hey guys i was checking out cmementaledge.com and it's a really cool
website, that has awesome articles on sports psychcology. there is a
really good article on pre competition preperation.i thought that it was
interesting and just wanted to share the info with my fellow UG'ERS.
Pre-Competition Preparation
If you have ever been an athlete, you may have heard the phrase that
"athletics is 90% mental, and 10% physical." If this is the case, then
why do we always spend 100% of out preparation time to prepare for
only 10% of our "competition"? Most people in athletics or the
business world have realized that there are rarely any secrets to
success. I mean by this, that if you are preparing your paperwork, or
you are training physically, most likely your opponent is doing the
same. The way a person can separate themselves from the masses is
by utilizing their mind. In order to truly tap into the potential hidden
within the framework of a human mind, an individual must learn the
best way to access previously unused portions of their mind.
Many people get "Psyched Up" for a competitive experience, and yet
others try to calm themselves through meditation. In order to reach
your ability and generate a peak performance experience, you must
first empty your mind of other malingering issues. Issues and
challenges we face in our personal or professional lives deeply impact
our mindset and affect our performance during competitive tasks
visibly.
The first step to success is to learn how to truly prepare for
competition. Relaxation before a competition is of the utmost
importance because a human being cannot be expected to perform to
their highest level of ability unless they are able to completely focus on
the task at hand. This type of relaxation differs from traditional
meditation in that an individual is not looking to focus their attention
to internal processes such as breathing and certain muscular
contractions themselves; but rather to raise their senses to a
heightened level of awareness through the stimulation of their
muscles. The easiest technique I recommend to athletes is to sit down
and make a list of all of the outside forces that are hindering them in
their performance. This list may include issues ranging from the
weather, to hunger, to relationships with friends and family, or even
grades received in school. Once these problems are written on a list, I
have them cut the paper into strips with only one issue listed per strip.
A clean sock should be affixed to the interior of their locker and each
day before practice or competition, they should take a few minutes to
physically read the issues they face that day out load and repeat the
following phrase to themselves:
"I am placing this (insert issue) aside, to be dealt with later. It is no
longer on my mind."
Once they repeat this statement to themselves, the athlete should
place the paper with the single issue written on it inside the sock in
their locker. This is now your "Problem Sock". Within this sock, an
athlete leaves their nagging issues or serious issues of the day. This
allows the athlete to participate to the peak of their abilities without
experiencing the stress of trying to cope with issues outside of the
immediate task at hand. As simple as it seems, the physical act of
placing your problems aside can allow a person to shift their focus to
other, more immediately pressing issues. This is called
compartmentalizing.
Once you have shifted your immediate focus away from coping with
the issues of the day and more towards facing the issues you are
challenged by as an athlete, you can begin to relax your body. I always
tried to find a dark and quiet area to do this, but believe it or not, if
you lack a dark and quiet area, even a bathroom stall could be used.
As laughable as this seems, the journey you are about to embark on is
an inner journey; your physical surroundings have little impact once
you have learned to effectively tune out any and all distractions.
The first step is to sit down in any relaxed position. Place your hands,
palms facing down, upon your knees. Try to keep your back as
straight as possible in order to take in as much air as you possible can.
Spend the next few minutes breathing. Do not focus on breathing as a
function of which muscles you are using to expand and decrease the
capacity of your lungs as people in Yoga tend to do. They use
diaphragmatic breathing. I want you to focus on the physical act of
breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Slow
your breathing until you are breathing in through your nose for a count
of 4, and breathing out through your mouth for a count of 4 as well.
Once you reach a comfortable pace with your breathing, continue that
pace as you begin to slowly contract your muscles. Once you begin to
contract your muscles, hold your breath for the duration of the
contraction. Begin with your fingers and slowly curl them into fists.
Then, slightly bend at your wrists so that the muscles in your forearms
contract. Allow the contraction to flow up your arm through your
biceps and into your shoulders. While raising your fists out to the
sides as if you are posing in a bodybuilding competition. Release the
contraction and breathe deeply. Repeat this contraction a few times in
order to force oxygenated blood into the muscle tissue.
Once you have reached a point where you feel your body temperature
beginning to rise, repeat the contraction, but this time, begin in your
toes. Let your toes curl and try to make "fists" with your feet. Allow
the contraction to travel up your calf muscles and into your thighs.
Feel your hamstrings contract as well as your gluteus muscles, and
hold this position for a few seconds. Once you release the contraction,
be sure to continue your breathing technique. Once your hamstrings
(the rear portion of your thigh) feel "awake", straighten your feet out as
far as you possibly can and contract your toes once again. This time,
allow the contraction to travel up your shins, and then feel the muscles
on your quadriceps (the front of your thigh) contract. Repeat these
contractions for a few minutes, and be sure to breathe deeply in
between contractions.