Chapter 8 — The Three Phases of a Task

Section: Two — Building the Conscious Circle

1-sentence summary

Every performance — every shot, every putt, every presentation — has three phases: Anticipation (before), Action (during), and Reinforcement (after) — and most performers neglect the third.

Summary

The Three Phases of a Task is the temporal structure for every other tool in the book. Anticipation is the seconds before execution — where pre-shot routine, breathing, and rehearsal live. Action is execution itself — where Conscious Mind hands control to Subconscious. Reinforcement is the seconds after — and is where champions break from amateurs. Most performers spend Reinforcement evaluating, criticizing, or replaying mistakes — which is exactly the wrong content to feed the Subconscious and Self-Image. Bassham's rule: in Reinforcement, you only reinforce the parts you want to repeat. Bad result → run a corrected mental rehearsal, then move on. Good result → say "That's like me." This chapter is the on-ramp to running a complete Mental Program (next chapter).

Key scenes

• The clock-face diagram of a shot: 10 seconds Anticipation → 1 second Action → 5 seconds Reinforcement.
• The contrast between an amateur's post-shot face (frowning, head shake) and a champion's (neutral, brief acknowledgment, reset).
• The "feed only the good back into the system" rule.

"Characters" referenced (concepts)

• The Three Phases of a Task (full chapter)
• The Mental Program (introduced as the structure that fills the three phases)
• The Principle of Reinforcement (paired tightly with the Reinforcement phase)

Locations / settings

Generic — any execution moment (shooting line, free-throw line, golf tee, stage).

Visual motifs

A timeline of three labeled segments — ANTICIPATION / ACTION / REINFORCEMENT — like a film strip; a stopwatch with three colored arcs; an athlete in three frames (pre / during / post) with the post frame highlighted.

Source references

• https://whatgotyouthere.com/with-winning-in-mind-by-lanny-r-bassham/
• https://www.everydaymarksman.co/resources/with-winning-in-mind/
• https://www.robrashell.com/thelibrary/books/withwinninginmind/

Confidence

High — three-phase structure named identically across reader summaries and Bassham's publisher site.