running/adrenaline

Question
hey, im a freshman, soon to be a sophomore and i have a few big issues that effect my playing on the field.

1. i am a half-back and i enjoy running the ball and i think im ok at it. when it comes to running, i have speed and i have the moves, but im not so well at handling the ball. many times during practice i fumble the ball. most hard hits i take, i end up dropping the ball. i dont know why, i just dont carry the ball as well as everyone else does. also, i cant catch during practice or games. if my friends and i are having a pass i can catch perfectly but when i strap on pads and run routes i just cant catch.

2. during games i feel a huuuuge adrenaline rush. its not good for me because it makes me feel weak and as if i cant push anyone back, but during practices im perfectly fine.  this year was only my first year of football, so is that normal for me? do i just have to get used to the feeling?


next year, im going to be playing defensive end, as well as half back so i really need to let go of the adrenaline because ill have to make twice as much contact as i did this year.i really want to go all the way to college ball because i love the sport to death but i fear that like this, i wont be able to. thanks a ton for reading this!

Answer
Hello Ed

My first question is, do you fumble when you are playing with your friends for fun?  If not, than it could be a pressure issue when you are in "football mode with pads" .  One thing you could do to overcome this is to get some cooperative friends to do some passing with you when only you are dressed in pads.  What that will do is get your mind used to succeeding while wearing pads.

Something else you can do is program yourself to have "sticky hands."  It's like playing a game with yourself that you always win.  Make the phrase "sticky hands" part of your life - where sticky hands means that when you grab something it sticks to your hands.  This is where you get to use your imagination on purpose.  This may sound a bit silly, but we learn through association, and if you can associate the phrase "sticky hands" with catching and holding on to something, anything, than you've learned a skill that you can use on the field.  One way to practice this is to practice grabbing things as you walk by and as you do, say to YOURSELF "sticky hands."  Toss things up into the air and as you catch them as they fall, say "sticky hands."  You might even imagine your hands with glue on them.  I helped a football player overcome fumbling this way - it works as long as you practice.

The adrenaline rush you are talking about is a normal human response to stress and pressure.  A little-to-moderate amount of adrenaline is great because it helps you be stronger, faster, quicker reflexes, etc.  Too much adrenaline and, as you've discovered, it feels like it fatigues the muscles and you lose your strength.  Mental training is a great way to program yourself to go into "practice mode" during a game (practice mode is the little-to-moderate amount of adrenaline that helps you).

Here's a mental training tool that can help you.  Get relaxed, close your eyes, and take five slow deep breaths.  Then, picture or imagine a time when you played well in practice, where you had the right amount of adrenaline, where you felt strong and fast and confident.  Really focus in on that, everything you saw, heard, felt and experienced.  Notice how strong, fast and confident you are.   Now change to another practice when you did great and felt strong, fast and confident.  Notice again how you felt.  And do it again, the same thing.  

Now, take a deep breath, and as you exhale, say to yourself, POWER, while imagining that time when you played well and felt confident.  Do that five times, then take a deep breath, open your eyes and stretch it out.  What you've done is started to train your mind to associate a word - POWER - with your experience of being strong, fast, feeling confident and playing great.  The more you practice this tool, the stronger that association gets.  After you've practiced it ten times, you are ready to start practicing it on the field in practice.  When you are on the field, or even before a game, take in a breath, exhale and say to yourself POWER and you'll discover that you stay in practice mode, being able to be strong, fast and confident in games.  I've helped many football players improve using this skill.  Like any skill, the more you practice the better it works.  The key is to practice A LOT.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

David

David Kenward, The Mental Coach
Sacramento, California
http://www.thementalcoach.com
Win the Mental Game: Perform better under pressure in any sport
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