The Process in Competition Part 2

The Process in Competition

Example One  The hitter chases a riseball

Stage

Internal question

Possible response

Touch

What is happening?

I chased above my intended decision boundary. My breathing sped up and I am replaying the swing.

Management

How do I manage myself?

Step out. Long exhale. Release the hands and shoulders. Reconnect to posture and plan.

Influence

What can I affect?

Search shoulder to hand to release. See the pitch early. Use the cue “See it down.”

Control

What is mine now?

My routine, visual attention, swing decision, and commitment to the next pitch.

Example Two  The pitcher does not receive the call

• Touch: “I am angry about the call and my tempo is speeding up.”

• Management: Step behind the rubber, exhale, loosen the throwing hand, and reestablish the target.

• Influence: Communicate with the catcher, choose the pitch, and deliver with conviction.

• Control: Own the next breath, target, tempo, and pitch—not the umpire’s judgment.

Example Three  A student athlete receives a disappointing grade

• Touch: “I am disappointed, and I do not understand two parts of the assignment.”

• Management: Pause before reacting, breathe, review the feedback, and separate the grade from personal identity.

• Influence: Ask a clear question, schedule study time, and practice the weak material.

• Control: Own preparation, help-seeking, effort, and the next assignment.

A Ten Second Between Play Routine

Use this brief routine when the game allows only a few seconds:

6. Notice: Name one fact—“Tight hands,” “Rushing,” or “Still on the last play.”

7. Organize: Take one intentional exhale and release unnecessary tension.

8. Act: Select one task cue—“See it,” “Smooth tempo,” “Through the target,” or “Next ball.”

9. Own: Commit your body language and attention to the next action.

The routine should be practiced during training. Under pressure, athletes tend to return to what has been rehearsed, not what was merely discussed.

How The Brain Supports The Process

The brain image represents the athlete’s integrated capacity to perceive, regulate, decide, and act. It should not be interpreted as one isolated “process center” or as four steps performed by four separate brain regions. Athletic behavior emerges from interacting sensory, attentional, emotional, motor, autonomic, and memory systems working with the body and environment.

During Touch, sensory systems and attention help detect information from the body and surroundings. During Management, breathing and routine can alter arousal, while attention and working memory help organize the task. During Influence, perception and action become linked as the athlete selects and prepares a response. During Control, monitoring and learning systems compare intention, action, and outcome so the athlete can update the next cycle. These operations overlap and recur; they do not wait politely for one another to finish.

This is why the Process must be embodied. The athlete does not simply think different words. The athlete changes breathing, muscular tension, gaze, posture, timing, and behavior while staying connected to the actual information in the performance environment.

Teaching The Process

Coach language that builds ownership

Less useful

More useful

Calm down.

What do you notice in your body right now?

Forget about it.

What do you need to release, and what information should you keep?

Just be confident.

What breath, posture, plan, and cue help you compete now?

You have to get a hit.

What is a quality decision and committed action on this pitch?

Do not make another mistake.

What can you influence on the next repetition?

Practice Design

A process model transfers only when it is practiced under representative demands. Athletes should use it during variable, uncertain, and emotionally meaningful tasks—not only while sitting in a quiet room. The challenge should be difficult enough to create information and emotion, but not so overwhelming that the athlete cannot learn.

• Create a clear task goal and one or two controllable process behaviors.

• Include uncertainty: changing locations, speeds, opponents, counts, or time pressure.

• Allow consequences that matter without using punishment or humiliation.

• Give the athlete chances to detect Yellow signals and reset before reaching Red.

• Fade coach prompts so the athlete increasingly initiates the routine.

• Evaluate transfer: Can the athlete use the Process without a reminder in competition?

The Student Athlete Reflection Page

Complete this after a meaningful practice, game, class, or personal challenge.

Touch  What happened? What did I notice in my body, thoughts, emotions, attention, and environment?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Management  How did I organize my breathing, posture, attention, self-talk, and plan?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Influence  What useful action did I take? What could I affect next time?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Control  What belonged to me? What did not belong to me? What will I own next?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

A Daily Commitment

Before performance, identify the task and your controllable behaviors. During performance, notice your state and use the shortest reset that works. After performance, evaluate the quality of your preparation, decisions, effort, and response before judging the outcome. Then carry the useful information forward.

The Process does not ask an athlete to be emotionless or perfect. It asks the athlete to become aware sooner, organize more effectively, act more purposefully, and accept ownership more honestly. That is how a student athlete learns to compete with courage and consistency.

NOTICE.  ORGANIZE.  ACT.  OWN.

The Process  •  Student Athlete Teaching Paper  •