PERIODIZED MENTAL
TRAINING PROGRAMS:
ADVANCING MENTAL
TRAINING FOR THE 21st
CENTURY
Bernie Holliday
Center for Enhanced Performance
United States Military Academy
MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING:
THE GOOD NEWS…
 METAANALYSES &
RESEARCH
REVIEWS
 WHEN DONE
CORRECTLY
 MAKING IT
PERSONAL
MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING:
GOOD IDEA, BAD EXECUTION
 BAND-AIDS AND QUICK
FIXES
 BROKEN MAGIC WANDS
 A WIDE VARIETY OF
SHINGLES TO CHOOSE
FROM
 SCARY WEIRDNESS
 SPINELESS
MY
INTRODUCTION
TO
PERIODIZATION…
THE NEXT EVOLUTIONARY
STEP IN MENTAL SKILLS
TRAINING…
 Bridging the gap
between physical
and mental
training
 Periodization as a
MST backbone
 Understanding
 Acceptance
 Utilization
 Integration
THE K.I.S.S. APPROACH TO
UNDERSTANDING
PERIODIZATION
 BORN IN EASTERN
EUROPE
 SYSTEMATIC AND
PROACTIVE
 DIFFERENT NEEDS AT
DIFFERENT TIMES
 TRAINING CHANGES AS
NEEDS CHANGE
 TYPE OF TRAINING
 VOLUME OF TRAINING
 INTENSITY OF TRAINING
MST PERIODIZATION:
A THREE-STEP APPROACH…
1. BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE TEAM’S
LONG-TERM TRAINING CYCLE
2. MATCH MST SKILLS TO MEET THE
SPECIFIC DEMANDS DURING EACH
TRAINING PHASE
3. SYSTEMATICALLY MANIPULATE THE
VOLUME AND INTENSITY OF MST
DURING EACH TRAINING PHASE
MST PERIODIZATION:
STEP #1

Peaking
Competitive
Preparatory
Base
GET TO KNOW
THE LONGTERM
TRAINING
CYCLE,
SPECIFIC
TRAINING
PHASE GOALS,
AND THEIR
DEMANDS
MST PERIODIZATION:

MATCH MST SKILLS TO MEET THE
STEP #2
SPECIFIC DEMANDS DURING EACH
TRAINING PHASE
Peaking
Competitive
Preparatory
Base
Mental readiness
plans
MST
skills
MST
tools
Foundation
skills
MST PERIODIZATION:

SYSTEMATICALLY MANIPULATE THE
VOLUME AND INTENSITY OF MST
STEP #3
DURING EACH TRAINING PHASE
er
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Pr
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Intensity
Volume
VOLUME AND INTENSITY
 Volume
 Amount of mental training
 Emphasis on mental training tool
development
 Intensity
 Difficulty of skill
 Complexity of skill
 Specificity of skill
 Consequences of failure
 Emphasis on mental skill development
PURPOSE OF STUDY…

IS PERIODIZED MST
EFFECTIVE?
 DEVELOPING MENTAL
SKILLS
 INCREASING USAGE AND
EFFECTIVENESS OF MST
SKILLS
 IMPROVE PERFORMANCE
 ENCOURAGE A “PLAYING TO
PLAY GREAT” MASTERYORIENTED MINDSET
 ENHANCE TEAM COHESION
PARTICIPANTS
INSTRUMENTS
DOES PERIODIZED MST ENHANCE
THE ACQUISITION AND USAGE OF
VARIOUS MENTAL SKILLS?
Test of Performance Strategies




64 items
5-point scale per item
Practice and Competition









Self talk
Emotional control
Automation
Goal setting
Imagery
Relaxation
Activation
Positive thinking (competition only)
Attentional control (practice only)
DOES PERIODIZED MST ENHANCE
THE ACQUISITION AND USAGE OF
VAROIUS MENTAL SKILLS?

Sport Confidence Inventory



Trait self-confidence
13 items
9-point scale per item
DOES PERIODIZED MST IMPROVE
PERFORMANCE?

Performance Profiling procedure

Individualized performance profiles


Athlete selected 8 critical performance
skills
Each skill is rated from 0-100%



Athlete self-ratings
Coaching staff ratings of athlete
Overall performance profile score

0 – 800
THE PROGRAM…
 THREE MONTHS
 SPRING TRAINING SEASON
 TEAM WORKSHOP EACH WEEK
 INDIVIDUAL MEETING EACH WEEK
 FOUR DATE COLLECTION PERIODS




PRE-PROGRAM
MID-PROGRAM 1
MID-PROGRAM 2
POST-PROGRAM
 FOUR TOURNAMENTS DURING THE FINAL
MONTH
MST PERIODIZATION:
STEPS 1 & 2
Peaking
Recovery Routines
Between-Point Routine
Pre-match Plan
Mental Readiness
Plans
Competitive
Teamwork Factors
Focus and Concentration
Self-Confidence
Mental
Skills
Preparatory
Self-talk, Imagery
Relaxation, Energization
Goal Setting
Mental training
Tools
Base
Motivational Orientation
Awareness Training
Attitude of a Champion
Foundation
skills
MST PERIODIZATION:
STEPS 1 & 2
 Developed during preseason collaborative
planning meetings with
coaching staff
 Tailored to coaches’
feedback regarding team and
athlete needs at various
training phases throughout
the spring season
 Carried out during weekly
team workshops and
individual meetings
MST PERIODIZATION:
STEP #3

MST volume and intensity were regulated
during individual meetings


Adherence to periodization crossover principle
Personal needs sometimes trumped periodized
skill development
Mental Skills Usage
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
Competition
Practice
2.5
2
1.5
1
Pre- Mid 1 Mid 2 PostTest
Test
 12% increase in
mental skills
usage during
competition
 9.3% increase
in mental skills
usage during
practice
 11% increase
overall
Specific Mental Skills Usage
During Competition
5
4.5
4
Automaticity
3.5
3
Relaxation
2.5
Positive
Thinking
2
1.5
1
Pre- Mid 1 Mid 2 PostTest
Test
 23% increase in
automaticity
during
competition
 17% increase in
relaxation
during
competition
 14% increase in
positive thinking
during
competition
Specific Mental Skills Usage
During Practice
5
4.5
4
3.5
Goal Setting
Relaxation
Automaticity
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
Pre- Mid 1 Mid 2 PostTest
Test
 16% increase in
goal setting
during practice
 16% increase in
relaxation
during practice
 15% increase in
automaticity
during practice
Self-Confidence
9
 6% increase
in trait selfconfidence
8
7
6
5
SelfConfidence
4
3
2
1
Mid 1
Mid 2
Post-Test
Performance Profiles
800
700
600
500
Performance
Profile - Athlete
Self-Ratings
Performance
Profile - Coach
Ratings
400
300
200
100
0
Pre-Program
PostProgram
 23%
improvement in
athletes’ selfratings
 15%
improvement in
coaches’ ratings
of athletes
POST-PROGRAM
INTERVIEWS…
 Personalization is key!
 During the fall season, for every hour of your competition…
 16 minutes playing
 44 minutes spent between points
 Goal setting improves performance by at least 5% for most
athletes
 2003 record of 5-13
 2003 record of 10-8 with 5% increase
 Love affairs with goal setting
 Everything was tied into their long-term goals
 Weekly goals aimed at skill development and long-term goals
 Individual meetings were more helpful than group
meetings
 The girls appreciated “My time”
WOES AND OH NO’S…
 This all sounds great. Can
you start tonight?
 On-the-fly assessments
 No true multiple-point
baseline
 Single-subject, repeated
measures, multiple
baseline, case study,
blended quantitativequalitative thing!
 Descriptives for this
presentation
 Lack of a more systematic
regulation of intensity and
volume
 No control group
 Wed. address by Martens
LESSONS LEARNED…
 Periodization is an effective
framework for delivering MST
programs, but is it more
effective than other service
delivery methods?
 Periodized MST contributed
to performance
improvements, but to what
extent?
 Personalizing to the team,
individualizing to the athlete,
and goal setting contributed
to the program’s success
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Happy
Halloween!!