Here are some psychological resources that you may like to try in your competition preparation or training to improve your race day performance.
RESOURCES > DEMANDS => PERFORMANCE
How do we recreate emotions that may occur during race day or the race?
- Recreate the environment during training.
- Control what we can and see what happens.
- Mind and body psychology.
- Recreate the ‘A Game’.
- Separate practice time from technical time.
Recreate the race day routine for training.
- Use the 5 P’s method of preparation. Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
- Know what time training starts and start on time, know what you are doing for your session, prepare for you session with food and hydration.
- Pressurise the training session i.e. work at the specified HR and Times on the training program, time trials. The time for fun is after training.
- Efficient breathing before, during and after each training effort to maintain coherence.
- Recover properly in mind and body. Hydrotherapy, massage, yoga, relaxation and visualization.
It’s all about the training program.
- Make sure you have a structured periodized training program.
- If you don’t have one how can you achieve your goals?
- Who will help you to prepare your mind and body and what will it cost you?
- Toughen up princess?
- In the heat of completion it hurts so recreate that experience during training when required in mind and body.
- Bring training and competition closer together by simulating potential aspects of competition in training.
Psychological approach for consistency.
- What has worked before with your ‘A’ Game plan?
- Learn to recreate emotions through focusing on thoughts and behaviors.
- Visualize your perfect race plan from start to finish.
Allow training sessions to improve the technical aspects of your event.
- Biomechanically for you technique and muscle development.
- Psychologically for you race plan and tactics.
- Physiologically for your body development, preparation and recovery.
I have written this overview with a surf sports perspective from notes taken from a presentation given by AIS Sprint Kayak Sport Psychologist Andrea Furst in Canberra February 2010.