2. Why learn complex movements?
“It is not instinctual to step under falling
weight.” – Coach Mark Rippetoe
What is different about the way a child learns that makes
a wobbly-kneed effort an experience of joy and
accomplishment while an adult can make the same
experience a painful, frustrating endeavor approached
with trepidation? That question can be answered by
athletes learning to master a complex skill and with the
help of a coach, examining who they are in the face of:
▀ TIME planned and structured or constantly behind
▀ PRIORITIES Firm or often shifting
▀ COMMITMENT solid or wavering with circumstance
▀ COLLABORATION open to a group dynamic or invested in
being right
▀ PROCRASTINATION at bay or a constant battle
▀ FEEDBACK listening or questioning the source
▀ FAILURE a learning opportunity or an opportunity to
judge
(Artex121, 2012)
3. Separating and understanding the
experience
Emotional Experience:
I’m the only one that doesn’t understand this
I’m going to look stupid, bad or wrong
I’m not good enough
I’ll never be strong enough
I’m a failure
Learning to understand that the emotional experience is not necessarily related to the physical experience in that moment
Discovering what stops you
(JPG Preview, n.d.)
Physical Experience:
Reaching flexibility limitations
A heightening sense of anxiety
Muscular instability
Elevating heartrate
Increasing respiration
Muscle fatigue
Sweating
Discomfort
4. Coaching the BrainNEUROLINGUISTIC
PROGRAMMING. “listening and watching in
order to model the limitations of the coachee and to
understand how they systematically undermine their own
attempts to overcome the barriers they put in front of
themselves.” (Grimley, 2012 pg. 88)
FLOW. “An optimal state
of immersed concentration in
which attention is centered,
distractions are minimized, and
the person attains an enjoyable
give-and-take with his or her
activity” (Whalen, 1999).
LEARNED
HELPLESSNES
S. The phenomenon in
which a person feels
unable to control a
present event based on
past outcomes. (Odabasi,
2013).
FOCUS/PRESEN
CE. The ability to
prioritize tasks and clear the
mind of distractions.
FEAR. A sometimes
irrational state that can lead to
inaction.
CRITICAL
THINKING. The
ability to synthesize feedback,
objectively analyze results,
learn from failures and
logically assess progress.
MINDFULNESS. An awareness of an internal
dialog and the effort to change negative internal
feedback into more rational or positive feedback.
(Vector Illustration, 2015)
5. The Practice of Goal Setting
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound
Obstacles are those frightful things you see
when you take your eyes off your goal.
- Henry Ford
Pak Hyon-Suk" by Hookgrip - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
via Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pak_Hyon-
Suk.jpg#/media/File:Pak_Hyon-Suk.jpg
Actively goal setting and then continually
measuring results, dealing with failures
and planning around obstacles, gives
athletes the opportunity to develop the
muscles needed to set and achieve goals
in all areas of their life.
6. Skill Acquisition
“Each problem
that I solved
became a rule
which served
afterwards to
solve other
problems”
- Rene Descartes
Motivation. Setting a goal that
moves TOWARD an outcome -
such as a skill acquisition - versus
AWAY FROM an outcome - such as
becoming unfit or overweight –
results in sustained motivation and
momentum. (Diggle, 2008)
Enjoyment. Mastery-approach goals
– or goals that orient toward
accomplishment – lead to greater
enjoyment and hope in competitive
achievement. This leads to even
greater adherence. (Puente-Díaz,
2013).
(Photo by Michael Street,CrossFit Eastside, 2008)
7. Putting it together
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every
opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in
every difficulty” – Sir Winston Churchill
Learning to assemble the tools for
success in one area teaches an athlete
how to assemble the tools for success in
another. A coach can then use their
skills in neurolinguistics programming to
assist in understanding the unique
communication styles of an athlete to
train them to navigate common
obstacles. This gives athletes a
roadmap for problem solving that they
can then take to other areas of their life
that challenge them.
(Vector Illustration, 2009)
8. References
Artex121 (2012). Baby weightlifter snatch 16 kg – 6 years old [Video File]. YouTube. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsjhs1ovPgE
Baechle,T. & Earle, R. (2008) Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Champaign : IL. National Strength and ConditioningAssociation;
Human Kinetics. ISBN-10: 0-7360-5803-6.
Diggle, D. (2008). Mind the gap: The science behind the sporting mind. Diggle de Doo Production. www.digglededoo.com.au
Grimley, B. (2012). NLP a promising coaching paradigm. Coaching Psychologist, 8(2), 86-91
Grosu,V.T., Rusu,A. C., & Grosu, E. F. (2013). Neurolinguistic programming techniques in sports training for enhancing performance capacity.
Palestrica OfTheThird MillenniumCivilization & Sport, 14(3), 212-218.
JPG Preview (n.d.). Illustration of a crouching white figure character about to lift a heavy red barbell in a gym. ClipartOf.
http://images.clipartof.com/Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Crouching-White-Figure-Character-About-To-Lift-A-Heavy-Red-Barbell-In-A-Gym-
102425684.jpg
Landgraf, D., Long, J., Der-Avakian, A., Streets, M., &Welsh, D. K. (2015). Dissociation of Learned Helplessness and Fear Conditioning in Mice:
A Mouse Model of Depression. Plos ONE, 10(4), 1-17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0125892
Odabasi, B. (2013).THE EFFECTOF LEARNED HELPLESSNESSTOTHE SUCCESS.InternationalJournal Of Academic Research, 5(4), 125-133.
doi:10.7813/2075-4124.2013/5-4/B.18
Puente-Díaz, R. (2013). Achievement Goals and Emotions. Journal Of Psychology, 147(3), 245-259. doi:10.1080/00223980.2012.683893
Vector Illustration. (2009). Powerfull Man – Illustration. Istock by Getty Images. Purchased from
http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/powerful-man-10079706?st=86d588e
Vector Illustration. (2015). Flat linear infographic education outline brain concept. Istock by Getty Images. Purchased from
http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/flat-linear-infographic-education-outline-brain-concept-vector-57245502?st=031394a
Whalen, S. P. (1999). Finding flow at school and at home: A conversation with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.Journal Of SecondaryGifted Education,
10(4), 161.
Editor's Notes
Complex skills such as those learned during the clean, snatch and jerk can teach a person who they are in the face of challenge, after all, the act of throwing significant loads takes precision and as Coach Rippetoe aptly points out, it’s not instinctual. It is an invitation to think critically about whether the reactions to stressors and the approaches one often takes when challenged are an effective strategy consistent with one’s goals. Though we often state our desires to be successful in area of our lives, our relationship to time, priorities, commitment, collaboration, procrastination, feedback and failure do not always logically produce the results in which we seek. Learning a challenging skill then becomes the perfect laboratory setting to produce obstacles that we can then try to deal with in innovative ways with the help of a coach.
Often, it turns out that the obstacles we are reacting to have less to do with the physical condition but the emotional response that discomfort and sometimes fear produce. This internal emotional dialog, however, goes unexamined as we are so accustomed to our routine feedback loop that we are no longer clear what information we are giving ourselves. The information, as it turns out, is often faulty and not based in logic or reality. Again, a coach can guide an athlete in those moments of stress to be mindful of the feedback in order to examine the information and think critically about it. This, in turn, gives the athlete an opportunity to dismiss it at that moment and continue to recognize and dismiss it as a simple by-product of stress. This lowers the stress response and negative emotions attached to stressful situations.
In fact, the brain plays a much bigger part in the execution of challenging tasks, not just in the neurological complexity of the movement itself. As an athlete works to master a skill, flow – a key component to happiness and contentment – becomes accessible. The athlete also hones the skills of focus and critical thinking as it becomes a regular part of practice. Mindfulness also gets exercised which gives the athlete access to the meaning and self talk assigned to the challenge by past experiences. Those past experiences create an emotional stimulus of fear and learned helplessness that, once triggered, generally goes unexamined by the athlete and stops progress. In reaction to a fear or concern, the brain - which is tasked to assign meaning to stressful situations in order to recognize similar circumstances – will sometimes assign a meaning that generates negative self-talk. This can damage the athlete’s self-esteem and ultimately relationships. A coach can then help an athlete expose this harmful cycle and focus on a different thought process as they successfully work through an obstacle or a sticking point.
Goal setting then becomes a crucial tool because it signals to the athlete when fear or learned helplessness stops progress or takes the athlete off course. The practice of goal setting and analyzing progress in a logical way helps point at those areas of emotional stress that require attention and understanding. Often it exposes a pattern of behavior that a new approach can not only address within the specific learning experience, but in other areas of ones life where one finds themselves stuck. The structure of SMART Goals – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound – provide enough structure that areas of struggle become easy to isolate and address.
Once freed from those inner obstacles, motivation becomes self-generating and enjoyment becomes a regular part of challenge. Rather than obstacles that once appeared to be designed to confirm an athlete’s deepest internal fears, obstacles become a puzzle, a riddle or an enjoyable pursuit. Once an athlete has been challenged repeatedly and faced failures, they then begin to know themselves as a person who easily addresses obstacles. This allows them to encounter challenges outside the physical work with the same confidence.
Continuing then to pursue mastery in complex skills allows an athlete to continue to train the skills to navigate confronting issues with greater and greater ease. Often, the problem faced in the gym – once revealed – will be the problem that is plaguing an athlete in other areas. Once a solution is executed, that solution becomes a practiced skill.
