A player makes a mistake. The game is still on. The player may still be physically on the court, but all the while his mind is preoccupied with reflecting on his mistake.

Mentally he is not in the game. The player is not able to isolate himself from these recurring thoughts, not because he does not want to, but as a result of the incessant operation of a certain electrical circuit in his brain. Electric energy stimulates recurring thoughts; the player commits a series of fouls.

On the way to the bench he “catches” the gaze of his coach and his feelings of frustration and helplessness grow even stronger.

At this stage we might have expected the player to take a deep breath and relax, however humans are the only creatures that continue to respond to the source of pressure, even when it is gone. Thought has such a powerful effect that it sometimes works against us.

Bruce McEwen, a neuroendocrinologist, explains in his book “The End of Stress As We Know It” that we can only reach a state of insanity through the use of thoughts, despite the absence of an apparent threat.

The physical trainers evaluate the speed of recovery of the player after the effort.

The faster you recover, the better fitness you will be diagnosed with.

Research has shown that when a player stays focused during their break, as an internal focus, their pulse will drop faster than the pulse of a player who is not focused. In our case, the player’s ability to disconnect from the electrical circuit that is “blocking” his brain is the factor that will influence the moment of his return to the court and the degree of mental preparation. This ability can be called mental resilience.

How can we help the player?

The following speech is not directed at players, who experienced this phenomenon only on several occasions, but at players who found this to be a typical behavior pattern that they are suffering from. These players should be aware of their tendency to “lock” their brain after making a mistake in the game. Such a simple recognition can motivate the player to reach this agreement with his coach: “I was wrong, replace me before doing the next one.” In this way, the player becomes part of the decision to sit on the bench and can maintain self-confidence by saying, “The coach saves me from trouble.”

In this preliminary stage it will be easier for the player to cut the electrical circuit, which has just been prompted in his brain. While the player remains on the bench, I offer to adapt some routes of action, which can help to cut the cycle of thought and get back into the game:

A. Diaphragmatic breathing, exercised at a rate of 3-6 breaths as follows:

1. The player sits with the body loose and exhales through the mouth.

2. Inhale through the nose (the stomach fills and inflates a little)

and as you inhale – heart count to 3. Hold your breath for one more second – then slowly release the air from your mouth (stomach empties and comes back inside – while you count to 6).

The player repeats this action for a minute and a half.

In this way, the player tempers the response to stress, and also by applying the count maintains the inner focus, which avoids external distractions and negative thoughts usually associated with this type of situation.

B. “The clock” technique to re-anchor the orientation point:

The player closes his eyes and imagines a large round clock, where the digits 12-6-3-9 appear in their usual order. While taking the time to take a series of relaxing stomach breaths, the player will imagine an illuminated dot appearing below the digit 12. The light will turn off and imagine an illuminated dot that will appear below the digit 6. The light will turn on. will turn off and once again you will imagine a lit dot below the digit 12. The light will turn off and you will imagine that an illuminated dot will appear next to the digit 3. The light will turn off and appear again below the digit 12. The light will turn off and appear an illuminated dot next to the digit 9. Again, the light will turn off and appear below the digit 12.

The player will be asked to repeat this process twice. In general, the player will spend a minute re-anchoring their orientation point.

The moment the player retains his sense of direction, he will be able to mark the coach who has recovered and is now ready to return to the game.

Of course the player needs to be trained and proficient with the “clock” technique before it can be used in real time.

By applying these techniques, the player feeds the electrical circuitry of his brain with stimuli that create new circuits in parallel to his relaxing breathing activity. Consequently, some of the energy that fuels the recurring thoughts, which annoy the player, will carry over to the newly created thoughts and catalyze the weakening of the initial circuit.

As complicated as it may sound, this process is simple and efficient after just a few focused training sessions. The fact that a simple agreement between a player and a coach allows the player to achieve some degree of control of the situation is also simple and surprising.

Remember, the element of control is essential to the player’s mental resilience. Let him control the process!