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| Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office |
Super Bowl XLIX is just a few days
away.
No doubt the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks are preparing for the big
game by doing practical things like creating and practicing offensive and
defensive strategies to defeat the opposing team. The athletes are probably
powering up by drinking water and eating protein and other high-energy
nutritious foods to build muscle and increase stamina; hopefully, they are also
able to get adequate rest (sleep) so they can be focused and sharp on game day.
I wonder what they are doing to mentally
prepare for the game. I am sure that New
England Patriots coach Bill
Belichick and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete
Carroll are giving their respective teams pep talks to help build up the
players’ confidence in their prowess on the field. Following are some imagery
exercises I would guide them through before they walk onto the field to further
increase their confidence so they can focus on the game and earn another
championship ring.
·
Tune out all of the negative discussion,
comments and analysis about your team and NFL politics that you may overhear
around you. These things have already happened; now it is time to focus on the game
you are about to play.
·
Take a minute to relive how confident and
enthusiastic and joyful you felt when you won your previous Super Bowl
championship. When you have a good image of this experience, draw a deep
breath and feel the power, excitement and confidence that washed over you when
you made that snap, threw/caught the touchdown pass, ran the football all the
way to the end of the field for that touchdown. Release any lingering
negativity or doubt as you exhale that breath.
·
Allow your body to do what it already knows how to do. You have successfully done each of these plays
thousands of times in practice and during other games. You did them to win your
league championship. You did them when you won your last Super Bowl title. Your
body knows how to do each of these things, so keep your mind/thoughts out if
your body’s way.
·
Every time you are in possession of that
football, notice how every muscle in your body is feeling stronger. Your
confidence in your ability to score (or assist that score) a touchdown grows
exponentially. You know that you can run faster, throw further, jump higher,
block more effectively than your opponent. You catch that football out of the
air as if it was already in your possession, and your confidence in your ability
to help win this game is twice as strong.
·
As you play, you know that you are
throwing/kicking/catching/running that football the way you have trained all
year for this moment to do. You are also throwing/kicking/catching/running that
football with all the joy and excitement of that child in you that has always
loved this game, dreaming of this moment to win
another Super Bowl championship.
·
Remember: You are already a champion many times
over! You are competing in this championship because you earned the right to be
there, through the various competitions you have won during the past year.
Good luck, teams!
© 2015
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