3 Keys to Improving Your Competitive Mindset
Despite everything going on with Covid-19, we officially made it to show season! Thank goodness not everything in 2020 has been canceled.
With show season being in full-swing I wanted give you some tips on how you can improve your mindset going into each show. The physical aspect of being ready for competition is important, but don’t forget about what’s between your ears!
Did you catch my Instagram post the other day with the scary Halloween hands? Well it was about the #1 killer of performance which is (SPOILER ALERT) stress. All of the below tips below can help you de-stress and get your mind right for your next show.
The three keys the SUCCESS. Mindset success.
1. Confidence
The best way to build up your confidence for shows is by working hard to improve your skill set. But you might say “Coach Sando! I do that every day when I ride!” And then I’d have to ask you some follow up questions😊.
Have you ever heard the phase, “Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect”? Well…what is perfect practice? Putting in that high level of effort I mentioned above will have you well on your way to perfect practice. Next question for you would be - Do you journal all the things you need to work on? Do you write down how to improve your skills for each training lesson? These are called “Planned Reps” and they’re going to give you the best results because those planned reps – those skills you choose to focus on in your lessons – are going to help you really hone in on where you need to focus. As you work on the accuracy of those planned reps, you’re going to ingrain that skill set in your mind.
Ingraining that skill set from planned reps will turn into a “Dominant Response”. I didn’t even warn you about all these definitions today, but POOF – here they are. These dominant responses are seared into our brains, so even during times of high stress and anxiety your brain will remember what to do! Now don’t confuse Dominant Response with muscle memory. Dominant responses are stronger than that because it is a response that you developed. It’s not just a response your body remembers that may (or may not) be the most effective way to perform.
If you’re not properly building confidence in your skills? Your brain will always be prone to the “what-if” thoughts, you’ll question your ability and that’ll creep into your performance. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
2. Trust
Trust is the result that will come from building confidence. There’s really nothing better than looking back at your practice journals and reading over the struggles you went through to gain your (now killer) skills. My guess? You can now execute those skills at a 90% or greater accuracy. Boom goes the dynamite! This means that - no matter how nervous you are at the show – you’ll be able to stay calm because you trust your skill set.
Now starts the domino effect we want. Because you can stay calm now you can ALSO have clarity of the mind. What does that mean? You have trust and confidence in your skills therefore you can focus on the details of the show. This is called “being in the moment”. When you’re in the moment it allows you to process all the details of your show (the nuances of the XC course, the ring, every jump, the weather, ect.). Sometimes those are details you can’t even start to think about because you’re still stuck on the first phase - confidence.
Trust takes time to develop - just like it takes time to build trust in a relationship. Your skills will be tested and only when you pass those tests will you have the confidence in your skill set to really have complete trust.
3. Focus
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a trainer or coach tell you to “focus’ or “concentrate”. (I’m raising mine…you?) So what does it actually take to focus?
The skill to focus is all about being able to do one thing, BE IN THE MOMENT. You may remember this reference from approximately 10 seconds ago in the above section entitled “Trust”. Same thing here - focus is a very difficult skill to develop and it takes time.
You’re going to know your focus skills improving when you can have a “zero distractions” mindset. NOTHING else will matter in the moment except the task at hand. The elite athletes that are really good at this? Sometimes they’ll be called “selfish” or “arrogant” for their ability to prioritize their show or event over anything else. But that’s what it means to have a “zero distraction” mindset! All those elite athletes can think about is the task at hand. Then once it’s done, they can return back to normal life and think of other things. This is definitely a skill.
When you reach that “zone” of complete focus, you will be able to reach the highest levels of your ability.
Where oh where to begin?
Ok so now we know the keys to success. How do you start to put these into practice to improve your mindset?
For confidence?
· Journal - Start by using a journal to write down the skills you’re working on. Write down notes from every lesson (what you learned, failed, and improved on), every clinic/ schooling event and every conversation. Write down anything pertaining to developing your skills that you want to improve.
· Practice – Plan those reps! Have a plan on what skills you need to address each and every time you get on a horse. Practice those skills so much you can do them in your sleep – or just when you’re dead tired from a long day. This will take time and dedication. If you try to skip skills because you’re getting bored or you think you have it down? You’ll quickly learn a valuable lesson on patience. Master the basics and keep building from there.
For trust?
· When you go to shows - ONLY think about the skills you’ve worked so hard to improve. You’ve built that confidence in your skills, right? So keep building that relationship with yourself and your horse and trust in that. Make a “cheat sheet” of the skills you’ve been working on and read that thing as many times as needed! This will give you confidence AND trust in your skill sets.
For focus?
· In order to work on “being in the moment” you need to slow down your sympathetic nervous system. Breathing techniques come in handy here. A basic technique is to breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, and hold for four seconds. Pay attention to the breathing and how you’re feeling. Your mind will probably wander, but that’s ok! Just bring it back to the breathing.
· With time you’ll improve your focus. You’ll be able to bring your wandering mind back to your breathing quicker and stay longer. Use this skill to focus on the moment in time - the smell of the grass, the heart rate of your horse, the course…you get the point! And don’t forget! You’ll need to practice practice practice this skill. It won’t happen by accident.
Now it’s time GET AFTER IT and compete
Take these keys and start to work on your mindset leading up to your next show. Overwhelmed with all the planning and need help? Set up a Performance planning session with me! I’d love to help you make a game plan so you’re prepared to kill it at your next competition.