DR DANA Sinclair is a performance psychologist who has been working with athletes in pro hockey, baseball, basketball, American football, Olympic events and soccer since 2000, in addition to high-level medical and corporate organisations.

A clinical assistant professor with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, her new book is entitled: ‘Dialed In: Do Your Best When It Matters Most.’

The identity of her clients is not revealed though the book features glowing testimonies from Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Lee Curtis, tennis legend Billie Jean King, the controlling owner of LA Dodgers and Chelsea FC general partner Mark Walter and NBA champion point guard Kyle Lowry among others.

Below, she chats with The 42 about the book and some of her recommendations that can be employed by top-level athletes and ordinary people alike. 

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What prompted you to do the book?

I think after all these years of working with high performers, I could finally see that there was a pattern and a process that was working, based on research.

But you have to have the experience to get all this going. And I thought it could help everybody else. Whether you’re writing an exam or playing on a professional field, anybody can use it.

What are the most common problems among athletes that you’ve worked with?

Whether you’re an athlete or not, the biggest thing people struggle with is tension. That’s the one thing that if people can grab a hold of, they can immediately make their pressure moments better.

Because really, what I do is, I help people learn to manage their emotions under pressure. And the mindset is key to being able to do that.

So even high performers struggle. They get tense, they get nervous, they lose their confidence, and they worry about making mistakes, but they know that they’ve got to be on top of their mindset, in those pressure moments, to get to their best.

We all seem to have shorter attention spans nowadays, with the prominence of smartphones etc. How can athletes in particular combat that issue before a big event?

It is a good point. And it’s true, the focus is all over the place, sometimes, or it’s very short. But that is okay for performers because you’re trying to focus for a short period and even say, in a match or an event, you have time to go in and out of your focus.

You have to be able to regroup in the moment. I heard something that Novak Djokovic said the other day, in terms of his mental approach. He might get frustrated and angry, so he gets distracted, but he has to be able to pull it back quickly to be able to get back on track in the match. If you’ve pre-planned and know how to do it for you, you’ll be in good shape. 

One of the chapter headings that struck me reading the book is ‘confidence is overrated’. Can you explain why you think it is?

Confidence is one of those variables that can change from day to day, hour to hour, even minute to minute, you can feel like your confidence is shifting on you.

To me, confidence is about how you feel and performing is about what you’re doing. So we all get caught up in how we feel at the wrong time. If you’re playing a sport, a game, and you’re worried about your confidence, you’re worried about how you feel, you’re likely going to have a higher tension.

You’re going to be thinking negatively, worrying about expectations, worrying about the result, you’re no longer focused on what you’re supposed to be doing or where you’re supposed to be on the pitch or anything like that. That’s the problem. So we get over-concerned about our confidence. And it takes away from what we’re supposed to be doing right now.

You don’t have to be an athlete — I’m thinking of an American Idol contestant I worked with. Basically, after her first edition, she made it. But she was freaking out because she felt didn’t have the confidence. Everybody else was more confident than her. She couldn’t do it. And I asked her: ‘Well, how did you get through the audition then without confidence?’

‘Oh, well I do have a really good voice.’ So when she learned to do it — calm down a little, breathe, connect to her song and remind herself in the moment to stay on top of her high notes, she did great. She had a plan to stick to. So that’s why with confidence, you might want it, but you don’t need it.

Do you think it takes a specific type of person to be an elite athlete or an elite singer? For example, do you think people who reach the top in music or sports need validation more than most people? 

Well, I think anybody can reach the top. Any kind of personality or any kind of performance style or behavioural makeup can make it to the top. I think it’s just about harnessing your talent because what differentiates people? Well, talent is the easy answer, but it’s certainly the incomplete answer.

Talent doesn’t ensure success, your mindset does. If you have a cluttered mindset, you’re not going to be able to access that talent consistently, on the tough moments. Whereas I’ve seen many talented people flame out in their careers, mediocre talented people rise to the top because they can harness their abilities consistently.

Something you examine as well is athlete superstitions. Do you think ultimately, these superstitions are just harmless? Or do you think they can be very unhealthy in the long run?

I think some are harmless. They are such low cost. So I don’t mind when people do those.

But there are a lot of them that are harmful and they get in the way because people are trying to deal with their anxiety with a superstition.

Whether it’s eating the same thing, taking the same route to the match, or wearing something in particular, or having to talk to someone before — these things have nothing to do with your performance. So I think they can be harmful if you have to have that.

If they’re interfering with your preparation, they’re a problem because really, they are just a way to deal with the stress and anxiety of what you are worrying about, which is probably the result, mistakes, etc. And I would much rather people be more constructive and productive in how they prepare.

What are some of the best ways to alleviate negative self-talk?

Well, with self-talk, there are two parts. One, you’ve got to have a facts list. People do not think about their accomplishments enough. And it doesn’t make people cocky. It’s just they always go to what they haven’t done or what they need to do. And they don’t take a moment to have a list of accomplishments, things they’ve done well, things they’ve won, good feedback they’ve received, promotions, whatever it is.

I like people to have a list. I want people to love their facts because that helps ground them and keep their tension down before they compete, or during the day.

Then the second part of the self-talk is called smart talk. It’s how you talk to yourself daily, or when things get tough. And a lot of times, people are quite negative and telling themselves: don’t mess up, don’t make a mistake, are you sure you can do this?

If you’re doing that type of thing, and it is negatively affecting you, I say we’ve got to change that up. Usually, that’s just focused on the worry, on a feeling, and we need to redirect self-talk to something constructive.

It doesn’t have to be positive. But it does need to be constructive, what to do, what are your facts, things like this.

Even if it’s: ‘Well, I will make a mistake if I keep talking to myself like this. So what I better do is breathe a little bit here. And make sure I listen to the interviewer’s question or make sure I get to Centre Court,’ things like that.

Breathing is something you focus on as well a lot in the book. How important are breathing exercises for top performers? And why do certain athletes or performers require different breathing exercises than others?

I do think the one thing anybody should do, if they want to affect their performance positively, is learn how to breathe properly. And I don’t mean that you have to spend all day breathing, it’s just learning how to do it quickly, and effectively.

So you’ve got to slow it down. When we’re anxious, we get breathing up here, it’s louder, it’s faster. We’ve got to slow it down. And how do you do that? Breathe in through your nose, use your nose more. And if it’s coming out of your mouth, breathe out like you’re breathing through a straw, because that slows everything down, which allows you to think: ‘Come on now, get your shoulders down. What am I supposed to be doing again?’

I like to tell people: ‘Just learn how to breathe it out in five seconds. Slow. Exhale longer. Keep your shoulders down. Boom, done.’

I think some people need more than that. It depends on your personality. If you’re a reactive, fast-paced person and you don’t recognise that you rush around all the time, you might need a little bit more work or a little bit more attention to your breathing. And again, it’s not hard. It’s just reminding yourself to do it.

You also regard daydreaming as a positive practice to engage in. Explain why it can be helpful.

A lot of people call it imagery or visualisation. I call it daydreaming because daydreaming connotes smaller little clips. We all daydream anyway. And I figure: ‘Well, why not make use of it?’

We’re all told: ‘Oh, don’t daydream.’ When you’re a kid at school, your coach or your parents [will say]: ‘Stop daydreaming, do something.’ I say: ‘Focus your daydreaming, make it effective.’

Practice in your head, what you would like to do: improve a skill, familiarise yourself with an event or something you have to do. See yourself being calm and composed. When something goes wrong in your head, practice how to fight back and make it right, instead of just stopping.

Step it up, see where you want to be, see how good you want to be or how you want to behave as you get better. These types of things are extremely helpful. There’s tonnes of research on it, so I don’t have to go into it. But we all know that if we spend a little bit of time rehearsing this in our minds, we’re much more likely to get to it in real life.

And when you are daydreaming about the good stuff, you’re no longer in that hotspot distracted zone, worried about how you feel. You’re being constructive with what you’re doing.

Billie Jean King told me once that she used to do this all the time, she would make up all sorts of counter shots to impossible situations, and see herself victorious, or correcting something. Just because it was fun to do. And then she was ready for a match.

Do you believe these practices are prominent in elite sports? Or do you think a lot of people tend to overlook them?

I think people overlook them. And they’re things that we can have at our fingertips, and we can coach ourselves on. All of these skills are something we can use to become self-directed and coach ourselves to be better at. You don’t need to be dependent on somebody like me, 24/7, you just need to know what to do, what the process is, and then, okay, off you go, do it. 

Being good at what you do, getting results, and using these skills is a great way to stay on top of your mental health, too. If you’re feeling satisfied with how you’re performing, it’s a really good way to nourish your sense of wellness. 

Billie Jean King (file pic). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

You write in the book as well about working with teams and interviewing prospective players. What qualities do you look for in these kinds of circumstances when you’re interviewing a prospective player?

I am just trying to get to know them, in a short amount of time, mind you.

We end up having a good conversation with the prospects. But really what I’m looking for is essentially how easy is this person to develop. Because when you acquire a prospect or somebody for an organisation, you want to know what you’re getting. And you want to know: ‘Okay, what kind of skills do we need to help them with?’

So I am looking for some conscious restraint. Can they see and understand other people’s points of view? Will they listen? Will they take instruction? Will they work with somebody? Are they conflict-avoidant? Are they very passive? Are they too aggressive and happy to be belligerent with people? Are they reactive? Are they patient? I’m trying to get a good handle on the constellation of characteristics this person brings to their performance life.

So to know how much work they will have to put into it to get the most out of themselves.

I’m helping predict performance over time. And to see who’s more likely to excel and who’s more likely to disappoint.

On a somewhat related note, explain the concept of red flag athletes and why organisations should think twice before recruiting them.

Now and then there’s a red flag in terms of behavioural makeup. And those people are well-meaning, potentially, but they just can’t manage themselves consistently over time, and certainly under pressure.

So those people are red flags because they’re often toxic in the dressing room, they are very good, but they don’t show up very often, their talent doesn’t show up very often. So they are difficult to rely on. And as they say, they can break down the performance culture of the team. And they can cost a franchise or an organisation a lot of money, because of bad behavior, or just underperformance.

How important is it as well for athletes to seriously and regularly evaluate their performance?

I think that’s one of the best skills an athlete can employ, to get even better. So checking in with yourself. And yes, evaluating your performance. I like people to think about: ‘Okay, on a 10-point scale, from lousy to brilliant, where was I? Get a number, then figure out: ‘Okay, what did I do well, what went well there? And conversely, what didn’t go so well? So that the next time I’ve got an adjustment point if I need to.’

You can spend two minutes doing this right away after or within a day [of the performance], just so you’ve got the information and you’re ready to go the next time.

If you don’t have a look at these basic factors, it’s hard to know how to improve and you won’t improve as fast. And some of the top performers do this quite well. They do it regularly. It doesn’t take them long, but they think about that.

Finally, if there’s one key idea you’d like people to take from reading this book, what would it be?

I want people to be able to shift when they drift. So when they drift over to distraction, worries, feelings and results, I want them to quickly shift themselves over to getting calmish. And focusing on the ‘do’ of the moment, what to do in the task.

I was doing a talk for a professional baseball team recently, and on the way down the hall, I was talking to one of the coaches who was a former batting champion in Major League Baseball. And he said: ‘I finally got it. Now I know what I did. I never thought I would amount to anything. I was small, I didn’t think I’d be very good. But I won a couple of hitting titles. Because I did the do. That’s what I did, I did the do. I could stay focused on what to do at the plate when the pressure was on.’ He had one or two things he had to think about doing. And he was able to do that fairly naturally. 

There is one other thing I can tell you. Just in terms of some of the skills that high performers use, in the last two weeks, I’ve had six professional athletes be incredulous and or laugh about how breathing has saved them in their competitions. And that if they could just keep doing that, they were great. So for anybody out there, get good at that. They have to force themselves to but they do it.