In all my years of competing I see many articles about
training and eating right for a competition. But I have struggled to get an
article that will help the ordinary person understand how to prepare for
meeting the challenges of competition and what they need to do in order to be
best prepared.
To date most fighters will lean on the experience of the
instructor and the hunger and desire to win with various levels of success. But
I have seen so many competitors, both adults and kids who want success so bad
that they get the most important bit wrong….MENTAL PREPARATION.
Being ready for a competition starts in the “gut”, and then
bleeds into your physical training and then back into your head. I hope this
article will help you understand the multifaceted approach to being ready for a
competition.
1. Your Commitment:
Firstly, when you have decided that you want to compete, it needs to be a commitment from you, “your gut”, anyone who thinks they will “give it a go”, is either opening up to a first time experience or leaving it to “lady luck” to determine their fate. When with the proper preparation you can have a little bit more control about the outcome. But the Preparation for any competition should be 6-8 weeks depending on a number of variables, number of regular training days, level of fitness and weight category
1. Your Commitment:
Firstly, when you have decided that you want to compete, it needs to be a commitment from you, “your gut”, anyone who thinks they will “give it a go”, is either opening up to a first time experience or leaving it to “lady luck” to determine their fate. When with the proper preparation you can have a little bit more control about the outcome. But the Preparation for any competition should be 6-8 weeks depending on a number of variables, number of regular training days, level of fitness and weight category
2. Your Training:
When training we are trying to primarily get ourselves in physical shape for the competition. Many of us will think that if we train hard that is all we need to do. Training also gives us an opportunity to start working our head for the competition, in terms of confidence. The more we try in training, the more boundaries we press/push the more confident we become in ourselves
When training we are trying to primarily get ourselves in physical shape for the competition. Many of us will think that if we train hard that is all we need to do. Training also gives us an opportunity to start working our head for the competition, in terms of confidence. The more we try in training, the more boundaries we press/push the more confident we become in ourselves
3. Your Mind-set (Your Bubble):
It is very easy to start with a “negative” mind-set…it is very easy to be put off with “doubt”, and the worst kind of doubt is “self”. When you start to doubt everything you have done from your training, to the very reason you want to compete, it can become destructive to you and makes you question everything.
Doubt is one of the major reasons why people will not try, because the fear of failure. “Those who have not failed have not lived”. The idea of failure for some people is so debilitating that it can turn them into a nervous wreck, to the point of not functioning and even collapse. To compete your mind-set needs to go through a 180 degree paradigm shift…you need to embrace the fact that failure is not the worst thing in the world, in fact it probably one of the most effective tools for understanding how to get better. And with that mind-set, you cannot fail to eventually have success. And not just in competition, this mind-set is very valid for life too.
It is very easy to start with a “negative” mind-set…it is very easy to be put off with “doubt”, and the worst kind of doubt is “self”. When you start to doubt everything you have done from your training, to the very reason you want to compete, it can become destructive to you and makes you question everything.
Doubt is one of the major reasons why people will not try, because the fear of failure. “Those who have not failed have not lived”. The idea of failure for some people is so debilitating that it can turn them into a nervous wreck, to the point of not functioning and even collapse. To compete your mind-set needs to go through a 180 degree paradigm shift…you need to embrace the fact that failure is not the worst thing in the world, in fact it probably one of the most effective tools for understanding how to get better. And with that mind-set, you cannot fail to eventually have success. And not just in competition, this mind-set is very valid for life too.
4. Weight Management:
Weight management is tied into your diet and training and is a critical element in competition. If you want to compete and a category has weight divisions, you need to know what division you enter and if it’s the best one for you. If you’re on a 6-8 week program, you should be at your weight division 1-2 weeks before the event. Starting on the correct exercise and eating plan and having faith in the person offering the advice will help take an extra pressure off you.
Weight management is tied into your diet and training and is a critical element in competition. If you want to compete and a category has weight divisions, you need to know what division you enter and if it’s the best one for you. If you’re on a 6-8 week program, you should be at your weight division 1-2 weeks before the event. Starting on the correct exercise and eating plan and having faith in the person offering the advice will help take an extra pressure off you.
5. Mental Rehearsal:
Being able to rehearse what you want to do is such an important aspect of preparation. What will I do? How do I do it?
Understanding your strengths and having a “plan” is the best way to start. When mentally rehearsing its best you’re in a quiet room. You use all good experiences you have had in training to feel the wee positive “buzz” you get in your gut when you know you have had a good session. Keeping that feeling there, you then start to play in your head “how you want to compete”. And you play it over and over till you feel like you have programmed it into your head. You take that mental rehearsal into training and make it work or try to make it work. You can use your instructor for guidance and reassurance of what you’re doing is correct.
Being able to rehearse what you want to do is such an important aspect of preparation. What will I do? How do I do it?
Understanding your strengths and having a “plan” is the best way to start. When mentally rehearsing its best you’re in a quiet room. You use all good experiences you have had in training to feel the wee positive “buzz” you get in your gut when you know you have had a good session. Keeping that feeling there, you then start to play in your head “how you want to compete”. And you play it over and over till you feel like you have programmed it into your head. You take that mental rehearsal into training and make it work or try to make it work. You can use your instructor for guidance and reassurance of what you’re doing is correct.
6. Triggers:
Triggers on the day of the competition to help with your calm and motivation. These triggers could be a piece of music, a movie clip or even a magazine article. And the trigger will have been with you from the start of your training program, and linked to your game plan and mental rehearsal, and used to trigger you into action. Whatever the trigger is, it will be personal to you and it will help you with triggering your mind-set change.
Triggers on the day of the competition to help with your calm and motivation. These triggers could be a piece of music, a movie clip or even a magazine article. And the trigger will have been with you from the start of your training program, and linked to your game plan and mental rehearsal, and used to trigger you into action. Whatever the trigger is, it will be personal to you and it will help you with triggering your mind-set change.
7. Dealing with the Stress:
We can sometimes let the situations get to us, to the point of panic. First thing you do is to breath, mentally take yourself out the situation, this will help calm you down. Secondly, when you are under control again, get back to the triggers for your mental rehearsal, to get that focused mind-set back. Get back into your own “bubble”.
We can sometimes let the situations get to us, to the point of panic. First thing you do is to breath, mentally take yourself out the situation, this will help calm you down. Secondly, when you are under control again, get back to the triggers for your mental rehearsal, to get that focused mind-set back. Get back into your own “bubble”.
