Seeking Balance for Optimal Performance
You may be a skilled competitor or perhaps you find yourself at the very beginning of the sport, no matter....Performance Training will work for you.
Before we go any further....watch this video....do you think like this guy? If not, we've got a lot of work to do....now watch the video please, ...after watching this video, come back and read the rest of the material below...and enjoy.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K3DI07Ibb4&feature=youtube_gdata
What a "mind set"....never saw anything but the "greatest"...found himself doing something perfectly. Do you do that? Or do you ask, "What am I doing wrong?" Better keep reading.
Your Coach, Dimas R. Nunez
Dimas is not only a seasoned Sporting Clays shooter shooting at the MASTER CLASS level, but he is the only Certified Level III Coach in the State of Georgia, and one of only 3 Level III Coaches in the country!! Dimas' Certification is with the Mental Management Systems created by Olympic and World Champion, Lanny Bassham.
Why is the Mental Game so Important to our Development?
Because, to quote Lanny Bassham..."great performance is a function of balance between three main areas... the Conscious Mind," the "Sub-Conscious Mind" and the "Self-Image." These areas are referred to here, collectively, as the "Triad State." Put simply, when all three are balanced, you are going to be hard to beat. When we are not balanced, it's another story.
Section Format
Let's have a look at what we mean. We'll explore this section on Performance Coaching by utilizing questions we often hear from our students. We hope you find this both entertaining and helpful.
What exactly is Performance Training or Performance Coaching?
The answer depends on you...or rather, your current level of participation in the sport, readiness factors, etc. For example, if you are an entry level shooter, you may simply want to "learn" the sport. If that's the case, you may require an instructor who can impart knowledge (an "informational instructor") regarding the fundamentals of sporting clays ...there are many fine "instructors" who can help you reach that goal.
You may be past the instructional learning phase and now you want to participate at a higher level. Can your "instructor" take you there? Does he know how? Are you working with an "Informational Instructor" or a "Transformational Coach?" There is a world of difference. When you find yourself at this higher level of participation, you will need to "Train to Compete." Training to Compete is different from "Training to Learn." Both training programs require and demand specific techniques, drills and coaching guidance. Both also require Mental Training techniques to facilitate optimal performance.
Perhaps you find yourself at an even higher level. Let's say you are a seasoned competitor who shoots in sanctioned tournaments but can't seem to break through and win, or win very often. Perhaps you wonder why your practice scores are so much better than your tournament scores....do you see yourself in any of those statements? If so, let's pose a tough question "can my current instructor take me to the next level for competition or even further, can he/she train me to win?" Perhaps you need more....perhaps you need a "coach" knowledgeable in these areas. Let's look at these concepts a bit more below...
Coaching v. Instruction, What's the Difference?
There is a vast difference between the two disciplines. An instructor can impart knowledge such as "what and how" regarding the sporting clay's game as we mention above, whereas a Coach will impart the same knowledge, but can take you further...the Coach becomes deeply involved with the application of that knowledge. A Performance Coach will take the game to yet another level. He will incorporate the technical (skills) aspects of shooting with mental techniques to give you a total learning experience. In fact, if you haven't incorporated the mental aspects of this game with the technical skills you possess, you may be committing mental errors that are creating technical errors...and vice versa.
The Winners Secret - Self-Image. "How do I build it?"
A coach that incorporates the mental aspects of training will also do one more very important thing...help you protect and build your Self-Image vis-a-vis sporting clays. In fact, a Performance Coach will help you build that Self-Image into a winning attitude. Trust me when I tell you that such a change or "tranformation" requires a very special professional.
As Lanny Bassham says "Self-Image always equals performance." Said another way, Self-Image is like a gas-pedal. What? Let's try to think of it like this....you may want to build a Formula I race car. The race car represents your "technical skills" in shooting sporting clays. If you have a fast car (in other words, you are very skilled) it won't win many races if you can't regulate the gas-pedal. So...you may have the skills to perform, but you may not believe you can win. How many times have you competed and lost to lesser skilled competitors? It is true...."lesser skill," if balanced with other key components, will beat superior skill if that shooter is not balanced...losing to lesser skilled competitors happens everyday, and you have probably experienced it at some point in your life. We will help you build your Self-Image so that your skills can run at full speed...on demand, whenever you need them.
Children and Self-Image
Do you have a child that is currently feeling tremendous pressure from school, friends, peers...perhaps even family? How is that child's Self-Image? We work hard to protect and build the Self-Image of our child athletes with techniques utilized by world class athletes. No, we are not sport's psychologists, but we do know there is nothing more fragile or more precious than your child. And nothing is more precious or more fragile than his/her Self-Image. We as coaches have to protect and continue to build that Self-Image into a Champions attitude!!
Children turn into Adults - I have nothing to support my next statement, just over 50 years of observation...but I believe, as the little boy in the previous video so aptly displays, I believe that all children have such a tremendous self-image that they believe they can do anything. What happens to us along the way to adulthood? Is your current self-image holding you back, affecting your shooting scores? Can we get that self-belief back? You bet we can, and we can help.
Performance Coaching Styles
You may not think about it much, but one size does not fit all when it comes to coaching. A Performance Coach will know to assess many factors as well as your readiness to learn. We will coach you or your child accordingly....Result: a faster learning experience in an atmosphere of fun and enjoyment.
Changing The Coaching Process - Is it necessary?
Depending on a number of factors, a shooter may need a specific type of support...from telling you "what to do" to "confirming" what you have done. Applying the right process to your need at the correct time, will result in a more complete and enjoyable learning experience for you or your child.
When should mental training begin?
From day one. If you have an understanding of the mental game, your time to learn any program will decrease....in other words, you'll learn faster. Dimas incorporates mental training into your skills program right from the beginning.
'"I'm so Inconsistent. Why?"
Wow...this is our most often asked question. When you are inconsistent, don't wonder why, know why. Remember our first statements above? Are you balanced in all three areas of the conscious, sub-conscious and self-image? If not, which one is out of balance, and how do you fix it? Proper shooting methods combined with Mental Management System techniques created by Lanny Bassham, will help you understand what to do to improve your chances of finishing at the top of the score board.
OK...What should I be Doing?
Loaded question....we don't know yet. A "Triad State" analysis is in order to help us find out. But, I'll bet I know one thing you aren't doing....and we'll ask a question to explain it...."How important is the mental game to shooting?" Folks have said "the mental game makes up as much as 90% of their game!"
O.K., let's assume it's 90%... so here is the big question...."Do you devote 90% of your time to training in this area?" Or...are you only training to sharpen your sub-conscious "technical skills" by shooting thousands and thousands of targets? By the way, if this is your practice plan, you are probably wasting your time and money.
Proper Training with Your Coach
Are you training to learn, to compete or to win? Do you know the difference, does your instructor/coach? Tough questions indeed, but questions you must consider, again, depending on where you are in the process and what you want to accomplish in the long run.
Again, our shooting programs incorporate the mental aspects of shooting into our skills sessions to give you a full learning experience, no matter where you are on the learning/training continuum.
If you plan on enrolling your child or yourself in our shooting programs, you should first consider acquiring materials regarding the Mental Management Systems from our website, from our Pro-Shop at Etowah Valley Sporting Clay's or you may go directly to Lanny Bassham's website by clicking here and ordering your materials.
