Improving Athletic Performance by Building Mental Maps
The Importance of Perceiving Play and Building Mental Maps
Scanning/checking your shoulder is an important way ice hockey players become aware of their surroundings. In the past, we dove deep into scanning and its importance.
But scanning alone is not enough. There is more to scanning than simply the action of scanning. There is another piece: short-term working memory. If you look at everything, you may see nothing. Players must direct their focus to specific items within their scans.
Specifically, that means creating a mental map of the game’s important information. Players must collect information and build a mental map that allows for quick, quality decision-making. Scanning effectively is about systematically mapping out space and the other players.
This is something Martin St Louis mentioned on The Hockey IQ Podcast (Apple Podcasts or Spotify or embedded player. Here is the shortlist St. Louis mentioned:
Where everybody is
What pace everyone is going at
If fresh/tired
Righty/lefty
Where opponents are likely to be
Steps as Part of the Process
Similar to driving a vehicle, there are two big systems at work:
Optical sensor eyes (Eyes)
Biological neural net (Working memory)
“As a player, whenever I get the ball I have to analyze, then decide, and finally execute. Perception plays a huge role in this. I worked with a University in Norway to identify how I could improve perception.” - Arsene Wenger
The research was done with Geir Jordet, a Hockey IQ Podcast guest.
Step #1 - Head Like A Radar
Great players separate their body... oversimplification, but you get the idea:
Lower body for movement
Upper body for object manipulation
Head for perception
A player must be able to separate their head from the puck (eg. perceiving the players instead of looking down at the puck).
A player’s head should be able to freely take in and perceive information while manipulating the puck.
As we know from scanning research, better players tend to scan at a much higher rate than everyone else. This is something modern talent evaluators are starting to look for and modern coaches are working to develop within their players.
The human visual field is about 60 degrees, including peripheral vision. Most great passes and plays are made closer to 120 degrees. Body orientation and scanning is crucial in making these plays. More on body orientation in the future…
Step #2 - Taking Mental Pictures
Step #1 was the physical looking to areas to gather information. Yet, simply looking is not enough! If you look at everything, you see nothing. If you prioritize everything, you prioritize nothing.
There must be intent to seek specific information. A good starting point is to look for:
Where the opponents are positioned.
Where open space and teammates are.
As a player develops their ability to gather relevant mental pictures for key information they can add additional information into their working memory that will go into their decision-making.
Space
Teammates
Opposition
Handedness
Speed differentials
Invasion sports like hockey are all about space. The best players are looking for where space is and where space is going to be.
“Think quickly, look for spaces. That's what I do: look for spaces. All day. I'm always looking. All day, all day. [Xavi starts gesturing as if he is looking around, swinging his head]. Here? No. There? No. People who haven't played don't always realize how hard that is. Space, space, space.” - Xavi
Information needs refreshed so continuing to scan is critical.
Step #3 - Analyze & Make a Decision
Players are interpreting the information they have collected and what action they take as a result. There are great guidelines to help process information.
This process goes from most valuable to least valuable information. Players should understand and identify the key information that will inform the best play given the situation. Coaches can help by directing attention to the areas that matter most.
For example, an attacking player often should look far then close or middle then outside. This can easily be built into a passing progression that players can use as a mental model when evaluating options.
Players are effectively deciding on risk vs reward given the situation to make the best possible decision.
“You have to analyze the quality of a player’s perception and decision-making. My challenge is to get my players to know which the best choice is and make the optimal decision every time they get the ball.
The player has to scan and decide, when he [has] decided he has to make the best possible solution.” -Arsene Wenger (Source)
Step #4 - Execute
Only last does a player execute. In real time the entire 4 step process happens quickly and can often seem blended. The more advanced players can blend these together to quickly scan, see, decide, and do.
A common issue you’ll see is people simply judge players based on execution, not on decision. Execution is easy to judge and see, but unlikely the real issue. If execution truly is the issue, that is a much easier thing to fix.
Building & Retaining a Mental Map
Mental Map = Mentally remembering key information that allows excellent quick and precise play.
Scanning with your head and taking mental pictures is about mapping out useful information. Holding key information in your head allows you to play the best play quickly. A player’s ability to create a mental map enhances their processing speed and ultimately ability to decide and execute quickly.
There is a lot of calculation that the best players hold in their brain so they don’t just make a play, but the best play.
“He’s (Lionel Messi) always analyzing the situation. When he receives the ball, he has a complete analysis of space and time in his head. He knows where every player is and boom“ - Pep
“After 5 minutes (of walking and looking around constantly), he has map in his eyes and in his brain to know exactly where the space and the panorama.” - Pep
For Coaches Focused on Development
“The problem in football (soccer) is that you learn how to play [the wrong] way round - first execution, then decision making and perception last.” - Arsene Wenger (source)
We can say the same thing with ice hockey… the least amount of focus should be placed on execution. More should be done in regard to perception and decision-making.
The first stage is puck mastery then a move to perception! With great perception comes better decision-making. With better decision-making comes better execution.
Doing it the opposite leads to a real danger of ruining a player.
FC Barcelona’s ‘La Masia’ Youth Academy
“Some youth academies worry about winning, we worry about education. You see a kid who lifts his head up, who plays the pass first time, pum, and you think, 'Yep, he'll do.' Bring him in, coach him. Our model was imposed by [Johan] Cruyff; it's an Ajax model. It's all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo.
Every. Single. Day. It's the best exercise there is. You learn responsibility and not to lose the ball. If you lose the ball, you go in the middle. Pum-pum-pum-pum, always one touch. If you go in the middle, it's humiliating, the rest applaud and laugh at you.
…When you arrive at Barça the first thing they teach you is: think. Think, think, think. Quickly. [Xavi starts doing the actions, looking around himself.] Lift your head up, move, see, think. Look before you get the ball. If you're getting this pass, look to see if that guy is free. Pum. First time.” - Xavi (Source)
As coaches, we must encourage our players to always look for more information and put them in environments that require scanning. It’s all about perception, reading the game, and making great decisions quickly.
Further Reading