New Article on Mental Skills for Cyclists

[marvinz]

Hi Folks,

Here's the latest article in the Mental Skills for Cyclists series, this one's on Building Self-Confidence:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5872&status=True

Best,
Marvin

[Karin Kirk]

One of my favorite topics! I have done some writing on this in academic settings (http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/efficacy.html) and it's a big part of my riding/skiing/coaching too.

Thanks for sharing.

[AndreS]

Sorry for the thread drift, but on the subject of mental skills for cyclists:

During a discussion of cyclists' behavior on the roads, the following question came up: how and to what extent is our decision making affected by the stress of physical exertion? IOW, do we make different/poorer decisions because of the stress of physical exertion? At what levels of exertion are effects seen? Are there other factors that come into play, for example increased levels of adrenaline?

If exertion does impact our decision making capacity in a negative way, are there any ways to mitigate the effect, other than practice/habit? Is it of any advantage to alert cyclists to this effect so that they can take it into account during their rides?

Does anyone know of any relevant studies?

Anecdotally (i.e. from my personal experience) I've noticed that the more stressed I am (either level of exertion or level of fatigue) the more difficult it is to make quick decisions. And, the more likely I am to overreact in certain situations. :rolleyes:

Also, Lance hating aside, I came to think that one of Armstrong's advantages during his TdF victories was his superior cognitive ability, for example his (apparent) ability to remain focused and make quick, correct decisions during times of high stress. Is this something we can learn from him, or is it simply a personal characteristic?

[Kevin Grady]

Fatigue stress definitely plays a big part in cognitive abilities. I think we have all experienced this. Although, I suppose I could make better decisions if I had an earpiece on and a DS letting me know what I should be doing :)

Maybe they should pull the communication devices from the teams and see how the grand tours play out, old style!

[marvinz]

Karin,

Nice! Great stuff. Clearly very relevant for us coaches as well.

Best,
Marvin

[marvinz]

AndreS,

I'm not aware of any studies, but there may be some -- in the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology or some of the other journals noted here:

http://www.humankinetics.com/products/journals/

I believe you can do a search on some of these journals' content.

Re stress/anxiety and its cognitive impact on cyclists, these articles may be of interest:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=4781&status=True

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=4886&status=True

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5422&status=True

Best,
Marvin

[swoop]

you could also look at the secondary benefits of doping and its effect upon cognitive process by reducing physiological stress and mitigating oxygen debt. or you could credit johann bruyneel.
(lance's handling of simeoni on the last stage into paris might go far to counter any argument about his capacity to make good decisions under pressure).

there are lots of ways to get there! (i'm sort of kidding).

i do know several guys (unrelated) that went to a hypnotist to help develop the capacity to tolerate suffering and i was once contacted by ds to help with a rider who suffered anxiety in certain peak moments of the race if the riders on the team worked for him/her (they preferred to be unsupported).

the hypnotist bit was interesting.... there's some good stuff in there.
"as you feel your legs loading up i want you to see yourself walking into a blue room...."

[benb]

Do they have anything to help me from thinking of hanging myself in the garage due to frustration trying to get all the dirt/grit out of my bike during an overhaul when it's beautiful outside, to know that once I'm finished it will surely rain for a week straight?

[marvinz]

Swoop,

Interesting. I've also worked with athletes who have used self-hypnosis to help with anxiety and increasing tolerance for suffering. Speaking of which, this article may be of interest:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5176&status=True

Best,
Marvin

[swoop]

m,

small word.. josh h. is a friend too (his journey has been an interesting one and i wish he'd write about it). i check pez... its always on my rounds ....
its nice to see a brother in the industry working these fields. cycling, more than any other sport i've come across, exposes the athlete to the deep dark spaces within their own psyche. its all good stuff. it can provide a deep entry point into one's sense of self... like a kind of uncovering.
all the physical breakthroughs i've had on the bike have also involved psychological breakthroughs.
i suppose its just one more connection that can me made on the bike.

n.

[davids]

Swoop,

Interesting. I've also worked with athletes who have used self-hypnosis to help with anxiety and increasing tolerance for suffering. Speaking of which, this article may be of interest:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5176&status=True

Best,
MarvinNice article. Anyone who can reference Viktor Frankl and Monty Python in the same article is worth reading.

[Acotts]

I think it take huge amounts of mental endurance to read anything on the Pez wbsite with all the blinking ads framing the text. I rarely finish an article which is a shame.
-A

[Karin Kirk]

I think it take huge amounts of mental endurance to read anything on the Pez wbsite with all the blinking ads framing the text. I rarely finish an article which is a shame.
-A

Oh, I agree! I had to cut/paste into Word to read it. The animated clutter is ridiculous!

[Squint]

Oh, I agree! I had to cut/paste into Word to read it. The animated clutter is ridiculous!
You can block it all, not just on Pez but VN, CN, etc.:

http://home.comcast.net/~ardillakilla/Proxomitron_cycling.html

[CaptStash]

Swoop,

Interesting. I've also worked with athletes who have used self-hypnosis to help with anxiety and increasing tolerance for suffering. Speaking of which, this article may be of interest:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5176&status=True

Best,
Marvin

Very interesting reading. In a previous life I was a competitive rower. Oarsmen spend a lot of time suffering. It's pretty much what a 2000m race is all about. For me, the turning point in dealing with suffering was when I began to remind myself that "this is how it always feels right here in the race" or "this is good, I should be feeling about this much pain." I do the same types of things on the bike, looking for a certain amount of pain/burn because that is what I have come to associate with exercise.

I believe that you have to practice suffering to be able to successfully endure it during a high stress situation such as a race. Of course, I am not (at least not yet) a bike racer, so take this all with a grain of salt.

CaptStash....

[swoop]

so, of course i go out to do a recovery ride and i end up running into josh h.
the world is too small....

[david]

cycling, more than any other sport i've come across, exposes the athlete to the deep dark spaces within their own psyche. its all good stuff. it can provide a deep entry point into one's sense of self... like a kind of uncovering.
all the physical breakthroughs i've had on the bike have also involved psychological breakthroughs.


totally agree.
if a monk can set himself on fire and just sit there... well i guess the mind is more powerful than the legs.

tapping into that power, or trying to, is fascinating.

i saw a program a while back about a world-record holding free diver. she was in her mid-50s and still going strong.

she said it was mostly mental. no surprise there. but it was how she dealt with the mental part that was enlightening.

they showed her in one competition where you hold your head under water in a pool for as long as you can. she did well over 6 minutes.

she said experience has taught her to know how she will feel as she goes through various stages of oxygen deprivation.

since she's familiar with the signals she physical signals receives and her brains reaction to those signals (discomfort, pain, fear, panic, and on and on...) she's able to acknowledge them without reacting to them.

she knows she's not going to die, so she just separates herself from her feelings until she goes borderline unconscious and is no longer able to hold her head under water.

that would be climbing in the coffin, right?