The power of 'Act as If........’

When you look at the world of sport there are many areas that will have either a negative or a positive effect on performance. How a player deals with the emotional challenges during the 'game' will determine the outcome of many matches and tournaments.

For years now personal development experts have used a tool called 'Act as if..........' working from the notion that if you want something to change then act as if it has already happened and you will be on your way to success. The other element to 'Act as if........' is if you want to achieve something then find someone, a role model, who is already achieving the things you want to achieve and copy what they do, how they move, find out how they think and watch your results change.

I put this to the test several years ago when I was the coach for the Leicestershire County Junior Squads. I had started to work on a more holistic approach to coaching, covering the technical, physical and mental areas of performance, instead of just technique which was more prevalent at the time.

During the session across three different age groups we were working on putting and the importance of positive physiology on a players performance. The group was split in two and the groups were to compete against each other. The first group were to 'imagine' they were Tiger Woods and copy everything they see him do. The second group were to 'imagine' they were Colin Montgomerie and to move and think like Monty.

The competition began with the focus being the 'Act as if........' element and nothing else. Watching the guys of all ages really engage with their characters was fascinating, they all committed to their respective roles well and I have to say me and my coaching staff did have a good laugh at what was happening.

Once complete, the teams were reversed, Tigers became Monty's and vice versa.

After each session across three age groups we all sat down and discussed the results and to get the feedback from the guys about the experience. The main result was, the Tiger impersonators won each competition easily, it was not even close. What was more revealing was the emotional effects each player felt while going through the exercise.

The guys being Tiger talked about how their decision making was more focused and simple, they found themselves always looking to hole the shot and if they did not then their thoughts were positive in preparation for the next shot. Their demeanor was positive, happy, creative, energetic and focused on success and winning. The key for me was they enjoyed being Tiger.

The guys being Monty expressed the opposite, just using Monty's physiology was tiring in itself and they were only walking around a putting green. Their thoughts were indecisive and lacking clarity. There was also a low expectancy level of success that went with the physiology as well as a 'Why me....' or 'Not again....' response to poor shots and performance. They really found Monty a challenge, very tiring physically and mentally and they were doing the exercise for no more than 20 minutes.

There are many reasons why Tiger is the best in the world and will surpass any existing golfing records. For golfers everywhere, not just the younger ones, finding a player you want to copy, preferably a positive role model, and watching how they move, where they look and copying them will have a positive effect on you performance. With physiology making up 55% of communication what other people see in you when you play, your unconscious mind sees it too.

If you want to be the BEST, copy the BEST. The decisions you make will be better because your physiology is better.

Watching in detail how people move and talk will give you an insight into the person, the nervous presenter moves and talks like a nervous presenter should. What if they acted like a confident presenter, would they have to access different parts of their brain for information, you bet! Presenting or public speaking is the number one fear of many people, if you have to make a presentation then begin to watch people who are good at what they do, how they move, gesture, the pace of their speech and where they look.

It all sounds simple and it is. 'Act as if.......' is one if the most powerful tools I use in my coaching are you ready to use it too?