Beswick is the current sports psychologist for Manchester United. Last year he was the sports psychologist for Derby County, a team that struggled to maintain a spot in England's Premiere division. This gives him a unique view in the mentality of a proven winner compared to that of a team of team near the bottom of the league.
COACHING IS A PROCESS - start with the end in mind. 

A coach must know where he can take each player.

Characteristics of the Complete Player:

 ·         Commitment (does 1 extra to be a champion)

·         Learning (flexible - willing to take on different job description); e.g., Beckham moved from wing to center midfield

·         Toughness at highest levels of competition, the variables change. Must be courageous to enter the tunnel to play in front of so many people and to make mistakes.

Note: If players don't have the work ethic, steel, motivation by age 16... 
Coach must understand why his players don't play to potential. Using characteristics above:

·         Ability vs. attitude?

·         Can do vs. won't do?

·         Is he a "last year's player?"

·         Emotional - in a comfort zone?

·         Lifestyle?


Coaching takes knowledge, purpose, expertise, time and it tests the coach's imagination for the coach must make repetition interesting.

Difference between England pro teams and American college teams: in England internal competition is fierce and if they don't meet the expectations, the players are gone. American college coaches have them for 4 years and must make the most of their recruited players.

·         Choose Players with potential and desire to learn and to improve

·         Find talented players and then find out their level of commitment.

·         "Great players are as good working backward as they are working forward."

·         To determine self-motivation, ask: " Tell me 3 things you've
achieved in your life that weren't required and of which you are most proud."

Coaching environment:
Maximize players depending on level (U-14 is different from Man U) Under-coaching is a skill


Player 2000 changing profile

·         Bigger, stronger, faster

·         Higher skill levels

·         Respectful only of most talented coaches. Will question coach's decisions

·         Changing family background - less stability (Man U. has an at-risk register and they meet every week )

·         Allegiance vs. "pick and mix" loyalty.  (Used to have 4-5 coaches in a career and developed relationships with coaches and learn from each other.


Now 8-9 coaches because agent-dominated. Less stable.)

·         Independence  (less submissive) - use as a strength - can make own decisions on field

·         Difficulty accepting criticism (in schools had female teachers; now aggressive male coaches)

·         More liable to conflict

·         Will bring more lifestyle problems

·         Motivation is less strong and more variable

·         Players go full circle. Start playing for fun, then ego, then money and finally, "I want to play as long as I can because I'll miss it when I can't."

·         More liable to mental/physical burnout.         
Ex: Beckham: can't be given break. "You can see my face everywhere but my soul only on a soccer field. (Taken and adapted from a quote by Michael Jordan; used by Beswick to describe Beckham)

Potential for psychological problems o        Insecurity/instability o        Loss of identity o        Constantly changing self-esteem o        Loss of self-belief/confidence o        Stress o        Performance fears o        Over arousal/aggression/violence o        Escapism - substance/alcohol abuse o        Burnout o        Depression/withdrawal

  "Age of disposable player"

When a player reacted poorly to be carded:

·         "Give me words to describe how you felt when it was happening."

·         "Give me words to describe how you would like to be in that situation"

·         Third list is from media description. Carry list of control words and visualize himself as such. Keep comparing his wish list to the media list. See if he is changing and becomes committed.


Player Behavior
Three key influences on individual player behavior
1.  The right player & his unique personality. (Character is very important; choose one who will grow with you.) Note: ask question about 3 accomplishments  and watch how he reacts on current squad
2. The coach (and all his staff down to manager & equipment people) and the effect of that powerful relationship
3. The coaching environment


Demeaning Coaching Style

negative
appeals to guilt of players
angry
animated
frustrated
destructive
at war with self
one-way communication
no substance - no direction - no "how to"
attacks people rather than their play

Must choose tools from coaching toolbox that fits your personality, your environment. Surprise is a great tool of coaching.

positive 
appeals to pride instead of guilt
angry, frustrated but more determined and forceful
control of self/steady vs. at war with self
Performance focused and more professional
Gave individual players responsibility/humor/body language of player reacted positively
Substance: simple terms how to win
Attacking commitment vs. people


Traditional Coach o        Coach tells, orders and instructs o        Player follows o        One way communication - feedback o        Coach fits player in "perfect" model o        Coach has answers o        Players use coach to do their thinking

Result: robotic players, little creativity, no artists (must create imagination and live with the mistakes)
      Man U's philosophy: "Never criticize the players." The players criticize each other. Every game has mistakes but make them a learning experience rather than an emotional unbalancing.o        No mistake is allowed in the defensive 3rd o        A mistake IS allowed in the mid 3rd when trying to take the ball quickly to make something happen. o        No comment in final 3rd because it is not easy to score. Want players to try the new.
Modern Coach

·         Coach-player partnership   "shared ownership" me to we

·         2 way communication

·         Coach raises awareness and limits his instruction

·         Experimentation allowed

·         Mistakes tolerated as part of process

·         Player takes responsibility - out of comfort zone (become decision-makers and artists)

·         Coach has - improved relationship and more time to observe (observational analyst ) and better emotional control



Man U wins for 2 reasons:
1.  They expect to win
2.   They are tough because practice is tough. Must survive the internal challenge of peer group. (Keane tells off his teammates in practice)

Characteristics of a modern Coaching Environment by head coach of Man U

Rest            challenge               variety
Recovery        focus                   fun
Relaxation      MASTERY         empathy
Nutrition       Control                
Individual (his test is to survive the challenge)


The Coaching Environment - Summary

·         Holistic  - coach the whole player

·         Organized = provides clear instruction but not forced.  Sell vs. yell

·         Focused - intensity - shorter in time but higher in concentration

·         Challenging - asks for positive thinking plus positive action.  Champions deal with it, don't react. (Story of going through tunnel - pouring rain for championship. One player goes out and says he loves playing in the rain.) ·         Emphasizes continued improvement

·         Encourages players to set personal goals

·         Allows player freedom to make decisions and learn. Tolerates mistakes. NO failure, only feedback.

·         Supports team and each individual

·         Coaches are facilitators of learning rather than drill organizers***

·         Balances work, rest and relaxation (gives breaks, variety Ex: cricket +swim)

·         Offers healthy balance of praise and criticism

·         Challenges player to self reference and take responsibility - accountability not blame

·         Reflects greatly increased communication - 2 way with individual players

·         Art and science are brought into balance.

Winners are different
A Psychological Profile of Elite PlayersKnow where they are coming from - beyond the technical and tactical, what are their problems? Start with the end in mind.

The Monster of Success - The Burden of Celebrity

Success yields:
*       Greater the risk of failure
*       Greater media/commercial attention
*       Greater effort needed
*       Greater expectation
*       Increased challenge

     Family, coach, friends have increased expectations once a child is labeled "talented." These forces do make them different. It will crush the young men who can't prioritize, discriminate and aren't mentally tough and emotionally well balanced. We shouldn't say "talented" until age 12. Their world shrinks and winning becomes their only reality so most likely the elite that you get are not psychologically healthy. Parents are still the biggest influence on
young players.

Personality changes in the progression of top-level playersInitiation Stage

·         Joyful

·         Playful

·         Excited

·         Special

·         Talented Development Stage

·         Hooked

·         Committed

·         Drive/ambition

·         Learning

·         FunPerfection Stage

·         Obsessed

·         Responsible

·         Single-minded

·         Demanding

·         Selfish

·         Toughness

·         Celebrity

·         Warrior

·         Global

  Anecdote: Beckham is showcased commercially. Though the rest of the Manchester United starting team were told they could stay home and rest, Beckham was told he had to go on a Far East tour in the off-season.

Roy Keane - warrior - he doesn't do friendly games. In prior years when ManU clinched the premiership early, Keane developed game-restrictive injuries for the season ending games. He can't get up for them mentally or physically when nothing is on the line.

When a player is in a dysfunctional family, he may think soccer is an answer. It gets him away from the family, but someday he will have to live in real world.
Potential for psychological problems

·         Insecurity/instability

·         Loss of identity (one day hero, next day bum)

·         Constantly changing self-esteem

·         Loss of self-belief/confidence (always players whose careers are coming to end) ·         Stress

·         Performance fears: coming off injury, age

·         Over arousal/aggression/violence (Steel before style. Occasionally a player will go overboard)

·         Escapism - substance/alcohol abuse

·         Burnout  (Need to program their "software" - little daily reminders of love of game.)

·         Depression/withdrawal  (If you can't be star, don't be clown.)
"Age of disposable player"Give a man a reason why and he will always find a how.
WHY

·         Desire to win

·         Desire to be best - achieve mastery

·         A need for intense competition/stimulation

·         Emotional need for success - ego driven. (Good players ARE difficult. Ask yourself are they worth it? If they are, then stick with them as long as possible.) HOW

·         Capacity for focused concentration

·         Ability to respond to intense pressure (must like and thrive on pressure, not just cope with it.)

·         Capacity to confront opposition aggressively

·         Courage to deal with pain

·         Consistent desire to improve

·         Coachability - ability to learn and adapt

·         Intelligence - learns to play smart as well as hard      

Practice at ManU is all competition - even to leave the field after practice. Player (Nicky Butt) was left alone with the first team trainer and Beswick one practice. The trainer challenged Butt to hit the top bar from 40 out. The trainer missed badly on his first couple of attempts. Butt's attempts barely missed. Finally the trainer hit the bar and went strutting off telling Butt he needed to stay and talk to "psycho" (Beswick) in order get his confidence back for getting beat by the trainer. Once the trainer was off the field, Butt nailed the top bar with his next two attempts. Beswick asked for an explanation and Butt said, "You don't want to show up the guy that helps decide playing time."

       A top person is an ordinary person with an extra-ordinary talent. They must learn how to step on stage as a performer and then return to real world. They must do emotional calming after a game. Teach them to move from ordinary to warrior mentality and back again.


ordinary==>extraordinary==>ordinary

person==>talent==>person

real self==> performance-self==>real self


Top Level Players Must Self-Manage

·         medical/rehabilitation

·         family/friends

·         teammates

·         agent

·         psychologist

·         media

·         strength

·         commercial

·         dietician

·         coaches         

Mental toughness starts with the ability to accept who we are. (Don't blame, but do criticize)Guideline for coaches - Handling top level players

• Motivate - understand it's all about winning which is intrinsic; as a coach I may attack you as a player, but still love you as a person.
• Sell the vision - the reason why. It starts TODAY with the work
• Make each player a part of the journey to succeed
• Help each player set personal goals (e.g., Beckham to learn how to play center midfield)
• Find each player's sense of self-worth and help each achieve it
• Understand whole player and the potential stress
• Emphasize intrinsic rewards

• Never be in awe of superstars; increase communication and decrease anxiety
• Respect each player, listen, build trust (60% listening to them, 40% talking)
• 1 vs. 1 communication may get the message across stronger
• Be wary of criticism or praise - players self-evaluate, so too much praise is counter productive
• Understand each player's ethnic and cultural background
• Give honest feedback on performance

• Coach smart, not hard; sell expertise and personality (always finish with little challenge/fun game)
• Don't limit players - let them surprise you
• Allow players to do what they do best...that requires courage of the coach
• Undercoaching is a skill - let players think
• Attention to detail is vital; set pieces win games
• Balance work and rest
• Beware of player burnout
• Boredom is the enemy
  
  
  Problem Solving
• Limit stressful situations
• Be proactive in dealing with problems
• Focus on what can be controlled
• Change negative to positive
• Use peer pressure where possible
• Teach player emotion intelligence. Deal with problems rather than react.
• Build a resource team of experts to support player
• Understand the effects of injuries on the player's mindset
  
  Closing  - If you hold a bird too tight, he doesn't have enough freedom. If you hold a bird too loose, you lose control. In either case, you get crap on your hand.

Anecdotes:
      Even in practice, Beckham will attempt the best pass, not the easiest; this is frustrating to teammates when possession is lost, it makes Beckham the exceptional player he is.
      After messing up, Shearer comments, "I'll get the next one." Mental toughness when going through a time of failure
The Player Journey to Success
Rejection is part of the journey at every step.Starting point
<Rejection>
Talent
<Rejection>
Coachability (willingness to learn, adapt)
<Rejection>
Competitive toughness (produces when it counts)
<Rejection>
Success     

You judge mental toughness of your team members when they are down one point (goal). Who steps forward? Who goes quiet? Will your forward cross the ball rather than finish? Are the heads up or down?
     

However, the definition of mental toughness varies for position and type of player, though all must accept the physical nature of the game.

Soldiers
Solder-artists
Artists-soldiers
Artists

Different team bravery:

·         Wanting the ball when the team is having a bad time

·         Trying something unusual when they might get criticized

·         Wanting to make things happen

A modern coach is defined by his ability to coach artists, not soldiers. Accept that they must make mistakes to learn.STEEL BEFORE STYLE = win the right to play.

Don't label a player "good" or "bad"--instead try to figure out the player's performance problems.

Determine the Ideal Performance State by combining each of the player attributes with each playing factor.

Player attributes
Physical
Technical
Mental
Emotional
Lifestyle

Playing factors
Talent
Commitment
Learning
Toughness

Dan O'Brian - Toughness is level of suffering you can take. He won the gold medal in the Olympic Decathlon (10 events); he only finished first in one event; yet he persevered in the other events, doing the best he could.

Mental skills are like a computer's "state of mind"; rubbish in, rubbish out

Profiling young players in terms of the attributes: 

Physical, tactical, technical, mental, emotional, lifestyle

·         exceptional

·         above average

·         average

·         below average

·         poor
  Define the problem and you're on the way to solving it

Ex: Gascoigne - technically and tactically brilliant, but was way below average and poor in the mental, emotional and lifestyle areas. If they could have gotten him at 10 yrs. old...

Must not let problems go until the next day. Get players beyond the problem.

There are key influences on individual player behavior

1.       The player's unique personality. (Character is very important: ask a player what 3 deeds he is most proud of that he did on his own - not compulsory)

2.       The coach (and all his staff down to manager and equipment people) and the effect of that powerful relationship: Are you (the coach) at your best when the team is at its worst? Reference Dean Smith's " A Coach's Life"

3.       The coaching environment. What can you do to build mental toughness?

a.       Recruit well - look for a warrior that is also an inspirational leader

b.       Create challenge within the team so that game day is easy compared to practice. For example, a team that loses a scrimmage pays a penalty; or allow players to pick teams in open so players see who is picked last

c.       Create hurdles for players to overcome

d.       Put systems into play that make players assertive. Examples: look for moments of weakness when 1-0 up because they might use that as excuse to go into comfort zone; must get ball back after a goal within 3 passes or run suicides; asking referee how much time is left is a sign of weakness.

e.       Teach players to be accountable. Ask "how did you play" rather than tell them.  Every game has mistakes.

  Toughness training = art and science of increasing the talented players ability to handle all kinds of stress.
Man U teaches its parents and it has support groups for players families.

What coaches look for:

·         courage, commitment, desire (the software)

·         enjoy achieving personal goals (gives sons envelope with 10 goals every Jan. 1)  

·         lifestyle - work ethic. If a player comes to training with a cold, send home after commending his attitude

·         mental preparation - can they develop a winning attitude? A team draws a weak team in a tournament. The coach fears his team may become weak in competitive toughness. The coach has two different newspaper articles created with 2 different headlines, one where his team wins and the other about the huge upset his team suffered. He showed the winning one during training. Just before the game, he brought out the upset headline. Fear of failure can energize a player to victory.

If you have trained your players, all you can do is trust them.

Limiting factor of most players is not talent but toughness.Envision a pyramid with TOUGH being the top point in the following:
TOUGH - flexibility, responsiveness, strength, resilience
Disciplined thinking plus acting under stress
Exposure to adaptive stress (physical, mental, emotional)
Building sound base of recovery of good nutrition, sleep, rest

These are the BUILDING BLOCKS OF TOUGHNESS

Even if playing badly, a player with tough work habits can still stay in game. A tough player will have the attitude that his team lost just they ran out of time.        

Beswick showed a film clip of last 3 minutes of the 1999 Champions League when Man U was down a goal to Bayern Munich. On the first corner in that time frame, ManU's  6 ft 4 goalkeeper ran into the opposite penalty area, yelling drawing attention. Three BM players went to cover him, expecting a trick play. Another ManU player scored, but it was the GK that caused the BM defense to lose shape. On the next corner where ManU won the game, the GK stayed back. This was an example of the mental toughness to do something to change the flow, yet still be aware of what his responsibilities were.

       James Loehr's book, "Building Competitive Toughness": Toughness is the ability to consistently perform toward the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances.

·         Toughness is learned

·         Toughness allows talent and skill to flourish

·         Toughness is ideal performance state control

·         Characteristics - fitness, technical mastery, emotional
strength/resilience, proper rest, diet, tough thinking, tough acting, balance between real and performance self