Page 11 - Mindfulness

Notably, one of the famous anchors in sport is Johnny Wilkinson’s hand clasp position prior to conversions and penalties in rugby. He utilizes a physical anchor (hands clasped) to help him get in a mindful zone, slow his breathing down and relax. He used several visual images to help his cause. One where he imagined he was a golfer and his foot a seven iron. Another, he attempted to send the ball through a large mouth and the most famous is attempting to knock a can of coke from a woman called Doris who was sitting behind the goal. There are others too. Apparently, the golfer Louis Oosthuizen concentrates on a red dot on his glove just before taking a shot. Usain Bolt relaxes by thinking about video games and fun things to do after the race. Peter Schmeichel kicked both posts before the start of each game for Manchester United. Steve Waugh put 100 percent of his attention to the next ball bowled at him, eliminating all distractions. Chris Hoy, the great Olympian cyclist, used an anchor to help remove panic attacks prior to cycling. Maty Ryan has his own fast track mindfulness techniques too.
A few years ago, 18 young people from Michael Clarke’s Academy, the latest young stock of talented cricketers, were introduced to a simple mindfulness approach. I shared this model of reflection, design thinking, emotional intelligence and mindfulness as an assistance in their development as young leaders.
During the session I created a scenario which led to the cricketers believing they were about to face Mitchell Johnson, one of the most fearsome bowlers in the World. This scenario evoked a significant emotional
state for some even though it wasn’t real and nor did we at any point suggest it would occur. Through the discussion following, it was helpful for each individual to understand and notice how they behaved, performed, responded and experienced the scenario and how would they do this second and third time around. During the discussion some of the cricketers started to create their own anchors which would help them manage a similar situation in the future.
Whatever anchor you use, it doesn’t have to be complicated. I have one.
My ten second anchor relates to holding my daughter’s hand when she was a one year old. We are walking back from the local shop and in her other hand she is clutching a small packet of white chocolate buttons. A lasting beautiful memory. In ten seconds of utilizing my anchor, I’m relaxed and in a calm zone again, enjoying the present, with all my senses into gear again. Hassed and Chambers point out that “the gateway back to the present moment is through the senses.”