Mentally Tougher - The Condor Performance Blog

There are two points that I would like to cover in this comment.
The first is :
People in the same sport in even the same position in the game will need different levels of arousal. The point of the Haka (from when I was in New Zealand for two years) was to prepare everyone for battle. Back in war times for the Maori and in modern times for football games different individuals need different types of mental warm-up. Some people would rather be listening to music or going over plays. Other players may need to mentally warm-up with a group to raise the arousal to the level that is most beneficial to the game ahead.
The second point is:
Whilst forcing every player to complete the Haka you may be forcing different players to be over aroused for the game. This may be detrimental to the player.
Whilst saying that there needs to be other scenarios that need to played out for pre-game routines. Without trials there may be a risk that without the Haka there may be a complete under-arousal.
Take home message:
Yes some players may be better off without the Haka, but without proper trials for pre game routines some players may be left without a gauge on their levels of arousal and how to manipulate it for maximal performance outcome.

All All Blacks can get positive mental skills and performance out of the Haka, they dont because they dont understand what anchors and triggers are. These are two jargon words that come from Neuro Linquistic Programming, NLP, or Self Actualizing Psychology.
An example of an anchor and trigger is when you drive down the road and you see a red light what do you do? you stop. Anchored into you are red lights and when you see one [ visual trigger ] you stop.
Understanding our sensory systems that some people are more Visual, some Audio and some Kinesthetic and this is how we learn and remember information, so as a team it depends on the individuals sensory system what they will get from the Haka.
The Haka being mostly kinesthetic [ passion, feeling, the doing ] then the kinesthetic players will get the most out of it.
But, by not understanding how to use the Haka as an anchor and triggers then it is basically a waste of effort.
Once the passion has died down between the adds they now put on in the RWC and the starting whistle, they will be back psychologically to the same level as the opposing team.
The All Blacks could be smarter if the coaches would listen.

The Haka performed by the members of the New Zealand All Blacks before their matches has become an iconic pre-match routine that prepares the players for battle against their opposition. However, as the question indicates, for some this preparation may go too far and actually hinder rather than benefit their performance. Therefore this may not be the best pre-match routine for all the players and to explain why this is the case I will refer to the Yerkes-Dodson Law.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law illustrates the relationship between arousal and performance through the use of an inverted-U shaped curve. Essentially, what the curve indicates is that as a person’s arousal begins to increase, so does their performance, until it reaches a threshold where if the arousal continues to build their performance levels will suffer consequently. The purpose of the curve is to identify that for players or performers to achieve their best results, they need some level of arousal as it can facilitate things like concentration, motivation and provide them with a sense of direction. However, if the person is under-aroused or over-aroused, then their performance will be negatively influenced. In relation to the Haka, because it is such a passionate and intense routine, a player’s level of arousal may increase too far because they become so involved and encompassed by the performance. If this occurs, it could mean they exceed that arousal threshold, which does not allow them to perform at their optimal level and can have adverse affects such as increased anxiety or nervousness. In saying this, if a player is able to perform the Haka and ensure that their arousal remains or increases up to and not beyond the optimal level, then the routine can be seen to benefit them and this will show through their performance. However, for players who cannot control that arousal then they will not be performing to the best of their capabilities. This is where sports and performance psychologists can be of benefit. It is clear that all New Zealand players wish to participate in the Haka because it is part of wearing the All Blacks jersey and no one would want to be denied this opportunity. If so, performance psychologists can work with players and offer them techniques that allow them to control their arousal and emotions during the performance of the Haka to ensure it does not have an adverse effect on their performance. If the player is able to adopt these skills and put them into practice then it should not restrict them in being able to participate in the Haka. But, until they can do so, the question remains whether they should be participating because it will have negative consequences for them when they step onto the field for the start of play.

I think David, Wayne and William have done my job for me regarding this question. Basically, unless great psychological care is taken then something as emotive as the HAKA could backfire when certain (keyword) players performed it in certain (keywords) occasions. My question to them would be what produces more anxiety – not doing it and therefore disrupting their PPR or doing it – which could “push them over the edge” when combined with the organic arousal of, say, a RWC final? Maybe only the older players should do the HAKA and have the younger ones watch on – based the assumption that age comes with experience comes with reduced arousal. Either way well done to The All Blacks for getting the choking monkey off their backs. Now all they need to do is win a World Cup away from home and by more than 1 point in the most pressured game! GJM