A Missing Ingredient for Many Athletes
Many athletes suffer from “nerves” – being anxious and nervous on the day of competition.
This is because 90% of all STRESS comes from not doing things when they were supposed to be done!
One of the great challenges coaches and athletes face is allowing training to be completed at a standard lower than their expected competition performance.
Many athletes muddle through training doing the minimum standard of effort and application only to find that their competition performances are also lackluster.
Why? In training they have let it happen – they have allowed training to become a place where sub-standard skills and poor habits become acceptable practices. Then when they go to the competition and try to make it happen (i.e. force a successful performance to occur) they find they lack the skills, fitness and abilities to produce a winning effort.
Conversely, successful athletes have an attitude that makes it happen in training. They apply the same focus and intensity in training that they apply in competition. As a result, on competition day, they can relax knowing that they can let it happen – success is more likely to occur because of their attitude in training.
Leading Australian Coach Lawrie Lawrence once said of confidence in competition,
“Nothing gives an athlete confidence like knowing they have done everything they possibly could have done to their best of their ability in training and preparation”.
The key to this approach is: Train as you would compete.
If athletes learn to commit to achieving excellence in everything they do in training and to apply the same focus and determination to training well as they do to competing, they
create an environment of excellence in their club or training group. This attitude can make a significant difference to all the athletes in the group or squad.
As a wise coach once said, “Attitudes are contagious – is yours worth catching?”
Summary
Successful training programs help athletes develop a wide range of skills and abilities. Over a training season, athletes develop the characteristics they require to achieve their best in competition through a logical sequence of periodized training activities.
It would not make sense for a sprinter to wait until the morning of their first race of the season to start practicing speed development techniques.
It is not logical for a soccer player to start practicing kicking techniques on the morning of the first game of the year.
It therefore is not sensible to wait until the day of the big race or big game to try and develop mental skills. Mental skills need to be developed in every session, every day and in every training activity. By establishing and reaching training goals every day in practice, athletes develop the confidence and belief that anything is possible in competition.
If success in High Performance sport is as many people suggest, “99% mental”, then neglecting daily mental skills training is to neglect the key to competition success.
In many ways success is a choice – as it comes from the decisions and choices athletes make in every training and competition situation.
Go out and MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! **Remember to
Always plan ahead for what you are going to eat
Obtain adequate amounts of protein
Work on Flexibility
Supplement your diet with a fish oil and multi-vitamin
Let me know if I can help. Email me at architechsports@gmail.com
God Bless,
Alan Tyson
Physical Therapist, Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist