Dave Spence
Any goal in sport must be specific, believable and imaginable before it can be realised. Discovering what lies within you and then learning how to use that awareness is a major key to improved performance.
"What lies behind you and what lies before you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you."
This quote is often used in motivational talks. So whether you are aiming for Olympic gold or striving to achieve a daily personal goal, the same things are in force. Your understanding of yourself and your mental preparation will play an important part in your success.
Picture yourself in this scene. It is one of your build-up races for a big race. Prior to the race your coach, fellow runners and friends are all coming up to you giving you encouragement. "Think positive. You can do it," they are saying. Their voices trail off into distant echoes as you reach the starting line.
Then thoughts flash through your mind. You're saying to yourself. "Gee my legs are tight. I have so much work to do tomorrow. Why am I here anyway? I'll be lucky to get within two minutes of my best time," and then you go and do just that - miss your best time by two minutes.
You have just demonstrated once again that the body does just what the mind tells it to do. If this is so, couldn't we all wish ourselves into being top-class runners? Unfortunately, wishful thinking and all the pep talks in the world can't achieve that. There are too many other factors that come into play.
However, there are sound mental preparation techniques that can be practised to help you achieve the highest performances you are capable of. But they must be placed in perspective with a list of other factors, which combine to create successful performance. They are:
1. Proper physical condition- training, stretching, exercises.
2. Proper techniques.
3. Proper health practises- sleep, nutrition.
4. Proper mental attitude- mental preparation, imaginable believable goals, support from a coach, clubmates, family and friends.
When all these conditions are put together with optimal preparation, you can expect successful performance. The first three aspects can be dealt with directly and with relative ease in any training programme. All you have to be is disciplined and to work hard. But what about mental attitude? Are there regular practice techniques for the mind?
There are, and they begin with an understanding of yourself. Mental preparation to face athletic challenges as well as challenges in everyday life follow this pattern:
* Self-awareness- an understanding of who and what you are.
* Self-image and self-esteem- a mental picture of yourself in a successful role and a feeling of personal worth.
* Goal setting- the practice of stating believable and imaginable goals.
* Goal achievement- made possible by realistic personal evaluation, strategy, focus (concentration), arousal and relaxation, visualisation techniques and pain management.
Using the knowledge of this pattern, you can learn how to overcome the mental barriers that restrict physical performance and how to handle setbacks and failures. This is too great a subject to handle in one article, so next week I will look at concentration, arousal and relaxation, visualisation and pain management. But to conclude this week strategy needs to be defined.
This is primarily, detailed goal setting. This includes a training programme. This serves to boost confidence. Specific written procedures for the days preceding the race should be predetermined. Break the race up into time and geographical segments. Plan your race effort-wise and time-wise.
Most importantly you have to have a clear image of your specific goal. To help you change your self-image; here are some guidelines for effective goal setting:
1. The goal must be believable and imaginable.
2. The goal must be personal, set by you. The coach and family's roles are to see new horizons, but the runner himself must set the horizon.
3. The goal must be specific i.e. Five hours and fifty minutes- not around six hours.
4. The goal must be important and worth striving for so that sacrifices being made to achieve the goal are not considered hardships.
5. Long range goals are considered important because they give direction. But short-term goals are important because they give encouragement along the way each time they are met. This builds a personal tradition of succeeding, which is reflected in your self-image.
(source Old Mutual)
Any goal in sport must be specific, believable and imaginable before it can be realised. Discovering what lies within you and then learning how to use that awareness is a major key to improved performance.
"What lies behind you and what lies before you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you."
This quote is often used in motivational talks. So whether you are aiming for Olympic gold or striving to achieve a daily personal goal, the same things are in force. Your understanding of yourself and your mental preparation will play an important part in your success.
Picture yourself in this scene. It is one of your build-up races for a big race. Prior to the race your coach, fellow runners and friends are all coming up to you giving you encouragement. "Think positive. You can do it," they are saying. Their voices trail off into distant echoes as you reach the starting line.
Then thoughts flash through your mind. You're saying to yourself. "Gee my legs are tight. I have so much work to do tomorrow. Why am I here anyway? I'll be lucky to get within two minutes of my best time," and then you go and do just that - miss your best time by two minutes.
You have just demonstrated once again that the body does just what the mind tells it to do. If this is so, couldn't we all wish ourselves into being top-class runners? Unfortunately, wishful thinking and all the pep talks in the world can't achieve that. There are too many other factors that come into play.
However, there are sound mental preparation techniques that can be practised to help you achieve the highest performances you are capable of. But they must be placed in perspective with a list of other factors, which combine to create successful performance. They are:
1. Proper physical condition- training, stretching, exercises.
2. Proper techniques.
3. Proper health practises- sleep, nutrition.
4. Proper mental attitude- mental preparation, imaginable believable goals, support from a coach, clubmates, family and friends.
When all these conditions are put together with optimal preparation, you can expect successful performance. The first three aspects can be dealt with directly and with relative ease in any training programme. All you have to be is disciplined and to work hard. But what about mental attitude? Are there regular practice techniques for the mind?
There are, and they begin with an understanding of yourself. Mental preparation to face athletic challenges as well as challenges in everyday life follow this pattern:
* Self-awareness- an understanding of who and what you are.
* Self-image and self-esteem- a mental picture of yourself in a successful role and a feeling of personal worth.
* Goal setting- the practice of stating believable and imaginable goals.
* Goal achievement- made possible by realistic personal evaluation, strategy, focus (concentration), arousal and relaxation, visualisation techniques and pain management.
Using the knowledge of this pattern, you can learn how to overcome the mental barriers that restrict physical performance and how to handle setbacks and failures. This is too great a subject to handle in one article, so next week I will look at concentration, arousal and relaxation, visualisation and pain management. But to conclude this week strategy needs to be defined.
This is primarily, detailed goal setting. This includes a training programme. This serves to boost confidence. Specific written procedures for the days preceding the race should be predetermined. Break the race up into time and geographical segments. Plan your race effort-wise and time-wise.
Most importantly you have to have a clear image of your specific goal. To help you change your self-image; here are some guidelines for effective goal setting:
1. The goal must be believable and imaginable.
2. The goal must be personal, set by you. The coach and family's roles are to see new horizons, but the runner himself must set the horizon.
3. The goal must be specific i.e. Five hours and fifty minutes- not around six hours.
4. The goal must be important and worth striving for so that sacrifices being made to achieve the goal are not considered hardships.
5. Long range goals are considered important because they give direction. But short-term goals are important because they give encouragement along the way each time they are met. This builds a personal tradition of succeeding, which is reflected in your self-image.
(source Old Mutual)