Helping riders improve their performance can be challenging.
Many times you want help, but you are overwhelmed with what needs to be done. One of the methods that I use with my riders, it is help them develop awareness.
Now to make it clear, I am not psychologist, I only use my past experience and if it’s beyond my skills, I will refer the rider to a specialist that I work with.
One of the first questions I ask is “What is your WHY for racing?” It is very important to understand why are you doing what you are doing and where accomplishing it will take you.
The WHY is not the GOAL. The “WHY” is the purpose, whilst the GOAL is the outcome, the result that you are looking to achieve. Without a solid WHY you might struggle to stay focused when things get tough. Then burnout sets in and careers can end quickly.
A typical answer I get from them is, “I want to win.” And normally I would reply with “Do you want to win a few races or win a championship?” Once I clearly understand their “WHY” then I can help them use it to achieve their goals. A string of bad finishes or injuries can really impact you as a rider mentally. Many times riders end their careers after an injury. And, they may use the injury as an excuse to finish it.
However, it may have been the negative thoughts that accumulate in their mind that really ended their career. For example, after many injuries a rider may start thinking “Why am I keep doing this to myself? Or “I am sick of getting injured” or “ I had enough of this, my luck will never change.” Or, “I guess i will never be fast enough to win the championship”. Once you lose your purpose, there is nothing there to fuel your purpose and keep you going.
So understand clearly why are you doing what you are doing is a great step forward to being successful.
Here is 3 steps that can help you stay focused and perhaps have a successful racing career or not….this is up to you.
- Write down your ultimate goal then be brutally honest with yourself and answer the WHY do you want what you want.
- Then write down how and what are you going to put in place in order to achieve. For example, train properly in the gym, never miss a riding session, eat and sleep properly, you name it.
- Finally write down what could possibly stop you from reaching your goal. For example eating bad, missing a session cos your lads invited you out, an injury or simply being lazy. By aware the potential “roadblocks” you minimise the risk of getting off track and not reaching your goal.
- Just remember to ask yourself, if you are eating bad or missing your gym sessions, will it help you achieve your racing goals?
- When you get injured just think that this is just a roadblock, it’s not the end and you will get back stronger and more experienced than before – just make sure that you surround yourself with people that they are truly care about you and your success.
Finally your WHY might change with the time and that’s absolutely fine. Many times the reason of what we are doing might change but what we are seeking to achieve it can stay the same.
Yannis K.
Olympus Pro Performance Coaching
