The second season of the NBA is currently in full swing. Every playoff game means so much in a seven game series that coaches are willing to dig deep in their bag of tricks to get their players primed. The latest example of this practice is from the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, George Karl.

Already down 1-0 to the Los Angeles Lakers, Karl knew the team needed a little kick to up the intensity and aggressiveness for game two. Before the second game he showed his team video segments from mixed martial arts. Watching pure, unadulterated fury is not normally expected in preparation for a basketball game. It almost worked. For three quarters the Nuggets kept the game close until the the Lakers proved to be too much in the fourth quarter. And it never hurts to have Kobe Bryant drop 49 points.

The reasons for the loss are numerous: Bryant hit unbelievable shots, the game was played in Los Angeles, etc. However, Karl must be applauded for taking a chance in his communication with the team. The take-away message before the game was aggressiveness. The expected course of action would be just to say it. He, instead, violated expectations by showing a video. This brings up a major point of communication. If you want your message to be completely heard then you must violate the expectations of the audience.

Any time you depart from normal behavior you give your team unexpected actions. People pay more attention to new things than the usual. Karl did not have a history of showing fighting videos before games so the message was clearly communicated and all the players understood what was desired.

Unfortunately, the Nuggets lost game two and now face an almost impossible task in trying to win the series down two games to none. They can overcome and win but the mindset needs to be shifted. It will definitely help playing at home but they must win the third game.

The fighting video resonated with the players. The players knew what was expected of them and Karl showed he could send a message to his team. It is clear the team respected Karl for taking the chance and switching things up but the medium is always the message. Fighting is an individual sport and the Nuggets in game two played a largely individual game. The message of the video was individual aggressiveness and that is exactly what the Denver players showed.

If you want the team to be aggressive then you must plant the seed of a group dynamic being aggressive. Perhaps showing a battle scene from Braveheart would set the tone of unity and overcoming adversity. After all, in game two the Nuggets got 12 assists versus their season average of 24. The result of aggressiveness as individuals.

Have you ever wondered why one kid enjoys a team while another gets burned out? Or why one’s ability will increase faster than another’s even though they are on the same team? Those answers and many more can be found in Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset.

The book elucidates two methods of thinking. On the negative side of the spectrum is the fixed mindset. This is an idea that today is as good as you will get. If you do not succeed it is because you are not good enough and you should take it personally.

On the positive side lies the growth mindset. This method of thinking accepts that any setbacks are due to a lack of mastery. An attempt creating undesired results is simply a learning opportunity you can grow from. Or stated another way, tomorrow you will be better than you are today.

The book delves into studies and examples that show exactly how powerful the mindset can be. It also adds to the reader’s vocabulary so they can identify the mindsets of people around them. This is a must read for coaches and parents as it will only help you make the experience of sport my enjoyable for your athletes. 

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. While this theory was designed around laws of motion it is also very applicable to mindsets in sports. A good play often precedes another good play just as a bad play will create another bad play. This momentum is due to mindsets and the perception of why things happen.

Casual attribution, simply, is the perception of why something happened. Was the result caused by your actions, the actions of someone around you or are you just plain unlucky are the questions casual attribution answer. It is important to know that in the heat of competition the correct answers to the previously listed questions are not nearly as important as the perception. The disgruntled coach may blame all of the team’s misfortunes on horrible officiating, a shallow superstar may take all responsibility for victory and the list goes on.

In most situations casual attribution takes on the form of ego protection. An athlete or coach can blame something else for a lack of success thereby still believing they could be victorious. One of the most famous examples in recent history was the saga of Steve Bartman. He reached for a foul ball, interfered with the player and prevented him from making the play. It would have been nice to get the out but if the ball flew two more feet to the left then it would have landed safely in the stands and the whole thing would have been a non-issue. The Chicago Cubs used this incident as a sign they were not supposed to win, even their fans against them. However, the reality of the situation was not quite as drastic and should not have decided that series or even the game.

When something happens in a game that is controversial or unfortunate the best course of action is to approach the situation keeping the ego away. Take an unbiased look at what happened and leave it there in the past. Too often, competitors take previous actions into the present and things only get worse. The goal, after all, is to do your best, not have the safest ego or best reason for not playing to your potential.

The human body is very adept at protecting itself from physical harm. That bump on your head will automatically swell up to promote healing. In order to be successful in team sports you have to untrain the flinch when a ball flies at you. Through years of evolution these reactions have been planted into our central nervous system to protect our well being so we can continue our species. However, the mind is far more fickle.

If you have ever had food poisoning you know how thoroughly the body will purge the toxins in an effort to protect itself. Yet the mind seems to work in the exact opposite manner. Ask an athlete to recall an error or instance of choking and they will produce a recollection with amazing clarity. On the other hand, an instance of triumph seems to be a giant blur. There are several theories as to why the mind does this but the important thing to know is you can break the cycle.

Everyday we support habits that largely go unnoticed. From signing your name to putting on your right shoe first we engrain common tasks to the point where they are completely on autopilot. Just for fun try putting on your left shoe first or step into your pants with the opposite leg you normally do. It feels weird. That is the way the mind works. Neurons that fire together wire together. When you depart from that path you are in uncharted territory. It feels weird because it is unknown and the next step needs to be thought through, it’s no longer automatic.

You can apply this from tasks to your overall manner of thinking as well. Most people find it very easy to recall embarrassing moments. This is because most people have not taken the time to train their mind. They just cruise through on autopilot and moments that created the greatest negative emotional reactions plant themselves firmly in the memory. Fortunately, it does not have to be like that.

First, you need to be aware of the thoughts swirling through your head. Just like being aware of which shoe you put on first you need to know exactly what you are thinking. Then you need to identify the thoughts. Are the thoughts in your head helping you? From there you can begin to make changes.

Every Sunday on the PGA Tour you see athletes succumb to their own thoughts. A player will begin the round a few shots back and by the end of the day they have played themselves completely out of contention. They allow their thoughts to run on autopilot and paid the price.  Instead, use your mind to your advantage. Be aware of your thoughts and the resulting actions so you can develop positive thinking habits that will eventually run on autopilot.

Today kicks off the first day of the Masters Golf Championship in Augusta, Georgia. As usual, it is difficult not to think Tiger Woods will win this tournament - or any other tournament  he enters. This year he has absolutely dominated the field and it’s almost like the field only plays for second place. At this point in his career he has no rivals that can contend with him on a weekly basis.

Beyond Tiger’s raw talent, physical strength and desire to win is an incredible mindset. It’s a responsibility. The great golf commentator, David Feherty, said that it takes responsibility to hit good shots consistently. This is exactly how Tiger plays.

On the few occasions Tiger actually hit a poor shot he does not not carry negative emotions with him into his next shot as so many others do. Immediately after a chunk, he will display his frustrations but then he moves on and accepts the current position of the ball. Once he knows where the ball is then it is all about how to make the next shot.

It seems like a pretty basic principle: think about what you need to do with your current shot rather than lament on the errors of your previous shot and you will do better. However, people are constructed in such a way that they highly value ego protection. Unfortunately, placing blame on other things allocates the focus away from the current task at hand and instead on superfluous reasoning in a dire attempt to make us feel better. This is what turns one bad shot into a round of bad shots. A player is not thinking forward about what they need to do. Instead, they are thinking about how they were  previously wronged.

The players on the PGA Tour are incredible. They can hit shots the average golfer only dreams about. The reality of the situation is that very little talent differentiates #1 and #100 on any given week. That places a huge premium on the mental aspects of the game and means the winner was the best at keeping his focus on what he has to do next. Look for it. The winner this week will be the one who looks relaxed, composed and confident about his next action because he knows exactly what he needs to do.