Answer:
A peak performance strategy is a combination of physical,
technical and mental skills. The physical aspect deals with
the basics of diet, exercise and sleep. The technical skills
component refers to your ability to physically execute.
In other words, Can you and your horse execute a piaffe,
find all eight jumps, or nail a showmanship pattern 90 percent
of the time? This is where you, your horse and your trainer
spend most of the time. The mental skills component really
deals with maintaining the correct focus, eliminating anxiety,
enhancing confidence and staying motivated. A rider's success-
or failure- is a result of their physical, technical and
mental abilities. By understanding how your way of thinking
affects your performance, you can work on those areas that
are holding you back. For example, if you tend to get overly
anxious and need to relax, telling yourself to relax will
not produce the desired response unless you know how to
relax in stressful situations through prior practice and
training.
I
ride great at home and at smaller shows. When I get to a
big show, or when the pressure is on, I don't ride as well
and make stupid mistakes. What can I do to fix this?
Answer: First of all, don't get discouraged! What
you are describing is a very common problem for competitive
riders and athletes called 'choking'. Not a very technical
term, but I think it pretty well sums up how we feel when
this occurs! Here is basically what happens… You have
an important competition, and you feel pressure to do
your best. This increased pressure causes physical changes
in the body- you will typically experience muscle tension,
increased heart rate, and you will breathe faster than
normal. The pressure to do well also affects your ability
to focus and concentrate on the right cues. When you combine
the two, your performance will be negatively affected.
The good news is that through proper mental skills training,
you will be able to compete while taking control of your
focus, attention and physical state. The result is that
no matter how much pressure you may be under, you will
be in charge of how you feel and react to things- and
you will be able to get yourself into a peak performance
state every time you enter the show ring.
Answer:
The 'zone' as it is often called, is a state where you
are totally focused on performing in the moment. The zone
is free from evaluation, concern about judges, results,
and expectations. It is in the zone that most people have
their greatest performances. There has been a lot of research
about this peak performance state, and how it is created.
Some of those factors are:
An
athlete feels challenged by the goal or task, but
is capable of performing at the required level.
The
athlete has clearly defined goals for performance,
and is motivated by those goals.
A
sense of control or a feeling that you can do no wrong.
You have total belief in your abilities, and you know
you can complete the task at hand.
Loss
of self -consciousness, worries or negative thoughts.
Most
of the tools that we use at the Equestrian Athlete assist
riders in mastering the components that lead to the zone,
or flow state. We prepare goals, assess where you feel
challenged yet capable, and practice maintaining mental
focus on what is important, and shutting everything else
out. Working on the basic components increases the odds
of being able to enter the zone at will, and creating
better performances.
