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Don’t CHOKE with this TIP from Ash BARTY’S Mindset Coach

 In Body language, Delivery, Entrepreneur, Facial expression, Learning from Luminaries, Luminary, News, Sports people, The Winning Voice

A couple of weeks ago the title of my post was Why you choke and what to do about it.

With choking in mind, here is an excellent, 53 minute podcast, Meet Ash Barty’s mindset coach – Ben Crowe, where Crowe – who coaches Australian professional tennis player and current world number one Ash Barty – is interviewed.

In the podcast Crowe shares a technique he advises Barty to use, to play well and to not choke during a tennis match.

Namely,

“Connect with yourself first, then with the circumstances. When stressed, remember and bask in your earliest happy memory.”**
When under pressure in a tennis match, Barty connects to herself first, by bringing to mind and basks in her earliest happy memory. Then she refocuses on the task at hand.

Of course, putting the technique into practice is predicated on:

(1) Having already vividly imagined and logged in your mind the earliest happy memory and

(2) Being able to remember it, in a pressure situation.

The technique can help you perform well when you’re under pressure.

For example, you could use the technique – just before an important presentation or when a senior executive is grilling you over a missed deadline, or just before making an important phone call, or just before you have to confront a colleague.

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This week’s practice suggestion for the next seven days:

#1 Make a calendar entry to go somewhere quiet where you won’t be interrupted and cast your mind to your earliest happy memory.

#2 Vividly imagine the memory and log in it you mind.

#3 During a ‘safe pressure’ situation, bring to mind and bask in, your earliest happy memory.

#4 Reflect on the results of doing steps 1,2 3.

++++++

** As an example of a earliest happy memory here’s mine:

My earliest happy memory was the day of my first communion. I was seven years of age.

My mother and father were devout Catholics so my first communion was an important occasion, and I was the star of the day. I remember it was a sparkling, sunny day. People were smiling during and right after the church service. Following the church service, at my home, there was a large gathering of loving relatives and of my best friends.

Everyone was happy. There was a lot of running around the lawns surrounding our house. There were games and good food. Good cheer abounded. I remember having my photo taken at a neighbour’s house. I was dressed in a crisp, long sleeve white shirt with a white bow tie and black trousers.

I still have the photo. The expression on my face is one of pride.

p.s. Crowe maintains that the six most important words you can say as a coach or parent are:

‘I love to watch you play’ (dance, do martial arts, etc).

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