The Olympian Edge

Many aspiring athletes consider qualifying for Olympic team selection to be the stuff of dreams. Those who dedicate themselves to achieving that dream have set their sights on a much bigger target – Olympic gold. To begin developing the competitive edge, achieving team selection must be seen as only part of a process; a stepping-stone goal towards achieving the ultimate goal. Then, with a powerful competitive edge developed, achieving Olympic gold becomes a stepping-stone in itself on a continuing journey towards realising full potential. So how can an athlete develop their own ‘edge’ in a highly competitive environment?

“The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself” – Dawn Fraser (3 x Olympic gold medal winner)

The Pillars of Performance:

All noteworthy sports performances are built on four supporting pillars:

technical
tactical
physical
psychological

The pillars are the core areas of performance that require dedicated training to be successful in competitive sport. Just like structural pillars supporting a building, the pillars of performance must be able to support their load evenly if they are to be effective. Failure to develop skill levels evenly across all four areas will result in an unstable load – in effect, an unstable performance. Neglecting just one area can upset the balance enough to bring a performance crashing down but building strength in all four can elevate a sports performance from merely noteworthy to totally outstanding.

Take a moment to consider how balanced your current training schedule is in relation to the pillars of performance. Technical and tactical demands vary enormously depending on your sport; the degree of physical fitness required also varies from sport to sport but competitors at top level all train their bodies to reach peak physical condition for when it really matters; so what about psychological training? Does your training schedule and Olympic preparation plan contain dedicated time for mind training? Giving yourself the ‘edge’ over competitors when it really matters may depend on it.

“You have no control over what the other guy does. You only have control over what you do” – A.J Kitt (Alpine ski racer)

Benefits of Mental Skills Training:

Mental Skills training – or sports psychology – covers a large area. In its widest sense, it covers all areas of exercise, fitness, and leisure, not just competitive sport but sports psychology is widely recognised as an important cog in the wheel of improving sports performance. Contenders for Olympic medals have all put in years of physical training; they’ve all followed carefully planned diet and training regimes; and they all have many hours of world-class competition experience behind them, so when all else is equal in terms of proven ability, what is it that makes the difference between finishing on the podium or off? What is it that makes the difference between securing a gold instead of a silver medal? These questions can often be answered by learning well established mind training techniques including:

Understanding motivation

What drives you? What got you into the Olympic team? Understanding what motivates you is the best
way to stay motivated – even when the going gets tougher than tough

Visualisation

Also known as mental rehearsal, learning how to visualise a positive outcome under any set of
circumstances is key in preparing for the stresses of competition. By nature, we’re all creatures of habit. We like familiar routines and we like to feel in control – and, let’s be honest,  sportspeople are known to have some slightly obsessive rituals they like to maintain! Arriving in the Olympic village in a foreign country immediately takes an athlete way out of their comfort zone. It’s an unfamiliar environment; an unfamiliar bed; an unfamiliar drawer to keep your lucky socks in – everything is unknown. Visualisation techniques allow you to maintain your focus, concentration, and confidence in a world of new distractions. With dedicated practice, visualisation can provide both psychological and physical benefits by enhancing mind and muscle memory.

Self-talk

Never underestimate the power of the voices in your head. Even top class athletes with proven track records can suffer moments of doubt on the start-line. Over 5000 athletes will descend upon Vancouver for the 2010 winter Olympics – all of them going for gold. This is going to create a very special but also very intense atmosphere. The enormity of the Olympic stage has, in the past, caused even seasoned competitors to suffer the equivalent of stage-fright and ‘choke’. Positive self-talk is an effective tool that helps you to rise to the occasion. When the voice in your head asks, “Can I do this?” you need to be able to answer with a positive, “Yes” otherwise you probably can’t!

Mindset

Your mindset can be described as how you view yourself and your abilities. This will have a big impact on how you cope with setbacks or disappointing results and it can also affect your ability to reach your true potential. A growth mindset is vital in training and crucial in the final preparation phase for competition. Your ability to cope and remain positive under extreme stress depends on your mindset. Your mindset can be changed so it becomes important to ensure yours is not holding you back.

Positive mental attitude

Positive thoughts lead to positive actions being taken. Negative thoughts generate only negative actions – or lead to no action being taken at all. A positive attitude is a winning attitude; if you don’t believe you can win, you’ve already lost.

“Donald has helped me to become mentally stronger and more balanced and consistent in my mental preparation, even in high stress situations. He has taught me to avoid negative thoughts and to form positive images, taking positive lessons from all situations” – Ben Kilner (World Cup snowboarder)