sports psychology, i suppose.

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[ozzie]

I had an important game today, and before the game I decided to keep on telling myself "I will save this". -as apposed to some thing like "I hope I save this".
No negative thoughts.

I've never really believed this sort of psychology to work, but fair dinkum it was the best game I've ever played.

do you find this to work, or anything else like it?

Cheers, O.

[mani]

Is that Psychology - or just self belief?

[deanoooo]

Is that Psychology - or just self belief?

or coincidence?

[ozzie]

pffft. dunno, I'd like to think it wasn't a coincidence.

[garli]

If it works for you, try it again.  If it keeps working keep on doing it. 

[Lord Noel]

I use visualisation and i find it helps me. I go through the movements of saving a goal in various places before the game. Just a small movement but i find it gets my mind and body together so i move and respond better.

[Rutter]

It's Neuro Linguistic Programming, essentially positive thinking. It works really well and a pet favorite of mine

[Magpie]

From The Art of Demotivation (by E.L. Kersten):

A colleague of mine was recently the victim of a positive thinker named Ty. Ty was a project manager who wanted to improve his leadership skills so he could advance in the organization. Unfortunately, he got wrapped up in the teaching of a motivational speaker who convinced him to be more of an optimist. Ty was responsible for a very complex systems integration project that was fraught with hazards and difficulties. When Ty was told about problems with various parts of the project, he resolved to not let them get to him and to look at the positively, in a way that was empowering. He reasoned that a problem was nothing more than a hidden opportunity that included the seeds of its own solution. As a result, Ty was able to maintain his cheerful disposition even as problems began to mount and compound. When he gave his status updates to his boss about the project, his optimism was refreshing. He repeatedly reported that he was confident the project would be delivered on time and under-budget – a belief that he had sent to his subconscious mind via autosuggestion. Unfortunately, Ty could not achieve what his disciplined denial of reality had convinced him to believe. The project ended six months late and significantly over budget. As it turned out, Ty was the problem that contained its own solution: He was fired and a pessimist hired in his place.

Ty’s experience is sadly typical. It should be clear that a spurious faith in a narcissistic fantasy is not the path to genuine growth and maturity required to transform an employee into an executive. Like the alchemists of yesteryear who produced iron pyrite (fool’s gold) in their futile attempt to create gold, today’s motivational speakers teach employees to pretend they are something they are not in the hope of convincing themselves and others that they are.

[Rutter]

How could you say that! The entire officer corps of the British Army in WW1 was exactly that and it didn't go too badly   

[Magpie]

I love the book, if you get a chance read it Blame Garli as years ago she gave me an 'award' from www.despair.com and I can't stop spending money there

[ozzie]

so, the moral,

I've got to be careful with self belief; not to discard the negatives and worries in my game, because if I choose not to see the problems I won't be able to do anything about them?

[Magpie]

Ozzie, by nature people will generally 'lift' to meet expectations, this is the essential difference between an average player and an exceptional player. The exceptional don't need to lift/rise to the occasion as they always play at the same intensity irrespective of the sheep farm on offer. It is like a Grand Final everybody (including the umpires) will play at a higher level because there is something to play for. I guess the key is to decide what you are playing for, yourself, selectors, spectators etc and ascertain if the situation that your are playing for affects the outcome.

Once you have sorted out what motivates you to 'lift' then it should be simple enough to replicate, provided that you are not deceiving yourself or trying to convince yourself that the reason to lift does exists when it doesn't (don't bullshit a bullshitter).

The power of positive thinking also allows people to believe that despite the essential fact that they are a failure that with the power of positive thinking they can turn all their failures around to become positives.

Ask yourself what will you do when the power of positive thinking "I will save this" doesn't work and you don't save it, can you blame positive thinking? If you can't blame positive thinking then you will begin to doubt its effects and start the spiral downwards, consequently your game will suffer.

Sorry I'm a cynic at heart for good reasons.

[jtsoldier]

Sounds like an adaptation of parkinson's law...

[ozzie]

magpie i see what you mean.

I like to keep a notebook in which i write (straight after the game) about all goals I may have let in, and anything in general that worked unsuccessfully (e.g. defenders not listening.)

I write down in detail what happened, what should have happened, and why what should of happened didn't happen.

very simple, but I find it a very effective way to reflect on my game. -as, naturally, people don't enjoy thinking about themselves at their worst. I think that my notebook saves me from ignoring to my mistakes.

also, I simply use "I will save this" as an extra push to run harder, to dive further, to think more, etc..  one skill I possess as a goalkeeper is my ability to take responsibility for my actions and actually I believe that this certain push to try harder does not mean I will go blind to my faults.

do you find anything remotely like this to work, pie?   

[Magpie]

My thoughts on work are if you can't change it don't worry about it and apply the same to hockey when I play. The simple thing is what works for you may not work for others, I personally hate with a passion motivational speakers and trauma councilors!

You should be looking at working on your notes when training!

The Camel may be the best person to offer advice, however it may run along the lines of 'eat some concrete and harden up'