Staying Mentally Tough Through Injuries – Spencer Wood – Icebox Athlete

By: Spencer Wood - Icebox Athlete

It is said that there are only two certainties in life...death and taxes. In football, for every team, and for almost every player at one point or another, you can almost count on a third...the probability of injuries. For players they are among the most dreaded of fears. And for those of us who have played the game as well as coached it, we know that the fear is connected to so much more than just the physical pain. The biggest fear is often the unknowns. Unknowns such as: How long will I be out for? Will I lose my place in the rotation and never get it back? Will I no longer feel as much of a part of the team? Will I enjoy the same chemistry with my teammates? And perhaps the worst fear that is connected to some of the slightly longer term injuries such as ACL tears, serious rotator cuff tears, avulsion fractures and micro fracture procedures...will I ever be the same player again? However, with continued advances in medical technology, injury rehabilitation and therapy, the answer to the last question is often an emphatic 'YES...you will certainly play again!'...and furthermore, with the right mental toughness framework, the mentally tough football player can often return even BETTER than before.

A Golden Opportunity

No, this is not a misprint. Nor is it an attempt to sugar-coat an otherwise challenging situation. I believe that injuries provide the football player with one of the single best opportunities for performance improvement vs. almost any other point in their career. First, injuries allow the mentally tough player to study the game in greater depth. Watching game tape from the previous season is an excellent way to watch for trends, improve weaknesses and bolster strengths. A great challenge for the injured athlete is to watch every game from last year, and make notes on the strengths and weaknesses of their performance in each game. What would they have done differently? What would they have done the same? This is especially valuable when a player separates these observations into a column for all of the mental components and a column for all of the physical skill components. For example, how did they rate their poise and focus at a particular down in the 4th quarter? How did they rate their overall confidence in every clutch situation that game? What do they think affected these confidence levels? How could they eliminate or enhance these key confidence 'triggers' next time? What was the biggest difference between the great clutch performance in one game vs. the poor clutch performance in another? What did they like/not like about their decision making, throwing, kicking, play route execution or defensive mechanics from one play to the next? In short, a mentally tough and disciplined football player will use injuries to become a much smarter and self-aware (translation 'more effective') player.

Other things to do while injured

The smart and mentally tough injured player is also watchful of their nutrition intake during this critical time. Exceptional nutrition and correct hydration not only can facilitate a more effective healing process, but a disciplined and watchful nutrition plan may also prevent unnecessary calories from piling on to the body at a time when less daily calories will be burned due to an overall reduction in activity. The take home message here is that a mentally tough athlete should not allow injuries to cause a head first dive into an abyss of junk and comfort food! In addition to a sound nutrition program, mental toughness in the midst of injuries means that a player will not retreat into a cocoon of self-pity and self-absorption. Yes, some self-reflection and occasional sadness is certainly normal and natural for any athlete following injury. However, mentally tough athletes use injuries to increase their overall relationship and chemistry with their coach and teammates and not reduce it! The most important thing to remember is that an injured athlete should work hard to STAY INVOLVED with the team in every capacity even when he does not feel like it! Working with the coach to become a 'player-coach' at times and supporter/encourager at other times takes leadership, maturity, and a truly selfless attitude. This type of attitude reflects a coachable and mentally tough athlete that players and coaches LOVE being around. This type of attitude provides great leadership to the team when they need it the most and ensures the chemistry stays very strong with teammates.

Building Confidence and Becoming 'Better than Before'

I'd like to leave you with a final point that is arguably the most important point of this discussion. Even when the body has fully healed, it is perfectly normal for a player to flirt with occasional doubts as to whether 'he is ready,' either mentally or physically. These doubts are normal even for mentally tough athletes. When bouncing back from an injury, the body often heals before the mind. The process of building confidence and returning to the field at a level of performance that is even better than pre-injury performance levels is as much a mental process as it is a physical process. Even for the athletes who have been provided with full medical clearance for full speed action, doubts may still occasionally make an appearance. A mentally tough player who is about to return to action following the full physical rehabilitation of an injury should both expect and recognize these doubts when they occur. Any doubt should be replaced with a more objective and accurate reminder of current strength levels and performance potential. This process of replacing those irrational doubts with a more objective reminder of the new gains in strength, flexibility and functionality is often called 'taking out the mental trash.' It is a process that is healthy, necessary, and should be repeated often.

For the coaches who currently have a player who is injured, please give them this article. And for the coaches who have a full and healthy roster, hold on to this article in the event it may be useful to one of your players this year. Remind any injured players that the healing process is as much of a mental process as it is a physical process, and to be patient with their mechanics. Encourage them to stay involved with the team, to use the opportunity to strengthen relationships on the team, to stay disciplined with their rehabilitation and nutrition, to use the opportunity to increase their knowledge of the game, to use the time to learn from their previous games, and most importantly, to be determined to emerge from the injury as a stronger, more effective, more knowledgeable and more powerful football player.

About the Author...

Spencer Wood PhD (ABD), M.S., C.S.C.S., P.E.S., Member A.A.S.P., is an internationally renowned speaker, author and trainer of athletes and coaches in the area of Mental Skills & Toughness Training. Spencer has been a featured speaker at events such as the NCAA Final Four, The American Baseball Coaches Association National Convention, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Convention, the Nike Football Coach of the year Awards and the NSCAA National Convention, among a number of other national marquee conferences. Spencer currently works as an on-site consultant to championship teams across the United States in the ACC, Big Sky, Atlantic Ten, SEC, Big East, Big Ten and Big Twelve Conferences, and his work with Olympic programs in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games and in a number of professional leagues has garnered media coverage on networks such as NBC and ESPN. His Mental Skills & Toughness Training Program (Icebox) continues to impact the lives and careers of 1000's of athletes and coaches from high school through the professional ranks. www.iceboxathlete.com

The Icebox Mental Skills & Toughness Training Program is a Multi-CD Training System and program for individual athletes and teams from all sports to build elite composure, concentration, confidence, commitment, intensity, big game preparation, leadership, and performance consistency. For more information or to order your copy visit www.iceboxathlete.com