"Systems of Thought" - Installment 8

Pressure

“Only special athletes walk towards pressure, seeking what they fear. Pressure is uncomfortable which is why people actively avoid it. Training the mind to be comfortable in the uncomfortable is where the warrior athlete thrives.” -Ceri Evans

In my last post, I discussed the 2000 year old philosophy of stoicism that has helped me through my career. Stoicism is a framework that focuses on our perception, action, and will. We are guaranteed to encounter adversity in our lives both on and off the ice, and having the mental poise to control emotional impulses when we are surprised is the best way to navigate difficult situations. Stoicism is a great framework for helping us see the bigger picture when we have the time and space to think about life. I encourage anyone reading this to continue to read the great stoic philosophers to further enhance your mental training.

In this post I want to specifically talk about how to deal with pressure when you play. This topic is one of my most frequently asked from goalies and parents.

Most people actively avoid pressure. They avoid it because it is uncomfortable. Pressure makes us feel fear, anxiety, doubt, tension, and frustration, which leads to foggy thinking, and tunnel vision. Pressure arises from a combination of external factors, which creates a sense of internal discomfort. Sport Psychologist, Ceri Evans, describes this internal discomfort as the pressure equation. “When high stakes, uncertainty, small margins, fast changes, and judgement create discomfort, we become outcome- focused rather than process-focused and it starts to affect our basic motor skills. Skills that are normally automatic.” When you see all star athletes fail to make routine plays in big moments, that is pressure winning the battle against the individual. What can give you an edge against your peers is changing your relationship with pressure. And I am going to introduce you to Ceri Evans effective Red Blue Brain Model.

The Red Blue Brain Model

The Red Blue brain model will help you gain emotional self control to enable you to think clearly and act effectively in big moments. First, a basic introduction on how our brain functions. Our right (Red) half of the brain function is the side for feeling. Its processes are fast, automatic, and unconscious. It is concerned with safety and survival. The “Red” part of the brain matures before the Left “Blue” part. If you have ever tried to reason with a five year old and a tantrum, you are dealing with Red overload and stand no chance. Its opposite, the Left (Blue) half of the brain’s main function is “thinking”. Its processes are much slower, deliberate, and conscious. It matures later and aids us in analysis, setting goals, and complex thought.

H.O.T. I.C.E. E.S.C.A.P.E. and I.M.P.A.C.T.

In Evans model, it’s helpful to visualize this: when you are overloaded with pressure, your (Red) brain is running

H.O.T. - Heated, Overwhelmed, & Tense

This triggers a fight, flight or freeze response. To overcome the weight of pressure, we need to shift our attention to a (Blue) head. Overcome running H.O.T. with

I.C.E. - Intensity, Clarity, & Execution

Performing effectively under pressure is about keeping our Blue mental screen clear during significant Red activity. It takes practice to get comfortable under pressure; a conscious effort to recognize you’re running H.O.T. and to make the choice to keep a Blue head. The more you walk towards pressure, the better you will be at handling it. Pressure is a territory of choice and that discomfort is essential to progress.

Why do we run H.O.T.? It is a symptom of overthinking. Overthinking is when we are not focused on our performance but how we look or if we are being judged by others. This can lead to a negative content loop. A negative content loop is a self-defeating circulating pattern of negative thinking and feeling. Sulking or making excuses will take you out of the moment. Running H.O.T. makes us want to

E.S.C.A.P.E. This means our focus is on Expectations, Scrutiny, and Consequences leading to an Aggressive, Passive, or Escape response.

An athlete that is experiencing E.S.C.A.P.E. needs to redirect his or her attention toward what action they can take right now. A helpful mantra in moments like this is “on task, next task.” This mantra helps us remember that we cannot take on future tasks until we have completed the current one. The opposite of E.S.C.A.P.E. is

I.M.P.A.C.T. With a “Blue” head, our attention is on our Intention, the Moment, and our immediate Priority.
This Action we take is Aware, Clear, and on Task.

With I.M.P.A.C.T., we shift our thoughts from feeling threatened by the moment… to accepting the challenge. We can focus on the process not outcome. What matters is our state of mind when we perform under pressure not whether we succeed or fail. In moments of fear, feel and accept that discomfort. We are not defined by pressure moments unless we let the them define us.

Purple Patch

With the Red Blue Model framework, you can have a system for playing in pressure situations. To review, you have impactful acronyms to help organize your thoughts. We can visualize Red when we Run HOT. We recognize that we need Blue ICE to regain control. We know that being Red HOT will lead us to ESCAPE. We counter running HOT with Blue ICE. ICE makes an IMPACT.

It’s important to remember that Blue isn’t better the Red and Red isn’t better the Blue. We need a balance of both, to act in the most efficient way. We call this our Purple patch. Red energy blended with Blue clarity gives us Purple execution.

Mental Triangle

With our system organized, we have established a mental blueprint. Visualize a triangle.

At the top we have our Mindset. It is our attitude we take towards a task. It is in our Red Brain (Feeling). It balances seeing obstacles as threats or challenges. The second point of the triangle is our System. Is our structural plan for the situation. Its our Blue brain at work (seeing/thinking). It balances action as stuck or agile. The third part of our triangle is our Skill Set. Its our execution of the task. It’s the purple patch. This Mental Blueprint is our foundation for what unfolds around us during the game.

Final Thoughts

The final piece of our system is having a physical trigger that brings us back to our Blue brain. The quickest method is to focus on your breathing. When I need to center my mind, I use three deep inhales/exhales through the nose. On the third inhale I hold it and blow it out through the mouth. This method immediately reduces anxiety. Once we are centered we need to make a choice… are we going to be overcome by pressure or walk calmly towards it? Evans suggests that in this moment we need to step back, step up, and step in. Mentally step back to gain emotional control (Breath), step up to see better options (On task), and step in to take action (Execute). Stepping back is our starting point stepping in is where we execute.

Photo: Mackinger Photography

The topic of pressure is one that is rarely talked about In youth sports. Parents and coaches tend to shield athletes away from discomfort because they don’t want their kids or players to be disappointed. I feel this is a disservice to young people. Learning to handle pressure is paramount to becoming a reliable adult. Sports is the best training ground for developing this skill. I don’t believe it’s a natural ability that you either have or don’t, but one that can be learned and practiced through repetition and by consistent exposure. Becoming a person who actively walks towards pressure situations is the ultimate confidence booster. It is the final stage to see where your skills are at. If you can master your mind under pressure you can master yourself and the world around you.

JP

This month’s reading suggestion: Perform Under Pressure by Ceri Evans