Ironman Triathlon Confidence Using NLP

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Steven_C_Ladd]Steven C Ladd
It can be argued that the Ironman Triathlon is the "toughest sport on earth".
The amount of time and effort required to train for three separate sports is unparalleled in the world of athletics.
What is often overlooked are the extreme mental/emotional demands of the training and racing.
For a triathlete to consistently perform at peak performance levels, they must have the ability to control their mental/emotional states, especially prior to and during the race events.
One valuable tool for this is called "Anchoring", from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP)
What is an anchor?
An anchor is formed when an internal response becomes associated with an external stimulus. Think Pavlov and his salivating dogs.
Hear A Bell = Salivate
We can use a similar process for "anchoring" any positive mental state to a specific action. You will simply replace the "bell" with an action like touching a specific knuckle on your hand, and replace "salivating" with something more useful, for example "confidence".
EXAMPLE - How to Set an Anchor for Confidence
1) Recall a time when you felt the most confident in your life, in relation to triathlons or otherwise.
2) Now you need to "ramp up" the positive emotion! In order to do this, you must completely put yourself into your remembered scene. I want you to get up and move the way you would be moving in this situation. FEEL what you would be feeling (confidence). Hear what you would be hearing, and see what you would be seeing. Take this emotion of confidence and intensify it by 10X. Sense it as energy surging through your body. Imagine the crowds of spectators cheering you on. Then imagine it as another bolt of confidence that shoots through your body and intensifies your feelings of confidence by another 10X!!
3) When you sense you are at your peak intensity of confidence emotions, set your physical anchor to this state.
4) How to choose your anchor - you can use almost anything for your anchor, as long as it is not a common action that you do in everyday life. For example, you could tap your right shoulder with your left hand. I'm going to suggest my favorite anchors, for reasons I will reveal shortly. I suggest using the knuckles of your non-dominate hand. For example, if you are right-handed, take you right index finger and push down on the knuckle of your left index finger. This could be your anchor for confidence.
5) Now come out of your emotional state for a minute or two. Count backwards from 20 - 0. This will "break" your emotional state.
6) Next, repeat steps 1-5 at least two more times, with enthusiasm.
7) Test the strength of your anchor - Once again, break your emotional state. Then "fire-off" your anchor (in this case pushing down on the knuckle of your left index finger). You should get the surge of confidence that you have anchored to that action.
If you get a strong feeling of confidence, then you have set a solid anchor. If not, then you need to keep working on the intensity of your emotion, and perhaps just a bit more repetition.
About The Author:
Triathlete Coach Stephen Ladd is the creator of The Renegade Triathlete Psychology System which combines Hypnosis, NLP and Energy Mechanics; providing triathletes of all levels a do-it-yourself method of training the subconscious mind for peak performance, and controlling the important mental/emotional mindset needed for training and racing. To discover these powerful tools and watch a free video demonstration, visit http://triathlonmentaltraining.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Ironman-Triathlon-Confidence-Using-NLP&id=6444860] Ironman Triathlon Confidence Using NLP