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The Intricacies of Demonkeyfication 

by Randy Mayes 

Recently, the Women’s World Cup Soccer Team and Steve Holman’s National Championship brought national attention to the benefits of mental preparations for competition. Back in 1928, Coleman Griffith wrote The Psychology of Athletics and was hired by Phillip Wrigley in 1938 as a sports psychologist for the Chicago Cubs. In that same time period, Russian and German athletes began applying the results of scientific studies on sports psychology to their coaching techniques to affect athletic performance. But it wasn’t until 1988 that the U.S. Olympic Team was supported by a sports psychologist. 

As head coach of the Reebok Enclave, Frank Gagliano says that the mental aspects of training are equally important to physical conditioning in competitive racing. A runner must be prepared to deal with the mental part of the competition as well. Ever imagine yourself at the starting line at a major track meet with the world’s best? You are one of the country’s most physically talented runners and are in terrific shape. However, national championships elude you, and less talented runners beat you at major meets. This was the situation facing Steve Holman of Arlington, this decade’s top American miler. Holman recently changed his mental preparations, resulting in a National Outdoor Championship for the 1500m, and then went on to be one of the few Americans to make the finals in the middle distances at the World Championships. 

In his own words this is how Steve Holman prepared for this year’s competitions. “I have always put a great deal of pressure on myself, so I have had to learn to relax, both when training and leading up to and during races. I do a lot of breathing exercises whenever I begin to feel anxiety about performance. I also do a lot of self-talk, where I actually speak out loud positive things I want to remember. I have learned when you are talking out loud to yourself positively, it isn’t possible to simultaneously think negatively. 

I realized that a lot of pressure I put on myself and the anxiety I felt about races were due to a lack of confidence and security about myself as an athlete. These fears were totally irrational, but they were real to me, and they affected my performance. I believe a lot of athletes have to confront these very same fears at some level. The reaction of many athletes is to try harder, or to train harder, when the most appropriate response is to relax, and allow your body to do what it has been trained to do. I work incredibly hard in training, so I have learned that, when it comes time to race, I just have to relax and allow my hard work to manifest itself. I don’t have to put any extra pressure on myself. 

Lastly, I did modify my training some to simulate the physical sensations at the end of a race. The theory is, once I learn to deal with the pain both physically and mentally in practice, then I am better equipped to deal with it during a race. Odd as it seems, I never really did much of that until this season.” 

Reflecting on the Outdoor Championships in an ecstatic and witty mood, his win was described as a long overdue “demonkeyfication” (he got the monkey off his back). Utilizing the services of sports psychologist Dr. Wayne Hurr, who works with the Reebok Enclave athletes, Steve Holman modified his training, resulting in a win at the Outdoor National Championships.  

Through a team sports psychologist, the world champion U.S. Women’s Soccer Team was able to focus on things that would help the team win by eliminating distractions. They appointed someone to deal with problems and issues. Team building drills and imagery tapes with selected music and positive messages were also part of their training. 

The next time you are preparing for a race, try some visualization techniques. If you don’t already know the course, run or drive it and become familiar with it. Then, while sitting quietly, close your eyes and imagine yourself at the starting line, and feel the adrenalin starting to course through your veins. Breathe deeply and relax. Hear the start of the race, and imagine yourself running easily through the first mile. You are relaxed and letting your training take over. You are feeling good, and light as air. Your feet are just skimming the surface. Visualize yourself passing the first mile marker and seeing your (desired) time on your watch. Continue this technique over the entire course, including your sprint to the finish line. The next time you step up to the starting line, you just may have a mental edge over your competition.

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