SELF TALK
THREE CHARACTERISTICS
OF SELF TALK
rationality
specificity
automaticity
C = Consequences
REPROGRAMMING
SELF TALK
Reactive versus proactive approaches to
enhancing athletes self talk
Cue Words
Enhance Focus/Concentration
Manage Stress
SMART TALK
COMMANDMENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
SMART TALK
COMMANDMENTS
5. View successes as replicable and failures as
surmountable
HOW TO REPROGRAM
SELF TALK
Focus on appropriate positive thoughts and
repeat those thoughts frequently
Athletes are urged to develop self talk
scripts that can target one or more specific
needs using a variety of self talk types as
well as the more general guidelines outlined
by the Smart Talk Commandments
Scripts offer athletes a tool that can be used
to reprogram positive self talk
CORRECTING
UNPRODUCTIVE THINKING
Extremely difficult to change
negative thoughts due to their
highly automatic nature.
However, irrational beliefs and
cognitive distortions are learned
behaviors, so they can be
unlearned.
THE CRITIC
THE CRITIC
The Critic has your life planned out in detail and
castigates you whenever you break one of the
unwritten rules youre suppose to live by.
The critic calls you names (e.g., stupid, untalented,
slacker, weak, slow, selfish).
It reads others minds and tells you they consider you
wanting because theyre bored, frustrated, threatened
or unhappy.
The critic exaggerates the size and impact of your
weaknesses, and uses your values against you (e.g.,
good players always play hurt.)
The critic is the most negative part of each of us, and
it hits you where it hurts, where your self-esteem is low.
DEALING WITH
NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
D1 = Detect
Self-awareness of unconscious thought
patterns
D2 = Disrupt
Thought stopping
D3 = Dispute
Reframing using counterarguments
DETECTING NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS
cognitive distortions are general
types of faulty thinking
irrational beliefs are more specific,
but highly automated, negative
thoughts that create behavioral and
emotional problems for athletes
COMMON COMPETITIVE
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS
Catastrophizing
expecting the worst
exaggerating the consequences
Overgeneralization
forming conclusions based on insufficient information
Blaming
not accepting responsibility for mistakes
Musturbation
musts, shoulds, and ought tos
a form of concrete, inflexible, and unforgiving thinking
Polarized thinking
good or bad, right or wrong, succeed or fail, etc.
leaves little room for mistakes or being human
COMMON COMPETITIVE
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS
Fear of Failure
It
Social Approval
I
COMMON COMPETITIVE
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS
Perfectionism
I
COMMON COMPETITIVE
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS
Equity
Life should be fair and if I diligently work at my
game, I should improve, play well, and get the
rewards I deserve
Life is not fair!
Hard work increases your chances of success, but there
are no guarantees.
Social comparison
The behavior and performance of other competitors
is extremely important to me and can destroy my
game
DISRUPTING NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS
Thought stopping uses intense internal
cues such as a word, image,
kinesthetic movement (e.g., snapping a
rubber band), or some combination of
cues.
Stop
COUNTERARGUMENTS TO
DISPUTE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
productive way to view the situation
put your negative thoughts on trial
argue why the negative belief is
irrational and unproductive and
provide a more logical and helpful
view of the situation
Counterarguments are solutions, not
cover-ups!!