Where Is Your Dog Walking?

Have you ever walked a dog before? If it’s anything like walking my big, adorable dog...it can be a hassle. 

Unless it’s well trained, your dog might be all over the place. There’s generally 4 places this dog might end up:

1. Dragging you behind

   • Maybe they started side by side with you, but then you passed a flower that they simply couldn’t ignore. Before you notice them drop back, you feel the yank from behind force every one of your muscles to stabilize you as you come to a sudden stop. Not an excellent walking partner.

2. Pulling you ahead

   • Some people (and animals) have different walking speeds. In my dog’s case, her walking speed is at least 50% faster than mine, forcing me to do the awkward run-walk sometimes if I want to keep up. The worst case scenario is when your dog starts running ahead to chase an animal or because they’re just that excited to get outside. Regardless, not too comfortable!

3. Distracted, veering off the path

   • This can be summed up with one word: “SQUIRREL!” Your dog might see an animal they want to chase, another dog they want to befriend, or anything else to take them off the planned path and into the woods, street, or any other place you didn’t plan for. Again, not what you’re looking for when walking your dog.

4. Side by side right next to you

   • It’s like you don’t even need the leash. They stay right next to you no matter your speed, and prioritize sticking with you over any intriguing smells they come across. The ideal dog to walk!

So how does this all relate to sport psychology?

In the middle of your game, your mind constantly wanders into different states. Let’s look back at each example, but this time, consider the dog to be your mind.

1. Dragging you behind = stuck in the past

• Your mind is focused on regret or anger over something that has already happened, like a costly turnover, or not training enough to be prepared for where you’re at. Just like walking a dog that constantly drags you behind to stop and smell the roses, your mind being stuck in the past is not the partner you want to perform with.

2. Pulling you ahead = worrying about the future

• Just like your dog gets ahead of you when they force you to awkwardly run-walk, your mind often jumps too far into the past. You start thinking about potential consequences if something happens. Instead of being in the moment, you’re worrying about what hasn’t happened yet. Your body and mind are out of sync.

3. Distracted, veering off the path = distracted, focused on irrelevant thoughts

• While the last two modes were at least thoughts about the game, this mindset is focused on something else entirely. Maybe you’re thinking about all of the homework you have that night, a fight with your partner, or what the audience thinks of you. Whatever you’re thinking about, it’s not relevant or helpful to your performance.

4. Side by side right next to you = the present moment

• When was the last time you felt like you were “in the zone?” In that game, your body and mind were in sync during this flow state. The dog was walking perfectly in sync with you, not giving you a hard time by dragging you backward, pulling you ahead, or steering you off course. This high performance mindset comes when you’re thinking in the present moment - about what’s right in front of you. 

Your body is always acting in the present moment, but your mind is constantly in one of these 4 states. When you’re thinking in the present moment, it’s like your dog is walking side by side with you - the best walking partner, causing minimal discomfort. Your mind is susceptible to hurting your performance through those other 3 states: dragging you into the past, jumping into the future, and becoming distracted.

Being in the present is what every athlete should strive for. 

So, how is it done? There’s only a few steps!

Step 1

Train your awareness to catch your mind as it escapes the present moment.

The quicker you notice your dog straying away from you, the more often you’ll be able to anchor your mind in the present.

How so? You spend less energy pulling your dog back to your side if they’re 1 foot away as opposed to 5 feet away. The same is true on the mental side - if your mind jumps into worst case scenario thinking for 10 seconds, not 5 minutes, you’ll snap out of it much easier. So, to reiterate, awareness is key!

Step 2

Pull the dog back to your side. Just as you pull on the leash to remind your dog to walk next to you, a tool is necessary to drag your mind back into the present.

Let’s go over some tools for you to try out.

Tools

These tools focus on anchoring you to the present moment. It’s impossible to use these tools and focus on the past, future, or distractions.

Once you use a tool and pull your dog back to your side, you might find that this dog hasn’t learned a thing and instantly leaves your side again.

Just as it takes time to train your dog to walk with you, it takes time to train your brain to be in the present more often.

Tool #1: anchor your mind to your senses.

If you choose to focus intently on one of your 5 senses, sight, hearing, touch, smells, or taste, you’re in the present moment. No question.

It does, however, take significant focus to stay anchored here. 

There are a few methods you can use with your senses to come back to the present once you notice your mind elsewhere. You can choose to focus on one sense, like pointing out 5 things you can see while describing their visual details. You’re locked into the present moment during this process. Once you finish this process, maintain present minded thinking, like focusing on the process of executing what you want to achieve. Or, continue to focus on your senses to keep your mind from falling into the traps of the past, future, and distractions.

Tool #2: find your mantra.

Nothing is as efficient as an effective mantra to turn your performance damaging thoughts into performance enhancing ones.

Ultimately, this will be a word or phrase that connects with you to give you a sense of empowerment. In other words, you remind yourself of a plan, or a mindset that instills confidence and focus. This can be said in your head, or out loud.

Try thinking of a word or short phrase that reminds you of simple, yet essential, components to focus on that facilitate an effective performance. 

Here are two different, yet effective, examples.

• Follow through, eyes on the ball (process based).

• I have no future or past, just the present moment, and I’ll make it last (time based).

Whether it’s using through your senses or a mantra, a refocus routine that anchors you to the present moment will do wonders for your performance. You’ll spend more time in the present moment, which has the potential to launch you into “the zone” to help you feel at your best.

At the same time, your mind will spend less time regretting the past, worrying about the future, and distracted with irrelevant thoughts.

Closing Tips:
Trial and error is KEY to figuring out your go-to refocus routine.

Patience - in the early stages of perfecting your refocus routine, you may find yourself doing this 100 times in one game as you train your brain. It will get easier, but don’t expect it to be easy right away.

But it’s worth it - after all, do you enjoy walking your dog when they’re yanking you all over the place, or when they’re side by side, in sync with your every stride?

Summary: You are constantly thinking about the past, present, future, or distractions. Athletes perform best while thinking in the present. Train your ability to become aware of your mind straying from the present, as well as the ability to anchor your thoughts back to the present. This can be done through focusing on the senses and telling yourself a phrase (in your head or out loud) that brings you into the present moment. Be patient and go through some trial and error to find your favorite anchoring method that consistently reels in your mind to the present moment.