, but was given no message. Another control group was not put in the
deprivation chamber, but received the anti-alcohol message. The third control
group received no treatment at all. The results of the study revealed that the
experimental subjects who heard the confrontational message while in the
deprivation chamber decreased their subsequent drinking by 60 percent. The
subjects who received the supportive suggestions did not do as well, but both
experimental groups did significantly better than the control group. Even more
encouraging was the fact that the experimental subjects maintained their
reduction in alcohol consumption for six months, even though they received no
further treatment. The researchers concluded that deprivation increased the
attention that the subjects paid to the anti-alcohol message, and it increased the
acceptance and social value of that message.
Perhaps of greater interest, at least to the field of athletics, is the fact that
sports psychologists are now experimenting with flotation tanks to enhance
athletic performance. In an experiment conducted by Donald Carter, athletes
who were suffering from pre-competition anxiety were subjected to two hours a
day of sensory deprivation in a flotation tank for a period of three weeks. Carter
reported that every one of his subjects’ significantly decreased anxiety.
In similar experiments conducted by Carter, the subjects spent the same
amount of time in the flotation tanks, but were exposed to tape recorded
messages designed to enhance confidence and desensitize anxiety. The results
of these experiments were even more encouraging, indicating that confidence
could be increased and anxiety decreased through this technique. According to
Carter, the flotation tank was capable of inducing a relaxation state that was
more complete than the deepest sleep. He also theorized that at this state of
consciousness an individual’s mind is much more receptive to suggestions.
Although the current research seems to indicate that flotation tanks are valid
instruments for enhancing human performance, more research is necessary
before such a judgment can be made unequivocally.
Actually, I have had first-hand experience with deprivation tanking. I
know you don’t want to hear about my personal escapades, but you may find this
adventure rather entertaining and informative. The experiment took place at the
Environmental Human Performance Laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia and was
directed by Dr. Herbert R. Green, a nationally-renown sports psychologist.
Before entering the tank I was fitted with both a diving mask for breathing
underwater and a sound system so they could communicate with me. The good
doctor positioned me in the tank with a makeshift crane. My body was
suspended absolutely motionless between the surface of the water and the
bottom of the tank. In order to eliminate sensory input, my vision and hearing
were totally blocked out. The water temperature was also kept constant with my
body temperature so that I couldn’t receive sensory stimulation from my skin
receptors. In short, I was almost completely deprived of all types of sensory
stimulation while I was in the tank.
At first, “tanking it” was a rather pleasant experience. It was quiet and
relaxing, kind of like a low-grade Valium trip. The only thing I could hear was
the soothing rush of my respiration and the gentle beating of my heart. It was
great. The first chance I had in a long time to just stretch out and relax. I
couldn’t have been down there more than ten minutes when I drifted off into a
light sleep. When I awoke some time later, I was totally disoriented and
confused. In fact, it took me a little while to figure out that I was still in the
tank. I wouldn’t say I hit the panic button, but it was a little scary. How scary,
you ask? Well, scary enough that I decided that I wouldn’t allow myself to lose
consciousness again. For the next ten minutes or so, I entertained myself by
mentally listing all the movie stars I would like to date, alphabetically of course.
I didn’t even get to Halle Berry when all of a sudden a voice came out of the
void:
There is nothing you can’t do. You are strong and powerful.
Nothing can stop you from reaching your goals. With each day you
will become more positive and more powerful. You have an
unlimited amount of energy and talent. You are focused and
 dedicated. Soon, your efforts will culminate in an awesome
performance.
It may sound odd, but as soon as I heard those suggestions, it was like
trumpets from heaven. I found myself hanging on to each and every word.
Obviously, there was something to this deprivation thing. I had been deprived of
sensory stimulation for no more than an hour, and I already hungered to get it
back. Worse yet, as soon as the suggestions stopped, the intensity of my hunger
increased significantly. Perhaps for the first time in my life I understood how
important it is for a human being to experience sensory stimulation. Apparently,
it’s true that you don’t really appreciate something until it’s taken from you.
One thing was for sure, I was going to have to use all of my powers of
concentration if I was going to endure the tank for any length of time.
Consequently, I decided to keep myself active by designing and building, brick
by brick, my dream home in the walls of my mind. Well, the house was looking
real good. I had just finished the living room when all of a sudden I found
myself in a state of brain nothingness...a state of deep relaxation.
I’m not exactly sure how long I functioned in that state of brain
nothingness, but I had to be in that condition for at least twenty minutes. I was
brought back to reality by more of the motivating suggestions from topside. At
first, the voice from above scared the hell out of me. Once again I didn’t know
exactly where I was or what I was doing. After orienting myself, I found that I
was once again clinging to each and every word as I had done the first time I
heard the suggestions. Perhaps my mind-set and attention level was even more
intense this time. I’m not sure. But there was one thing of which I was
definitely sure. When the suggestions stopped, I immediately longed for the
time I would hear them again. There was another thing that was becoming clear,
I was starting to lose any semblance of control over my mind.
After a few minutes of what I think was reasonably lucid thought, I just
decided to lie back and try to go with the flow until the good doctor pulled me
out of the tank. That was probably a mistake. During the next whatever time
period, my mind entertained just about every sensation imaginable. If the first
part of my tanking experience was like a low-grade valium trip, the last part of it
could best be described as a high-grade LSD trip. Bright lights flashed in front
of my eyes, I even heard noises and voices coming from these lights. My mind
started conjuring up all sorts of fantasies that seemed to be beyond my voluntary
control. I saw dots, lines, geometric figures, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Mike
Tyson, and an assortment of other cartoon characters.
At one point I actually envisioned a bright yellow light emerging from my
stomach. The light grew larger and larger, eventually encompassing my entire
body. My body started radiating a cascade of colors...reds, blues, oranges. The
grand finale came when I envisioned that my head was detached from my body.
I saw my head floating around the tank looking down at my body, which lay
motionless in the middle of the tank. It was absolutely wild!
By the time I was pulled out of the tank, I was just about ready for a full
semester at Crazy State University. I could barely walk or talk, and analytical
thought was totally out of the question. It took me a good twenty minutes before
I was capable of holding an intelligible conversation. When I did regain some
characteristics of a higher life form, Dr. Green informed me that I had spent
close to six hours in the tank. I found it quite interesting that the longest time he
had spent in the tank himself was 130 minutes.
Now I know that the majority of the current research indicates that
flotation tanks can enhance human performance, but I honestly don’t like the
procedure. Without question, tanking can be extremely dangerous because the
subject is extremely vulnerable to suggestions and manipulation when he comes
out. Even more disturbing, at least to me, is the fact that the tanker is at the
mercy of the experimenter while he’s in the tank. Without question, I would
oppose letting anyone “tank it” unless they did so under the supervision and
guidance of a professional therapist.
Actually, when you really think about it, tanking isn’t all that great. It’s
certainly not a psychological panacea or cure-all and in fact, there are a lot of
other techniques that work as well if not better. In a matter of fact, I’d bet my
paycheck that I could get better results by using biofeedback, psychic driving,
and visualization. Besides, these techniques are less expensive and time
consuming.
QIGONG
In case you don’t know what Qigong is, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. I
doubt seriously if many people in the Western World are even familiar with the
word Qigong (pronounced: Chi-gon).

The Chinese believe Qigong to be the most powerful mind control technique
known to man. In order to understand how Qigong works, you have to have a
cursory understanding of human physiology. Actually, that is not true. What
you need is a cursory understanding of Chinese physiology. Believe me, there is
a world of difference between the two. So pay attention because you are not
going to find this information in any physiology or anatomy book you will ever
read.

For starters, the Chinese believe that the human body has a network of
channels and collaterals that run from the top of your head to the tip of your
toes. No, I’m not talking about the circulatory system...these channels are
independent of the circulatory system.

Don’t bother looking in Gray’s Anatomy… I told you that won’t help. You see
these channels are invisible. Not only that, but modern science, as of yet, has
not devised an instrument that is capable of detecting these channels.

Now I know what you are thinking, “If the channels are invisible and there
is no way to validate their existence, how do the Chinese know that they exist?”
Good question. Unfortunately, the answer is not all that great. According to the
Chinese, they know that the channels exist because of 5,000 years of Chinese
Medicine. Translated into scientific terms, the channels are there because for
5,000 years the Chinese said they were there. Hey, it gets better. Listen to
this...through these channels flows a life force called Qi (Chi). Yeah, it’s
invisible too, and no, it can’t be detected by scientific means, but yeah, it exists
because of 5,000

years of Chinese medicine.

Anyway, when Qi is surging through your channels unrestricted, you are

potentially a butt-kicking, mother-trucker, or something like that. The problem
is that more often than not the channels become congested or blocked due to an
illness, disease, or an injury. When this occurs, your Qi can’t flow freely
through your channels. Consequently, you become a butt-licker instead of a
butt-kicker. In short, you are totally out of sync...no body equilibrium says the
Chinese. You can reverse that scenario by opening up your channels again.
One way to do that is through Qigong, a psycho-pneumatological exercise
method that incorporates posture, breathing, and mind focus. As mentioned, Qi
refers to the body’s vital life force and Gong refers to Gongfu, which means
practicing skills. Therefore, Qigong is a kind of self-training technique in which
exercises (movement, posture, breathing, and mental energy) are used to
increase the flow of Qi. In turn, the increased Qi flow unclogs through the
channels and reestablishes the body’s equilibrium. This improves the dynamic
equilibrium of Yin and Yang (I’ll explain that in a second), harmonizes Qi, and
fosters vitality, and essential Qi. If you understand all of that, raise your hand.
Too bad, we are going on anyway. Hey, get excited! I’m giving you the keys to
the universe here. I mean, when was the last time someone explained to you the
effects of dynamic equilibrium between your Yin and Yang? Well, today is your
lucky day.
According to the Chinese, the theory of Yin and Yang refers to the unity of
the two opposites. Yin and Yang depend on each other, but also oppose each
other. Yin and Yang are the source of each other and under certain conditions
are opposites to each other. That makes sense...Right? Well, if it doesn’t, this
will straighten everything out. Female is Yin, and male is Yang, they are
opposites. Along these same lines, Yin is cold, you know like females, and
Yang is hot...right, like men.

Also, heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen, and liver are Yin and the stomach and bowels
Yang. Internal is Yin and external is Yang. Quiet is Yin and movement Yang.

Cory Everson is Yin, Arnold Schwarzenegger is Yang. Richard Simmons is

either Yin or Yang or both. But who really cares? Did you get all of that?
Good, because now it gets really confusing.

Also as indicated by the Chinese, there are times when Yin and Yang are
as one. This is called unity. Think of it as psychic intercourse...it helps. When
Yin and Yang are one, there is no high, no low, no external, no internal, no
upper viscera, no bowels, no cold, no heat, no activity, no solace, and no Cory,
no Arnold. Now, for the good part, under the right conditions, Yin and Yang
can change into their opposites. For example, chills (Yin) cause fever (Yang)
and fever leads to chills.

Yin overtly unbalances the natural equilibrium, causing deficiency of Yang,

diseases, and vice versa. And so on and so forth, as long as life continues.

As mentioned, Yin and Yang always depend on each other. With Yin
alone, there would be no birth. With Yang alone, there would be no growth. As
a result, the Chinese believe that we must maintain equilibrium between Yin and
Yang in order for our body to function normally. If the balance is lost, illness or
even death may follow. Obviously then, keeping fit is to keep your Yin and
Yang in balance. Actually, that’s no easy task because Yin is quiescence (quiet),
and Yang movement. Therefore, Qigong practitioners have to observe the
Yin/Yang relation or chance throwing their whole system out of balance.
In order to take into account the Yin and the Yang, the Chinese came up
with three different types of exercises.

The methods include Jinggong, quiet exercise, Donggong, dynamic exercise, and
Jing-Donggong, a combination of the aforementioned exercises. In order to
observe the Yin/Yang relation when an individual practices Jinggong (quiet
exercise), it is important to keep the exterior of the body quiescent while
propelling Qi, the energy force, along the channels. When practicing Dynamic
Qigong, it is important to keep your thoughts concentrated, remaining quiet
while carrying out body movements and propelling Qi. In other words, there is
movement in Quiet Qigong, and quiet in Dynamic Qigong.

Well, there you have it the Reader’s Digest version of your Yin and Yang.
Don’t get too excited though, because there’s more. Hey, give me a break! I’m
giving 5,000 years of Chinese Medicine in 15 minutes here. Now, do you
remember those invisible channels with Qi flowing through them? I hope so
because we are back to that now.

According to 5,000 years of Chinese medicine, Qi flow has a direct effect on

blood flow through the cardiovascular system. Note that the blood and vascular
system I’m referring to here is the real deal. You know, the same ones that are
in Gray’s Anatomy. When Qi and blood circulate freely, the organism stays
healthy. If either is blocked, disease ensues... so free, unimpeded flow of Qi and
blood is essential to good health.
 Qigong mainly influences the flow of Qi, which in turn, Qi influences
blood flow. Also, Qi circulation causes blood circulation. If Qi becomes
stagnated in the channels, the blood becomes static also. Conversely, if Qi flows
freely, then so does the blood. Now, get this. Qigong doesn’t only increase Qi
flow, it also strengthens it. In case you weren’t aware of it, Qi comes from
heaven...an interesting concept considering that China is a communist country
and philosophically does not accept the existence of a deity. Although Qi comes
from heaven, it is nourished biochemically by air, water, and food. Like a
muscle, Qi can only be strengthened by exercise. As mentioned, the exercise
used to strengthen Qi is Qigong.
The more Qigong is used, the more powerful the Qi becomes.
Supposedly, the Qi can become so powerful that it can give the individual super-
human powers. Well, there you have it. The persistent use of Qigong exercise
will help you maintain dynamic Yin/Yang equilibrium, harmonize your Qi and
blood, dredge your channels and super-charge your Qi...all of which will
increase your resistance to disease, strengthen your mental constitution, prolong
your youth and life, and give you super-human power.
Now, all of this doesn’t make a lot of sense, and if you think it does, I
suggest you lay off the peyote for a month or two. From a purely psycho-
physiological point of view, the Chinese description of Qi and the various
channels is about as scientific as a Charlie Brown football play. In simple terms,
most sports psychologist don’t buy into Qigong. Hell, most sports psychologist
can’t even understand it! Now, I realize that the bigwigs who pioneered the field
of Qigong have built upon centuries of experience sitting around trying to
achieve psychic intercourse between their Yin and Yang. And I’m sure they put
this whole thing together before anyone knew about human anatomy and
physiology as such, but let’s face it, we are in the 20th century...how about a
little progress after 5,000 years of Chinese Medicine. Without question most of
their theories are heavily ambiguous, metaphysical, and unscientific. It’s no
wonder that scientists in the western world who can’t tell their Yin from their
Yang are turned off by all the mysticism that surrounds Qigong.
I know what you are thinking, “If Qigong is built on ambiguous,
metaphysical, and unscientific concepts, why in the world would I be interested
in the technique?” Good question, but one that’s easily answered. First of all,
there is a prolific amount of scientific research which indicates that Qigong is
extremely effective in treating numerous diseases including hypertension, ulcers,
chronic constipation, and even cancer. There are also numerous studies, many
of which were conducted in America, indicating that Qigong could be used to
enhance concentration, self-confidence, and relaxation. Best yet, most of these
studies contain strong experimental paradigms, excellent monitoring devices,
and longitudinal duration. In short, there seemed to be strong scientific evidence
that Qigong could be used to enhance human performance. Consequently, if
Qigong works, which apparently it does, you can accept the procedure without
accepting the mystical explanations for why it worked.
With that being said, here is an overview of how to implement the
technique. In general, Qigong consists of three parts. It adjusts your body
posture, adjusts your respiration or breathing cycle, and adjusts your mind and
nervous system. These three components are independent, but each one affects
the other two. In order to master Qigong, you must understand and develop all
of these components. Then, and only then, can you achieve Rujing. What is
Rujing? Rujing can best be described as a state of quietness. A condition where
the mind is completely at rest and the body is totally relaxed.
Interestingly, there is a significant amount of research which has
documented physiological changes when an individual experiences Rujing. For
example, several experiments measured subjects who had been practicing
Qigong for several years. The subjects were monitored before, during, and after
practicing Qigong. The results consistently showed that during, Rujina, the
respiration rate is lower and there is a dramatic decrease in oxygen consumption,
blood lactate, and carbon dioxide elimination. Alpha brain rhythms and galvanic
skin resistance (GSR) increase during Rujing, while heart rate and respiration
decrease. Even though a person is wide awake during Rujing, the brain remains
in a very calm state like that just preceding sleep. The study of brain wave
patterns of Qigong practitioners has also shown that the cerebrum stays in a
sedated state for extended periods. Maintaining the brain in a state of inhibited
cerebral activity for long periods of time serves to restore the functioning of the
brain to a normal condition after it has become over-excited or fatigued. As I
stated earlier, this creates conditions favorable for the regeneration of vitality
throughout the whole body and for attaining one’s optimum physical condition.
Now, for the step-by-step procedure for achieving Rujing, according to the
Chinese, there are some principles that you must pay attention to before you
involve yourself with the procedure.
First, when you start practicing Qigong, you will have to abstain from any type
of sexual activity. That’s right...no sex. Actually, I find this rather interesting.
Just about everyone in China practices Qigong? Well, if everyone in China is
practicing Qigong, and sex is a no-no, how do you explain the 1.2

billion people that live in China? Somebody must be cheating. The reason for
this is that sexual intercourse greatly excites the central nervous system and
affects the balance between mental and physical functions. Thus, sex can be
initially disruptive for Qigong training because it goes against the aim of
establishing harmony between one’s mind and body. You have to abstain from
sex for at least four to five months. Note that I am just reporting the information
here, not advocating.

In case you are interested, there are Qigong exercises to reduce your sex
drive. When performed the exercises, you will supposedly have no desire for
sex. For example, when you feel the desire for sexual release, close your eyes
and focus your attention on the very top of your head and inhale after touching
the tip of the tongue on the hard palate. At the same time, contract the anal
sphincter muscles to pull the anus in and draw up your testicles. Hold your
breath as long as possible after inhaling, exhale, and start all over again. If you
still have desires, you may firmly press the perineum just between the anus and
the back of the testicles with the middle finger. You may also practice
constricting your anal sphincter muscles as if trying to prevent a bowel
movement for at least one minute every day. Holding your testicles while you
perform this exercise helps. I’ll bet.

Actually, according to the Chinese, after practicing Qigong for a long period,
people usually improve their physical condition substantially and their alertness
and level of physical energy progressively increases. Additionally, most people
experience an increase in sex drive. I guess that explains the 1.2

billion people.

There are a few more rules you need to be aware of before we practice
Qigong. First, never practice the technique on a very full or empty stomach,
when you are excessively fatigued, or when you are in an excited or irritated
state. The best time to practice Qigong is when you are in the happiest and most
relaxed state and when your surroundings are relatively calm and quiet.
 Now, understand that Qigong must be practiced regularly and
methodically to reach proficiency. It cannot be mastered overnight. In order to
develop the proper body posture and to master the breathing techniques, you
must begin with the easy exercises before attempting to do the more complicated
ones. At first, your practice sessions should be brief, no more than 15 to 20
minutes. Later, you can expand the time to as much as 30 minutes.
First, lie down on your back with your head raised slightly higher than
your foot. Don’t raise your shoulders or elevate your chest. If you don’t feel
comfortable with your posture, you should adjust yourself so that you are free
and relaxed. Most importantly, you must relax your muscles, particularly the
muscles of your lower abdomen. Once you have accomplished that, you must
relax your mind. During exercise, you must concentrate and avoid the slightest
distraction. After you have achieved a relaxation state, you must pay attention to
regulating your breathing rhythm. The manner in which you exhale can
frequently indicate whether or not both body and mind are in a state of
relaxation. To achieve mental quietness while engaging in Qigong, you must
focus your thought and consciousness completely on the exercise itself. Of
course, it is normal for beginners to be diverted from concentration by
distractions. If this occurs, you may mentally suggest to yourself that you need
to be patient and that you have the will to overcome any problem. Such mental
suggestions will often calm the mind. In practicing Qigong, you must integrate
the training of your consciousness (Yi), with the training of Qi, regulating your
respiration. You must learn how to direct the movement of Qi with your
consciousness. In other words, let your thoughts control your breathing. Allow
your consciousness to adjust the regularity, duration, volume, and speed of your
breathing.
After you are finished with the exercise, don’t stand up suddenly. Always
perform some closing moves before ending a Qigong practice. For instance,
slowly open your eyes and place the palms of your hands on your forehead.
Close your eyes as you gently rub over your face with the palms of your hands.
Next, massage the back of your neck thoroughly, using both hands. Then, you
may slowly stand up. Shift your weight onto one leg and briskly move your
arms and legs back and forth to cause a shaking motion. Finish by standing up
on your toes and drop back down onto your heels. Repeat this movement
several times.
It doesn’t take Ho Chi Ming to tell you that Qigong is very similar to
meditation. In fact, Qigong and meditation seem to be one in the same. If that is
indeed the case, it would probably be easier to pursue mediation techniques than
Qigong simple because there are more qualified people in the states who assist
you with mediation.
SUBLIMINAL PERSUASION
Now, for something that has been biting our butt for a decade...subliminal
persuasion.
Subliminal persuasion started in Germany somewhere in the nineteenth
century. However, it wasn’t until 1956

that subliminal persuasion received national attention thanks to a motivational

researcher named James Vicary. Vicary conducted an experiment in Fort Dix,
New Jersey, which revealed that an individual’s mind and/or free will could be
controlled by flashing “id messages” on a movie screen. During the feature film,
Vicary flashed secret messages on the screen so fast that none of the people in
the audience were consciously aware that the messages were being presented.
The secret messages Vicary flashed on the screen were “Drink Coca Cola” and
“Eat Popcorn.” Amazingly, popcorn sales rose well over 50% and soft drink
sales increased about 18%...hence, the birth of subliminal persuasion.

Within less than six months after Vicary reported his findings, just about
every major advertising agency in America was investigating the effects of
subliminal persuasion on human behavior. Actually, that really shouldn’t be too
surprising. After all, if Vicary was correct, the implications for subliminal
advertising were mind-boggling.

Think about it, people could be coerced into giving up their hard earned money
for products they might not need or even want. Politicians could sway people to
vote for them even if they were not the candidates of choice. Government
agencies could influence the way you thought, felt and acted. The IRS could get
even everyone to pay taxes...all of them. Religions could convert sinners, even
Satan worshipers, into the religious zealots. Conversely, Satan worshipers could
convert the religious into Satan’s sinners. The possibilities for subliminal
persuasion seemed endless.

As you might have expected, Vicary’s findings scared the hell out of just
about everyone. Before you could say “brain-washed,” civic groups nationwide
denounce Vicary for having developed a mind control technique that would
render the term “free will” obsolete forever. Eventually, the US Congress
introduced legislation that outlawed the use of any type of subliminal persuasion
and the American Cyclical Association publicly denounced the technique.
None of the aforementioned complaints and denouncements seemed to
bother the America advertising agencies. As I mentioned, shortly after Vicary’s
experiment, these agencies conducted a prolific amount of research to determine
the effectiveness of subliminal sessions. In 1957, subliminal persuasion reached
its zenith when Vance Packard, a marketing expert, published a book entitled
The Hidden Persuaders. The book, which presented an arsenal of subliminal
techniques for controlling behavior, sold more than three million copies. If what
Vicary did scared the hell out of people, what Packard said scared the hell and
devil out of them. According to Packard, an individual’s “free will” could be
totally altered by using subliminal techniques.
One method that is fast becoming big business with big money to be made
is the use of subliminal tapes. In the late 90s, more than two million subliminal
persuasion tapes ranging in price from $20 to as much as $500 were sold in
America alone. Actually, some of our brilliant colleagues are using subliminal
techniques such as sleep learning tapes to enhance learning performance. For
instance, for the modest price of $650, you can purchase a sleep learning kit
consisting of records, headphones and twelve tape recordings containing
subliminal sessions designed to enhance academic performance while you sleep.
As a matter of fact, sleep-learning is just one of many subliminal techniques that
psychologists are using to enhance human performance. Other methods consist
of subliminal messages with music, lighting, pictures and etc.
The theory behind the subliminal approach is that messages are presented
to the individual beneath his level of conscious awareness. Supposedly, when
this is achieved, an individual can be programmed and/or “brain washed” to
behave in accordance with the subliminal message. In short, it is a technique
that is designed to program the subconscious mind, and thereby, influence
human behavior. Put in laymen terms, it can make you do things you don’t even
want to do, and you won’t even know you don’t want to do them. You know,
like watching the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
All this sounds great, fantastic even, but does subliminal persuasion really
work? Can someone take your “free will”

away by using subliminal techniques? Can an advertising agency using

subliminal advertisement coerce you into buying something you don’t really
want? Even more interesting, at least to the educator, can a subliminal learning
enhance your intelligence through subliminal methods? In order to set a clear
understanding of subliminal persuasion, you’ll have to have an appreciation of
how your nervous system processes incoming sensory data. Don’t freak out on
us, it’s not that hard to understand. In fact, I am confident (relatively sure) that
you will pick it up in no time. From a psycho-physiological standpoint, I am a
conglomeration of thresholds that can be categorized under three specific
regions... sensor thresholds, perceptual thresholds and action thresholds. I know
what you are thinking, “What is a threshold?” I’m glad you asked. It shows that
you are paying attention. A threshold is a halfway point between two places or
states of being. For example, if you are standing in the door of a room, you are
on the threshold of that room. You are neither in the room nor out of it, but
rather on the verge of entering or exiting the room. Once you move in either
direction, forward or backward, you pass the halfway point between the inside
and outside of the room and thereby cross the threshold.

Okay, now that you understand what a threshold is, let’s look at the types
of thresholds we have in our bodies.

First, there’s the sensor threshold. The sensor threshold is the most sensitive
threshold you have in your body. If a stimulus is not strong enough to cause
your sensor receptors to fire, your body will not respond to that stimulus in any
way. However, if the stimulus is strong enough to trigger your sensory organs,
that information will be passed on to your lower brain centers. It is here where
your perceptual threshold comes into play. Although the stimulus was strong
enough to activate your sensory receptors, it still may not be strong enough to
cross your perceptual threshold.

The perceptual threshold is exactly what it sounds like. It is the threshold

that must be crossed if you are to become conscious of the stimulus. If the
stimulus is not strong enough to pass over your perceptual threshold, you won’t
perceive the stimulus even though your body may respond to it. For example, a
very faint sound may be strong enough to cause your hearing receptors to be
stimulated (that is to cross your sensor threshold), but not strong enough for you
to consciously hear the sound. Now, just because you perceive a stimulus does
not mean that you will respond to it. You might see, but ignore a woman
walking by you on the street. You might however, do something significantly
different if a naked woman walked by you on the street. Here’s where your
action-threshold comes in. A stimulus must be strong enough or significant
enough to provoke a response that will cross your action threshold. In other
words, if a stimulus causes you to act, it is said to have passed over your action
threshold.

Perhaps an example would help a little.

Let’s say you wanted to test an individual’s auditory threshold. One way
you could do this would be to have your subject wear a pair of earphones. Then
you could present your subject a soft tone through the earphones. As noted
before, a weak stimulus and/or tone may be strong enough to cause the subject’s
auditor sensory nerves to fire, that is to cross the sensory threshold, but not
strong enough to cross the perceptual threshold. Consequently, the subject’s
body may actually respond to the faint sound, but he may not be consciously
aware of the noise. In this case, his ears “hear,” but his brain doesn’t pay
attention because it is unable to perceive the stimulus.
What you would do next is start to turn up the noise of the tone until you
subject first becomes consciously aware of the tone. The point at which the
subject could just make out the tone would be one measure of his auditory
perceptual threshold. At this point, if you turn the tone down a little, the subject
won’t hear it anymore. If you turn it up ever so slightly, the subject will have no
trouble hearing it all the time.
There is a point, a halfway point, between hearing and not hearing that you
could ascertain by using the earphones. This halfway point of course, is the
subject’s perceptual threshold. By definition, then, the auditory perceptual
threshold is at the intensity of stimulus (the intensity of tone) that you can hear
half of the time and that you can’t hear half of the time. In other words, if the
tone were right at your subject’s auditory threshold, you would expect him to
hear it half the time, say 5 times out of 10 times. A tone that your subject can
hear only once in 10 trials is below perceptual threshold.
The Latin word for threshold is “limen,” as this weak tone will be below
perceptual “limen” or “sublimen.”

Technically, a subliminal stimulus is one that is so weak that you would be

conscious of it less than 50 percent of the time. However, most psychologists
define the word subliminal as a stimulus that is above the sensory threshold, but
below the perceptual threshold. Even if the auditory message is strong enough
to cross your subject’s perceptual threshold, it still may not be strong enough to
elicit a response from your subject. For a response to occur, the tone must be
sufficient enough to cross the subject’s action threshold.

Now that you have a fair understanding of how the nervous system
processes incoming sensor messages, let’s see how your brain centers respond to
such data. About a month ago one of my friends had this knock-down drag-out
argument with his girlfriend. He told us not to tell you about it, but since he is
out looking for a new girlfriend I figured I would fill you in on all the dirt.
Besides, it’s a great example of what I am talking about here. They were fighting
about something really significant, but he couldn’t remember what it was...this is
what you call selective recall. He did remember her saying something to the
effect that he was only the second generation in his family that walked upright.
That hit a nerve, because he responded by telling her that not even Mr. Rogers
would make love to her no matter how bad he needed a neighbor. The argument
in question occurred the night before he was to drive 200 miles to Atlanta.
Needless to say, all he could think about on his trip to Atlanta was the argument.
In fact, he drove the entire 200 miles on automatic pilot. He didn’t remember a
thing that happened from the time he got into his car until the time he pulled into
his motel in Atlanta. He paid absolutely no conscious attention to his car, traffic
signals or traffic itself. Yet, somehow he managed to stay on the road, make the
appropriate turns, slow down, speed up at the right moments and avoid other
vehicles.
How in the world did he do all of that without having an accident? You’re
probably thinking, “Big deal, I’ve done the same thing a thousand times
myself.” And I am sure you have, but the question still remains, how is it done?
How can a person literally block out one’s conscious awareness and still drive a
few hundred miles without ramming into a pole? The answer is rather simple.
After driving for a number of years, most of the motor skills necessary to operate
an automobile become spinal cord level and automatic. The responses your
hands and feet make in relation to your car have become reflexive. As implied,
reflexive movements are handled by the lower brain centers, thereby, freeing
you higher cortical centers so that you can concentrate on more significant
matters. Since your higher brain centers are the site for consciousness, responses
that are reflexive or automatic are usually unconscious.
When driving, the stimuli that we respond to are almost always
supraliminal. In other words, if you direct your attention to such stimuli, you
can consciously recognize them. However, as mentioned, when our higher brain
centers withdraw for a time being, our lower brain centers can respond
appropriately to supraliminal stimuli. This phenomenon is known as
discrimination without awareness. Discrimination without awareness occurs
only when the stimuli crosses the perceptual threshold....meaning that your brain
could consciously perceive and respond to the stimuli if your attention was
directed to them. Subliminal perception is a whole other ballgame. With
subliminal perception, the stimuli are above your sensory threshold, but below
your perceptual threshold. Consequently, the stimulus never reaches your higher
brain centers even if your attention is directed to them. The stimulus is too weak
to reach your brain, so the perception of the stimuli never reaches
consciousness. Briefly, your brain can’t respond to subliminal stimuli for the
simple reason it doesn’t know the stimuli is there. And there’s the clincher!
Actually, a prolific amount of research has been conducted to determine
the effectiveness of subliminal persuasion. A review of the research literature
overwhelmingly revealed that subliminal session is not an effective method for
influencing human behavior.

Consequently, it is very unlikely (more like a snowball’s chance in hell) that

your behavior will be influenced by subliminal stimuli. Interestingly, research
has revealed that straight forward suggestions can have a significant impact on
behavior. In other words, your chance of influencing an individual’s behavior
(including your own) is greater when you give him directives above his
threshold of consciousness. In plain language, if you want someone to do
something, tell him to do it. Please and thank you helps.

Why did I tell you all of this when I knew all along that subliminal
persuasion does not work? The answer is simple...because it is good to know
what works and what doesn’t work.

Intelligence is power. Not only that but I saved you a lot of time and money by
steering you away from this mess. Now you can say THANK YOU!
BIORHYTHMS
You would probably be hard pressed to convince many people that
biorhythms don’t have a significant impact on human performance. In fact,
many people now believe that biorhythms may be one of the missing links that
explains human behavior. The impact of biorhythmic effects is being felt in just
about every walk of life, from medicine to aviation to education to science. Not
surprisingly, a great deal of interest also exits concerning the interrelationship of
sports and biorhythms. Some people, including athletes, schedule their entire
life around biorhythms.
In case you have been living in a cave for the last decade, let me try to
explain to you what biorhythms are and how they supposedly work. According
to biorhythm theory, each individual has three body cycles which regulate
physical strength, emotion, and intelligence...a twenty three day physical stamina
cycle, a twenty eight day emotional cycle, and a thirty three day intellectual
cycle. These cycles are assumed to be determined at birth and to be invariant
throughout life.
According to the theory, the cycles have the following effects: during the
positive phase of the twenty three day physical-cycle we are stronger, have
greater endurance, and are more resistant to disease. During the negative phase,
the reverse is true. Similarly, during the positive phase of the twenty eight day
cycle of emotional sensitivity, we feel more positive optimistic, and creative,
whereas we are most irritable, withdrawn, and pessimistic during the negative
phase. With respect to the thirty three day intellectual cycle, thinking is clearer
and more decisive during the positive phase, whereas the opposite is true during
the negative phase. If you don’t understand what I am talking about, fake take it,
because there is no way I can make this stuff any easier. Either way, don’t
worry, because they have computers that will calculate all this stuff for you.
Moving right along, biorhythm cycles have the patterns sine waves. More
confused...right? Like I said, fake it. Since they have different durations, they
coincide at times, but arc in opposition at other times. The so called critical days
for each cycle occur at the beginning and middle of each cycle, when the phase
changes direction from positive to negative, or vice versa. On these days, we are
in a transition state and as a result, we are most vulnerable. We are weaker,
more likely to become emotionally disturbed, and make more mistakes.
Proponents of the biorhythm theory claim that an individual can use his
knowledge of what biorhythmic phase he is in to compensate for low periods.
That is, he could be more careful, undertake less demanding tasks, or avoid
strenuous activities during that time. On the other hand, he could take advantage
of his peaks by scheduling appropriately challenging activities.
The idea of using biorhythms to predict athletic performance has received
considerable attention in recent years by many sports researchers. They reason
that if the theory of biorhythms is a valid indicator of athletic performance, the
method could be used to schedule training sessions, competition, and post-
competition rest periods. For instance, by observing his biorhythmic cycle, an
athlete could arrange his competitions so that they coincide with the positive
phase of his physical cycle.
The question is, “Are biorhythms a valid method for predicting human
behavior and/or performance? With respect to athletes, proponents of the
method have attempted to show that athletes who achieve success are usually at
a biorhythmic high point, while athletes who fail are usually at a critical time
during their cycle. Interestingly, the proponents of biorhythm presented some
convincing cases to substantiate their theory. With respect to athletics, they
attempt to show that people who were successful were at a biorhythmic high
point, and that those who failed were at a critical day. For instance, when Ken
Norton broke Muhammad Ali’s jaw on March 31, 1973, his biorhythms were
near critical for both his physical and emotional cycles, while Norton’s bio-
cycles were all on the positive side. The reverse was true when Ali beat the
doodoo out of Joe Frazier on May 25, 1975 in the “Thrilla in Manila.” Ali was
on a physical high while Frazier was at his lowest physical point. Similar
biorhythmic links were found in the Leonard-Hagler fight, the Spinks-Holmes
fight, the Tyson-Tubbs fight, and the Tyson-Spinks fight. And that’s just the tip
of the biorhythmic iceberg. Biorhythm advocates have presented some
extremely convincing cases in the sports of baseball, basketball, football, auto
racing, track and field, weightlifting, and the list goes on.
Opponents of biorhythms feel that this type of case study approach to
verification is simply a matter of selecting cases which fit the theory and
ignoring cases which do not. This is technically known in the world of research
as sampling bias. In laymen’s terms, it’s like stacking the deck. Still, to the
non-scientific world you know, (the guys who think that a placebo is an Italian
dessert) the presentation of such cases gives the impression that biorhythms are
indeed a powerful instrument.
 Another interesting point is that hardly anyone advocating biorhythms
reports negative results or occurrences. Is it because such instances do not
exist? If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I am selling that I want
you to look at. I mean, let’s be real, are we to assume that biorhythms are so
powerful that they outweigh all other influences so as to dismiss negative
instances? That is, instances where people who were biorhythmically high, but
performed low, or were biorhythmically low, but performed high?
Some supporters who discover negative instances argue that the
individuals involved would have done even worse (or better as the case may be)
if it were not for their biorhythmic state. This, of course, reeks of 20/20
hindsight. In other words, one must be able to independently determine
biorhythms rather than use them as after the fact explanations. If this is not
done, it is impossible to prove the theory wrong. All scientific theories must
lend themselves to scientific testing and scrutiny.
Also, the relationship between biorhythms and behavior, if they exist, may
simply be a matter of coincidence rather than cause and effect. Just because two
events consistently happen at the same time, is no proof that one causes the
other. A third variable may be causing both, or perhaps what one thinks is the
cause is really the effect. For instance, success may actually enhance
physiological function and/or performance and failure may very well be
responsible for impaired body function rather than the other way around.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Is there any research out there that’s
worth the paper it’s written on?” Well, I’ve got good news for you. There’s not
only good research in this area, there is GREAT research...research that was well
thought out, ingeniously designed, and meticulously carried out. Some of the
best research ever conducted in the field of bio-physiology. What extraordinary
individual conducted this research, you ask? Who else...me!
In the first study I published in 1981, I calculated the biorhythms for every
pitcher who played for the Kansas City Royals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the
Cincinnati Reds from 1970 to 1980. I tried to find a relationship between the
pitcher’s rhythms and various criteria measures such as the pitcher’s ERA, the
number of pitches thrown for strikes versus those thrown for balls, etc. etc. No
matter what criterion I used, I found no relationship strong enough to be used as
a predictor of athletic performance. A similar three year study involving the
Kansas City Royals rookie league team revealed similar results. In the latter
study, I even used coach’s ratings as a criterion measure...still, no significant
relationship. Interestingly, Dr. James Fix conducted a series of similar studies
with major league baseball players. His findings were in accord with mine,
indicating that biorhythms had no effect on the player’s performance...smart guy.
About a year later, I conducted two other studies on biorhythms using
AAU powerlifters. In the first study, I had twenty four novice powerlifters
calculate their own biorhythms and I correlated these rhythms with their daily
performance. The results of the study revealed an extremely high relationship
(.89) between the rhythms and lifting performance. This finding suggested that
the biorhythms were a valid predictor of weightlifting performance. I was
encouraged. In fact, I thought I had discovered something big. I immediately
set up another study. When you are hot, you’re hot.
This time, I had thirty one novice powerlifters, but instead of letting them
calculate their own biorhythms, I computed them. I calculated two sets of
rhythms, a true set and a pseudo set for each lifter. The pseudo-biorhythms were
computed so that they would read directly opposite of the true rhythms. When
the lifter’s true rhythms indicated a high physical period, the pseudo-rhythms
indicated a low physical period. I gave the lifters what they believed were their
real rhythms, but in reality they were the pseudo-rhythms. The lifters were
unaware that two sets of rhythms existed, and that their performance was
forecasted based on the pseudo-rhythms. I ran an analysis on both sets of
rhythms and the lifter’s daily workouts. Interestingly, the results revealed a high
correlation for the pseudo-biorhythms (.94) and only a moderate correlation (.61)
for the true biorhythms. It seemed quite clear from the study that what was
occurring was a type of placebo effect, which of course has nothing to do with
Italian dessert. The pseudo-biorhythms had caused the subjects to lift poorly on
days when they were supposedly at their physical peak. The rhythms also
caused the subjects to lift well when they were supposedly at a physical low. In
short, the belief in rhythms had caused fluctuation in performance. It was
concluded that the subjects own minds brought about the changes in
performance, not their rhythms.
Given the current findings, it would seem foolish for an athlete to postpone
competition just because his biorhythm chart indicated a critical day, unless of
course, in his own mind he was so convinced of the overriding importance of
biorhythms that the very expectation would be self-fulfilling.
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS
While I was researching the literature for studies on biorhythms, I
discovered that most scientific research on body rhythms focused on rhythms of
short duration such as the beating of the heart or breathing. I also found that
some scientists have investigated longer rhythms such as the 90 minute sleep
cycle and circadian rhythms (circadian from the Latin “circa” meaning around,
and “dies” meaning a day). Although most of us are not aware of it, our bodies
go through regular biorhythmic cycles each day. Our temperature, for example,
is usually lowest in the middle of the night, begins to rise about the time we
awaken, and continues to rise slightly for the first three hours we are awake. It
remains relatively constant until we go to bed at night. This temperature change
is very slight, usually no more than a degree or so, but it does seem to occur in
most of us. Just why this diurnal rhythm occurs, no one is really sure, but we do
know that it takes place even in people who are totally inactive throughout the
day. The ability to taste, smell, and hear also varies during the day, reaching its
peak in most of us at the very odd hour of 3 a.m. A second peak in sensory
ability usually occurs between 5 and 7 p.m., which may account for the fact that
many of us prefer to eat our largest meal of the day.
Interestingly, by plotting various circadian rhythms, chronobiologists can
tell you the best time of the day to eat, sleep, relax, study, and exercise. There is
considerable research that has revealed a high linear relationship between diurnal
variation in strength and diurnal variation in body temperature readings. The
higher the oral body temperature, the greater the strength scores. Of course, the
closeness of the relationship does not establish cause and effect, but similar
findings, in relation to dieting, endurance, intelligence, etc., tempts one to relate
the two factors. Circadian patterns can be made to work for you, but you must
first learn how to recognize them. Once you have familiarized yourself with
your patterns, you can take advantage of chronobiology techniques to improve
your health and productivity.
The trick is to determine your circadian patterns or at least the patterns that
correlate with the bodily function we are trying to improve. Luckily for athletes,
strength correlates with oral body temperature, and oral body temperature is
relatively easy to measure and plot.
According to Charles Winget, a National Aeronautics and Space
Administration research physiologist, your circadian patterns can be determined
by the following method:
First, take your temperature an hour after getting up in the morning
and again at four hour intervals throughout the day. Schedule your
last reading as close to bedtime as possible. This will give you five
readings by the end of the day.
After you’ve achieved the aforementioned, add your first, third, and
fifth readings and record this total. Add your second and fourth
readings and subtract this figure from the first total. The net sum
will be an estimate of your body temperature in the middle of the
night. Consider this your sixth reading.
Next, plot all six readings on graph paper. Of course, the variations
will be small, perhaps only one-tenth of a degree in some cases.
However, you should realize that although the variations may be
minuscule, they are significant. You will probably find that your
temperature is lowest in the middle of the night, begins to rise about
the time you awaken, and continues to rise slightly for the first three
hours you are awake. By evening, your readings will start to drop,
once again reaching its nadir, or low point, in the middle of the
night.
If you are going to use your circadian rhythms as a training aid, it is of
paramount importance to ascertain your individual variations in temperature.
Make every effort to get an accurate temperature reading for each hour interval
of the day. Know when your temperature reaches its highest and lowest points
and when it is on the rise.
As previously mentioned, we are strongest and exhibit our greatest
endurance when our temperature is at its peak. In most individuals, this peak
will last approximately four hours. Consequently, you should schedule your
workouts when your temperature is highest if you want maximum efficiency.
CHAPTER 11
PSYCHOLOGICAL

FACTORS AFFECTING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

The pressure to succeed in athletics is, to say the least, monumental.

Athletes have been brainwashed into believing that winning is the only measure
of success. Vince Lombardi, legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers,
cemented this attitude into our culture with the slogan, “Winning isn’t
everything, it’s the only thing!”

Through a strange kind of psychic chemistry, athletes raised on this all-or-

nothing diet begin to define their own self-worth in very simplistic terms. One is
either a winner or loser, and there is no middle ground. To a large extent the
whole American society buys into a kind of superstar consciousness. Just ask
yourself how many “also rans” you know. It is difficult to remember who
finished in second place. This whole mentality devalues an athlete’s intentions
and places the emphasis on the end product alone.

I remember when I was one of the top ranked lifters in the world I got this
questionnaire from two world-renowned sports psychologists named Tutko and
Ogleby. They were trying to determine the psychological make-up of elite
athletes. The questions on the survey dealt mainly with motivation and self-
image. The last question on the instrument was, “If you had a pill that would
make you a world champion in one year but dead in five years, would you take
it?” When I read that I thought, “Boy, these guys must be out of their minds.
No one is going to say yes to that.” But do you know what? Almost fifty
percent of the athletes that took the questionnaire said that they would take that
pill. These guys were willing to sacrifice their lives just to be a champion, just
to win at a game that in the scheme of life has little if any significance
I often think to myself, “What are we doing cramming this idea that
winning transcends every aspect of human dignity down the throats of our
children? Why is losing the great American sin?” The answer to that question is
rather simple...losing is of paramount importance in America because sports and
winning are of paramount importance.

In fact, the obsession with sports in America is incredible. With war raging all
around us, you would think that the major interest in the United States would be
getting things right in the Middle East or trying to budget our economy, right?
No, it’s sports! There is more interest in sporting events than there is in our
political totality, our defense programs, our foreign policy, our children’s
education, our health care, our scientific advancement, or in our economic
progress, even though these issues directly affect our well-being and livelihood.
There is more television and newspaper coverage devoted to sports than there is
to contemporary world affairs. More time and money are spent by colleges to
recruit good athletes than good college professors. Our college coaches are paid
more money, a lot more money, to coach than Nobel Prize winners are paid to
teach. And superstars are by far and away better known than super scientists and
much better paid.

Think about this, Alex Rodriquez is making 258 million dollars to play
baseball for the ten years, Roger Clements is making approximately 1 million
dollars a game and Tiger Woods makes 40

million dollars a year just for the use of his name. And do you know what?

The President of the United States, the leader of the greatest country in the
world, makes only 200 thousand dollars a year. Is that crazy or what?

The average salary last year for a professional athlete in America was well
over 700 thousand dollars. Shaquille O’Neal alone received 117 million dollars
to play the game of basketball for five years. And believe this or not, the 15
highest paid NBA basketball players make more money a year than Iceland’s
gross national product. Is that vulgar or what? The statistics compiled last year
also show that the average university professor, and this will probably shock
you, earns about 17 percent of what the average college football coach earns.
Last year, an estimated 120 million people, almost half of the American
population, regularly participated in organized and individual sports. Over 60
billion dollars, that’s BILLION with a “B,” were legally and illegally wagered
on sporting events. The total annual revenue generated by sports related
activities in America is estimated at 45

billion dollars.
billion dollars.

Still, it’s the media that really reflects the fascination that Americans have
with sports. Eric Margonav, a renowned sports psychologist, in the introduction
to his book Sports Without Pressure makes this statement:
Virtually every newspaper of any size has a sports section, although
it probably doesn’t have a special section for books, music, or even
international news. Every radio and television news program has a
sportscaster who reports on events of local and national interest.
Most major cities have at least one radio call-in show devoted
entirely to sports, and nationally there are several cable TV

channels that carry sports events exclusively. In addition, there are at least 75
nationally-distributed weekly and monthly sports publications, not to mention
scores of privately published newsletters that treat every aspect of the sporting
life in exhausting detail. And the summarizing, categorizing, and analyzing of
sports statistics is a business all its own.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that we live in a sports-oriented

culture where the game is more important than any other aspect of life.
Actually, in America sports transcends every other aspect of human behavior.
It’s sad, but that’s the way it is. That’s the type of world we’ve created for
ourselves.
Intertwined with this obsession with sports by the American public is the
absolute conviction that winning is the only measure of success. If you’re not
“NUMBER ONE,” you’re nothing.

Thomas Tutko addressed this very issue in his book Winning is Everything and
Other American Myths. Let me tell you what Tutko has to say:

In our society, winning is everything…you are nothing until you are

Number One...

don’t tell us how you play the game: did you win? This type of “winner-take-
all”

attitude has led us to the point where it is simply not enough to just compete.
 You have to compete to win, and if you don’t win, the assumption is that you’ve
done something wrong. All too often, the message that comes through to those
who lose or who fail to reach the top is that obviously they didn’t work hard
enough and that they are not as worthwhile as the winners. Consequently, when
a person starts to lose, we begin to question his character. It’s as if we see
winners as good people and losers as bad people.

Actually, the whole concept that Americans have about winning scares the
heck out of me because it teaches us to judge ourselves and others not by
intrinsic qualities, but rather by how well we play a game. Amazingly, people
go around believing that self-worth is a process of chasing down fly balls or
lifting record poundage. They have this mentality that superior athletes are
better human beings than less successful athletes. Of course, they also believe
that unsuccessful athletes are better human beings than non-athletes. A few
years ago, for instance, Seth Brady conducted a clever little study which clearly
supports the “halo effect” that winners enjoy. In the study, the subjects were
asked to make personality ratings of amateur boxers who were viewed on film.
The findings were sadly predictable. The winners of the matches were almost
always seen as being more mature, better looking, more valuable, more potent,
and more active than the loser. In other words, the winners were perceived as
being better human beings than the losers.
In the words of Henry Youngman, “P-L-E-A-S-E.” All you have to do is
look at the background and lifestyle of some of our country’s best athletes to
realize that such a notion is absolutely absurd. Check out Mike Tyson, Michael
Irvin, Pete Rose, James Phillips, Jennifer Capriati, and Dennis Rodman for
starters. Certainly, there are more redeeming qualities in life than slam dunking
a basketball or beating someone senseless in a boxing match. At least, you
would think so, but that’s not the mindset of most Americans. Like I said, this
winning thing scares the heck out of me.
Of course, winning also reinforces winning. If you’re a “winner” in
America you get it all...trophies, travel, money, prestige, even women. Winners
are even given special privileges in school, in politics, in the media, in business,
in the courts. I can’t think of a single place in our society where athletes aren’t
given special privileges. Generally, the winner gets everything, the loser
nothing. Worse yet, even when you are crowned with success, the fulfillment is
fleeting.
 I remember when I was one of the top ranked lifters in the world. I was
constantly being catered to. Sports companies were continually sending me
sweat suits and sneakers. At one time I had closets full of sweat suits. I had so
many of them that I would give them away at the gym. I also traveled all over
the world and I had women steadily calling me. I would walk into a gym and
everybody would fall all over themselves just to talk to me. And I got money,
lots of money. Then, one day while training for the World Cup, I tore my lower
back out. In ten seconds I went from being one of the strongest men in the world
to the weakest guy at the local gym. And you know what happened? The
sporting goods companies stopped sending me sweat suits and sneakers, my
sponsors stopped giving me money, I was no longer able to travel, and I couldn’t
get a date to save my life. And that’s how it is in sports. When you don’t have
the fame to share, the people who called themselves your “friends” don’t come
around anymore. I have to admit, all of this was a great learning experience for
me. It taught me how fleeting fame is, how cruel and shallow people can be, and
how totally obsessed people are with sports. It taught me a lot and I never would
have learned it if I hadn’t got injured, which just goes to show you there is a
silver lining to every cloud. And that brings up another point. Once an athlete
becomes a “winner,”

there is automatically a new problem. There’s no place left to go but down!

The question isn’t “if,” but “when” and “by whom.” If you’re a movie buff, you
might call it the Shane Syndrome. In the old Hollywood westerns, once you
became the “Top-Gun,” you had to take on all-comers. Saturday after Saturday I
spent my childhood in theaters watching the great macho-gunslinger myth
played out on the silver screen...the aging champion, weary and wise, awaiting
the young punk who would take his place... and his life. It’s the same in sports.

In our culture an athlete can go from being a champion one day to a chump
the next. A prime example of what I am talking about is the Roberto Duran -
Sugar Ray Leonard saga. It is an old example, but a perfect one to explain what
I am talking about here. If you recall, Duran was an icon in boxing. For more
than fourteen years he dominated the lightweight division. And I do mean
dominated. The beatings he gave his opponents were merciless. He literally
beat and bloodied fighters into submission, much like Mike Tyson did in the
earlier part of his career.
Because of the power he exhibited in both hands, he was nicknamed “hands of
steel.” Not surprisingly, he was considered by most boxing experts as “the
greatest lightweight fighter of all times.” Still, by the time he reached the age of
thirty four his skills and desire to fight had waned significantly. He wasn’t
killing his opponents anymore, just crippling them. Consequently, rumor of his
retirement started circulating throughout boxing circle.

Then, a boxing phenomenon came on the scene...it was Sugar Ray

Leonard. He was a magnificent fighter...light and quick and incredibly
powerful. And his skill level...well, it was otherworldly. No fighter in the
history of the sport was as gifted. Within less than a two-year span, Leonard
captured the World Middleweight Title. In the process he left fighters beaten
and broken in his wake. Boxing had a new hero. The heir, if you will, to
Roberto Duran’s title for the best pound for pound boxer in the world. All you
heard about was Leonard, Leonard, Leonard.

For the first time in his life, Duran had to stand in the shadow of another fighter.
Of course, this drove Duran absolutely crazy.

Against the better judgment of his handlers, Duran went ahead and
challenged Leonard. Of course, everyone immediately thought, “brain
damage.” I mean, think about it. Duran was thirty four years old, he had already
fought over seventy times, and he had to jump three weight classes to fight
Leonard. Let me tell you, jumping one weight class is extremely difficult. It
takes a good two years to make the adjustment physically. Jumping three weight
classes in six months is unheard of. But that is what Duran had to do to face
Leonard. As you can imagine, everyone thought that Duran was going to get
killed. But guess what? He didn’t get killed. Actually, he didn’t get beat. He
pounded Leonard from one side of the ring to the other, winning a unanimous
decision. Duran had done the impossible. After the fight, everyone was calling
Duran “the greatest fighter of all time.” When he went back to Panama, just
about the entire country came out to greet him. He was a national hero and
everyone loved him.
But then, Leonard said, “Hey wait a minute. I want to try this thing
again.” And they did. Do you remember what happened? Duran quit in the
second round ostensibly because of stomach cramps. Prior to the fight, fans
were using words like awesome, indestructible, and the greatest to describe
Duran. After the fight, those very same people were referring to Duran as a
coward, chicken, and a gutless bum. After the fight, Duran went back to Panama
and no one showed up to greet him. Not even his wife came to the airport to see
him. The boxing world completely ostracized him. He had literally gone from a
champ to a chump in one fight. It was as if nothing mattered except that last
fight, which again just goes to show you that winning is of paramount
importance and that losing is the great American sin. The whole thing is scary,
and to be honest, it’s just plain sad.
With all of this pressure to win and keep winning, it is easy to see why
athletes justify almost any means in the name of winning...cheating, lying, even
taking life threatening drugs.

Believe me, there are numerous athletes who practically surrender their entire
lives to that single purpose...winning. For many athletes, their devotion to sport
actually goes beyond the border of obsession. Indeed, there is considerable
research in sports psychology that demonstrates that athletes often develop
obsessive-compulsive behavior in an attempt to achieve their goals.

This type of blind obsession seems even more insane when you consider
the statistical possibility of being really successful in sports. Just consider the
odds of making it to the pros in professional basketball. Each year there are
approximately 200 thousand high school seniors who participate in
interscholastic basketball. Of these seniors, approximately 12 thousand will
receive college scholarships. Out of that 12 thousand, somewhere around 200
players will be drafted by the NBA, but only about 50 will actually be offered a
contract. Of these 50, about five will eventually earn a starting position. Of
those five, only two will stay in the NBA for more than five seasons. In other
words, your chances of making it big in the NBA are about one in a hundred
thousand, and believe me, your odds of making it big are not much better in any
other sport. Conversely, your chances of success in business are approximately
eighty percent. Now, I’m not against sports. If anything, I’m a jock at heart. If
you have a chance to make it big, go for it, but don’t forget that there’s more to
life than shooting a basketball or hitting a baseball. Strive to be a total human
being, not someone who is just physically well developed, but one who is
physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually developed.
When you really think about it, what is the significance of hoisting up a
heavy weight, hitting a home run, or slam dunking a basketball? It’s nice to be
able to do these things, but they really have limited value to mankind. I think
my mother put sports in perspective for me early in my lifting career. I
remember I had just broken the world record in the squat and I was so excited
about telling her what I had accomplished. So before I even showered, I ran to
the nearest phone and called her. I said, “Mom, I broke the world record
tonight.” And she said with that marvelous Italian accent of hers, “That’s a
nice! How’s the car running?” I believe that says it all. Athletics are great, but
there are more important things in life, like keeping your car running.
WINNING AND LOSING
Remember the boxer I talked about named George Foreman? The one
who was so mean that he would rip your ear off and cram it up your butt just so
you could hear him kicking your ass? Yeah, the same guy who hit Kenny
Norton on the top of the head so hard that Norton had to eat out of his fly for a
month.
Remember also that at the time Foreman was World Champion and had
completely dominated the heavyweight division? In truth, it was the general
consensus of boxing experts that nothing human could defeat Foreman. Then, in
the sweltering heat of Zaire, Africa, Foreman’s invincibility was tarnished once
and for all by a loud mouth fighter named Muhammad Ali.
During the first six rounds of their fight, Foreman banged Ali around the
ring like a ragdoll. Ali seemed totally helpless; willing to lie on the ropes
absorbing what appeared to be a brutal beating. It was not until the seventh
round that Ali’s strategy became clear to Foreman and the rest of the viewing
public. By that time, it was too late. Ali was playing possum on the ropes,
letting Foreman pound away at his shoulders and arms hoping that the energy
Foreman was expending would burn him out. Ali’s strategy worked perfectly.
By the time the eighth round rolled around, Foreman was completely spent. It
was then that Ali opened up, sending blows to Foreman’s head with uncanny
accuracy. With 1:36 left in the round, Foreman went down for the first time in
his career. He remained there until the referee counted him out. Foreman had
lost not only the first fight of his career, but the heavyweight championship as
well.
Foreman continued to fight for a little more than a year, but he was only a
shell of the boxer he was prior to the Ali fight. Continually haunted by the
defeat at Ali’s hands, Foreman eventually retired. Foreman’s reaction to defeat
is a phenomenon that occurs all too often in the field of sport. I have seen
people who were ready to put a gun to their head because they could not handle
defeat. It is as if winning transcends every other aspect of competition.
This is crazy. In a society that promotes the myth that winning is of
paramount importance, athletes more often than not lose sight of the benefits that
losing can bring. This type of “winner takes all” attitude has led us to the point
where it is simply not enough to just compete. You have to compete to win, and
if you do not win, the assumption is that you have done something wrong, like
fudging on your training, or chasing women.
As Dr. Thomas Tutko pointed out in his book Winning Is Everything and
Other American Myths, the assumption is that somehow the winner does
everything right and the loser does everything wrong. All too often, the message
that comes through to those who lose or who fail to reach the top is that
obviously they did not work hard enough and that they are not as worthwhile as
the winners. Consequently, when a person starts to lose, we begin to question
his or her character. It is as if we see winners as good people and losers as bad
people.
S.I. Hayakowa, a semanticist, concurs with Dr. Tutko’s values orientation.
We talk about people as either a success or a failure when, in fact, infinite
degrees of both are possible. There is a world of difference,” says Hayakowa,
“between, I have failed three times and I am a failure. Because winning is of
such paramount importance, it becomes easy to see why many athletes are so
afraid of failure.”
Add to this the fact that many athletes have not been taught how to accept
failure, and you have a reasonable understanding as to why many athletes are
afraid to compete or fail. The simple fact of the matter is that we are human, and
that failure is part of the human condition. As a matter of fact, being human
gives us the right to fail. Isn’t that great news?
Think about it though, for one thing, no human being can achieve
greatness at everything. Generally speaking, success in one field of endeavor
often precludes success in another area. If you really study the phenomenon of
success, you will probably find that people who are highly successful in one area
are extremely deficient in other areas. A prime example of the aforementioned
was a past winner of the Noble Peace Prize in Nuclear Physics. Considered by
many scientists as the most brilliant person in the world, this man was not even
familiar with the game of baseball, even though he lived in the United States his
entire life. I mean, the guy did not even know what a home run was. Check this
out. He thought that the World Series was a card game. No, he is not a
communist. He probably wears boxer shorts and eats Nerd Cereal, but he is a
success.
While I was out eating hot dogs and following the pennant race, he was
probably in some lab trying to refine the theory of subpartical fusion. This
brings up another important point...the cost of success. At times the price of
success may be prohibitive. Especially in a sport like powerlifting, where the
rewards for success are minimal. In order to be really successful, you have to
sacrifice a lot. There is a significant amount of time and money involved...and
for what...a trophy and the pressure to repeat your former accomplishments. It
never ends. The better you get, the more you are expected to do. When you
weight the benefits against the disadvantages, at times it can be too costly. It
just may not be worth it. Still, it is my contention that the reason most athletes
fear losing is that they have not been taught that losing is really a growing
experience.
Fredelle Maynard, an environmental psychologist, believes that most
parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from
the knowledge that they have failed. One way this may occur is to shift blame
for failure. If Johnny’s team loses, his coach is stupid or the referees are unfair.
Better yet, the other team cheated. Another way parents try to protect their
children from facing failure is to lower standards. Although Johnny played like
a motor moron, he is told that he was great. The kid can’t get out of his own
way, but according to Mom or Dad, he is the best thing since Carl Lewis. Does
any of this sound familiar? Don’t lie, your parents aren’t here to help you now.
The trouble with failure-prevention devices, says Maynard, is that they leave a
child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that nobody
can be the best at everything, no one can win all the time, and that it is possible
to enjoy a game even when you do not win.
Unfortunately, most parents in their attempt to protect their child from hurt
and pain, shelter them from the real world. They instill the idea that Johnny
never fails, and that failure is bad. As a result, when the child is faced with
failure in later years, the child is usually devastated by its impact. What parents
need to do is to let their children experience life, experience failure, and then
teach them how to master it. Oh yes, it can be mastered.
The first thing we need to understand is that failure is not only inevitable,
but helpful. The fact of the matter is that many of our successes are really no
more than the manipulation of our errors. By accepting failure, by learning from
it, we can free ourselves to live our lives fully. True, failure is never
pleasurable, but neither is it terrible. What is terrible are the restrictions placed
on life because of the fear of failure.
If you fail, resist the natural impulse to blame others and take full
responsibility for your behavior. A person who takes total responsibility for
one’s own shortcomings is usually admired. It takes courage to admit failure,
everyone knows that and everyone admires a person with courage. Do not just
accept your mistakes though, learn from them. Analyze why you failed.
Determine what you have done wrong and then go about making adjustments to
enhance your performance. Remember, success is simply the manipulation of
error. Also remember that everyone fails, it is part of being human. Failure is a
right we all have.
CHEATING IN SPORTS
Carl Lewis went to the 1988 Seoul Olympics as the Olympic champion
and was the favorite to win the 100 meter dash and keep his title. One year
before the Olympics, on August 30th, Johnson beat Lewis at the 1987 World
Championships while setting a new world record at 9.83 seconds. Almost 1 year
later, in Zurich, Switzerland on August 17th, Lewis reclaimed the gold medal by
beating Johnson and said that he would never lose to Johnson again. Carl Lewis
could not back up his words.
At the Games, this huge hulk of a man appeared on the track. The guy was
absolutely massive. His anterior deltoids were like bowling balls and the middle
of his back looked like a drainage ditch. Indeed, his back was so deep and
muscular that you could crawl inside of it and take a bath...well, at least I could.
His chest, arms, and legs were just as massive. In short, his physical stature was
almost beyond comprehension. He was so big and powerful that if he hit you on
the top of the head you would be eating through your fly for a month. Just two
years before, Johnson was a skinny little kid. Now he looked like one of the
biggest and most powerful human beings on the planet.
Still, no one thought that Ben Johnson had a chance of beating Carl Lewis
in the 100 meters. Like I said, Lewis was just about invincible at that distance.
He could run like a deer. Heck! Lewis was the Michael Jordan of track and
field, or it could be said Michael Jordan was the Carl Lewis of basketball. Lewis
was just that great. Consequently, even though Johnson was a remarkable mass
of bone and muscle, no one really thought he had much of a chance of beating
Lewis.
Well, when the gun went off to start the race, Johnson exploded out of the
starting blocks like no human being ever came out of the blocks. Nevertheless,
most experts knew that Lewis was always a little slow coming out of the blocks.
They figure that once they got to 30 meters, Lewis would start accelerating and
pass Johnson. It didn’t quite work out that way. At 30 meters, it wasn’t Lewis
who was accelerating, it was Johnson.
Johnson covered those 100 meters faster than any man in the world, or
anywhere else for that matter, had ever covered 100 meters. He literally crushed
the world record. Actually, he would have annihilated it if he had not thrown his
hands up in the air and looked over his shoulder to mock Lewis. Even with that,
he still set a record at 9.79 seconds. Needless to say, Johnson had literally
shocked the world.
After the race, a rumor started circulating that Johnson was taking drugs to
enhance his performance. Johnson countered, “My speed is not in a syringe, it’s
in my mind.” Well, two days later the world found out that his speed wasn’t in
his mind, but rather in a syringe. It was revealed through drug testing that Lewis
was taking a powerful anabolic steroid known as Stanazolol. Johnson’s coach
Charlie Francis later said that the drug was so powerful that it was like taking
Johnson’s starting blocks and moving them up six meters in front of the rest of
the competition.
After testing positive for drugs, Johnson lost his gold medal and both
world records he had set, and was banned from track and field for two years.
Following his two year suspension Johnson came back and tried to compete
without drugs...he couldn’t crack ten flat in the 100 meters. He literally busted
his ass trying to make it without drugs, but he couldn’t do it. Obviously, his
speed wasn’t in his mind, it was in the syringe. Here is a guy who literally
shattered the world record with drugs and couldn’t even run a decent time
without them. In other words, Ben Johnson was a good athlete who turned
himself into the greatest runner of all time by using drugs. It’s that simple. With
drugs you have a great athlete, without drugs you have a good athlete. If you
want to be a great athlete, then you use drugs. That is the word that went out,
and perhaps more than any single event, is it responsible for the abuse of drugs
and cheating in sports. It might also be said that it was this episode that clued
the world into the fact that some athletes cheat to win.
Now professional baseballs dirty little secret is out? Well, if you want to
call a secret something that just about everyone in the world knew about. Some
of baseball’s greatest players have been taking illegal drugs to enhance their
performance. Although it has been estimated that over 50% of professional
baseball players are using illicit steroid and stimulators, Barry Bonds will most
likely take the biggest hit along with Jason Giambi. Although that may not be
fair, it is somewhat appropriate. Bonds testified to a grand jury that he used a
clear substance and a cream given to him by a trainer who was indicted in a
steroid-distribution ring, but said he didn’t know they were steroids.
If Bonds has been using these drugs to enhance his performance, how fair
is that to guys like Hank Aaron, Roger Mans, or any other ball player who has
played by the rules? Is it fair to Albert Pujols who has finished second in the
MVP balloting to Bonds the last three years? Is it fair that Jason Giambi took
the MVP away from other athletes who were drug free in 2001? Was it fair that
Ken Caminiti took the MVP away from drug free athletes in 1996? Let me
answer that for you...Hell no! Bonds now holds the all-time home run record
after surpassing Aaron’s 755. We now know positively that at least some of
those home runs were hit while Bonds was on illegal drugs. How fair is that to
Mays, Ruth, and Aaron?
If Bonds’ record of 73 home runs was a product of illegal performance
enhancing drugs, will someone who is drug free ever have a chance to break that
record? Unfortunately, the records of all these frauds and phonies will spoil the
record books forever. And some of these bogus accomplishments may never be
broken. Worse yet, Bonds and every other ball player who has used illegal
performance enhancing drugs have corrupted the integrity of the game and has
created the notion for the youth of America that the road to athletic success is
with drugs and cheating. If the Ben Johnson episode clued the world into the
fact that some athletes cheat to win, the baseball steroid scandal certainly
reinforced that fact.
And college sports...well, that’s a story in itself. College football and
basketball programs are filled with closet professionals who play for pay. It’s
getting to the point that college sports are not represented by their student
athletes, but by high-priced professionals. There were so many infractions at
one Southwestern Conference College that the standard joke on campus was that
their players had to take a pay cut when they went to the pros. It turns out it
wasn’t a joke. It’s not just the colleges that are cheating either. Professionals,
amateurs, high schools, even little leaguers cheat in today’s world of sports.
Remember that kid that cheated in the soap box derby? And what about the little
league scandal where the coaches knowingly played a kid who was two years
older than the legal age limit? I mean how low can you go? Next thing you
know they’ll be fixing bitty league T-ball games.
Amazingly, athletes and coaches have been cheating so much that many of
them don’t seem to know what cheating is. At least you would get that
impression from talking to them. Cheating is when you surreptitiously use
drugs, equipment, money or anything else to gain an unnatural advantage over
your opponent. The essence of sports is to pit one athlete’s natural ability
against another. Any time you surreptitiously use drugs, equipment, money or
anything else to gain an unnatural advantage over your opponent, you are
cheating. It is that simple. It’s cheating in every way. And when you cheat you
lose all of your creditability.
The issues I hear being discussed over and over across the country is
whether the playing field is level or whether the records are legit in the sports
world. The general conscience of the public right now is that to a large degree,
sport has become a travesty. I’m not suggesting that athletes are responsible for
everything that is wrong with our society, but I do contend that they are a
contributing factor to the problem we are having in America. If anything, sports
and society influence the athlete’s behavior and attitudes. It’s an analytic cycle
with one behavior reinforcing the other.
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE... UNDERSTANDING CHEATERS
With all the pressure on athletes to win, it is easy to understand why some
athletes buckle to the lure to cheat. The more thought provoking question is not
how a decent, moral athlete can be corrupted to commit an immoral act, but
rather, how such a person can commit an immoral act and openly justify his
behavior. Actually, it’s not that mysterious if you know a little bit about
psychology. The answer is quite interesting and one that can be applied to a
broad spectrum of “seemingly irrational behavior by supposedly rational human
beings.”
The first thing you have to realize is that most people are motivated to
justify their own behavior. When an individual performs an act, he will attempt
to convince himself and others that there is a reasonable and logical explanation
for his behavior. In short, people are not so much motivated to be right as they
are motivated to believe that they are right. In this light, it is more accurate to
characterize human beings as rationalizing rather than rational.
This concept has been encapsulated into a theory called cognitive
dissonance by a social psychologist named Leon Festinger. The theory is quite
simple, but as I mentioned, the range of its application to human behavior is
enormous. Actually, there has been a great deal written on the subject of
cognitive dissonance. One of the most noted writers is Dr. Elliot Arnson, a
professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. If the truth
be told, most of the concepts I will discuss here are derived from his award-
winning book The Social Animal. If you want a more profound understanding
of cognitive dissonance, I suggest you check his book out. It’s excellent, easy to
read, and scientifically sophisticated.
Basically, cognitive dissonance is the feeling or conflict we experience
when our behavior differs markedly from our beliefs or values. Stated
differently, whenever we do something that is not consistent with the way we
think we should act, we face conflict or dissonance. Of course, the realization
that our behavior is different from our beliefs and values is unpleasant. Because
cognitive dissonance is unpleasant, Festinger believes that we are strongly
motivated to reduce it by changing our beliefs or values, by changing our
behavior, or both.
For example, let’s suppose that an athlete is using anabolic steroids to
enhance his strength and/or athletic performance. After using the drugs for a
period of time and experiencing considerable success with them in reference to
his performance and strength, he is informed by reliable and valid sources that
the drugs are extremely dangerous to his health. Since the athlete’s behavior is
inconsistent with what he now believes to be true about anabolic steroids (that
these drugs are), he will experience dissonance. His cognition is, “I use anabolic
steroids that are hazardous to my health.” In brief, he simultaneously holds two
cognitions that are dramatically opposed to each other. One way that the athlete
could reduce this dissonance is to simply stop taking anabolic steroids. By doing
this, the athlete would bring his behavior in accord with his actual beliefs.

Unfortunately for many athletes, this is easier said than done. As mentioned, the
pressure to win both internally and externally may make it extremely difficult to
give up the drugs, especially if he believes that he cannot win without them.

Of course, there is also the possibility that he may try to quit using the
drugs and fail. What generally happens in these cases is that the individual will
attempt to reduce dissonance by working on the other cognition, “Anabolic
steroids are hazardous to my health and I am cheating.” First, he might attempt
to convince himself that the research evidence linking anabolic steroids with
health problems is not conclusive, “I know a lot of guys who use steroids, and
they are not sick.

Besides, I take steroids and I feel fine. Anyway, if you listen to what the
research says, everything is dangerous. A lot of those researchers don’t know
what they are doing or what they are talking about.” In addition, he might seek
out intelligent people who either use anabolic steroids or advocate their use.
Therefore, he convinces himself, in effect, that they can’t be all that bad since a
lot of reputable people use them. “If Dr. Kerr prescribes these drugs for athletes,
I’m sure they couldn’t be that dangerous. Dr. Williams knows more than anyone
I know, and he uses steroids. If he’s not afraid, I’m not either.” He also may
switch from one anabolic steroid to another and delude himself into believing
that his new drug is safe. “I’ve switched to Winstrol. I’ve heard there are very
few side effects with this drug.” Or, “I’m using injectables now, and they’re a
lot safer than the oral steroids.”

Finally, he might add cognitions that are in accord with his behavior in an
attempt to convince himself that what he is doing is logical and reasonable, in
spite of the danger. For instance, he might exaggerate the importance of taking
the drugs. “All I want to be is a champion. If I have to take drugs to do it, so be
it. I may die earlier, but I’ll die happy.” Similarly, he may actually try to make
a virtue out of taking steroids by exhibiting a macho type attitude while flirting
with death by using steroids. “You have to die of something. I’m not afraid. If
I die, I die.” If your need to take steroids is great enough, you may even
convince yourself that they are actually healthy. “How can steroids be bad when
they make you so powerful and strong? They use them to promote healing,
don’t they?” Then again, he might relinquish all responsibility for his behavior
to a higher power. “If it’s my time to go, I’ll go whether I’m taking steroids or
not. That’s God’s decision, not mine.”
All of the aforementioned behaviors reduce dissonance by reducing the
inconsistency between the individual’s behavior through a minimization of the
danger or an exaggeration of the significance of his actions. The theory of
cognitive dissonance also can be used to explain how a decent, honest person
can justify cheating and immoral behavior. Let’s suppose, just for fun, that you
are a professional cyclist and that during the past decade, although you have
competed successfully, you never seemed to be able to win the “big one.” I
believe the saying in sports is “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” Then,
prior to an extremely important competition, your coach informs you that he can
arrange for you to “blood dope.” You know that blood doping is against the
rules set down by the governing body. What are you going to do? Your
conscience tells you that blood doping is cheating and that if you don’t cheat, in
all likelihood, you will probably lose once again. No awards! No recognition!
And none of the opportunities that are always afforded the winner. Interestingly,
no matter what you decide to do, you are already doomed to experience
cognitive dissonance. If you decide to blood dope, your cognition, “I’m an
honest athlete,” is dissonant with your cognition, “I have just cheated.” If you
decide not to blood dope, your cognition, “I want to win,” is dissonant with your
cognition, “I could have won if I had blood doped, but I didn’t cheat.”

Let’s suppose that you decide to give in to the temptation and blood dope for the
competition. As mentioned, you will experience dissonance. How would you
go about reducing the dissonance? You would probably attempt to change your
attitude about blood doping and/or cheating. You might reason that cheating
isn’t so bad under certain circumstances, “As long as I’m not hurting anyone, it’s
not really that bad a thing I’m doing. Everyone cheats some time or another.
People cheat on their income tax all the time. It is just part of human nature.”
 Another strategy would be to exaggerate the importance of cheating, “I
have to win. This may be my last chance. I’ve worked so hard. I deserve to
win.” Another ploy would be to simply justify your reasons for cheating, “These
guys have been cheating for years. They’re all doing it. It’s only fair that I
cheat once in a while.”

An interesting point is that once an individual justifies his action, the theory of
dissonance predicts that he will begin to believe that his justification is valid. In
a word, he will start believing his own lies.

Once an individual commits to a particular action and justifies it, chances

are his behavior will change. For instance, he will tend to ignore things or
people that conflict with his position. If by chance he hears a plausible argument
against his position, he will tend to forget it. However, if he hears a plausible
argument for his position or against the opposition, he will tend to remember it.
In actual fact, he will no longer seek objective information concerning the issue.

Rather, he will seek out information or people that support his position, thereby
reassuring himself that his action was appropriate. Interestingly, if he cannot
find external support to justify his position, he will attempt to justify it
internally, convincing himself that his actions are morally right.

There is just one last point I would like to make about cognitive
dissonance. The world is not divided into rational and irrational people. It is
true that we are all unique and that some people can tolerate conflict and/or
dissonance better than others. The fact remains we are all capable of either
rational or irrational behavior, depending upon the circumstances. Of course, the
idea is to strive for rational behavior. If we are continually preoccupied with
attempting to justify our irrational behavior, we will fail to grow. In order to
grow, we must learn to admit our mistakes. An individual who is intent on
justifying his behavior never admits his mistakes. Rather, he hides them,
defends them, or worse yet, he extols them as virtues.
Remember that success is simply the manipulation of error. If you make a
mistake, admit it, analyze why you made it, and learn from it. In this manner,
the chance of making a similar mistake is significantly reduced. Of course, it’s a
lot easier to talk about owning up to mistakes than actually doing it. It’s not
easy to admit that you messed up royally. The point to understand is that we are
all human beings and all human beings make mistakes, stupid and immoral
mistakes, at that. That does not mean, however, that we are all stupid and
immoral.
CHOKING
Now I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but when I was in
high school I was a basketball player.

Actually, in all modesty, I was an awesome basketball player, like “bad to the
bone” even. At 5’6” and 137 pounds, I was the white version of Spud Webb
before there was a Spud Webb. I had exceptional ball control skills with either
hand, a deadly jumpshot from 20 feet, and yes, I could dunk… with either hand.
I spent the majority of my youth working on honing these skills.

Basketball was just about my entire life. During my senior year in high school, I
averaged 23 points, 11 assists, 7 steals, and 7 rebounds per game.

That same year, in a summer league which featured a majority of college

players, I averaged 47.6 points a game. Like I said, I could play… and I knew
it!

After I graduated from high school, I chose Corning Community College

in Corning, New York, as my next step to showcase my basketball skills. I
picked up at Corning where I left off in high school. That’s right, I was
AWESOME! In fact, by the time the season opener rolled around I had been
elevated to the varsity team, becoming the only freshman in the school’s history
to play varsity.
It was that opening game of my freshman year at Corning that significantly
changed my life. The single event in my life that was responsible for me
becoming a world class athlete and in turn helping others to do the same. I
remember it vividly.
I was in the locker room getting ready with the rest of the team. I was
really psyched. In fact, I don’t ever remember being as emotionally charged for
a game as I was then. My entire family and my high school sweetheart had
driven over one thousand miles to see me play. I remember thinking that if I got
into the game there was absolutely no way that anyone was going to stop me.
During my career I was always confident, but this was different. I wasn’t
confident, I was convinced.

Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last long.

 When we went out on the court for our warm-ups, I almost had a heart
attack. There must have been over five thousand spectators in the stands. Never
in my life had I played before that many people. In high school, the most people
I ever remember playing before, was about five hundred, and most of those
people were my friends. All of a sudden it seemed as if everything was closing
in on me. My heart started pounding like a jackhammer and I was having
trouble breathing normally. Worse yet, my muscles felt tight and tense, and it
suddenly seemed as if all my energy was drained from my body.
During my warm-ups, about the best you could say was that I functioned
like a motor moron. I threw several passes away and I couldn’t even make a
simple lay-up. I must have looked like a guy who had just seen a basketball for
the first time. It was the first time in my life that I felt the paralyzing effects of
fear and anxiety. It was a frightening experience! I was being robbed of the
grace and skill that I had worked so hard to develop, and there was nothing I
could do to overcome this emotion that was destroying me. In all honesty, I
couldn’t wait until the game started so I could take a position on the bench.
There I figured I would be able to regain my composure. When the game
started, I took a position at the end of the bench where I felt somewhat more
secure, but I was still a far cry from confident and relaxed.
In the first half, our team swarmed all over the opposition. It was a good
six minutes into the game before they made their first goal, and by the time the
half rolled around, we had opened a comfortable 23-point lead. In the second
half we were just as dominant. At one time we had as much as a 30-point lead.
Not surprisingly, Coach Buckner started substituting freely. I hate to admit this,
but I didn’t want to get in that game…I was that scared. Then, with about three
minutes left in the game, I heard my name as if called from afar, B-I-A-S-I-O-T-
T-O! Once again anxiety seized me. By the time I walked from the bench over
to Coach Buckner, I was shaking like a leaf. Coach said, “Biasiotto, I want you
to get in there and get tenacious.” I was so nervous I asked him what number
tenacious was. After I gained my composure as best I could, I slipped off my
warm-ups and ran onto the court. When I reached mid-court, the noise from the
crowd seemed deafening. I could not believe the reception I was getting. The
entire place was going crazy. I figured it was because I was a freshman playing
in a varsity game. Then I glanced into the stands where my mother and father
were sitting. They were both turning blue with laughter as was everyone seated
around them. I must have stood there for a good ten seconds before I realized
that something was wrong. It was about this time that one of my teammates
informed me that I didn’t have my pants on. To my complete horror, I had
slipped off my basketball shorts along with my warm-ups. There I stood in front
of God and five thousand screaming fans in sneakers, socks, and jock. When I
returned to the bench to get my pants, Coach Buckner was rolling on the floor
with laughter. “Biasiotto,” he said. “You’re showing your ass again.” To make
matters worse, the next day the local paper had huge headlines: “Eagles Crush
Rams 89-54; Biasiotto Puts on Fine Floor Show.” Not the kind of headlines I
had imagined before the game. I had committed the ultimate “CHOKE.”
Of course, I’m not the only athlete who has experienced the terror of
choking under pressure. I’m just the only one who has pulled his pants off while
encountering it. Most athletes who have stepped in the competitive arena know
the awful symptoms of a choke-in progress: increased heart rate, queasy
stomach, rapid shallow breathing, muscle tie-up, visual impairment, and a head
full of dubious thoughts. With all of that going on, it’s a wonder anyone could
walk and talk, let alone compete.

Actually, many people can’t walk or talk when they are on the verge on
choking. It doesn’t have to be that way though. The fact is choking isn’t some
immutable trait we are born with. It is a learned phenomenon that can be
controlled. Here are a few suggestions that will help you do just that. I talked
about some of these things before, but some things are worth saying more than
once.

First of all, put sports in perspective. Here is a news flash, there are more
important things in life than hitting a home run or winning a gold medal. Sports
are fun, exciting, and challenging. However, they are just games, nothing more,
nothing less. From the start, put sports into perspective and you’ll enjoy them
more. Work hard, compete hard, but don’t worry about winning or losing. More
importantly, concentrate on the experience of competing and what you can learn
from it. If you do your best, if you give the most you have to give, I promise
you that you’ll be satisfied and happy. The next time you’re in competition and
things are really nerve racking, ask yourself the question, “Will any of this really
matter a year from now?” Most likely it won’t.
Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.

No one is successful all the time. Even Michael Jordan misses the last second
shot now and then. Actually, he misses it more often than you may think...about
40 percent of the time. When it comes to “crunch time” in the game though,
Jordan still wants the ball because he is not afraid to fail. His mediocre shooting
percentage when the game is on the line doesn’t bother him, because he knows
that hit or miss, there are plenty of more shots to take.

That’s the best lesson to learn. No matter what happens, there is always another
day.

Be prepared. When preparing for competition, give it everything you

have. The secret is to be overly prepared. Evander Holyfield has a wonderful
philosophy about preparation.

When he was to fight Mike Tyson for the first time, he was asked by a sports
reporter if he was nervous or scared. Holyfield said, “I never get nervous when
I’m in the ring because I’m always prepared physically and mentally when I get
there. I do everything I can in training. I work as hard as I can. When it comes
time to fight I know I’ve done my very best. When you have done your very
best, there is no reason to be nervous. Generally, the guys who get nervous are
the guys who aren’t prepared. I’m always prepared. And if I lose, I can live
with it because I gave it everything I could.” Without a doubt, confidence that
comes from preparation is the “real deal.” It isn’t so much the physical skill you
are developing (of course, that’s important too) as much as the act of getting
ready and the knowledge that you have put forth your very best. By the time
you walk on the competitive stage, you have to feel that you are the best you can
possible be. Then, let the rest take care of itself.

Focus on the moment. One of the best ways to choke is to think about
how important the contest is that you are competing in. Such thinking will
typically generate additional physical and emotional stress that interferes with
performance. When competing, focus on the task at hand. Don’t worry about
the outcome of the contest or what can be won or lost. For example, you might
want to focus on some technical aspect of your performance or the muscles that
you’re using to perform a skill. When the mind is totally focused, all doubt is
pushed aside. In short, your body will cease to experience a body that is
inhibited by the distractions of your mind.

Over time, you will learn that if you maintain this type of focus, the outcome of
the event will take care of itself.
the event will take care of itself.

Develop a consistent behavioral pattern. As previously mentioned, the

response of fear is generally associated with cognitive involvement. Usually,
it’s your thoughts that bring about the physiological symptoms associated with
fear or choking. By keeping the mind occupied, thoughts that evoke fear are less
likely to emerge. Thus, by creating a behavior pattern that is incompatible with
your pensiveness and fear, cognitive involvement can be decreased. For
example, if you were a weightlifter, before every lift you attempt, go through the
same ritual...chalk your hands, take two deep breaths, visualize your lift, take
two more deep breaths, grab the bar, and then attempt the lift. Each behavior
should follow the next without interruption so that you would only have time to
focus on the behavior that you are engaging in. By becoming more systematic
about your lifting, you will decrease negative thinking and as a result, decrease
your chance of choking. This is called chaining remember?
Look at the worst case scenario.

Sometimes in life we simply screw up. When that happens and you are going
down in flames, ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that can happen?”
Usually it is something that we can live with. In truth, most of the time we
exaggerate the importance of an event. In the scheme of life, winning or losing
an athletic event has little significance. If it’s not your wife and it’s not your
life, then don’t worry about it.

Look for the silver lining in each situation. When I inadvertently pulled
my pants off in my college basketball debut I thought I would never recover
from the plight. At the time I was only sixteen years old...just a baby. I thought
my whole life was over. I wanted to transfer schools, but my father wouldn’t let
me. I wanted to kill myself, but he wouldn’t let me do that either. It was a
nightmare. But there was a light in that darkness...as there always is. You see,
the experience made me realize that if I wasn’t able to control my emotions, I’d
never be a good athlete. As a result, I spent a good portion of my college career
investigating techniques to enhance human and athletic performance. There is
no question in my mind that the knowledge I acquired during that time was
directly responsible for the majority of what I have accomplished today. In
brief, what was my worst nightmare turned out to be a blessing. There is always
good in every situation, no matter how bad it seems. You just have to look for
it. No matter how dark the cloud, there is always a silver lining. Just look - it’s
there.
THE PSYCHING GAME
It has been said that Mike Tyson’s career has been based principally on
intimidation, that his persona of rage and brutality is more mythology than
essential quality, that Tyson is more a marketing phenomenon than a boxing
great. Although that contention may be considerably overstated, there is some
truth to its content. It is no secret that Tyson coasted through a fair part of his
career by simply scaring fighters into submission. I think it is safe to say in the
field of sports Tyson is the “Psyche Master” of the last three decades. No athlete
has won so much by doing so little. That’s not a criticism. That’s a compliment.
Tyson was great not only because he was a good fighter, but because he used
the power of intimidation. Intimidation works...it can make you and it can break
you.

That’s why it is important to understand the nuts and bolts of this extremely
important psyching technique.

Actually, there is a look of power and intimidation. Interestingly, you

don’t have to be 6’5” and built like Arnold Schwarzenegger to exude power.
Isn’t that good news? Some of the physical signs that suggest power are fierce
eyebrows, steady eyes, prominent cheek bones, a large face, a thrusting powerful
nose, and, above all, a solid presence that indicates you belong where you are,
even if you’re in somebody else’s bed with his wife. Although we cannot alter
our genetic make-up without cosmetic surgery, there are things we can do to
project confidences and power.

By learning how to control our body language and our facial reactions, we can
eliminate overt signs of nervousness and weakness and at the same time exhibit
strength. Here are a few tips:

Shave your face. If you have a beard or a mustache you might want to
consider shaving it. Beards tend to suggest that you may be trying to hide
something, and mustaches project an image of uncertainty. A one or two day
growth can indicate toughness, but in general, a clean-shaved face is best for
giving the impression of being confident and in control.
Don’t talk a lot and don’t move around a lot. Fidgeting and “running of at
the mouth” are usually perceived as signs of weakness. Individuals who are
impassive and silent acquire a reputation for strength and power. Mike Tyson
understands the “power game” as well as anyone. Well, he probably doesn’t
understand it, but he plays it extremely well. He generally remains silent,
impassive, and alert, but at the same time highly visible. He plants his feet
firmly on the floor, giving himself an aura of solid power. When he does speak,
it is in hushed whispers so that the people around him are challenged to listen
closely. He looks straight at you, never seems to blink and never fidgets. This
type of rock-like immobility gives him the impression that he alone is in control
of himself and the environment he inhabits. You can develop the same type of
dominance with practice. Don’t shift your eyes or blink a lot, remain visible and
most important, be silent.
Be tough. Fear is the kind of power that most people understand best.
You can destroy an athlete’s game just by scaring the hell out of him. It is
possible to control people through fear. Tyson is a master at this game too. To a
large extent, his whose career has been based principally on intimidation and
fear. Watch Tyson closely. He is an emotional predator whose image suggests
suppressed rage, exasperation, and the threat of savage brutality. He always
seems to be on the verge of losing his temper. This makes everyone around him
wonder if he might not attack them suddenly and furiously. And when he spares
them, he leaves them thinking, “Thank God he didn’t lose it.” Best yet, he looks
and acts as if he owns the world and is about to evict the entire population. He
completely ignores the complexities of territorialism. He will invade the
personal space of others at will. The only space that is important is his space.
It’s his world. You just live in it. His entire demeanor reminds one of carnage
and destruction...fear.
For the athletes who use this tactic, repugnant verbal abuse of their
opponents and simple rudeness are the hallmarks. These guys refuse to exhibit
even the slightest sign of weakness.

They are the ultimate bullies pushing people around by threats and abuse. Of
course, this strategy can backfire big time. Once you make a threat, you better
be able to back it up. If you write a check with your mouth that your butt can’t
cash, you can end up in big trouble. Tyson found that out in his two fights with
Holyfield. In those two fights his reputation went from being a flame throwing
ass-kicker to just an ordinary guy. The rest of his career will require a lot more
than sheer mythology. To come to the point, if you do the ass kicking predator
number, you had better be an ass-kicking predator, at least in reference to the
competition you’re facing. Being tough can go a long way in the psyching
game. Let’s be honest, how many Holyfields are out there?

And if you do run into a Holyfield type, you can still stand tall and act tough,
just don’t get too close and don’t push the issue. It’s not just being tough, it’s
being smart too.

Try not to show emotion. All things being equal, an athlete who has
acquired a reputation for being hysterical, thin skinned, and over-sensitive is
usually considered weak.

Powerful people, truly powerful people, show little emotion. When things go
bad, don’t show outward signs of concern or nervousness. Suck it up and stay
“cool.” No matter how terrible the situation, act like you are still in control.
Bad news should always be accepted calmly, as if you already knew about it and
didn’t much care. Joe Montana, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, was
legendary when it came to keeping his composure in times of difficulty. No
matter how hopeless a situation looked, Montana never changed his demeanor.
He always exhibited a look of confidence and control.

It was as if nothing could “ruffle” him. He may have been scared to death at
times, but no one would ever have guessed it. He never showed emotion.

Therefore, no one ever questioned Montana’s confidence or courage. He was

considered unshakable.

If you show signs of trepidation and weakness, you are setting yourself up
to be attacked. It’s like with a dog, when he senses that you’re frightened, he is
going to attack. If you hold your ground and show no sign of fear, there is a
good chance the animal will move on. Human beings are similar in this respect.
If they think you are weak, they will go right for your jugular. If they are not
sure though, they will most likely move on. No one likes confrontation when the
outcome is uncertain, not even the biggest of bullies. With that in mind, try
never to show any sign of weakness or emotion. When you have to, fake it. If
you act confident, people will respond to you as a confident person, which in
turn helps you feel the power they assume you have.
Take responsibly for your mistakes. No one is perfect. Don’t be afraid to
make mistakes. Take the responsibly of taking chances and being wrong. And
don’t waste your time justifying your mistakes. A powerful man is able to
survive failure and defeat and to draw some deeper wisdom from it. Good
athletes cope with the demands of life and don’t panic at real or imaginary
threat. A sure sign of weakness is when people cast the blame on others to cover
up their own failures and mistakes. When you get beat, take responsibility for
the loss. Do you remember what Evander Holyfield said after he lost the
Heavyweight Championship of the world? Wearing sunglasses to hide his
battered face at the post-fight conference, Holyfield said, “I had a great time in
the game of boxing. I am thankful God gave me the strength to do what I did.
This fight I did my very best. I don’t feel bad about it because I know I did my
best.” That is the mind set you have to have when you fail or make a mistake.
In order to grow, we must learn to admit our mistakes. An individual who is
intent on justifying his behavior never admits his mistakes. Rather, he hides
them, defends them, or worse yet, lauds them as virtues. This is a mistake of
significant magnitude. Taking responsibility is one of the best measures of an
individual’s maturity and power. That’s right! Those who assume responsibility
are in power. Those who avoid it are disempowered.
Here is something else that might surprise you. Research has consistently
revealed that individuals who own up to their shortcomings are not only more
successful, but are actually admired more. It is called a Pratfall. President John
F. Kennedy is a prime example of what I am talking about. Kennedy seemed to
have everything in his favor.

He was a Harvard graduate, a war hero, and of course, the President of the most
powerful country in the world. He was rich, handsome, articulate, and the most
popular President since FDR. Half way into his Presidency though, he made a
major mistake by authorizing the invasion of Cuba. As you are probably aware,
the invasion was a historic military and political disaster. As a result, most of
Kennedy’s political advisors recommend that he either deny that he had major
involvement in the invasion or at very least not address the issue. Kennedy did
just the opposite. He stood before the American people and said that the Bay of
Pigs was an atrocity that should have never happened. He took total
responsibility for the invasion. He said, “It was my decision to invade Cuba, it
was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for this horrific blunder.”

He basically said he really screwed up big time on this one. Surprisingly, at

least to his political advisers, Kennedy’s popularity actually increased after he
took responsibility for the humiliating defeat. By taking responsibility for his
mistake, Kennedy empowered himself.

Powerful, successful people accept the necessity for taking risk in life and
for being wrong now and then. It comes with the territory. They don’t waste
their time and energy trying to justify their mistakes. They spend their time
correcting them. Nothing makes someone look more foolish or impotent than
the inability to admit a mistake.
THE SUCCESS SYNDROME
The first time I realized that people would lose on purpose in an athletic
event was when I was a little boy.

At the time my big sister Judy was the fastest kid in the neighborhood...bar no
one. I know because I was by far the second fastest kid, and she could beat me
like chopped liver. Believe me, Judy could run...like Carl Lewis with hubcaps
under his arm. Anyway, on this one particular day, Judy was going to race this
kid named Bobby Fisher. In all candor, Fisher didn’t have a snowball’s chance
in hell of beating Judy. I am not exaggerating when I say that Fisher was the
slowest thing that God ever put on two legs. I could grow a beard waiting for
the guy to run down to the end of the block and I was only ten years old at the
time. Heck! You could clock the guy with a sundial in a 40 dash.

Accordingly, I figured Judy was going to kick his ass, but good. Well, not
even Ripley would have believed what happened in that race. Fisher was about
as fast as molasses in January and Judy...well, she was about as fast as my
grandmother who had been dead since I was three. Watching that race was
about as painful as frying bacon in the nude.
It wasn’t until later that I learned that the race was fixed. I also learned
later on that a lot of tennis match, golf games, basketball games, and God only
knows what else was fixed by the women who were involved in these
competitions. In truth, it’s probably safe to say that women have thrown more
contests than Jim McMahon and the World Wide Wrestling Federation. I know
it sounds crazy, but it is true some women lose to men on purpose. In technical
terms, such behavior is called the success syndrome or the success phobia.
That’s right; the success syndrome is actually a fear of winning. Apparently,
some women have a greater fear of succeeding than the fear of failing, and there
are some men who have the same problem, although the problem exist more in
women. It’s conceivable that the success phobia is a genetic predisposition.
However, it is far more likely that from infancy onward, women are rewarded
and encouraged every time they show an interest in such feminine things such as
cooking, sewing, and shopping, and are discouraged when they show an interest
in male activities such as football, wrestling, and politics.
It is also reasonable to assume that a woman’s self-image to a large extent
is shaped by the mass media, which tends to depict women in non-competitive
roles that our culture encourages than to engage in the duties of a housewife,
secretary, nurse, cheerleaders, school teacher, and etc. The mass media rarely
depicts women as business executives, biochemist, competitive athletes, or
doctors. Also, as with males who show interest in feminine things, women who
show an interest in manly things are generally punished or criticized for crossing
the line. Actually, there is considerable evidence which indicates that women
who are successful in areas that are primarily dominated by men are often
socially and psychologically alienated by both sexes. For many women in
business, sports, and politics to succeed is to be unaccepted and unloved, and to
fail is to be loved and accepted. The writing is clearly on the wall...men don’t
like women who outperform them in the competitive male environment, and
women don’t like women who outperform men either. Thus, when a conflict
results between success and being loved or accepted, women who suffer from
success phobia choose either consciously or unconsciously the failure
alternative, despite the emotional pain they experience by forsaking their goals.
Now, I know what you are thinking, “I don’t believe men or women think
that way.” Well, you are wrong! Take the male ego. Please do! I believe it’s
safe to say that in a competitive situation most men are motivated to kick ass and
take names. This is especially true when it comes to traditional masculine tasks
like football, boxing, and weightlifting. For instance, winning or losing a
cooking contest would probably be of little consequence to most men, but a
weightlifting contest or a boxing match would be an entirely different matter. In
these latter events, the male self-image is at stake. Males with traditional
attitudes about sex roles, consider physical strength and skill an essential aspect
of masculinity, and they typically resent or even fear the intrusion of women into
this domain. When a woman does cross the line and chooses to compete against
a man on his own turf, social traditions and convictions are challenged.

Although it takes a strong and independent woman to challenge such traditions,

males and females often view her deviation from convention as a sign of
abnormality. She might even be characterized as a “tomboy” or a “freak.”

There is an exception to this rule. Women have learned that competition

with males is not so objectionable if she performs like a de-boned land squid and
is not a real threat to win. A female who participates for fun, does not pursue
victory, and who does not show a potential for defeating her male counterpart, is
considered to be in compliance with traditional expectation. However, the
moment a female becomes truly competitive, she is typecast and is often
suspected to have lesbian tendencies, much in the same manner that males who
enter into traditionally feminine activities are accused of being homosexual.
This is where the success phobia conies come into play. In order to gain social
approval or

respectability, many women will deliberately lower their aspirations or give less
than their best when competing against men. Interestingly, this phenomenon
applies to intellectual as well as physical pursuits. For instance, many men feel
threatened if their women are smarter than they are, and most women are smart
enough to realize this and consequently play dumb (which is dumb) in order to
keep their relationship going. Rather than acting like Ms.

Potato Head to please their man, most women would probably be better off
finding themselves another man...not necessarily a smarter one, but one who is
man enough to handle a woman’s successes. You know, a real man, someone
like me.

When it comes to sports, the male ego seems to be just as fragile. If the
truth be told, a successful female athlete can deflate a male’s ego faster than
Madonna can change husbands.

Speaking of Madonna, did you know I’m one of only four men in the world who
has ever seen her fully clothed? Anyway, being defeated by a female can result
in ridicule, teasing, social rejection, and disgrace for most males. Not a pretty
sight, and if the woman really kicks his ‘masculine’ behind, he could be headed
for some bad territory...loss of confidence, self-esteem, and male restroom
privileges.

In all candor, from a purely competitive standpoint, the male is in a no-win

situation when he competes against a female. If he wins, he has accomplished
nothing in the eyes of his peers because most men have been taught to believe
that women are no match for a man in rugged sports or anything else for that
matter. However, if he loses, he is perceived as disgracing himself as well as his
male and female friends.

Thus, men who compete against women are more concerned about avoiding the
loss than in achieving victory. Winning against a woman is not even satisfying
(at best, one gets a sense of relief), but a loss can be psychologically
devastating. Actually, there is a prolific amount of research which indicates that
women who are successful in the field of sports, politics, and business get fewer
dates, marry less, and divorce more than women who are less successful in the
above mentioned areas.

Such stereotypes are certainly unfair, but who said anything about being
fair? By now it should be clear that women have in part been psychologically
manipulated into letting men win at “men things.” Well, I have news for you,
things are changing. No! It’s not men that are changing. Most males are still
chauvinist pigs with fragile egos. I didn’t say that my girlfriend did. It is
women who are changing.

They are getting to the point where they don’t care about social approval or the
male ego anymore. In fact, a lot of women are starting to kick butt and take
names themselves....a real positive sign.
SUPERSTITION
The Boston Red Sox’s curse is over. Yes! Hell has frozen over, cows do
fly, and a Volkswagen can win the Indianapolis 500. After eighty seven years,
the Boston Red Sox have finally broken the curse of the Bambino, and in so
doing they have gone from the frying pan into the fire. Right after they came
back and swept the New York Yankees four straight games to win the American
League Championships, Sports Illustrated featured them on their cover for two
straight weeks. You know what that means. The Boston Red Sox will now have
to deal with the SI jinx for the next eighty seven years.
If they thought the curse of the Bambino was horrifying, wait till they get a
load of the powerful SI jinx. Allegedly, the SI jinx has turned numerous sports
champions into crippled chumps, phenoms into flops, and winning teams into
long time losers. As even the most casual sports fan knows, there’s an orthodox
superstition that suggests that being on the cover of Sports Illustrated is the kiss
of death for your favorite team or athlete. The long list of season-ending
injuries, fatal car crashes, family tragedies, divorces, batting slumps, chokes,
losing streaks, and shocking upsets suffered by individuals and teams who have
appeared on the Sports Illustrated cover since 1954 is too long and frightening to
recount. Sports Illustrated’s own researchers have ascertained that 37 percent of
the time ill-fated tragedy strikes the person or team within two weeks of a cover
appearance. Amazingly, almost 12 percent suffered a catastrophic injury or
death. It’s been said that if Sports Illustrated had put Osama bin Laden on its
cover, he would be toasting marshmallows in Hades right now. According to
sports folklore, “No curse is worse.”
If that sounds like absolute certainty to you, it is probably because you
have spent the majority of your life in a cave. Sports Illustrated’s cardinal
researcher in this area, Alexander Wolff, says that the jinx merely illustrates a
“regression to the mean.” In laymen’s terms, that means that athletes who get
hot eventually get cold. Wolff also points out that although a number of people
had some misfortune when they appeared on the cover, it didn’t damage the
fortunes of Sports Illustrated’s top 3 cover boys...Michael Jordan who appeared
on the cover 51 times, Muhammad Ali who appeared 38 times, and Jack
Nicklaus who was front and center 23 times. Wolff concludes that if there is a
jinx, it cannot be substantiated by science. And we now have scientific
explanations for many mysterious phenomena. Unfortunately though or maybe
fortunately, depending on your point of view, that doesn’t eliminate the tendency
for superstition.
Of course the question is, “Do people believe most firmly in science or
superstition?” Apparently, it is both science and superstition. Somehow people
who are schooled in scientific probability and critical thinking are capable of
compartmentalizing that data in one part of their brain and putting their
superstitions in another part. In brief, when it comes to curses, hexes, and
superstitions, science doesn’t count.
I suppose that if you asked most people if they were superstitions, they
would probably say that they really don’t believe in such things. Still, if you
followed them around you would probably find that their actions betray their
contention and that they are more superstitious than they are willing to admit.
They won’t walk in front of a black cat or under a ladder, and God forbid, if they
break a mirror, they will “freak”...that’s seven years bad luck. In reality, a lot of
sports participants, both players and fans feel like their destinies are in the hands
of...well, fate. Just look around whenever there is an important competition and
you will see some of the craziest rituals that athletes, fans, and coaches engage in
to ward off evil spirits and bring about a winning karma. Some players and
coaches will wear the same socks for days on end, others don’t shave or wash,
and still others will perform the same daily routines that they performed on the
days they were successful. I have even heard of guys tattooing “power symbols”
on their bodies in order to enhance their chances of success. I suppose there is
some value in not bathing and wearing stinky socks and shirts in a game pitted
against others. It just might help keep the opposition at a distance, and it may
explain why such behaviors have a positive effect.
We are all a little superstitious. Be honest. If you were booking a flight,
and you had your choice of departure dates, would you choose to fly on Friday
the 13th? If you were a triskadekophobic, there is a good chance you would pass
on the 13th. And there must be a lot of triskadekophobics floating around in
America because few people will fly on that date. Indeed, according to travel
agencies, the 13th is the easiest days to book a flight. There’s always space
available, and few people will use it. Do you know you can even get cheaper
flights on that date and still no one wants to fly on that date? There’s just
something about that day that sits in the back of people’s minds that something
bad is going to happen on the 13th. Of course, this cataclysmic date is
supposedly the most ill-fated day of the year. Interestingly, the origin for the
superstition is not even clear. Some people say it comes from the Last Supper,
in which the 13th apostle, Judas, betrayed Jesus Christ. Actually, Friday the
13th has a nasty biblical history. It’s supposedly the day Eve tempted Adam
with the apple, the day Christ was crucified, the day the ark set sail, the day the
confusion of tongues struck the Tower of Babel. No wonder the date scares the
hell out of everyone...pun intended.
Sports superstitions are based on the same supposition. If you believe
wearing dirty underwear or carrying a rabbit’s foot around is going to help you,
there is a good chance it will. Conversely, if you believe you are cursed, there is
a good chance that you will respond appropriately. In summary, power and
magic are in superstition and whether we want to admit it or not, most of us are
somewhat superstitious...athletes even more so.
From powerlifting to bobsledding, little league to the NFL, superstitions
are as much a part of sports as hard work and coaching strategies. Superstition
and sports go hand in hand, and pre-game rituals are as common as pre-game
pep talks. The position here is that if there is a possibility of tipping the psychic
odds in one’s favor, why not?
Is it that sports merely attracts the eccentric, or is it something intrinsic to
the nature of sports that predisposes athletes to be superstitious? Is it really
possible that well educated people let superstitions and curses affect their
performance? And exactly why are people superstitious?
Perhaps the root of superstition comes from people not having control over
their situation and then by associating one action with another and finding some
degree of success, they feel as if they have gained that control. A lot of things in
sports are uncontrollable, making sports a prime candidate for superstitious
behavior.
As previously indicated, all of us are a little superstitious. There are
always times in life when we don’t attribute all that happens in our life as the
consequence of our own behavior. Most of us are conditioned to believe in
uncertainties in the cosmos and universe. Daily life has enough unpredictability
that we still, especially in times of misfortune; turn to superstitions to account
for the unaccountable. When these rituals and superstitions appear to work, they
certainly are reinforced in the person’s mind that they do have credibility. Still,
there are those people, well educated, who believe whole hardly in groundless
curses and superstitions. Why are these people so superstitious? Why do any of
us have superstitions?
How superstitious you are depends to a large extent on where your locus
of control is strongest. Some people have been taught to believe that they are
autonomous, meaning that they are masters of their own destiny and that they are
responsible for what happens to them in life. They believe that they orchestrate
their own behavior and are less likely to believe that external factors affect their
lives. They see the control of their lives as coming from inside themselves.
These individuals are called internalizers.
Conversely, other people believe that they are helpless pawns of fate.
These individuals believe that they are controlled by outside forces over which
they have absolutely no control. They feel like their focus of control is external
rather than internal. As a result, they believe that they have no responsibility for
what happens to them. These individuals are said to be externalizers.
Perhaps the major difference between internalizers and externalizers is that
people with an internal focus of control believe that what they do will determine
what their destiny will be. They believe that what they sow is what they reap.
People with an external focus of control believe that their life is basically in the
hands of fate. In a nutshell, they don’t believe in themselves, but rather in God’s
will, predestination, luck, superstitions, and just about anything else they think
can control their lives.
What type of focus you control, you have and to a great extent, how
superstitious you are depends upon where you were raised. For example,
research has revealed that Southerners tend to be externalizers while Northerners
tend to be internalizers. When Southern women were surveyed, over 60% of
them said, “God controls my life.” They believed that being successful in life
was totally contingent on God’s will, not from anything they did themselves.
Also, more than 30% of them also indicated that luck was of major importance
in determining their fate. When Northern women were given the same survey,
less than 20% of them said God was in control of their lives and only 6% said
that luck even existed. To sum up, the Southern women who were externalizers
saw themselves as being manipulated by external forces beyond their control.
On the other hand, Northern women who were internalizers felt that getting
ahead in life and being successful came from hard work and determination.
Not surprisingly, Southern women were found to be extremely
superstitious. Interestingly, they also tended to be placebo reactors. Remember,
I said that we tend to see what we expect to see. We also feel what we expect to
feel. If you are convinced that taking a pill will decrease your pain, chances are
you will perceive whatever pain you have as being less intense after taking the
pill. Externalizers, because they believe that external forces control them, tend
to believe in the magic of pills.
What all this tells us is that learning is of paramount importance in our
degree of superstition. This means that there is hope for those of us with an
external focus of control. Anything that is learned can be extinguished and new
learning can be put in its place. If we want to change it, we have to dig deep into
our belief systems and provide ourselves with an alternate explanation. It
certainly wouldn’t be easy to revert from an externalizer to an internalizer, but it
can be done.
Here is something to contemplate though. Research seems to indicate that
externalizers deal with stress as well if not better than internalizers do because
when things go wrong they don’t feel like it is their fault...it was God’s will, the
curse, fate, destiny. On the other hand, internalizers feel more pressure because
they take responsibility for what is happening to them. On the down side,
externalizers tend to accept defeat more readily and are not motivated to work as
hard as internalizers because they don’t believe what they do has any real
bearing on the outcome of anything.
Of course, the world doesn’t just consist of two types of
people...internalizers and externalizers. We all probably have mixed tendencies,
even the most fatalistic externalizers will, in some situations, meet challenges
head on rather than accept the idea they have no control. And even the most
positive internalizers at times will look to the heavens for help when things are
going wrong.
CHAPTER 12
ENVIRONMENTAL

FACTORS AFFECTING PERFORMANCE

Here is something that might interest you. I was the first American to ever
train at the Olympic Training Center in Beijing China...like in the People’s
Republic of China...like in Communist Red China! Actually, getting into China
is not that big of a problem, but getting any type of information out of there,
especially pertaining to their sports program, is damn near impossible. I believe
Frank DeFord found that out when he tried to do that article on Chinese sports
for Sports Illustrated. From what I understand, they showed him absolutely
nothing. When it comes to sports and the Chinese military, China is pretty well
closed to the Western world.
In the People’s Republic of China you need government permission just to
move your bowels. I can only imagine what some people went through to get
me into the Olympic Training Center, especially when you consider the fact that
no other foreign athlete had ever trained in the Center, or that no foreigner had
ever seen the inside of the Training Center. How was it?
In contrast to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado
Springs, I’d rate it about a negative fourteen on a scale of one to ten. At best, it
was a dump. I doubt seriously if you could get an American athlete to train there
for any length of time.

First of all, the place smelled absolutely vile, and that’s putting it mildly.

You have heard the expression “It would gag a maggot.” Well, no maggot in its
right mind would go in that place. It was that bad. It was also filthy dirty, the
type of place where you wipe your feet when you leave. I doubt seriously if the
place had ever been cleaned. Worse yet, the walls and ceiling were all painted in
vomit green and there wasn’t a single light in the place that worked correctly.
And this was the Training Center for the best athletes in China! A local YMCA
in America would be a thousand times better.
 Obviously, the Chinese did not believe that the training environment had
any type of impact upon performance.

In my opinion, that is a mistake of significant magnitude. There is a prolific

amount of research which indicates that environmental factors such as lighting,
noise, colors, temperature, etc., have a significant effect upon athletic
performance. The fact that the Chinese didn’t even consider such factors was
rather surprising, especially in light of the fact that they were spending large
sums of money to research such things as nutrition, biomechanics, equipment,
computerization, etc. Just as surprising was the fact that the Chinese put little
emphasis on the mental aspect of performance. In this area, the only thing they
were researching with any fervor was a technique of Qigong. In short, the
Chinese’s primary concerns were the athlete’s physiology. As mentioned
previously, man is not just a biological machine. He is an incredibly complex
living system which is a summation of genetics, biochemistry, mental processes,
and social environment. In other words, there is a biological side to man’s
nature, a mental side, and a social side. More significantly is the fact that these
three systems interact with each other in order to develop behavior.
Consequently, it should be understood that in order to gain control of our
behavior, we cannot disregard any of the aforementioned systems. Athletic
performance is no different. If you want to reach an optimum level of
performance, you must pay attention not only to your body chemistry, but also to
your psychological make-up and social environment.

Of course, the Chinese are not the only ones who tend to emphasize the
physical and ignore the social and psychological. Indeed, most of the countries
who regularly compete on the international scene tend to overemphasize the
physical. America is not much better. Although there is a wealth of information
available in this country on social and psychological factors and their effect on
athletic performance, few coaches in America possess even a cursory
understanding of such factors. As a matter of fact, I’d venture to say that most
coaches and athletes in America completely ignore such factors in their training.
Still, from what I saw at the Chinese Olympic Training Center, the Chinese have
a long way to go just to catch up to America in respect to sports psychology,
sports sociology, and other performance enhancing factors.
In this chapter, we are going to look at a few of the more influential
environmental aspects that can impact upon athletic performance.
SOCIAL INTERACTION
You probably heard the old cliché, “Birds of a feather flock together” or
“You are who you hang with.” It’s true, it’s true, it’s true! Research has
consistent showed that the people we surround ourselves with significantly
influence our behavior. If we surround ourselves with positive and successful
people, we will tend to be positive and successful. Conversely, if we surround
ourselves with negative and ineffectual people, we will tend to be negative and
ineffectual. All of our actions, feelings, behavior...even our abilities are
consistent with our conditioning and/or socialization. We are the sum product of
the events we experience...the environment in which we function, the people
with whom we interact, and the thoughts which we entertain, are all data
constructs by which we are programmed. Therefore, the environment in which
we function should be stimulating and progressive. The words and thoughts we
entertain should be forceful and positive. Program yourself to be positive and
you’ll be positive. Program yourself with negatives and you’ll be negative. It’s
just that simple. We tend to “act like” the type of person we are socialized to
be. Not only that, but we literally cannot act otherwise, unless we make a
conscious effort to do so. Obviously then, the way you are socialized will go a
long way in determining how successful you’ll be in athletics, as well as in life.
A number of years ago, Maxwell Maltz wrote an incredible book called
Psycho-Cybernetics. The major premise of the book was that the mind functions
like a computer. The title of the book suggests that very concept. ‘Psycho’
means mind and ‘Cybernetics’ means computer...the mind is a computer.
Within no time, the book became a best seller. Perhaps you’ve read it. If not,
you should. It’s one of the most fascinating books you’ll ever read. It may be
the most significant book you’ll ever read. I’d like to tell you a little bit about it.
Besides being an outstanding writer, Maltz was also a nationally renowned
plastic surgeon. Actually, he was one of the best plastic surgeons in the world.
His work has been written about in all sorts of journals and there is even a
number of training videos out that were produced by the medical profession so
that other surgeons could study his work. The man is an absolute Michelangelo
with a scalpel.
During his years as a surgeon, Maltz observed that individuals who had a
congenital defect or who suffered from an actual facial disfigurement as a result
of an accident generally had a very low self-esteem. They were introverted,
anti-social, and extremely insecure. In fact, many of the individuals who Maltz
treated refused to leave their home during the day, and when they did go out,
they took great pains to hide their disfigurements. You don’t have to be
Sigmund Freud to figure out why these individuals acted that way. It’s the
Cooley’s looking glass principle. This principle states that we tend to make
judgments about ourselves by looking through the eyes of others. Unfortunately,
when most people come in contact with an individual who is disfigured, their
initial reaction is to turn away and/or try to avoid the individual. The individual
with the deformity is taught that he is not acceptable. As Maltz observed, this
feeling of nonacceptance is easily generalized to other psychological feelings
such as worthlessness and inferiority. Maltz reasoned that since his subjects’
deformities caused their poor self-images, by correcting those deformities, he
could improve their self-images. Not surprisingly, Maltz decided to test his
theory.
He got together a number of disfigured individuals and put them through a
battery of psychological testing. As he had expected, the subjects’ psychological
profiles indicated that they had extremely poor self-images. He then went about
correcting his subjects’ disfigurements. I saw the before and after pictures of his
subjects. It was amazing. He literally resculpted their faces. When he got done
with them, they were absolutely stunning...“tens” on anyone’s scorecard.

As I said, he is Michelangelo with a scalpel.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out exactly as Maltz expected.

Although Maltz transformed his subjects from “ugly ducklings” into physically
attractive individuals, they still perceived themselves as being ugly. Maltz
eventually realized that not only did he have to correct his subject’s
disfigurements with plastic surgery, he also had to correct the way they thought
about themselves. In brief, Maltz not only had to change his subjects’ physical
appearance, he also had to change the data-constraints that had been
programmed into their brains during the years that they were disfigured.
Now, here’s the really good news.

Once the subjects were taught to act and think positively, their whole
personalities changed. They became more confident, outgoing, and assertive.

And do you know what? They also started looking at themselves as being
attractive and appealing. Isn’t that great?

This may interest you. A few years ago, I was in Egypt for the
International Powerlifting Championships. After the meet, I went with a number
of other American lifters to this little cafe to get something to eat. After sitting
there for a few minutes, a woman walked past the front door. I just saw her out
of the corner of my eye, so I really didn’t get a good look at her. After the
woman passed the door, all of the non-Americans in the cafe jumped up and ran
to the front door to get a better look. Talk about heightened sexual libido!
Those guys went into some serious heat. It was as if their hormones had staged
a coup d’etat on their brains. I figured the woman had to be a cross between
Cory Everson and Vanessa Williams...a solid ten. Being the young, hot-blooded
American that I am, I decided to get a look for myself. When I got to the front
door, I could hardly believe my eyes. This woman had a bootie as big as a
Greyhound bus. You know...too much junk in the trunk. I’m serious. She was
so big that she made Roseanne Arnold look like Cheryl Tiegs.
I kept telling myself, “This can’t be the woman who is getting these guys
all excited,” but she was. You see, in Egypt, a stout woman is most desirable.
In reality, most of the sex symbols there fluctuate between obesity and
plumpness. I’m serious. The country’s top sex symbol Laila Alwi tips the
scales at about 210 pounds. These guys had been taught their whole lives that
fat is where it’s at. And that woman, she was just struttin’ her stuff, like
Madonna at a rock concert. She knew she was “fine.”

Obviously, “fine” is in the mind. If she sees it, then that’s what she is. Of
course, it is the environment and its social condition that gave this woman her
beauty. How do you think this woman would be received in America? Probably
the same way Halle Berry would be received in Egypt. Again, environment and
social conditioning has a lot to do with what we think and how we act.

Social conditioning applies not only to physical appearance, but to every

aspect of human behavior. All of our actions, feelings, behavior, and even our
abilities are consistent with our conditioning and/or programming. Briefly, we
tend to -act like” the type of person we conceive ourselves to be, and the way we
conceive ourselves to be has a lot to do with what people tell us we are.
Obviously then, the way your brain has been programmed will go a long way in
determining how successful you’ll be in athletics as well as in life. If you’ve
been conditioned to believe you can, there’s an excellent chance that you will.
Conversely, if you’ve been conditioned to believe you can’t, you most likely
won’t. In order to win, you must expect to win. Let me give you a good
example of what I’m talking about. There was an extraordinary study done a
number of years at Harvard University which was called “Pygmalion in the
Classroom.” I first read about the study ten years ago in Leo Buscaglia’s book
Living, Loving, and Learning. It seems that every time I open a book connected
with education, the experiment is cited. It’s that significant. Let me tell you
about it. The study was conducted to determine the effect that expectation had
upon performance. These professors from Harvard went to a number of high
schools and told the teachers that they had a test that could measure which kids
in their class were going to grow intellectually during the coming year. The test
was called the Harvard Test of Intellectual Spurts. The professors told the
teachers that the test was the most valid instrument ever constructed to measure
intellectual growth. “It will pick the intellectually gifted students right out,” they
said. “It never fails.” So the professors went into the schools and gave the kids
some antiquated intelligence test. After the kids took the test, the professors
threw them into the garbage. Then, they randomly selected five names from the
teacher’s role book.
They took the names to the teachers and said, “Look, these are the kids
who are going to really excel this quarter. These are your gifted students.” And
the teachers looked at the list and said, “This can’t be. This kid here on the list
has been brain dead for years and this one is intellectually challenged. And
Johnny here, he’s the closest thing we have to “Attila the Hun.” You must be
mistaken.” The Harvard professors said “Trust us. The test never fails. These
are the kids who are going to progress intellectually during the year. You’ll
see.” And the teachers looked at each other and thought, “Hey! These guys are
from Harvard, they must know what they are talking about.”
And do you know what happened?

Every kid on the list grew beyond expectation. Both the brain dead kid and the
mentally challenged kid grew intellectually. And “Attila the Hun” grew like
kudzu on at hot Georgia day. He went right off the charts...which just goes to
show you that you get exactly what you expect. If you teach a child and you tell
him he’s dumb, you are going to get a child who lives down to your expectations
just as if you teach a child and tell him that he’s smart or gifted, that child will
live up to your expectations. The same is true of athletes. If you condition and
teach an athlete to believe that he’s a loser, you are going to get an athlete who
lives down to your expectations just as if you teach an athlete that he’s gifted,
that athlete will live up to your expectations.

Here something else that will interest you. Joe Burson did a number of
great studies on reinforcement and how it affects performance. He would go to
schools and videotape teachers while they were teaching in the classroom. It
was a candid camera type thing where the teachers were unaware that they were
being filmed. Burson would take the films home and study them carefully.
What he found was amazing. Fifty four percent of the responses that teachers
made to their students were negative. Isn’t that sad? But listen to this, he did
the same study with coaches and do you know what he found? Eighty three
percent of the responses that coaches make to their athletes were negative.
According to Burson, the coaches tended to ignore good plays by their
athletes and consistently criticized poor plays. Haven’t these guys ever heard
that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar? Why
concentrate on the negative all the time? Why not build everyone up instead of
dragging him or her down? Get rid of the vinegar and use a little honey. On
second thought, put a lot of honey in there.
What does this tell us? Simple, it tells us that we are a product of the
people we surround ourselves with.

Consequently, it is imperative that we surround ourselves with positive people,

in a positive environment. If anything, society influences an athlete’s behavior.
COLORS
While I was at the Academy, one of the things I learned was that different
colors stimulate different emotions.

In truth, the Academy people were so convinced that certain colors could
significantly affect the performance of their ballplayers that they had the entire
complex repainted. Believe me, it was no accident that the Academy had the
most colored coordinated complex in baseball. They knew exactly what they
were doing. Actually, the Academy spent a lot of money to research the effects
that various colors had on human performance.

What they discovered was fascinating. First of all, they found a prolific
number of experimental studies which revealed that there was a powerful energy
source in colors. It should be noted that color in the form of light is part of the
electromagnetic spectrum. Of course light is one of the eight components of the
spectrum.

Others are cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, radio
and television rays. All of these components transport energy. The most
significant studies in this area emanated from the Pittsburgh Plate Glass
Company which found that an individual’s muscular, mental, and nerve activity
could be altered by subjecting them to certain variations in color. For example,
they found that under ordinary white light, muscular activity measured twenty
three empirical units, but picked up slightly under blue light, increased further
under green light, and reached 30 empirical units under yellow light. When the
subjects were exposed to the aforementioned colors for as little as five minutes,
they showed significant changes in both their mental and muscular activity. In a
word, the colors had a profound effect upon the subject’s physical and
psychological make-up. Apparently, colors can alter the normal electrical
pattern in the brain and the manner in which electricity travels through the
muscles of the body.

As you might expect, this can have an influence on physical performance.

For instance, research has shown that if an individual focuses on the color pink
for as little as fifteen seconds, he will experience measurable weakening of his
muscles that can last for as long as thirty minutes. In addition, there is strong
evidence to indicate that the color red can actually enhance physiological
strength.
Interestingly, colors are not only effective in inducing direct biological
changes in people, but they also can arouse feelings and moods in people. For
example, research designed to determine the effects of colors on human behavior
have revealed that colors can stimulate, depress, relax, or cheer up an
individual. There are even colors that can cause irritation and actual physical
discomfort. Not only that, but certain colors can arouse specific feelings in
people. Blue, for example, conveys peace and contentment. Dark blue has a
tranquil effect. The color yellow conjures up feelings of achievement. Red
gives you the feeling of vitality, power, and the urge to win. Green and red
together stir up feelings of strength and reliability. I could go on and on because
just about every color is associated with some type of feeling or emotion.
Generally, bright primary colors prompt immediate emotions while subdued
colors evoke peace and tranquility. It might also be noted that the medical
profession and Corporate America have used color therapy extensively.
Actually, America has used color therapy extensively.
The world of sports, however, has more or less neglected this area almost
entirely. In point of fact, there are only a few incidences in which colors have
been used in sports. The famous Alonzo Stagg, while coaching at Chicago, had
two dressing rooms constructed for his players. One of the dressing rooms was
painted blue for his team during rest period and the other dressing room red for
the team’s fight talks. Stagg apparently followed the line of thinking that blue
would have a calming effect on his players while red would have a stimulating
effect.
Along this same line of thinking, the athletic director at the University of
New Mexico went a step further by painting his own dressing room red and the
opponent’s blue. The only other application of color therapy in sports that I am
aware of was at the Academy.

As I mentioned, the Academy people were convinced that the judicious

placement of colors throughout the complex provided an added dimension of
mental, if not physical energy. Not surprisingly, the research conducted at the
Academy on colors seemed to substantiate that line of thinking. Certainly,
colors are something for every coach and athlete to think about.
MUSIC
In case you haven’t noticed, athletes love music. In actual fact, music is
right up there along with reflective glass, steroids, and skin tight shirts. “Music
is magic,” says Darryl Stafford, one of the best light-heavyweights boxers in the
world. “It will give you strength when nothing else will, it’s powerful, it’s
magic. The power is in the words” continues Darryl. “Lines soaked in vigor so
strong and forceful that you can pump heavy metal for hours without even
noticing.”
I can buy that. I mean, there’s some really motivational rap in music land
these days. Stuff like “Drop-kick me. Jesus through the goal posts of life,” or “I
turned out to be the only hell my mama ever raised.” It makes my nipples hard
just writing about it. Profound lyrics too, lines that even Gahil Gabran would be
proud of, like “It takes me all night long to do what I used to do all night long,”
or “I need somebody bad tonight, ‘cause I just lost somebody good.” And how
about this one, “My wife ran off with my best friend and I miss him.”
Penetrating words...
Lyrics aren’t the only reason that I’d buy Darryl’s claims about the power
of music. A review of musical folklore certainly indicates that the sound of
music can significantly enhance and/or repress human performance. Remember
the impact that music had upon the mythical Ulysses and his men in Homer’s
The Odyssey. If my mind serves me right, music got them into a position where
they were eventually turned into pigs. Hey! I’ve seen it happen to women
too...just about every Saturday night at the Sand Trap lounge. And don’t forget
the legend of the Pied Piper...the guy who used the beautiful music of a flute to
entrance the entire child population of a town and led them off to “Never-Never
Land.” I won’t even mention Michael Jackson here...Okay, so mentioned him.
There are also numerous legends in which normal men are transformed
into supermen through the magic of music. Indeed, music folklore strongly
suggests that music is both magical and powerful. The widespread use of music
in sports is also a strong indication of the commonly held belief that music can
enhance human performance. This would certainly seem to be true based on all
the gyms I’ve seen. I mean, every gym I ever walked into is blasting music a
hair short of the human pain threshold. But is such a belief founded? Is music a
true ergogenic aid, or is it the myth and literary creation of man that gives music
its magic? Inquiring minds want to know.
MUSIC AS AN ERGOGENIC AID
Well, in recent years there has been a considerable amount of research
conducted to determine the effects that music has upon athletic performance.
Unfortunately, the results of these studies have not been conclusive. Although
there are a number of experiments that suggest music can improve athletic
performance, the preponderance of evidence indicates that music is not a true
ergogenic aid. One possible explanation for the discrepancy in findings is the
difficulty in doing well-controlled research on music and its effects upon
performance. For example, music’s effect seems to be specific to each
individual. An individual’s environment, personal experience, and even his
genetic makeup may be responsible for how he reacts to a particular type of
music.
As a result, the possibility exists that music that would enhance
performance in one individual may be ineffective or even detrimental to another
individual’s performance. If the truth to be told, there is considerable research
that shows no general trait of reactivity to music. Thus, it is nearly impossible to
predict how a specific individual would react to different musical selections on
the basis of his reaction to one or two selections in an experimental situation. In
short, music specific to each individual may well be a true ergogenic aid, but
may not be reflected in the research laboratory if specificity of music is not taken
into

consideration.

Although the majority of research appears too weak to support the widely
held belief that music can enhance athletic performance, there is considerable
evidence to indicate that music can affect an individual’s mood and
physiological state. Actually, current studies have revealed that music can
influence our entire being. It can relax muscles, alter our state of consciousness,
and reduce stress, fear, and anxiety. Not surprisingly, in recent years, sports
psychologists have used music therapy to help athletes alleviate anxiety, fear,
and even pain. And there’s good news too...it works...like, really well!
Music therapy should not be confused with listening to music for
entertainment. In our culture, we use music in our homes, in our cars, at the
work place, primarily for entertainment purposes. The goal of music therapy,
however, is not to provide
entertainment. Rather, the goal of music therapy, nonmusical in nature, is the
reduction of psycho-physiological stress and anxiety. It can help an individual
or an athlete to achieve a deep state of relaxation, thereby decreasing his inner
restlessness and quieting disconcerting or destructive thinking. It can also be
used as a pre-competition ritual to alleviate mind chatter and enable one to
become more focused. In summary, although music may not be capable of
producing an ergogenic effect, its soothing charms can produce a balance of
body, mind, and spirit...an advantage no athlete can afford to ignore.
FINDING THE PERFECT PIECE OF MUSIC
Since music’s effect is specific to each individual, it’s imperative that you
evaluate your psycho-physiological response to various types of music. Choose
the pieces of music that produces the psycho-physiological responses you want.
Although different musical selections can produce various effects, your mindset
and mood play a major role in how you will respond to the piece. For instance,
the therapeutic effect of music will be less effective if you’re angry, distracted,
critical, analytical, or resistant. If you’re physically and mentally relaxed, music
has the potential to penetrate your physical being and play through it rather than
around it. For this reason, many music therapists recommend that you engage in
relaxation exercises (such as factorial relaxation) prior to listening to your
musical selection.
Music therapists also suggest that when listening to music, you should
follow the iso-principle. The

iso-principle matches the individual’s mood to the appropriate music to obtain

the best results from the experience. According to Dr. Helen Benny, the founder
of The Music Therapy Department at Catholic University of America in
Washington D.C., music that matches an individual’s mood can produce an
altered state of consciousness. “It is as if the mind and feeling are vibrating at a
certain frequency and are satisfied when the music is in resonance with that
frequency.” For example, if you’re feeling relaxed, it might not be a good idea
to play MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This.” On the flip side, if you want to
become energized, you certainly wouldn’t want to play Tchaikovsky’s
Symphony No. 6.

One of the keys to the proper selection of music is experimental listening.

In other words, experiment with a wide range of music selections. As you do,
listen to each type of music for about 20 minutes. Pay particular attention to
your psycho-physiological reactions to each selection. When you find the music
selections that provide the desired responses, record them on a tape of 20 to 30
minutes in length. This way, you can use the tape whenever the related response
is desired. For example, prior to training you may want to listen to your 30
minute medley of MC, Paula Abdul, and Janet Jackson to get psyched. Prior to
bedtime, however, your tape might be a composition of Kenny G., Angela Bail,
and Stephane Grappelli to provide a relaxation response.
 You will also find that the more consistently you use the tapes, the more
effective they are in producing the desired responses. In this way, music therapy
can be incorporated into every facet of your daily routine. Just think about
it...having a breakfast of “juice and music” to harmonize your body and mind for
the day’s events, music to pump up your workout, music to recover by, eat pasta
by, to intensify the pleasure of hard earned exhaustion at the end of a perfect
day.
NOISE
Research has consistently found that noise can have a significant negative
effect on the body. Most experts agree that noise wears us down in a subtle
way. Noise can cause stress, which in turn can trigger or aggravate certain
illnesses. Some experiments have shown that noise can cause elevated blood
pressure, hypertension, depression, anxiety, and disease. Noise can also have a
serious impact on learning ability. It can affect an individual’s ability to perform
simple tasks even after it stops. Additionally, the cacophony of big city living is
a primary stress factor that may well add to incidences of violence.
Not surprisingly, noise can also have a significant impact on athletic
performance. Crowds and spectators at athletic events provide one kind of noise
during games. Coaches have also used tape recorded “game noise” during
preparation for games or matches. In the case of golf, the noise may include
people talking, traffic sounds, or the murmur of planes. In other sports, the noise
may be that of cheering, yelling crowds...both antagonistic and supportive.
In summary, it is clear that noise can have an effect on athletic
performance. Whether the effect is positive or negative depends on the
individual.
THE DARK SIDE OF LIGHT
Interestingly, there is a dark side to light, especially if your light is
supplied by high pressure sodium-vapor lights or cool white fluorescent light.
Similarly, the high-pressure sodium lamp is not recommended to light up your
world. Researchers in the field of photobiology, the science of how light
interacts with life, have discovered that intense artificial light can cause
biochemical changes in the human body that will bring about symptoms similar
to physical stress. On the brighter side, these same researchers have found that
certain types of light can prevent stress, enhance health, and even prevent
disease. For example, the Food and Drug Administration’s Bureau of
Radiological Health had conducted a number of studies which revealed that
unshielded fluorescent light can cause not only cancer, but genetic mutation and
death of human cells at an accelerated rate.

They also found that an individual’s diurnal rhythms (daily biorhythms) can be
significantly altered by unnatural lights. Interestingly, it has been

theorized by a number of photo biologist that desynchronization of bodily

rhythms by light can cause such problems as gastric disorders, loss of

appetite, and insomnia.

Of further interest was the fact that lighting can distort the perception of
colors. In laboratory settings, subjects consistently confused red for orange and
blues for greens when the colors were observed under the influence of common
fluorescent light.

Actually, the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy was especially interested in
this finding because of all the effort and money they had spent to find the
appropriate color schemes to enhance their athlete’s performance. When the
Academy became aware of the significant effects light had on colors, it

immediately changed the lighting system. They removed the narrow spectrum
cool white florescent bulbs and installed broad spectrum florescent lamps.

Supposedly, these lamps not only minimize the hazards of lighting, but they are
believed to have a significant effect on human performance. Also, the
broad-spectrum fluorescent lamps do not distort colors the way other lights do.
In other words, yellow and red colors look yellow and red.
ONE LAST NOTE
One last thought. During the first two years of my powerlifting career, I
lost every competition that I entered.

In some meets I was a good two hundred pounds behind going into the deadlift.

I was literally one of the worst powerlifters in the world. All of that changed
within less than a year after I started using my mind as well as my body. In
actual fact, I went from being one of the worst lifters in the world to one of the
very best. Now understand I am just an ordinary guy, just like you. I am not a
prodigy. I have no special gifts that God gave me. I’m not an Arnold
Schwarzenegger and I am certainly not an Albert Einstein; I’m just an everyday
guy. Anything I can do you can do; and many of you can probably do it better.

As I said, I believe that nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself. I

also believe that anyone can do amazing things with their life. No matter who
you are or what your

circumstances, you can become or do whatever you want if you put your mind to
it. I have witnessed on numerous occasions average and even below average
human beings do extraordinary and marvelous things with their lives...men and
women pushing their hearts and souls to the farthest reaches of which they are
capable. You can do the same if you have a mind too. If you believe in yourself
and are willing to work hard, you can go beyond what other people think is your
breaking point and succeed. In fact, you can go beyond even what you may
have thought was your breaking point and succeed. Let me say it one more time,
you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Good luck and God bless you.