subject: Mental training for rockstars [print this page] Guest editorial for "Infocus Magazine", Floridas leading online magazine for the film, television and the arts industry
Mental training has found its way intoprofessional sports, and more and more also into the entertainment industry as preparation for rock and pop performances. Same as professional athletes have to improve theirmental images of their performance to ensure a perfect race or jump, rock stars need to prepare mentally a smooth stage performance. Here is an example how you may implement mental training in preparation for your next rock performance.
First of all, imagine the crucial points in your performance, as well as the location, its atmosphere and technical equipment, the crowd of people and your relation to the people with your performance.
It is an important part of your preparation or rehearsal to imagine all this and to paint the whole picture of a perfect and emotional show on stage in your mind. Picture every detail, every song to perform, the teamplay with your band members and your harmony with yourself and your sourrounding in your mind.
If you feel that there is a missing link at any point of your imaginary stage performance, you have to face this before your real performance. The missing link in your imagination will be a missing link in your real performance.
You need to imagine your success on stage first, and feel good with everything you do, to have your greatest time on stage.
Compare it with a ski racer it is not enough that the ski racer sees himself winning. He needs to see himself winning at all stages of the ski race in his mind before. On all race tracks, there will be difficult parts where he might think he could slip away and fall. He would try to imagine beeing the ski master who handles that difficult situation successfully and prevail at each part from start to finish easily.
Back to your performance: imagine how you manage to reach all stage goals of your show. Stage goals maybe difficult guitar riffs, solos or dance parts which you want to finish with greatness. See yourself doing this, over an over again, until you are assured that you are really able to do it (of course, mental training is accompanied by all necessary professional technical training with your instrument, singing or dancing). If there is a little detail which does not work, picture your dance move, hear your solo notes or feel your guitar riff with your finger tips. Let every detail of your imagination be your pleasure and your most emotional and successfull stage experience.
Visualize and experience all the crucial points in your show performance before you conquer your stage in reality, win your show and the hearts of your fans before, and your show will be a major success!
One more thing which you should prepare just in case: the unthinkable which could distract you or disturb your show. Imagine the worst case scenario, and how you would react successfully to manage this situation, before it happens. Like this, you will be prepared for it.
This is called a "Plan B" for anything that could happen. In this situations you must be professionally prepared to stay master of your show. Your solo timing is not right? What then? You forget the words? What do you do? You have a black out? You slip and feel dumb? How do you stay in charge? React to this situations positively in your mind and save this positive picture. If you go over it hundreds of time and something you have imagined really happens, you will just say: "I have thought through it hundreds of times, i know how to handle it rock`n roll now!"
Itisnormal that youfeeluncomfortable in this emergency situations, but the better you are prepared mentally and the more often you have managed this fall downs and reacted to it positively in your mind, the more likely it gets that you enjoy your show time and have the best time of your life!
