The Psychology of Athletes

For many, there are no limitations only the completion of the goal. These are the athletes and dancers who may flow into our practices seeking help to repair an injury or to rehabilitate from one, and to improve athletic performance. They may be elite or recreational athletes, as well as novices, engaging in sports for competition, fun, and health. What many of them have in common is a high threshold for physical pain and a drive to complete their goals. For these athletes, both the internal and external message is to compete. Joe Friel (2003, 176), author of The Cyclists Training Bible, writes, ?Confidence is as important for success in sport as physical ability. No matter how talented you are, if you don?t believe you can win, you won?t.? The message is the drive to push beyond the sensations and mind chatter telling the athlete to stop. It is a compelling desire to excel and succeed and to win if at all possible.
Through the course of our practices we will meet competitive people from all walks of life. There is nothing unusual about a competitive nature. I believe a difference in the psychology of the athlete is the ability to persevere through physical and emotional pain. But then, it is not perseverance alone that defines athletic accomplishment. There is a need to go beyond just continuing to meet the challenge. It is a primary physical and emotional necessity for the athlete to succeed. One would think a person of reason would simply know to stop behavior that induces pain, fatigue, and limitation. Not so with competitive athletes. The competitive spirit and the desire to succeed supersedes all other concerns including the limitations due to injury ? that is, until they have hit the end range of adaptation and compensation and so must surrender to lowered performance and pain.
The physiological and psychological mechanisms that allow for the athlete?s success and performance on the playing field may disguise what ill effects could arise from the physical punishment of play and injury. The demands of physical performance in competition can be traumatizing. It is easy to see this in sports such as football, rugby, ice hockey, and martial arts. These are sports where body structures endure significant impacts during every competition.
<i>But what about those who participate in individual sports? Do we think in terms of the marathoner?s twist of an ankle or a cyclist?s sore hamstring as being traumatic injuries?</i> More than likely, we see these injuries as common to these sports, and with the right therapy and care, they likely will resolve. I suggest that when treating the athlete, we work to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the degree to which a physical injury has influence both structurally and on the competitive outlook of the athlete.
In my twenty-seven years of practice I have come to respect and admire athletes? focus on achievement. I find high levels of physical performance inspiring, and at times magical. What appear to be super-human efforts had me thinking just how the human body can muster the strength, endurance, precision, and motivation to carry on through the most challenging of activities. I have followed the research, science, and writings of Friel, Ed Burke (2002), Mark Verstegen (2004), and Chris Carmichael (2004) documenting the physiology, mechanics, and training regimens that allow for high levels of performance. There is also an abundance of information online and through popular magazines such as Runner?s World and Bicycling. I have spoken with the coaches of my athlete clients, and taken time to observe the client in training and competition, both live and on video. With all the information gathered and knowledge of the needs of the client, the work begins of understanding the unique character of the athlete-client on the treatment table.
In time I was treating a wide variety of athletes from professionals to weekend warriors. For me, part of coming to an understanding of the complexities of treating the athlete was to create a structure or profile. By putting together an array of information, I could better comprehend how the client trained and competed. It goes without saying that I must get to know the unique character of every client who walks in the door. What is different with athlete-clients, however, is that they are motivated to get back in the ?game? as soon as possible by a driving spirit to compete. This, coupled with an extraordinary ability to endure physical hardship (including pain and dysfunction from an injury), has the potential to propel the athlete-client into prolonged rehabilitation and recovery.
Most often the athletes in my practice have been in for medical care and physical therapy by the time they come for Rolfing® Structural Integration (SI). The condition or injury has partially resolved with physical therapy, but performance lags with residual pain. Some athlete-clients come by referral; others come from a belief that Rolfing SI can relieve the pattern formations that lock function into inefficiency and structural asymmetry.

Profiling Athletes

In developing an understanding of my athlete-clients, I began with assigning the client to a category, using these groups:

1. Elite ? professionals, semi-professionals, or amateurs competing at the highest levels in their sports.

2. Recreational ? competitive but not professional (triathletes, marathoners, cyclists, golfers, tennis players, softball and volleyball players, etc.). This group lives to play and compete.

3. Novice ? beginners, or those returning to a sport for fun and health, but highly committed to the activity. Competitive.

With the ?Elite? group it is imperative to know their sports, seasons of play or scheduled competitions, along with either the off-season or downtime between competitions. Specific information about training schedules for both off-season and times of competition is essential in developing a treatment plan. It is also important to know how the athlete rests and recovers. I would add to this category that the Elite athlete brings a refined kinesthetic awareness to the Rolfing studio. Trusting the client?s kinesthetic sense will facilitate and contribute to a more effective treatment plan.
For the ?Recreational? group, the same information is essential. These athletes most often participate in individual sports, but some play softball and volleyball as well, for example. This means competitions occur separated by training periods between events. This group takes competitions and training seriously. They may not be professional or high-level amateurs, but they are highly competitive and skilled at their sports.
The ?Novice? is either a beginner or someone returning to sport after a hiatus. These athletes may be older or coming off a sedentary lifestyle caused by illness, having raised a family, or work responsibilities. Often they require improvements in overall fitness but are highly committed to their sport. They tend to be hungry for achievement or to prove they can accomplish what seemed out of reach to them in the recent past. This competitive spirit arises in average people who complete marathons, triathlons, or cycle centuries as well as local golf and tennis tournaments.
From each category I create a series of questions to best understand the needs and goals of the client.    By asking specific questions about the athlete?s injuries, rehabilitation, limitations, training, competition, strengths, weaknesses, rest, and recovery, the information gathered will contribute to a treatment strategy as well as a visual and functional assessment.

Here are a few general sample questions that can be used for assessment:

1. What injuries have you sustained and are working to rehabilitate?

2. In which sports do you participate?

3. What are your strengths and weaknesses in your sport?

4. Describe your training regimen.

5. When is your next competition?

6. What are your training goals?

7. What are your competitive goals?

8. What do you expect from Rolfing SI?

9. What are your goals for Rolfing SI?

10. How has this injury impacted you emotionally and psychologically?

11. Is there anything you have changed in training and competition since the injury?

These types of questions help to round out a profile of the client. What follows is more discussion of what the client is experiencing and what makes things better or worse. I want to know in detail what the pain feels like and how limitations change performance. And I want to know the emotional impact injuries and lowered performance have on the athlete-client. That psychology and emotionality can be empowering to the healing process, or can hinder getting well. A lowered mood, depression, and a sense of hopelessness can follow a nagging, reoccurring injury. What may follow an injury are negative self-talk, self-doubt, and the erosion of confidence. The athlete may fear the injury is career-ending, or will impact performance and ability.
Why is it important to know about the athlete?s emotional state? Why is it necessary to profile the athlete in such detail? In my opinion and for how I practice as a Rolfer, effecting change in structure is treatment of the whole person. Therefore, I want to know as much as is reasonable to best monitor my athlete-client?s progress and outcome. By my client knowing I am seeing him as a whole person, I establish trust and confidence in the work. Most Rolfers are not psychotherapists, but we are empathetic and caring people who, by monitoring, listening, and acknowledging, can aid the athlete in a positive and supportive way.

Key Issues Athletes Face

As mentioned in the opening, the competitive spirit and desire to excel creates an expectation on the part of the athlete to get back to the sport so as not to lose a competitive edge. The athlete is accustomed to action and movement and to endure physical strain. To cut back on training and limit competition in order to heal may seem counterintuitive to the client. To be still, or to limit training time or eliminate a progressive training regimen, takes away structure and purpose for the athlete. However, rest and recovery may be what is needed to allow the body to surrender guarding and compensatory-pattern formations and to integrate change. What follows sufficient rest and healing is a body ready to perform at a high level. It is not uncommon for an athlete who has taken time off for recovery to come back to competition refreshed and able to enter back into play with confidence.
Working with athlete-clients over the years brought me to an understanding of how training, competition, and injury can combine to erode an athlete?s trust and confidence in his or her structure.    ?Overtraining? and reoccurring injuries can be culprits in effecting positive thinking and trust in the athlete?s ability to perform. What can come up for the client are thoughts and feelings of inadequacy or the thought, ?I am not good enough to compete.? Fear and anxiety about loss of athletic function and about returning to play at a lower ability may haunt the client. For the Elite athlete, it could mean the loss of a career or team slot. For the Recreational athlete it could be a loss of identity and purpose, and for the Novice, a great disappointment and setback in starting a new direction in life.
Because the circumstances that bring the athletes to my office (and impact them both physically and emotionally) are complex, being sensitive to their vulnerability and their need to regain confidence is imperative. I cannot stress enough the importance of framing sessions in a positive and supportive way. The language we choose to communicate with clients has the potential for elevating or lowering the expectations of the athlete ? in fact any client ? as to a positive and successful outcome from Rolfing SI.

Conclusion

Our role as Rolfers is to provide our clients the opportunity to function with the fullest potential possible. Our corrective measures to repair injuries and to maximize physical performance empower clients of all walks of life to exceed their own expectations. For the athlete-clients, our recognition of the particulars of their sports, training regimens, and competitive needs is essential for rebuilding trust and confidence that they will again compete at a desired performance level, or greater.

<i>Bob Alonzi is a Certified Advanced Rolfer practicing in Santa Monica, California. He has been working with athletes, dancers, and the physically active for over twenty-seven years. He is an avid cyclist and a ride leader at the San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club in Los Angeles. </i>

Bibliography

Burke, E. 2007. Serious Cycling, 2nd edition. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.

Carmichael, C. 2004. Chris Carmichael?s Food for Fitness. New York: Berkley Books/ Penguin.

Friel, J. 2003. The Cyclist?s Training Bible. Boulder, Colorado: Velo Press.

Verstegen, M. and P. Williams 2004. Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to
Transform Your Body and Your Life. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Books.