The Super Mental Training Book (42 page)

Von Schamann began to walk around as they chanted, then raised his hands into the air, index fingers pointed up, and began to direct the chant.

The rhythm of the chant matched a rhythm in Von Schamann's head. He was repeating a single word over and over again in his mind: one. It was his mantra, and when he repeated it he would drift into deep concentration. [4]

Was Von Schamann using meditation? Lauck states, as we just read, that Von Schamann employed a "meditation technique;" that is as straightforward as you can get. Then, Lauck says that Von Schamann used a mantra, which is a normal practice of meditators. But, later on in the article Lauck implies that hypnosis is actually what Von Schamann used:

At Ohio State that day, for example, Von Schamann heard the cheers and chants, but it wasn't until a few weeks later that his hypnotist pointed out that he had raised his index finger as he led the chanting.[5]

Lauck never identifies Von Schamann's hypnotist. The important point, though, is that we are left wondering what mental training strategies Von Schamann used—meditation or hypnosis? Generally, in meditation you adopt a passive mind-set and a comfortable position. You also select a quiet environment. Right before he made the field goal Von Schamann did not adopt a passive mind-set nor a comfortable position; instead, he was directing the chanting crowd. Ohio Stadium, meanwhile, with its screaming multitudes, hardly qualified as a quiet environment. The only thing resembling meditation which Von Schamann did was to repeat his mantra—the word "one"—to himself.

What we have to realize is that hypnosis and meditation are such close cousins that often they are virtually indistinguishable. Long ago I came to the conclusion that it is best at times to regard hypnosis, meditation, visualization, self-regulation, and so on as just 89 different names for the same thing. Holding this point of view is definitely justifiable for anyone trying to make sense out of the following discussion of Von Schamann's mental preparation while serving as the place-kicker for the Miami Dolphins.

During the 1984 season Von Schamann experienced a terrible slump, making only nine field goals, the lowest total of his six-year professional career. The Dolphins were headed to Super Bowl XIX, and people were worrying that Miami's placekicker would mess up in the big game. But, Von Schamann expressed confidence that he would come through, stating to Orange County Register reporter John Strege that "as far as the season is concerned, that's something that's in the past."[6] Strege describes the Dolphins kicker as being "into meditation," though it appears that he was also into self-hypnosis. Von Schamann told Strege, "I sit upright and inhale and exhale. What you want to do is be totally relaxed within yourself and give yourself positive suggestions."[7] Autosuggestions are a trademark of self-hypnosis, not meditation. Continued Von Schamann, "I'll just think positive (and) tell myself to make sure and have the same swing as I always have and to keep my head down."[8]

Mental training terminology can get confusing at times. What is "meditation" to one person is

"self-hypnosis" to another. Von Schamann's mental preparation procedure certainly included elements of meditation (the "inhale and exhale" part, leading to being "totally relaxed"). However, autosuggestions were then introduced ("I'll just think positive. . . tell myself to. . .keep my head down" and so on), qualifying the procedure to be called self-hypnosis. Whatever we call the kicker's mental rehearsal routine, it clearly worked for him during Super Bowl XIX. Von Scha-mann went 3 for 3, and was one of the few Dolphins who performed well in the game, as the San Francisco 49ers buried Miami, 38-16.

A similar blending of mental rehearsal techniques is seen in the experience of Greg Steinke, a field goal kicker for Cal State Fullerton (1981-84). During the '83 season Steinke made the headlines with his last second heroics. Against Boise State he kicked a 51-yarder with nine seconds remaining to give Fullerton a 13-10 win. Orange County Register writer Chuck Abair reported after the game that Steinke "practices hypnosis in field goal situations," while the Fullerton kicker stated that "they (Boise) called time out to make me wait, but I just kept practicing and telling myself to keep my head down and follow through."[9] Note that both Steinke and Von Schamann gave themselves the autosuggestion to "keep my head down"—obviously an important technical point for field goal kickers to drum into their subconscious.

Later in the season Steinke provided an encore to his Boise State performance, kicking a 45-yard field goal with 13 seconds left to defeat Utah State. This double accomplishment interested Los Angeles Times staff writer John Weyler, who came up with a mishmash description of the Fullerton kicker's mental rehearsal technique:

He goes through a mental ritual—a sort of self-hypnosis—during which he visualizes the kick. And the extra time (during a timeout) allows him to "see" the kick go through the uprights a number of times. It also provides Steinke with time to "relax and concentrate."

Steinke, who works with Cal State Fullerton yoga instructor Ken Ravizza, repeats a mantra of sorts, reminding himself to keep his "head down... planter flexed. . . follow through, pendulum swing."[10]

After reading this passage, most people would not know if Steinke used self-hypnosis, visualization, yoga, meditation, or a witch's brew of all of these. The repetition of one word, such as "om," comprises a mantra, and mantras, as we previously pointed out, are used by meditators. The "mantra of sorts" Weyler says Steinke gave himself—"head down... planter flexed... follow through, pendulum swing"—is misnamed. These are autosuggestions. When Steinke "visualizes the kick," he was clearly practicing visualization, which Weyler calls "a sort of self-hypnosis," thereby muddying the distinction.

At the time of Weyler's article the Fullerton kicker had made an impressive 27 of 35 attempts during his college career, and noted that "I really don't see anything out there. At Utah, I never saw the rush and a guy missed blocking that kick by a couple of inches."[11] This not seeing anything (except the ball, presumably) indicates the presence of a super-concentration of the mind state, which is one of the hallmarks of hypnosis. All in all, the evidence points to Steinke using a mental training strategy which blends self-hypnosis with visualization. It is easy, therefore, to see how Weyler and others could stumble in trying to portray such a mental discipline, which in reality is a hybrid.

Bob Davies, a former Assistant Football Coach at Cal State Fullerton, opened a hypnotherapy practice, with some of his clients, as one might expect, being football players. One was an unidentified "average punter," who, the story goes, became one of the top five punters in college football after employing Davies' mental techniques.[12] Two others were Keith Vanderhoff and John Finn of El Modena High School in Orange, California. Vanderhoff, the top high school field goal kicker in Orange County history, recalled for David Osterman of the Orange County Register his

hypnosis sessions with Davies:

Before he put me under the first time, he had me go through everything which goes into a successful kick. Then he put me under and replayed all that for me. It gives me a more positive attitude.[13]

Teammate Finn, a receiver, also found the hypnotherapist's assistance beneficial, testifying that "since I started going to him, I think I've been able to get to every ball I possibly could during games."[14]

Not always, however, does hypnosis produce immediate benefits or instant miracles. In 1982 Eastern Michigan was expanding college football's longest losing streak. Enter hypnotist Dave Pappas. He worked with the players, and expressed his belief to the press that the team would defeat Ohio University. "These boys," stated Pappas before the game, "have a lot of character, especially considering they play on a team that's lost 24 in a row."[15] Despite possessing character and working with a hypnotist, the Eastern Michigan players saw their streak continue. They lost 14-13 to Ohio University. Two additional losses followed, first to Northern Illinois (10-0) and next to Ball State (16-0). Finally, Eastern Michigan squeaked by Kent State, 9-7, four weeks after Pappas's optimistic and wrong prediction.

Visualization

The mental training strategy which seems to have gained the most favor with professional and college football players is visualization. Bob Oates, Jr. interviewed several top professional football stars about their mental preparation, and published their remarks in his book, The Winner's Edge (1980). Three players—defensive end legend Jack Youngblood of the Los Angeles Rams, All-Pro linebacker Dewey Selmon of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and quarterback Frank Ryan, who led the Cleveland Browns to the NFL championship in 1964—told Oates how visualization helped them make the big plays.

Jack Youngblood, the 1975 and 1976 NFC Defensive Player of the Year, often practiced his mental discipline while battling the intense Southern California traffic, demonstrating that time spent on mental training need not conflict with time allocated for physical workouts. Related Youngblood:

I visualize things in my mind before I have to do them. . .

Let's say I'm out driving. You spend a lot of time on the freeways in Southern California, and it gives you time to think. I'll be sitting there in traffic and I'll imagine the game coming up. I'll visualize what the offense is throwing at me. I'll pick out specific instances, like the way the tackle in front of me sets up to pass block. Then I'll picture myself rushing in, making a certain move on that tackle, getting around him. I'll play the whole game like that way, in my mind. [16]

Oates wanted to know how the visualization helped him, to which Youngblood replied:

By the time you are out there (on the field for theame) on Sunday, it's almost like deja vu. You've been there before. You know what you want to do. So you just get after it. It's like you program your mind for success.

The defensive end standout, who played in Super Bowl XIV with a broken foot, went on to say that there are a lot of mental rehearsal "techniques you might try. And I think if you take some of these to heart, you can find some things that will lend you a hand." Visualization lent Jack Youngblood a hand, helping him to be chosen All-Pro for six seasons.

Dewey Selmon strongly endorsed visualization, claiming that it allowed him to "play the game

faster" and to "stay one step ahead of the quarterback all the time." He commented:

It's a powerful tool. I use it all the time. I spend so much time seeing their (the other team's) formations in my mind, and then watching the specific plays they run from those formations, that by game time when I see them line up, the right plays just come to me automatically. "32 Blast, 38 Wide, 92 Pattern," I hear the list in my mind as they get into their stance. [17]

Oates requested the Buccaneers' linebacker to provide a specific example of how visualization aided him during a game. Selmon obliged:

In the (1979) playoffs against Los Angeles. They were on our two-yard line and they came out in what we call the "Western I" formation—with two tight ends and a close wingback. As soon as I saw that formation, I knew where they were going. Right at me. 32 Blast.

I called out to my linemen—we have code words—and I had them all pinch into the two-hole right in front of me. The play got nothing. If you are prepared mentally like that, you can save yourself a lot of physical effort.

Offensive players in football can also use visualization to advantage. Frank Ryan recalled that he would "think about defenses, visualize my receivers, imagine the ball going out. I would create the whole situation in advance." Sometimes, though, things do not go the way you want, and the former Cleveland quarterback worked out a mental procedure to deal with adverse developments. He states:

I'd imagine ahead of time all the states of mind I might get into, and what to do for each different state.

I'd get ready for the time I might throw an interception, for instance. I'd rehearse what I should do with my mind. I'd think about how I should feel coming off the field, what I should think about sitting on the bench. The idea was to establish a peaceful countenance and to be ready to fight myself out of trouble mentally. [18]

Ryan next detailed to Oates the thought patterns he programmed himself to experience in case he made an error, the coalescence of which, he observed, formed "an optimal procedure for concentrating on useful thoughts." During workouts Ryan also practiced a focal point drill while throwing. He would aim, he relates, "at a specific target like a shoulder pad or face mask. As the target got smaller, the concentration became more intense." Oates was curious if this focal point drill really worked, and the quarterback answered affirmatively:

It almost got to where you were in a trance. All you had your mind on was this thought about throwing the ball to a certain spot. Then, without even being conscious of doing it, the ball would just go out there.

Most athletes will tell you that they face a lot of pressure situations in their particular sport. Quarterbacks especially have a right to make this claim, and Ryan did not hesitate to follow suit. He contended that "the most important thing for a quarterback is to remain stable psychologically under all that pressure." Easy to say, but how does one go about it? The ex-Browns quarterback points to regular practice of mental training as the key, noting that "I worked on my mind all week every week."

Use of visualization was second nature to former L.A. Rams placekicker and punter, Frank Corral. In a game against the Atlanta Falcons in 1981, Corral made a 25-yard field goal with 24 seconds remaining to give the Rams a 37-35 victory. After the game UP I reported Corral as remarking:

No, I didn't feel any pressure. When I walk on the field, I start visualizing the ball

going through the uprights. It never occurs to me that I could miss. [19]

Perhaps Corral would have made the 25-yarder without employing visualization, but the fact that he brought up his use of the discipline indicates the importance he attached to it; clearly, he thought visualization benefitted his kicking. [20]