Have More Confidence at Competitions in 3 Steps
Buckle up, kids. We’re going to talk about making you a better competitor today, so get your note pad ready!
And before we get started let me just say – I know there are A LOT of different reasons to ride, but today I’m going to be talking specifically about competing.
Even if you aren’t a competitor, I invite you to keep reading. There may still be some pearls in here for you too.
I want to give you a three-step plan to follow before your next competition. You don’t want to go into a competition just hoping that it goes well, crossing your fingers or givin’ it the ole “college try”. Giving you guidelines to make a PLAN for the competition is going to keep you calm which will make you feel more confident while you’re competing. You prepare your horse for a show, right? You should be prepared too.
1 . Preparation
The boy scouts were onto something with their motto “Be prepared.” – because preparation is key. Not only can lessons about preparation be applied to work, school and life, but also in competition.
The more you prepare for competition, the less pressure you’re going to feel during the competition. It’s just science.
Your shows/competition should be a reflection of your hard work during riding lessons, your training in the gym and even your nutrition. So, whether it be improving your technique as a rider or improving your physical abilities – all of these actions should serve a purpose to prepare you for your next show.
Now what preparation does NOT equal is perfection. You shouldn’t have the expectation of perfecting all your skills before a show, but you should have an idea of the new tools you’ve acquired during your prep work. That’s what’s going to get you ready. Just like the Boy Scouts.
2. Your Game Plan
Preparation also bleeds into the second step of getting ready for competition - making a game plan. Both of things happen BEFORE you get to competition time. Now because you don’t know the course– this isn’t your traditional game planning. Think of it more as a visualization. Sounds a little “tree-hugger”, but hear me out. It’s like taking a mental inventory of what tools you have built during your preparation (remember step 1?) and applying them to the show before you’re actually competing.
Game Plan Examples for Cross Country:
Walk your cross country course a few times to count your strides and hone in on your plan of attack.
Then take it one step further – count your strides AND practice the visualization (still “tree-huggery”, I know) to pick what skill set you need for the practice jump.
Remember: the more detail you have in your game plan the better you’ll be able to focus and execute during the event. You’re walking through the course physically AND mentally to really get the memorization down.
3. Evaluate your prep, game plan & results
Fast-forward and just like that – the competition is over. You did great (probably)! Now it’s time to evaluate. You need a process to evaluate your preparation, your game plan and the results of the competition. This will give you objectives to work on in the future AND it’s going to help you see how you’re improving with every show you do. Maybe there was a show that you did well with everything you prepared for, but there were certain aspects you didn’t plan for and they didn’t go as well. Great! Now you have something to improve on for the next time. And be patient with yourself – some skills take longer than others to develop.
We work on preparation, making a game plan and evaluation with all of our CST athletes.We use forms everyone needs to complete, then we use those completed forms to have follow-up conversations. This is our way of ensuring everyone is “dialed in” to their plan and the prep work.
The goal for the competition shouldn’t only be placing. If you’re only thinking about winning and losing? You’re probably not getting better. That should always be the goal.
And if you’re interested in learning more about our Competition Prep process let me know because I’d love to help. Drop me a line below!👇🏻
Let’s get after it!
