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AFFAIRS OF THE HART – THE WINNING WAY PART 2

03/10/2016
by

Harty continues his conversation with windsurfer and performance therapist to the now world famous Leicester City FC – Ken Way.

Well thank heavens for that! Leicester City did it. Winning the Premiership was one of most astounding sporting upsets of all time; which gave us reason to champion the efforts of Ken Way, their performance therapist and former windsurfing star.  So had, between now and then, they choked and blown in, his stock would have plummeted. But they didn’t – in fact far from choking; they ended up sprinting through the finish and winning by 10 points. Ken’s place in the annals of therapy greats is assured. I called him again after the furore had died down to get some idea of the immediate post victory reaction. I naturally assumed he was cucumber cool since, thanks to his work with the team, the result surely was never really in doubt…

(This article originally appeared in the July 2016 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)

KW Let me get into arrogant mode for a moment … oh yes, it was never in doubt!
It was unbelievable! Even now, a few weeks on, you have to pinch yourself.  We were 50,000:1 outsiders – but the fact we were at the top for so long, we just didn’t feel like outsiders.
PH They say … and golf is a typical example, that it’s much harder to win from the front.  I know confidentiality forbids you from discussing individuals but was there anything specifically you said to the team before the final games.
KW Well since the victory I’ve been asked to talk at many conferences on team spirit – and Leicester had team spirit in abundance. It’s a lot to do with personalities but it’s also a lot to do with support mechanisms given to the players and staff.
PH So come on … what can the improving windsurfer learn from Leicester City FC and Ken Way?
KW Well what psychologists are currently discussing is ‘state management.’ What’s your emotional game? What’s your mental game? What I do with individuals is a very quick comparison between when they’re on their game and not. Assuming they’re healthy, the problem has to be between the ears. We try to get them to define their optimum zone.
PH Is it about getting to know yourself?
KW Yes – but it’s also knowing what happens when you’re not in that optimum state – and what you need to do to get there.
PH I’m assuming too that mental freedom is also proportional to a certain technical competence – in that you can’t relax mentally if you don’t have the tools to perform.
KW Of course – but your emotional level determines at what level you’re able to draw on those skills.
PH And that’s why I guess in windsurfing when you’re in conditions way over your head, you never learn because your mental state is a disaster.
KW Exactly – it’s a rocky road – and then you start questioning yourself and talking to yourself in a negative framework. One of the areas I’m currently training in is CBT – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. They make a big thing about it’s not just the thoughts we have but what we say to ourselves.
PH There’s a young All Black rugby kicker in the mould of Johnny Wilkinson, who in his pre-kick ritual always smiles. He’s been taught that, despite the pressure situation, the actual physical act of smiling elicits positive emotions.
KW It’s the paradox – it seems so easy to make ourselves smile, breathe deeply, tell ourselves to stand tall – these are things we can take conscious control of but so often people just don’t do it.
For example, getting back to windsurfing, when I raced I used to pride myself on my strong wind sailing because I knew it would disrupt other’s performance. When it was blowing strong, I spoke to the wind. …
PH … I always knew you were a nutter …
KW … no, really! I don’t mind admitting it – I’d say: “come on, let’s see what you’ve got – blow me off if you can (it had different connotations then).”
PH  OK imagine Leicester City FC give you the boot tomorrow and you have to get a job with me helping people wave sail in Ireland, what might you say to those having to deal with constant low, and sometimes high level angst as they confront new techniques and hitherto unseen conditions?
KW A lot of it is very obvious. When people are facing big waves, their breathing rate will go awry. There’s a new concept called Cardiac Coherence. It’s about synchronising your breathing rate with your heart rate (there’s a pricey app you can get). The next element is to get positive emotions running through you. Obviously it takes preparation and practice but you need positivity flowing through your veins as it were. Have a happy memory somewhere in your mind.
There’s a technique devised by 2 American doctors years ago who did research into people who’d gone through heart by-pass operations. It’s abbreviated to 6SR – 6 second relaxation technique. They had 3 components to it – first was breathe through your feet – no really …so people would remember it – you imagine mouth and nose were on your feet, you’d have to really suck it in and blow out.
Second element was ‘sparkle your eyes.’ What they actually meant was ‘get into peripheral vision.’ We know the fight and flight response when people get really anxious, their eyes go into tunnel vision, which is the exact opposite. Fight or flight is controlled by the autonomic nervous system or the sympathetic nervous system. When you’re in peripheral vision it’s been controlled by your parasympathetic nervous system and it’s impossible to run your fight or flight mechanism.
So don’t stare at the wave but gaze out to sea and look as far as you can from the right to the left without moving your eyes.
The third element is that you talk to yourself. Say ‘Mind Alert, Body Calm.’ Mind alert as you breathe in – ‘body calm’ as you breathe out and have the right tonality. And it only takes 6 seconds = one breath.
You can use it all the time and it’s especially good in traffic jams!
PH Or …‘In for anger – out for joy.’ And finally … is everyone responsive to performance therapy? I can imagine there are some big egos out there, like Beefy Botham, who have an instinctive resistance to people trying to get inside their heads  
KW Some I work with every day – some I just say hello to. There’s a great quote from Steve Redgrave just before his first gold medal. He said: ‘sport psychology is a load of bunkum’ – and after his 5th he said, he wished he had discovered the power of therapy and the mental game earlier on. Often those who reject it early on see the light later as they learn more about themselves.

And it was there I had to leave the man of the moment to luxuriate in the warm glow of success. With footy taking its summer break, he was about to board a plane to help foiling yacht sailor Alex Thompson get in the right frame of mind to tackle a transatlantic race – nice work if you can get it.

PH 23rd May 2016


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