nervous rider workshop for penistone riding club 12th november 2013
DESCRIPTION
Ken Scott presents an interactive workshop to show how NLP techniques can help overcome riding nervesTRANSCRIPT
Nervous Rider?
A workshop presented by Ken Scott
Ashes NLP Coaching
About me
Rider/Personal Coach/Hypnotherapist/Geek
Nerves used to floor me in a lot of areas
NLP techniques helped me!
NLP? What’s that?
Neuro-Linguistic Programming
“Changing your actions by changing the way you think and changing the words you use”
What we will coverWhat are nerves?Goals and how to set them
Logical Levels and SEAPractical Techniques to help
What are nerves?
over to you!
What are nerves?Not all nerves are bad!Good nerves give you the edge,
help you perform at your bestGetting a bit nervous means you
care and want to do well – your body’s way of preparing you for excellence
Examples?
Bad NervesWhen nerves stop you from
functioningWhen your performance is
impairedWhen you 'go to pieces’Your body’s way of ‘protecting’
youExamples?
Physical symptoms of nerves
Increase in heartrate and BPShort of breathHeadachesClammy palmsDry mouthCold sweat
Mental symptoms of nerves
What ifs - worrying what might happen
Gloomy thoughtsMental fogInability to concentrateSleeplessnessForgetfulness
Previous bad experiences can cause apprehension
It's going to happen againYou imagine it happeningYour tension = horse imagines it
too!Easy to fix with NLP fast Phobia
technique
So how can we overcome ‘bad’ nerves?Goal settingTaking Stock of our skillsPutting things in perspective with
Logical LevelsNLP Fast Phobia TechniquesOther practical techniques
Goals – what do you do with your horse?Exercise 1'what do you do with your horse?’
Write 5 or more postits or use your workbook
5 - 10 minutes in pairs or groups
Goals – what do you WANT to do with your horse?Exercise 2'what do you WANT to do with your horse?’
Write 5 or more postits or use your workbook
5 - 10 minutes in pairs or groups
Obstacles to Achieving GoalsSo what stops you getting to do what you want to do?Some common onesTimeMotivationSkillEquipment or facilitiesNerves
Know what you want to do
In order to turn this ‘want’ into an achievement you need to know :-Precisely what you wantWhen you want itIf it is reasonableIf you can commit 100% to it
Making a SMART GoalGoals are not wishes or
affirmations, they are contracts with yourself and your horse
Goals must be so real you can see, hear, feel and even smell and taste them!
What are SMART Goals?Specific. Goals need to be very detailed
- imagine a legal contractMeasurable. You must be able to clearly
demonstrate you have achieved itAchievable. Set a goal that is possible
for you and your horseRealistic Timebound. It must include 'by x date’I always add F - First step to the goal
(some call it Take Action)
Example of a SMART Goal
“by March 2014 I will have competed in 4 Prelim dressage tests and scored above 62% in at least one”
SMART Goal Writing
Exercise 3In small groupsPick one of your 'want to do’Turn it into a smart goal - 10 minutes
TIP – make sure everything in the goal is under YOUR control
Feedback on goal setting
Common problemsGoal not specific enoughGoals too bigNot under your control e.g. win x
competitionNo time specifiedRemember – you need to be able to ‘taste’ it!
Summary so far
We have covered :-Mental and physical symptoms of nerves
What you do vs what you want to do
Goal setting
Next – not taking it to heartLogical levels are the layers that make up our personalitySpirit (deep beliefs)Identity (core values) - who I amBeliefs and values - my personal
'code of conduct’Skills/abilities/capabilitiesAttitude and behaviour - mental and
physicalEnvironment - horse! weather, others
Logical Levels
So how is this relevant to my nerves?When things go wrong we tend to
take it at too low a levele.g. horse naps and spins round
and stands looking, rider thinks 'I cant ride’
Rider has taken this at Identity level whereas it was actually at environment – she is a capable rider and it’s just a plastic bag flying past on windy day!
Can you think of an example?
All at SEA
The three most easily changed levelsSkillsEnvironmentAttitude
Skills
RiderDo you know the aids?Can you carry them out
competently?HorseDoes your horse understand
what you are asking?Is he capable of doing it at his
level of training?
Skills
Do you have the skills currently to achieve your goal?If not, how can you build those skills?LessonsPracticeWatching VideosReading books and magazinesYoutube?!
Environment
This includes:-The horse – is he fit enough,
warmed in correctly, does his tack and saddle fit?
The rider, bad day at work?The weather!Schooling/riding facilitiesTimeOther pressures e.g. family
AttitudeThis includes:-MotivationCommitmentPatienceResilience (there will be setbacks)Positive mental attitude
◦Do you really believe you can? ◦Do you really WANT to?
Shameless plug – NLP and hypnosis can help!
More work!
Skills AuditExercise 4 In pairs or groups, list your
strengths relating to your chosen goal THEN
List what you and your horse need to learn to achieve the goal
5 - 10 minutesFeedback
Rate your Goal
The final part of Goal setting is to rate 1-10 on how much you want to do it and how much you believe you can (1 = no hope, 10=Absolutely)
TIP – less than 10, forget it!
So how do you rate your goal?What do you need to change to make it a 10
Goal Setting Summary
We should now have:-A SMART goalA list of your skillsAreas to improve A rating (10?) of how motivated
you are to achieve the goalSteps to improve the rating if not
10
Practical Techniques to Try
Now we have our goal, what practical things can we do to ‘Take Action’?I will take you through the following NLP :-Using positive languageBreathingMental rehearsalAnchoring
Using positive language
Often we we use the words I can’t jump 70cmI can’t canter out on a hackTry reframing these toI can jump 60cm and am training
to jump a little higherI enjoy a small canter in the
school and I am building up to a small canter on a safe track
Positive Language
What if?My pet hate!How many things you think ‘what
if’ about ACTUALLY happen?Try What if not?What if he doesn’t shy?What if he does jump that fence?See the difference
Positive Language and OthersAvoid negative people if you canTell your friends and family about
what went wellWear a badge saying “Only
positive words accepted”Being really nice and positive to
people you don’t get on with really annoys them!
Worry about what went wellSpend as much time “worrying”
about a clear round or a nice hack as you would about things that didn’t go so well
Celebrate the smallest step forward
Keep a success diaryBe easy on yourself
BreathingWhen we are nervous, we take
shallow breathsA lot of the symptoms of nerves
are made worse by lack of oxygen
Correct breathing oxygenates the blood, clears the head and focuses the mind
Breathing Technique
Tummy BreathingOne hand on chestOne on tumBreathe in and only allow the
tummy hand to move outwardsCount to 4 as you breathe inBreathe out to count of 5Keep chest still and only move
tum
Breathing
If you have a medical condition, check with your GP before trying breathing exercisesHow did it feel?Were you able to think of
anything else whilst breathing?You can use this anytime when
you get nervous:-Interviews/dates/giving
presentations :-)
Mental RehearsalAlso known as visualisationYour unconscious mind can’t tell
the difference between a mental rehearsal and reality
Micro-muscle movements have been recorded when subjects visualise carrying out an action
Check out “18 holes in my mind”
Mental Rehearsal
The key to successful visualisation is to “be there”Use all the sensesBe realistic but stretchingReally dream itDon’t worry if you can’t get a
crystal clear picture – few people can!
Ken and Riley at Epworth XC
Anchoring
What is an anchor?The phone rings and you pick it
upA traffic light turns red and you
stopYou put your leg aid on and your
horse responds!An example of a Classically
Conditioned Response – “Pavlovian”
Works just as well on your unconscious!
AnchoringHow does it work?Think of at least 3 really positive
experiencesRelive them as vividly as you can one
at a timeAs you experience the great feelings,
touch your finger and thumb together and hold it till the feeling fades
If you repeat enough times, just touching finger and thumb will bring the feelings back
Anchoring
Would you like to have a try?
Anchoring and RidingBefore you rideBefore you tackle something
tricky or newUse like a “half-halt” on your self!
Summary
We have coveredWhat are nervesGoals and how to make them SMARTLogical Levels and Skills,
Environment and AttitudePractical TechniquesAnd you can use your workbook at home too!Book plug – “How to Become a Confident Rider”
Thank You
Ken Scottwww.ridingconfidence.co.uk
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