Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

by Gary Mack

Fear. We all have a primitive fight-or-flight mechanism built into us to survive. It’s a neurochemical response. We are ready to fight or flee whatever is threatening us. As we learned earlier, the body treats all vivid images as if they are real and happening now. In reality, most dangers are not a threat to life or limb. They are a psychological threat to self-esteem and ego. Why else would a brain surgeon turn to jelly over a four-foot downhill breaking putt? It’s a threat to self-image. Fear actually can paralyze you. Anger. We have to learn to control our emotions or they will control us. Anger is born out of frustration and expectations. Our minds and bodies don’t always work together, as illustrated in a Peanuts cartoon. Lucy is holding the ball for Charlie Brown to kick. When he misses, Lucy tells him he has to use his mind and body. Charlie Brown informs Lucy that his mind and body haven’t talked to each other in years. Anxiety. This is a generalized feeling of uncertainty or dread. A sense that something bad is going to happen. In baseball, some pitchers look great warming up on the side, but once they step across the chalk line and onto the field, they don’t perform well. We call this “White Line Fever.” We all become anxious, but people plagued by this gremlin get anxious about being anxious. This only leads to trouble. Self-consciousness. Some athletes are afraid of looking bad or embarrassing themselves. They focus on the image of how they look instead of the...