Thanks for coming back! I appreciate your viewing.
I know it’s been a little while since my last post. I’ve been really busy but I wanted to share some thoughts on a common theme I am seeing with many of the athletes I work with. Preparation before competition is a difficult thing to figure out. Having a routine that allows you to feel comfortable, ready, focused, and confident is not as simple as just doing what your coach says or reading up on a routine in a book. In an earlier post I wrote about what your expectations should be of a pre-competition routine and now I want remind you of the pitfalls of not doing your routine or having one that does not help you.
Many of my athletes discuss how it is easy to do their routines and feel ready during “home” competitions but then either forget to or rush through their routine when they are “away”. The common cause for this falls under a few different reasons: complexity, time, reminders, and usefulness. (*The following causes are not exclusive being at away events; the key is that not doing your pre-competition routines can lead to a lack of focus, higher stress, and not being physically ready.)
- If your routine is too complex then you run the risk of either worrying too much about completing it or in some situations you will not be able to complete it.
- The time you give yourself before a competition is also critical to completing your routines. Too much time and you may get cold or find yourself standing around. Too little time you won’t be able to get ready and be prepared.
- Reminders are also important because under pressure it becomes difficult to remember our routines. Even if you go through your routine, if you feel pressured or stressed you may skip over important steps.
- Lastly, is your routine useful? So many times I talk with athletes who have no idea if there routine actually gets them ready. You should feel physical and mentally ready, focused, confident, and comfortable.
Take time to review your routine and make sure you are getting the most out of it and feeling prepared.
For more information about mental performance as well as overall athletic performance enhancement check out our websites. The links are on the right of the page.
Gain An Advantage From These Tips
It’s the bottom of the ninth, the last 10 meters, forth and 1, 6 seconds left; whatever the sport situation is, performing at your best is crucial. So how do we make sure you are at your best even when the pressure is on? Why do some players of similar abilities have consistently different outcomes? For top-level/elite athletes they know that they need to practice and train for their mental skills, as well as their physical skills. This cohesion of physical and mental performance is sometimes referred to the “zone” or “flow”. Most athletes have felt this at some point during competition and/or training but they are then left trying to achieve a sensation. This “chase” of a feeling can be mentally exhausting. Being concerned about being in the zone pulls our attention away from what is important. The focus should be on all of the things we can control (your training, warm-up, nutrition, etc). Instead of trying to get yourself into a “zone” let’s look into what are the components of being in the “zone”. These components will help you become a better athlete regardless and may even aid in getting yourself back into the “zone”.
- Be creative! – The most obvious path to your goals is not always the best. Similar to mixing up how you train to help your muscles get stronger/faster, mixing up your path to your goals may speed up and/or put more focus on your goals.
- Positive self-talk – As athletes our natural inclination is to have negative thoughts about what we could do better. That’s why we compete but negative talk hurts our confidence and our performance. Start working on being more positive. Think about what you have done well, or all of the hard work you have put into training.
- Stay cool – By keeping your cool you can better deal with anxiety and minimize your chance for panic attacks. Deep breathing and muscle relaxation can help you stay calm.
- Focus – Stay in the present. Only pay attention to what benefits you in performance.
- Consistency – Have a routine and stick to it. Make every performance the same. It allows you to stay on task, be focused, and feel comfortable in any environment.
For more information about mental performance as well as overall athletic performance enhancement check out our websites. The links are on the right of the page.
