Author David Kauss looks at how athletic performance fits into your own life experience. His "total athlete" system takes into account your internal strengths and weaknesses instead of applying a predefined set of mental training exercises.
For Rod to play more aggressively, we would have to develop a comprehensive approach to the complex web of elements alive in him. We considered again the mental raw materials that Rod's use of the exercises had shown us. We identified two negative elements -call them weaknesses, problems, insecurities, or whatever you like -that Rod felt described him well. We also found two positive elements-areas of strength that Rod had never used to their capacity.
The second negative was Rod's fear of being left out. Much of his behavior was motivated by his very strong need to be accepted, to fit in with others. As you will see in chapter 9, this need for affiliation can be one of the most basic of motivators for people, with the potential to dictate much of what we do. Rod would have to use this to his advantage rather than be a slave to it.
The other positive element was the new role that had emerged in his life, that of fatherhood. This role gave him enormous gratification that he now fit in with others and always would. In contrast to many of the other relationships he had experienced throughout his life, he had no doubts whatsoever about his role as a father. In Rod's eyes, he had literally made his family exist. He had no trouble sharing this with his wife, his teammate in this creation: more to our point here, he knew to his very core that he was accepted, that he fit' in his family's life. His role was as clear and true to him as anything he could imagine. Again, the great power, the great energy in this was ready to be directed in ways Rod had never before tried.
David R. Kauss, PhD, has been practicing psychology since 1978, but he began his psychological consulting work with athletes and coaches--including the UCLA football and baseball teams--four years earlier. In his role as a consultant, Kauss has provided performance-enhancement training to athletes and coaches at the elite and professional levels. He wrote about his early work with athletes in his first book, Peak Performance.
Mastering Your Inner Game: Part 1
What Rod Learned
On the positive side, Rod had always experienced tremendous power when he allowed himself to become lost in music. His rock star fantasies had started the process in his youth, but Rod could see that this had more to do with wanting to be accepted (fantasies of admiration from others). No, the element of Rod's relationship with music that had such great potential for him was his ability to actually make the music in his mind. Images of playing instruments worked in this direction, but conducting his favorite music filled him with a power that seemed wondrous to him, a power that made him feel he could go beyond any limits. Rod could "be" the music. This type of fantasy existed in Rod's mind in a relatively pure, very private form. It was ripe to be harvested for all the energy it could create in him. Of course, that energy would then be channeled into his football.
A member of the American Psychological Association, Kauss is also an associate professor of psychology at UCLA. He received his BA from Harvard University and his doctorate in clinical psychology from UCLA.
On the negative side, Rod's lifelong tendency to see himself as less physically capable than he actually was would have to be turned to his advantage. His self-concept was rooted in images of being smaller and less athletic than his peers. No amount of ego boosting or pep talks would convince him otherwise. Instead, he would have to face this issue head-on.
Even the most physically gifted athletes struggle in competition when they lose control over their thoughts and emotions. Mastering Your Inner Game arms you with the tools to understand, manage, and maximize your mental and emotional forces, factors that often determine whether you're an all-star and or an "also-ran."
Find more information about the book Mastering Your Inner Game by clicking here.
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