Let’s be clear about one thing: I am new to basketball. It is not a game that we watch much in the TreeHouse (our house!). March Madness had everyone atwitter a few weeks ago, and although it is over now, there were some cool aspects that I’d like to discuss…
I do know about coaching – and that’s where we’ll start…
A headline caught my eye, and I ended up reading about the UCLA basketball coach. Apparently his team made a misstep against lower ranked team Washington State earlier in the month, and nobody was happy about it.
Instead of punishing them by forcing them to re-watch the game and practice endless hours, he did something completely off the wall. He gave them two days off. When they returned, he made them sit down and watch a highlight video of their very best moments on the court.
It worked! They went on to win 5 straight games and advance to the Sweet 16, where they were trounced by Florida. Still, it was an unusual approach for the coach to take, and it worked!
Thinking about past successes is one of the techniques highlighted in my book: Beyond Rainmaking.
While the original research was based in negotiation technique, it is easily transferable to any sort of performance. Moreover, there are ways to enhance this technique and make it work better and last longer. EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique is one way to enhance it. If you are new to EFT, click on the link to the left and learn more about this powerful technique.
Here is how you do it:
As you think about past successes, state them out loud while you tap on the meridian points (see diagram below). One consequence of doing it this way is that it brings up more and more examples of success. One of my clients reported that a “cascade” of successful memories came into his mind.
Give it a try and let me know how this easy technique helps your performance!
Cheers,
Nancy
