The Mental Edge: Performance Trainer & Former DI Softball Coach Julie Jones… Are You Competing Like a More-On?

BY Julie Jones

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Sometimes athletes put so much pressure on themselves to succeed, that they fail to rely on their training and experience and, instead, put “More-On” themselves–often because of fear–and get away from what them successful in the first place!

Extra Inning Softball has partnered with former DI softball coach Julie Jones (Akron, Cleveland State) and current Mental Performance and Mindset Coach to help give athletes, coaches and others in the softball world the “Mental Edge.”

Julie spent 26 years leading Division I softball programs with her mission being simple: to build smarter students, stronger athletes and better people.

Today, she also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Ursuline College teaching well-being and performance, mindset training, athletic coaching and career development courses in both the undergraduate and graduate studies programs.

Continuing her work of helping student-athletes reach their goals on and off the field, Julie regularly sends Mindset Made Simple Tips to players and coaches across the country as well as posting them on her site, SSB Performance.

Today’s “Mindset Made Simple” shines the spotlight on the human tendency to neglect our training in a key moment or crucial time and, instead, get away from what we’ve practiced or have prepared for.

The way to combat this? As Coach Julie says, “Trust your training and give yourself the best chance to succeed!”

And that while our focus is key, our ability to refocus is the game-changer!

Keep reading below for more (or watch her cover it in the video version on YouTube!):

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It was 1996. I got a call from a guy from Pennsylvania asking me to present at a coaching clinic.

I didn’t know this guy at the time and had no idea what this opportunity would be, so my first question was, “Who else will be presenting?”

His answer was Mike Candrea (one of the winningest coaches in college softball history)! I was in.

I was PUMPED to be on the same lineup as the legend.

Since he was there, I had the opportunity to listen to him speak numerous times that weekend and one thing I remember him saying was that everything he did was “stolen.” He put his own twist on things, but the ideas were taken from others. He was continually learning.

Phew…I didn’t have to make up new stuff to be a good coach. I just needed to learn.

Julie once spoke at a coaching clinic where Mike Candrea taught her something she’s always remembered: always be in a state of “continually learning” and then put your own twist on it. Photo Arizona Athletics.

I think about this simple lesson still today and I pick the pockets of EVERYONE I can. In one of my most recent heists, I learned a new term that took me back to this first speaking engagement as a head coach at the age of 25!

As I stood to talk about catching in my first session, I was speaking as a MORON…or “MORE-ON”.

What most people loath, I enjoy…I like speaking in public. It’s sort of my thing. At that point, I had two degrees in Communication and taught public speaking in grad school.

I was a catcher. I talked about catching at camps and clinics. I was prepared. I practiced.

And yet, at that moment, with other great coaches lurking around and standing in front of other college and high school coaches, I HAD to get it right.

I was adding MORE-ON according to Sports Psychologist Dr. Joe Parent.

In other words, we are doing something we have been preparing for (for weeks, months or even years) and when we feel pressure, we add more to the task. We play More-On softball, soccer…you add in the sport!

It’s a foul shot at the end of the game, an at-bat with two runners on and we are down by one. It’s a shoot-out, match point or the game-willing field goal.

It’s presenting something we think about 365 days a year and yet feel the pressure to BE OUR BEST RIGHT NOW!

How is the foul shot at the end of the game any different than the one you shot earlier in the game or all week at practice?

How is the championship match any different than the 6 you played to reach the finals?

Technically, they aren’t any different.

Remember Hoosiers? Coach Norman Dale reminded his players that the rim was “10 feet. I think you’ll find that’s the exact same measurements as our gym back at Hickory.”

His team was adding More-On!

It’s what we do.

Think about how many times you have played or performed as a More-On.

“More-Ons” put their focus and emphasis on the outcome. They HOPE it will go the way they want it to and FEAR they will let someone down or make a mistake.

Quoting May, the bartender from Ted Lasso, “It’s the hope that kills you!”

If we are focused on HOPE or FEAR, we aren’t focused on the present. We are focused on what will happen “if this” or “if that”.

We are worried about what others will think or say…or who we will let down. We are feeling emotions that are not productive to our performance instead of allowing ourselves to feel the flow of the skill that we have practiced a million times or the aggressiveness need to compete at our best.

How can we avoid being a “More-On” or playing More-On sports?

We can pull up our personal evidence journal. We can stop listening to our thoughts and talk to ourselves in a pre-planned way focused on doing what we can with what we have, where we are!

Sometimes, athletes let fear take over and fail to trust their training, instead, as Julie puts it: “feeling emotions that are not productive to our performance instead of allowing ourselves to feel the flow of the skill that we have practiced a million times or the aggressiveness need to compete at our best.”

As soon as we start to add More-On, we can STOP and anchor ourselves to the present moment and BREATHE, then we can tell ourselves what we want instead of what we are trying to avoid.

But, as I often say, none of this will work unless we work on it! In More-On times, we don’t rise to the occasion, we fall back on habits. If our habits are good, we give ourselves a chance to find success.

Notice I said we “give ourselves a chance.” There is no guaranteed success in anything, but adding More-On almost ensures we will be tighter, less focused and less confident than we should be.

If we HOPE or FEAR the outcome, we are not TRUSTING our training or anything else.

So let’s agree that being a More-On or playing More-On anything is counterproductive to success.

Although I was a More-On when I spoke at my first coaching clinic all those years ago, I am so happy I did. I am pretty sure it wasn’t my best and there have been many more More-On situations since but learning to work through it all has made me better and allowed me to meet legends.

So the next time you or your athletes say “I have to make this to win” or “this presentation is the deal-breaker,” remember not to be a More-On.

Trust your training and give yourself the best chance to succeed!

Manage the moments…and keep them just as they are by avoiding our tendency to add More-On!

Have a great week!

Julie

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To learn more from Julie check out her social media sites below; to contact her personally, she can be reached via email at: juliej@ssbperformance.com