Tight Mind Monday: Countdown to Competition - Advice for Coaches
Tight Mind Monday 10-17-16: Countdown to Competition—Coaches Edition
Competition season is getting closer! I see coaches, athletes, and parents starting to stress and sweat. Our next three Tight Mind Mondays will give you tips and tools in order to rock the competition floor.
Let’s first give the coaches some drills that will help your athletes do what they have trained in practice during competition.
1. Help your athletes control pre-routine nerves by creating their competition bubble. A competition bubble is their ideal mental state leading up to the salute. It might be a calm confidence, or fierce and focused. Whatever is the perfect zone for them. To get in the bubble, teach them to breathe in confidence, say a tight mind statement such as, “I can do this”, and put on a face and body language that exudes, “I’m ready to hit.” Practice getting into their bubble before routines during workout, and then take the exact same ritual to competition.
2. As we’ve discussed before, make sure their minds are robotic and locked down during routines by having them think cue words or mental choreography. Their words should be rhythmic, and match the corrections you would want them to think during skills. Each athlete needs to find their sweet spot with key words. Some prefer to talk to themselves a lot, others just say a few key points. Whatever their style, just be sure the are consistent in practice and then competition.
3. Have your athletes create a "flip-it" thought that can turn a bad situation around. It might be a bad warm-up, event, or score. Have them decide before the meet a phrase that will help put the negative situation in the past. Examples include, “Stop, let it go, I’ve got this”, or “Don’t let this get to me, just like practice”.
4. As you prepare for competition it’s good to stress urgency or the timeline before the meet, just be careful of creating too much pressure or panic. We all start to stress out before season, and usually this stress becomes counter productive. Let them know how many weeks they have, and at the same time convey faith that with hard work, they’ll get there!
Use these tips to create tight mind warriors on the competition floor. Let’s make 2016-2017 the best season ever. Follow these mental toughness drills, go forth and hit it!