Avoiding the trap of tailspin

There's an old saying: "Wins come in bunches." Of course, so do losses.

Which is why after his team's 12-game winning streak ended recently with a loss to ATL, Jerry Sloan "worries about what awaits."

So after the game at Atlanta on Wednesday night, Coach Sloan made it clear to his guys that he "wants to avoid the trap of tailspin."

"I just told them, 'Lots of times, you see a team after they've had a streak, they have one the other way,' "

According to Carlos Boozer, a seven-year NBA vet who played on the U.S. Olympic basketball team last summer, the next few games are a test for the Jazz.

"We'll see what kind of character we've got. I think if we're an elite team, we'll bounce right back. We won't just look at this thing and sulk and lose four or five in a row. We've got to bounce back from it."

Channeling competiveness in a postive way

Almost one year ago, the Tampa Bay Rays made a trade that included Matt Garza, a pitcher who "was 8-13 over parts of two seasons with Minnesota and was known for having a temper that could be as explosive as his fastball."

After an incident in June when Garza and a teammate "scuffled" in the dugout during a game against Texas, Garza went to Rays manager Joe Maddon and said, "I need help controlling my emotions." Coach Maddon contends "it was a huge turning point for him."

With the help of a sports psychologist:

"Garza learned to channel his competitiveness in more positive ways. For instance, when he needs to make an important pitch, Garza is apt to walk off the mound, remove his cap and read inspirational writings scrawled inside it."

The results were immediate and clearly contributed to the 24-year-old Garza earning ALCS MVP honors, the youngest pitcher ever to win the award.

Said one of Garza's teammates: "I've never seen a guy mature emotionally and professionally over the course of one season like this guy has done."

The psychology of intrinsic motivation

In the last 21 games, the University of Reno football team is 3-7 in games decided by eight points or less, including four straight.

So the question is, why can't Reno win close games? Is it a "mental" thing?

Not according to coach Chris Ault:

"Psychology (comes into play) when you don't know why you're losing. We know why. We know why we're getting beat. Like I told the kids. We know the enemy. It's us. Nobody's forcing us. They're not doing things to put us in these spots. It's us."

Further, Coach Ault takes full responsibility for his team's woes:

"When you're still making the same mistakes, you're not getting any better, and that comes down to coaching. It's got to get better, and it's got to get better fast. It's just that simple. The bottom line is somewhere along the line these kids don't understand. When it consistently happened, and those players don't realize their obligation and responsibility and accountability for that particular play, that is coaching. It's that simple. And it starts right here and works its way on down."

According to one psychologist, in situations when teams repeatedly lose close games, they cn begin to feel the pressure. His suggestion?

"Don't worry about winning. Worry about having fun. The solution is intrinsic motivation: 'I want to be the best player I can be. On this next play I'm going to play the best I can play it.'

Coaches are the ones who have to be worried about winning. Players just need to get into a flow. A lot of it has to do with enjoying it. That's how it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you're losing it's not fun, the coaches are yelling, the students are booing. It's less and less fun. That's what pushes you to extrinsic motivation."