Tuesday February 26, 2008

You Are Who You Are

You Are Who You Are
Often times on my radio show I make the point that South Carolina football and Clemson basketball have a hard time with upward mobility in their respective leagues because, “You are who you are!”

It is difficult for South Carolina football because Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas “are who they are.” Clemson hoops has struggled partly because UNC and Duke “are who they are.”

I wanted to get into this subject on the morning show but was apprehensive because it is a tough subject for a morning format. We still discussed it and I was surprised at the positive response we had on and off of the air.

Below I have included the three e-mails from a listener that got me started on the subject. They are lengthy so this blog may not be appealing to everyone. However, Duane included some fascinating information and I wanted to share it with Tigernet today. I know it is not for everyone but I would love to get feedback on this interesting subject and how it pertains to Clemson basketball and South Carolina football.

Here is the initial e-mail:

Alright Mickey, I am going to try to put some science behind your argument for teams are who they are. My argument also illustrates why Tiger Woods, the Patriots and the successful in general are that way and also the process to become successful.

Winning and success are very much related, and they are very much learned behaviors. The science that supports this is in research of the human mind and the relationship between the conscious and subconscious portions of the mind. The conscious mind (con) deals with REASON and LOGIC (an area of strength for you I believe) and the subconscious (sub) works in ENERGY and CREATION. Because of this ENERGY and CREATION, the source of achievement in life ultimately comes from the subconscious.

A simple description of the relationship between the two would be that the con mind directs/programs the sub mind. The con mind sends impressions to the sub that result from the act of logically evaluating an events outcome. Meaning if the conscious mind believes that a particular result is logically possible then it will tell the sub just that. However, if the con can not conclude that an outcome is logical then it will pass along a false signal to the sub. The sub is submissive. It will accept any impression and, if that impression is SUSTAINED, continuously bring such impressions to reality without question, especially those impressions fueled by emotion. The sub receives input from the con and acts. If it receives the same impression for a long enough time then that impression becomes the default response. Once a response gets programmed as the default it takes significant events to modify it.

Two conditions must be met for the re-programming to occur: the new impression must be CONTINUALLY induced AND the con mind must ACCEPT the outcomes of the each event as logical. Many times these two conditions are met for a day, a week or even a season resulting in one hit wonders, 59’s on the golf course and winning streaks, but to get to the Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali level that day must repeat over and over.

To me this process very logically explains why programs are what they are. If a player joins a team he is joining several teammates and even coaches with default responses already programmed. Sometimes (Doug Flutie) the new player’s defaults are strong enough to turn the logic for the team and in the process reprogram the team’s default. More times then not (most number one picks) the existing default of the team overwhelms the individual making the Ryan Leaf’s, Michelle Wie’s and Tim Couch’s of the world. If you think about sports, they are built on streaks; small streaks, like 21-23 passing or birding 4 out of 5, and gigantic streaks, like John Wooden’s UCLA teams, Florida State football in the ninety’s and even Tiger Woods.

Look at the Super Bowl this year: the Giants started re-programming their defaults winning on the road throughout the regular season, continued it with the close game against the Patriots to close out the season and each playoff win and finally capped it off and stamped the default with the Super Bowl win. You pointed out that if the Giants made it close early that they could shock the world. Well, as they stayed close their logic and reason that they could win was reinforced, while the Patriots began to question the logic and reason that they had freely accepted the whole season: Maybe we aren’t the best, what if we loose, maybe you can’t go undefeated ect. In the end both were right.

It is very much a self-fulfilling prophecy type event: What your con mind believes, your sub mind will make happen without you ever knowing why. I think that Tiger Woods understands this process, appreciates and respects it and even PRACTICES it regularly. The fact is you don’t have to physically do the event to believe it can be done. Simple visualizations will serve to direct the sub outputs. I believe that Tiger spends a great deal of time, maybe during his meditation sessions that are talked about, programming his sub mind. As he works to improve his sub, he is also reinforcing the foundation of his successes by repeatedly validated the logic and reason that he is the best and will be the best ever. He is exactly who he thinks he is.

If this didn’t bore you too much send me a quick response and I’ll share how I think Clemson can reprogram some of their teams’ defaults.

Duane

I asked Duane to put these concepts in place with Clemson basketball, the streak in Chapel Hill and free throw shooting. Below is his response:

Mickey,

I think, as with most things in life, there should be a short term approach as well as a long term system put into place. I am going to try to break my arguments up accordingly.

As I make a case for my approach in the short term I will ask you to consider motivational speakers and the impacts that they can have. Whether you are talking about a high school coach at halftime, Lou Holtz or some corporate speaker who gets paid thousands of dollars to deliver a particular message to a room full of professionals, the impact is only felt when the listeners receive the message and conclude that the outcome that they were presented was logical. This is a good example of short term techniques.

Speaking specifically, let’s remember some recent comments from Clemson Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Shaka Smart: (to paraphrase) ‘some of our WORST free-throw shooters in games are some the best in practice.’ I think many coaches come to the conclusion that some of their players perform better in practice than in games and some of those coaches even think through to the point of realizing it could be connected to performance anxieties. For most coaches I think that is the end of the process. However, if I had the opportunity I would challenge Cliff Hammonds, for instance, to spend some time building a case, based on logical arguments, as to why he is a 40% 3 point shooter and only a 41% free throw shooter. I would inform him that the average of the fifty best shooters from the line this year for division I through 2/17/08 is 87.63%, while the fifty best 3-point shooters only carry a 44.43%. In fact, in comparing the stats on Clemsontigers.com and the NCAA statistics through 2/17/08, I found that Cliff is 0.3% away from being a top fifty 3-point shooter in division I, but carries a free-throw shooting average that is less than half that of the 50th best division I free throw shooter.

I would require LOGICAL points i.e.: technique, fundamentals, lack of practice, anxiety. Once he returned with his arguments, after dispelling all rationalizations and illogical points, I would sit down with him to formulate a plan to improve the weakness and convince him that there is no LOGICAL reason that he can’t improve his FT% in games if he improves in those areas. If he came back without logical arguments, I would respond with great relief and a big smile. Then I say to him ‘if you truly BELIEVE there is no logical reason, THEN THERE ISN’T.’ Then I would work with him to rethink the logic in his conscious mind over and over until the new impression becomes the default. I would instruct him to not only practice shooting free-throws PHYSICALLY, but MENTALLY as well.

I would take the same approach before a game with an opponent that may be better statistically or historically. I would challenge the team to bring forth THEIR individual thoughts as to why this team is going to be better during the next competition. If it were North Carolina in basketball I would point out that:

1. Jordan, Stackhouse, Jamison and Daugherty are gone
2. We are talking about ONE game not all time or even one season
3. They have lost to Clemson in the past when NC was ranked #1 and Clemson was unranked
4. (I don’t know how to approach the officiating. I’ll leave that to the coach.)

Then, if the players came back with logical arguments for NC’s strengths I would either point out the parts of the game plan/scheme that we have worked on to equalize those strengths. And/or I would work TOGETHER with the players to come up with equalizers. At that point I would drill home that there no longer exists a logical reason, if we execute our game plan as we have this game or that practice, if we put forth more effort, ect that NC will win the game. Basically, I would take the purpose behind pre-game speeches and create a process that extends the preparation mentally back for days or weeks.

For the long term, I would work to create a mental development program, very similar to the program that Joey Batson builds to develop the players physically. As a major part of this program I would apply the ‘Cliff Hammonds’ exercise above to each and every player’s weaknesses on a continuous basis. I would include weekly efforts to prove that our team winning the upcoming game, conference title, even the national title, IS a LOGICAL event. I would recruit players that already have success and winning as their default outcomes and work to build on those mental strengths from day one, mirroring Batson’s Freshman Power-Hour.

I would build the program around this basic analogy: You can build a great car; one with a powerful motor, great engineering and handling, the best brakes and tires; the whole nine yards. But if you ultimately equip this car with a mediocre driver then you won’t ever see the car reach its full potential. Conversely, if you give Dale Jr. a car that is many levels below the car you have Joe Blow drive and have them race, what would you expect the outcomes to be over time? I would bet Jr. would win his share, if not a majority.

I believe this is why teams, like Boston College (football), with less talent and fewer athletes compete and succeed against opponents with superior talent; they have players with better mental developments. They have developed a belief in the team, in the coaching staff and in the game plan that allows them to logically conclude that they should/will succeed. I don’t think that Florida State sustained as long as they did merely on their athletes because the athletes were there beyond the dominance. They didn’t ALL leave at the same time. I believe that over the course of a number of seasons that Florida State’s players began to doubt the logic that ‘they were always the better team’ and, as the road map of a self-fulfilling prophecy would lead, their doubts became reality.

I do believe that a lot of successful coaches (Krzyzewski, Belichic, and Wooden) understand this and make great efforts to develop their players’ psyches. They teach fundamentals and hustle and hard work. But they also teach mental processes that build self confidence and improve the players’ ‘driving’ skills. In the past the HEAD COACH did it all; training, teaching, game planning, play calling ect. Now we have position coaches, coordinators and even strength and conditioning coaches. Why build a great car if you’re not going to develop a great driver to control it? Looking to the future I would not be surprised to see Joey Batson have a peer on the staff that builds players’ minds. I doubt it will happen soon but I believe such a person could be worth their weight in gold.

Every action that we make is influenced by our subconscious mind and, stepping back, our conscious thoughts. If we can eliminate our conscious thoughts, namely the negative ones, during competition our subconscious will take over and freely execute the skills that we have practiced. I don’t believe Tiger Woods had created the separation he enjoys because of his physical abilities and skills, those simply make him good. What makes Tiger ‘TIGER’ is that his mind is far superior to his competitors at allowing his body to perform without conscious interference.

I haven’t discuss this with many people because I accept that understanding and buying into the argument takes a lot of effort for most people; effort that they don’t want to extend (that maybe why so few people take the time and effort to work on their cognitive skills). I also believe that people do what they want to in most cases and I simply haven’t seen the benefits of attempting to convince others, excluding those close to me personally. I believe these arguments make sense to me because I believe in treating the disease not the symptoms. If you have the flu what’s more important treating the virus or controlling your sniffles. I appreciate you intrigue.

Duane

Finally, I asked Duane about the situation with South Carolina football and he explained:

Mickey,

You’re welcomed to use them (and edit for grammar/content) as you warrant and I am not concerned with the credit part either. I am just happy to share the information that I have spent considerable time and effort gathering with anyone who appreciates the potential of the subject.

I would like to preface my thoughts concerning Carolina football by acknowledging that I have much less knowledge about their programs, including their players, coaches and general approaches to day to day operations compared to my awareness of Clemson’s athletics. That said, and having been a resident of South Carolina for most of my life, I understand that there is a certain culture in Columbia, and in the State as well, surrounding Gamecock athletics. When I say culture I am referring to how the fan base, and to a certain extent the media, follow and support the school’s athletics.

I’ll try to draw an analogy to help me verbalize what I am referring to. As I think about a description of the Carolina Culture, I am reminded of the little kid with dreams ten times his size. I am sure that many of us have witnessed this scenario at some point tin our lives. I am talking about the kid who is smaller than all of the other kids in the neighborhood; the kid who has shows no potential to out perform or even consistently compete with the other kids. Yet despite these inadequacies, that are obvious to the others around him, and probably in light of being mocked and ridiculed for them, this kid will incessantly offering up plans to become the next great star. Think about the movie Rudy; a wonderful movie that in the end has a happy ending for everyone in the plot. Rudy put more effort, more energy and displayed more heart trying obtaining his goal than any other member of that team; to the point that the rest of the team put themselves on the line in order to give Rudy an opportunity to dress out. The only problem with comparing the storyline of Rudy to Carolina football if you’re a Carolina fan is that Rudy only played in one game and that was the pinnacle of his successes.

The parallel to this for Carolina football is that if they can beat Florida OR Georgia OR Tennessee OR Clemson each year then they seem to be content. If that fulfills the expectations of the fans and the school then there is no problem; Rudy certainly had no complaints with one or two plays. But I have a hard time believing that one or two of these victories a year is the pinnacle in the minds of Carolina fans and players. CBS Sports is probably content with them going to the wire with LSU, Tennessee and Florida only to loose because I think that a lot of people watch those games with a perspective similar to watching Rudy – very low EXPECTATIONS, very high ASPIRATIONS. The question becomes ‘how do they move in a different direction?’

I think a lot of times fans wait for the team to DO something before the fans are willing to DO something themselves. To put this in perspective I would like to paraphrase a quote that I once read, ‘Insanity is doing taking the SAME approach as the past and EXPECTING DIFFERENT results.’ Fans and the media have a tremendous impact on the conscious thoughts of the teams that we follow and support. Therefore, they have an impact on the subconscious and in the team’s performance. For a program to change its culture and ‘who they are’ the change must occur inside the program, with the players and coaches, but it also must occur for the fans and the media as well. For Carolina I think that the first step is admitting and accepting the current state of their program and then put in perspective where they are versus the other teams in the conference.

The first step in solving a problem is admitted you have a problem. I don’t think that it would be unreasonable for Steve Spurrier to initiate this acknowledgement and honestly he did in several press conferences last year with his “we’re just not very good” statements. However, I would encourage him to set aside the passive-aggressive approach and directly challenge everyone in the program, including players and fans, to look in the mirror and admit the program is mediocre in comparison to there league opponents and in many ways division I in general. Notice I didn’t say ACCEPT, I said ADMIT. At the same time, to avoid a witch-hunt, he should also offer a plan to take the program up the ladder one step at a time. Part of his plan should be explaining to the fans what there role will be in the process and the magnitude that their comments have on the future of the program.

I would stop focusing as much effort in recruiting to finding athletes with all of the measurables and find as many as I could with ENOUGH measurables and elevated mental developments. The truth is it is easier to make a person physically stronger and faster than it is to make them mentally stronger. Can I get some love for Wake Forrest Football for proof of this? If you recruit players who are strong mentally, then with time and the right coaching (Jim Grobe) the wins will come. And when the wins come, the athletes will come. At that point if you have the right mind set as a program then you can filter the more physically talented players (Randy Moss; Corey Dillon) in with the mentally talented players (Vrabel; Bruschi) and get a mix that allows all of the players to fill roles to make the strongest unit. If you look back at how the Patriots built their program it was a very similar process. I’ll admit that Tom Brady’s on field achievements have far exceeded his draft status, but everything can grow with the right nourishment.

A house will never be better than the foundation and plot that it is built on. I believe Carolina needs to focus on getting players with sound fundamentals and good psyches and taking the superstars when they get them. Comparing Tom Brady career to the careers’ of the Tim Couch’s and Ryan Leaf’s of the world is proof that it is not so much the potential of the seed but the quality of the soil you plant it in.

Duane

Thanks for your patience with the subject matter. Our average blog is usually a little more than 1,000 words but today’s 3,500 word document covers an intriguing topic and I did not want to leave out anything some may have found interesting. I also want to thank Duane for an incredible amount of information. I would be interested to read reactions and thanks again for your support.

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency