23 | be where your feet are

This issue started with a musical prompt on my Substack feed: "You CAN’T use Memphis, Paris or New York… what’s a great song with a city in the TITLE?"

It got me thinking about location, awareness, and being present…Which took my brain to Bunny Colvin of THE WIRE and his habit of grilling officers with the question “Where you at?”…Which made me think of the late sport psychology legend Dr. Ken Ravizza and his saying “Be where your feet are.” It started with music, and, after a brief stop re-living THE WIRE, made its way to sport.

In sport, the ability to engage neutrally with the present moment often makes the difference between performing to your potential or not. When athletes become distracted by what has happened or what has yet to happen, they can lose connection with their current location and situation. At younger ages, this is often painfully obvious. I have helped coach my daughter’s 12u softball team this season and it is always very clear who was somewhere else when a ball is hit to them. If they successfully field the ball - and that is a big if - they are suddenly paralyzed with indecision as they quickly try to assess the game situation. So much of development within a sport like softball is about learning to do the mental work ahead of the next pitch so you are able to simply respond when the ball comes your way. At higher levels, it may not be so obvious, but the impact of not being present still exists. Athletes may enter a play with more muscular tension than is ideal. Even worse, they may have set themselves up for failure because of worry or “just don’t do X” thinking.

Similar to the Bunny Colvin approach, a pre-pitch routine centered around asking athletes “Where you at?” could go a long way toward helping them stay present (and positive). I could see an exchange going something like this:

Coach Dave: Morgan, where you at?

Morgan Storm: Ferguson Park, in the field, 2nd base, runner on 1st, 1 out, 0-1 count!

Coach Dave: Where are your plays?

Morgan Storm: 2nd and 1st!

Coach Dave: Attagirl!

Helping athletes develop routines or techniques to help them stay (and get) present may seem ridiculous. But such simple approaches can go a long way. At the very least, engaging with a description of your present keeps your mind from going to places that won’t be helpful. At best, these kinds of routines can set athletes up for success and help them play freely. They may help athletes move from worrying about how they feel to what they can do. They may help guard against overthinking by placing some parameters on what to think about in between pitches or plays. Bunny Colvin seemed to think that “Where are you?” was a more relevant question to success in law enforcement than “How are you?” When it comes to sport performance, I am inclined to believe his approach has merit!

—

The work of Ken Ravizza played heavily into this issue. If you are unfamiliar with Ravizza’s work, check out the clip below to begin to remedy that. Though dated, it still strikes me as one of the best clips on the mental game within sport.

And check out the artwork below for a visual summary of Ravizza’s wisdom.

Larissa Oliveira Faria, Sarah da Glória Teles Bredt, Amanda Isadora Ribeiro, Larissa Rafaela Galatti, and Maicon Rodrigues Albuquerque. 2021. Inequality in Brazilian basketball: the birthplace effect. Rev Bras Cineantropom Desempenho Hum, 23, e76932.

summary: Researchers in this study used open-access websites to collect the birthplaces for 315 Brazilian athletes who were participating in the FIBA World Cup, NBB, and Woman’s Basketball League. Chi-square tests were used to compare expected and observed frequencies of birthplaces among 5 geographical regions. The results indicated that higher frequencies of athletes were born in the Southeastern region and especially in the Sau Paulo (SP) state. According to the researchers, the results suggest that Brazil is underachieving in terms of basketball potential by limiting basketball clubs to particular regions.

potential translations to sport: The question of “Who gets to develop?” can be asked within any sporting environment. Ideally, the answer would be that everyone would be provided a pathway should they desire it. In truth, there are likely individuals who are excluded or whose development comes despite a system rather than because of it. Systems may prioritize the affluent, the biggest/strongest, or the neurotypical. Geography, and the many characteristics that often accompany geography, are also factors in who gets to develop. There are some sports where geography makes logical sense as a limiting factor. For example, given the weather in my home region of central New York, I am not surprised that I witnessed no neighbors playing in the NCAA Softball World Series this season! But for a sport like basketball, there should be less of a geographical barrier. It is a simple game that can be played both indoors and outdoors. The equipment demands are relatively minimal. Research like this is eye opening for showing that, despite being one of most globally expansive professional sports, the potential for growth is still there.

Jackie Robinson is one of my favorite athletes. Even if you ignore what he did socially, there is an argument to be made for Robinson as the athletic GOAT. He was a star across 4 sports at UCLA and took on the almost impossible task of single handedly integrating a sport in what many considered his weakest area, baseball. Personally, I find it hard to argue that any athlete has had to put mental game skills to work under harsher conditions over such a prolonged period.

Outside of sport, however, Robinson loved jazz. Some even suggest that his playing style mirrored the improvisational nature of jazz performances. Post-playing career, he found a way to marry his love of music with his commitment to social justice. Beginning in 1963, Jackie and Rachel Robinson started hosting the “Afternoon of Jazz” fundraising event. You can read more about those efforts here and here. Robinson’s life highlighted one of the things I find most compelling about both sport and music; they have the power to move people in ways that create community, promote understanding, and improve conditions for others.

The generic answer to the Bunny Colvin question is one word: here. For my money, Mason Jennings may offer the best musical lesson on what that means for living.

Be here now, no other place to be
This whole world keeps changing, come change with me
Everything that's happened, all that's yet to come
Is here inside this moment, it's the only one

mason jennings BE HERE NOW

David Schary is one of the newest subscribers to the chordinnation and creator of The Inner Competition substack. Schary is a Professor of Exercise Science and the Director of Mental Health and Performance at Winthrop University. If you are interested in mental health and/or mental performance, check out his newsletter!

I learned about Gabbie via Joi (and her Electric Radio Club). Gabbie’s New Bands for Old Heads substack has been a pleasant addition to my universe, so much so that Gabbie earned a spot as the guest DJ on show 23 over at chordinnate radio. Check out the playlist that made me a fan below. My personal recommendation is to put Track 11 on repeat for a few hours, but I recognize that my particular method of enjoying new music may not be for everyone!

This playlist, and show 23 over at chordinnate radio, is all about location. I went with song titles that indicated something about location, and think I found some good ones. So check out the playlist, and, as always, feel free to suggest any additions!