The mental game

Nationals is around the corner.  I was reminded this week that one of the main challenges that face competitors is the that we sometimes mentally put ourselves behind the eight ball.  How often have you looked at a course on paper or walked the course and said, “this is hard”?  Or that part is really difficult?  This kind of thinking immediately puts you at a disadvantage!  You can fix this by simply changing the words hard and difficult with challenging.  Or that’s a challenge.  By viewing it in this manner your mind takes it as an opportunity to take it on!  The other way starts to introduce self-doubt.  Tip: if you do this while looking at the course on paper then I am here to tell you that the way it actually translates itself on the actual course will be different.  An example: you look at the course on paper and you see the obstacles close together and you view it as tight and it suddenly introduces in your mind all kinds of off course or discrimination opportunities.  Keep your mind open because when you actually get on the course to walk you will probably find it to not be the case!  Also the judge may have made adjustments while course building.  Another tip: volunteer to course build!  This allows you the advantage to actually see the course put together and if you are one who feels 7 minutes isn’t enough then you need to get out there and help build!!  This is particularly helpful with the games like gamblers and snooker if you are having a difficult time with strategy.  I have other tips about how to view courses and also how to keep your mind settled at these events.  Stay tuned to the blog for further posts on this subject!