Sports Clinics

Get a sense of the fun and fast pace of the Brain Highways Sports Clinics. As you do so, note the clips of the young girl who is initially struggling to hop—only to then hop along a straight line without any assistance. What the video doesn’t convey is . . . that kind of progress happened within just 10 minutes. Yes, that’s what’s possible when we use a mindful-myelin approach to practice.

Click here for the May/June 2012 Brain Highways Sports Clinics flier (at the San Diego Center).

1. Why Brain Highways Sports?

We’re a nation enamored with sports. No surprise that so many kids spend a lot of their youth engaged in playing them.

So how can that time be enriched and maximized while ensuring that all kids experience joy in whatever sports they choose to do? That was the question we asked ourselves before creating the Brain Highways Sports curriculum.

We answered our question with something that we’ve now coined as “mindful-myelin” practice. This combines two already-established concepts into one unique approach, which is the heart of our sports program.

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2. What’s the “mindful” part of the Brain Highways mindful-myelin practice?

The mindful part focuses on being present, in the moment. But what does that mean?

Well, suppose there’s a baseball tournament, and it’s the last inning. Bases are loaded, the score is tied, and the batter count is three balls, two strikes.

If we’re the pitcher and we’ve engaged in mindful practice, we pitch the next ball as though it was the first ball ever thrown. If we’re the batter and we’ve engaged in mindful practice, we swing the bat as though it was the first ball ever thrown. At that moment, there simply is no “past” or “future.”

In contrast, here’s what often happens. That situation triggers negative internal chatter in either (or both) the pitcher and the batter. Thoughts may leap to the past: I blew a game just like this last year—I can’t do that again! or to the future: My team is going to be mad at me if we lose the tournament!

Yet, such distraction only decreases either player’s maximum potential performance.

In the past, we probably viewed the erratic pitch or the late swing as the player who choked under pressure, rather than understand that some players are able to stay in the moment. When we are in the moment, there is no wasted motion, physically or mentally.

There are other ways we get distracted while playing sports. For example, our attention may be diverted by thinking the referee missed three fouls or that we’re guarding a player twice our size or that we’re bored or impatient or frustrated with our performance. In each case, our mind has left the present, and we are no longer fully engaged in the sport.

Along with staying focused, there’s another upside to mindful practice: There’s no judgment. In other words, there is only awareness and acceptance of whatever is happening at that moment.

That means we’re no longer thinking “I messed up” or “I’m the worst runner on the team” or “How could I have missed that shot?” Instead, we view all outcomes with emotional indifference.

This allows us to merely assess and consider how to adjust (whatever) for the next moment. Best of all, since there are no good or bad outcomes, we can now truly enjoy whatever we are doing.

Interestingly, mindful practice also eliminates any reason to cheat. After all, what motivates cheating in the first place? Isn’t it fueled by trying to ensure a positive outcome in the future? But since the future and evaluating outcomes aren’t part of mindful thinking . . . the possibility of cheating is no longer even on the radar.

3. Is it possible to teach kids “mindful” practice?

Actually, kids are ideal candidates. In fact, the younger they are, the more likely they already engage in “being in the moment” on a regular basis.

For example, think of a young child pouring sand through his fingers, tasting a snowflake, squishing his toes in mud, becoming Spiderman. That child is fully in the moment. It’s only after we (adults) interfere with natural mindfulness by structuring activities and focusing on the outcome that our innate mindfulness starts to disappear.

To re-awaken natural mindfulness, we include fun activities—both generic and specific to sports—during our Brain Highways Sports clinics. Such activities underscore the value of staying in the present and how to increase awareness.

4. Does a “mindful” approach create less competitive, skilled athletes who lack desire to take on rival teams?

No. In fact, becoming mindful increases a player’s performance potential. For example, George Mumford worked as a consultant to the Chicago Bulls NBA Championship team during the Michael Jordan years. His job was to teach the team how to play “in the moment”—how to tune into the way their bodies moved, increase awareness of their surroundings, and engage in the game with clear intent and focus.

5. How does a “mindful” approach reduce injuries?

With heightened awareness, players are now able to detect physical problems more quickly, thereby potentially avoiding serious injury. Considering how youth sports injuries have risen dramatically over the years, this becomes yet another bonus of mindful practice.

6. What’s the “myelin” part of the Brain Highways mindful-myelin practice?

Myelin is similar to insulation. It wraps around nerve fibers to increase signal strength, speed, and accuracy. In other words, the more myelin we have, the more efficient our neural networks fire.

So if that’s true, then what kind of practice might increase myelin production and thereby maximize our time spent practicing?

Turns out that two variables influence myelin production. First, we have to believe that we can do whatever challenge is put in front of us.

At our sports clinics, we do this by teaching kids how neural networks are created and fired—and how each child has the power to improve their own wiring. Such information then ignites kids to believe that they can make whatever changes they desire.

In fact, Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, has documented that students actually perform better in school if they are first taught about how the brain works (i.e. how it can change) since they now no longer believe everyone is just born smart or dumb.

The same applies to squashing a misconception that we’re either born athletes or not. So a child who previously didn’t think athletic skill was within his or her reach is now suddenly ignited about new possibilities.

Interestingly, learning how the brain works equally helps the child who has already been pegged a natural athlete. That’s because such misconception often prompts these kids to think they don’t need to practice as much as others—even though it’s a myth that famous athletes solely inherited their talent.

For example, we think of Babe Ruth as one of the all-time best hitters. Yet, at the beginning of his professional career, he actually wasn’t that good. Yes, he had incredible power, but he was inconsistent.

What changed that . . . was Babe Ruth’s zest for practice. Indeed, there was a time in his career when he was disciplined and banned from a game; however, he was quoted as saying the thing that really hurt . . .they wouldn’t let him practice, either.

In addition to igniting the brain, we also need challenges that make our brain struggle just “a little.” If a challenge is too easy—we breeze right through it—then the brain doesn’t take note. Yet, too much struggle, and the brain shuts down. This may explain why lots of kids are initially motivated to play a sport (or play an instrument), only to quickly lose interest.

So it’s finding that edge, that place where there’s just enough struggle to move forward, that produces the maximum amount of myelin. And that’s the place where kids are challenged during our Brain Highways Sports clinics.

7. How can kids ranging in athletic ability all participate in the same Brain Highways Sports clinic?

When we practice at our edge, we’re not concerned with anyone else’s ability. In fact, we’re all “the same” in that we’re all working at our edge.

Also, since “mindfulness” is a part of such practice, there’s no judgment or perception that any child’s challenge is better, more advanced than another. Simply, everyone is in the moment, working at their edge, without any emotional attachment to any particular skill level or outcome.

8. How is a myelin-mindful approach used when working with a whole team?

Once all players on a team learn how to work at their edge, practice time is maximized. This means teams could actually spend less time practicing, while still progressing at a more rapid pace.

However, without such an approach, here’s what usually happens: A coach sets up a drill for the whole team to do. With some luck, the drill is right at one or two players’ edge. But for the rest of the team, the drill is either too easy or too hard, which (in both cases) means none of those players are now practicing at their edge.

In contrast, if players know how to “add or subtract” to any challenge to make it their edge, it’s a different story. The coach still sets up the same drill, only now, each player makes adjustments so that the drill “fits” his edge.

So a mindful-myelin approach can be a model for coaches since there is almost always a range of skill among players on a team.

9. What’s the primitive reflex connection to sports?

In natural brain organization, primitive reflexes play a key role in both a baby’s development and survival. However, these reflexes are supposed to be inhibited long before a child starts school or is engaged in sports.

Yet, if that natural progression is interrupted in any way, we may have retained primitive reflexes—and that’s going to interfere with many aspects of life, including sports performance.

For example, some basic movements (e.g. skipping, throwing, somersaults) often look awkward or are impossible to do when kids have retained primitive reflexes.

The good news is . . . it’s possible to assess whether such reflexes are still “on” and (even better), it’s also possible go back at any age and inhibit them. Once that happens, we see a significant difference in how the child moves and engages in sports.

During the Brain Highways Sports clinics, we assess whether kids have retained primitive reflexes.

10. What are the long-term benefits of engaging in a mindful-myelin practice approach?

When we adopt a mindful-myelin practice approach, there are some great benefits along the way. Here are just a few:

Since kids are no longer attached to an outcome or afraid to make mistakes, they become confident risk takers.
Kids view practice as fun, something they enjoy (rather than dread).

Kids have opportunities to infuse creativity ideas into their practice as they ensure they’re working at their edge

Kids take ownership of the practice (e.g. their input is now valued and needed when working at their edge).

Although our focus is on sports, this approach can be applied to anything that requires practice—dance, music, homework, and more.

As this kind of practice is applied across the board, we shift from a fixed to a growth mindset.

For example, a person with a fixed mindset might think: You need to be naturally gifted (i.e. born that way) to excel at sports (or whatever). In contrast, a person with a growth mindset might think: You need to learn and then practice and practice and practice what you’re learning to excel at sports (or whatever).

In short, a mindful-myelin practice approach challenges prior beliefs about our potential, reframes our way of viewing practice, guides us on how to maximize our time practicing, and allows us to rediscover how enjoyable sports (and life) can be when we’re in the moment.