Smart Curling: How to Perfect Your Game Through Mental Training »

VERA PEZER, Ph.D, is a four-time Canadian Curling Champion as well as a Scott Tournament of Hearts and Olympic Curling Coach. She is also the author of The Stone Age: A Social History of Curling on the Prairies. She received a Ph.D in sports psychology from the University of Saskatchewan and lives in Saskatoon where she assists athletes from numerous fields with mental training and strategy. Among her many honours, Pezer has been inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

Success in curling demands outstanding skill and strategy, but getting and keeping the champion's edge requires even more. Exceptional psychological skill is imperative. Ask the experts.

In Smart Curling, champion Vera Pezer uncovers these secrets for those who are committed to curling excellence. Winner of countless championships, she knows all about "hurrying hard" while keeping her cool to win. From the perspective of competitor and that of sports psychologist, Pezer illustrates how to maximize motivation and concentration while effectively managing stress and distractions. She teaches about self regulators and confidence and outlines the relationship between practice and competition. She helps players understand and practice excellent communication - verbal and nonverbal. And she outlines team dynamics to understand and work with the various personalities and roles of team members and coaches.

Loads of examples and illustrations elucidate the sound theory in Smart Curling while its worksheets (downloadable from the internet) are designed to help players complete the exercises required to perfect their game through mental training.

List of Charts and Exercises     xi
Acknowledgements     xiii
The Right Energy     1
Excitement     3
How to Manage Excitement and Maximize Performance
More on Managing Excitement
Motivation     10
Internal Motives
The Negative Side of Motives
Understanding Your Performance Motives
Stress     20
Sources of Stress
Symptoms of Stress
Environmental Stressors
Changing the Environment
Managing the Environment
Leaving the Environment
Stress Management Strategies
Physical Strategies
Controlled Breathing
Muscular Relaxation
Mental Strategies
Imagery
Thought Stopping
Self-talk
Making the "Irrational" Rational
Sharing Stress
Time Management
Mental Training Techniques that Work     49
Imagery     52
Practising Skill-specific Imagery
Reviewing Past Performances
Rehearsing Strategies for Future Competition
Concentration     62
Tips for Improving Concentration
More on Distractions
Self-talk     73
How to Develop Personal Affirmations
Some Final Thoughts on Imagery, Concentration, and Self-talk     76
Mental Toughness and Team Dynamics     79
Effective Communication     81
Dealing with Disagreements
Tips for Decreasing Tension among Teammates
Dealing with Conflict
How Do You React to Conflict?
How Do You Manage Conflict?
Improving How YouCommunicate with Teammates
Keeping a Journal
Team Meetings
E-mails
Cohesive Teamwork     104
The Role of Personality
Introversion-Extroversion
Leadership
Roles
Styles
Productive Goal Setting     117
How to Set Goals
Some Final Thoughts on Goal Setting
Challenges to Success     127
Maintaining Your Confidence     128
Recognizing and Overcoming Your Negative Thinking
Circumstantial Thinking
Personal Thinking
Some Comments on Choking
Building Your Confidence
The Value of Practice     142
Practice Tips
Using Contracts to Define Team Expectations and Responsibilities     145
Tips for Effective Contracting
Dealing with Negative Challenges     150
Game-related Challenges
Starting Well
Protecting a Lead
Catching Up
Ending Well
Knowing the Ice
Personal Challenges
Balancing Demands
Performance Killers
Slumps
Staleness
Burnout
Choking
Problems with Teammates
Recommended Readings     167
Notes     169
Index     173
About the Author     177