This got me thinking about how we each plan and prepare for competition, what our thought processes are and how we each motivate ourselves or respond to motivation and advice from others.
Having been a sprinter and a rugby player at a reasonable standard for both sports I can say that my approach to each sport was quite different, and also that the approach by my rugby team mates and other sprinters was also very individual. We are all individuals with different life experiences, opinions and thought processes and this can lead to very different pre-competition plans.
Positive mental attitude, self belief, high intrinsic motivation and a love of competition are all qualities that can be associated with a confident and successful athlete. However, anyone who has worked in high performance sport knows that athletes come with a whole host of different mind sets and baggage which can lead to all manner of issues come competition time!
Even with any negative thoughts put aside we as coaches still need to accept and understand that some athletes will either want company and communication or will want to be alone and undisturbed. The headphones will go on and the whole world ignored, or maybe the opposite in that they will talk and be sociable. Either way we as coaches need to respect this while at the same time ensuring that the athlete is best prepared mentally and physically.
Positive mental attitude, self belief, high intrinsic motivation and a love of competition are all qualities that can be associated with a confident and successful athlete. However, anyone who has worked in high performance sport knows that athletes come with a whole host of different mind sets and baggage which can lead to all manner of issues come competition time!Even with any negative thoughts put aside we as coaches still need to accept and understand that some athletes will either want company and communication or will want to be alone and undisturbed. The headphones will go on and the whole world ignored, or maybe the opposite in that they will talk and be sociable. Either way we as coaches need to respect this while at the same time ensuring that the athlete is best prepared mentally and physically.
As a parent this can be particularly challenging as we naturally want to protect our children and make sure they are OK. However, this can sometimes come across as fussing and irritate or upset the athlete, the emotional connection being too close. As hard as it may seem we parents sometimes just need to back off and trust the athlete and the coach.
Thanks again for reading this far and I hope you found it informative? All relevant feedback or comments are appreciated. If you have any suggestions for future blog topics then please let me know here or on my Get Coached Facebook page.
It's so important for parents (and coaches) to understand the individual skater's needs at competition time. In many cases, the parents' role should simply be one of taxi driver and bag carrier. I always recommend my skaters sit down with their parents well before a competition or test and talk through how they need the parent to be - and in the case of a disappointing skate, what sort of support they want. Too much fuss and attention can make them depend a little too much on the adults around them when they need to be starting to take some responsibility for their own skating career. Important not to do this the day before the competition though when emotions may already be rising to the surface!
ReplyDeleteThanks Elizabeth, good points well made and I agree that too much fuss can curb independence.
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