Issue 99 - June 1997

The right stuff

Goal setting

The summer racing season is the time to try to realise the main goals that you set earlier in the year. It may be that you are on target for these or it could be that these goals need to be modified either higher or lower depending on previous performances.

It is important to keep well on top of this process so that each step is planned and fully understood by all concerned. Exams, illness, and work commitments are among the many obstacles that can trip you up. It will be the successful management of these problems that will help keep your season progressing.

Performance assessment

To make your journey you need to know not just where you want to go, but where you are at the moment. To plan each step you will firstly have to assess your previous race performance. This will have to be done by coach and crew and should take place after both defeat and victory. The more honest your approach is, the more likely you are to get the next step right.

Coaches have to avoid it being 'us' who wins and 'you' who loses. The rowers, too, have to accept their responsibility in participating in this process. Stay positive but realistic, the season is long and fortunes do change. You will need to choose the time to discuss performance carefully. This could be determined partly by the result, but even wins need to be objectively assessed. Knowledge of individuals' personalities is important in making the choice.

Racing psychology

This is obviously a huge topic in itself, and clearly plays a vital part in performance. Once you have pushed-off to race you cannot get any stronger, fitter, tougher or learn new technical skills. Your performances will rely on your ability to row to your potential and to have the motivation necessary to push yourself physically. Your mind is not able to process large amounts of information simultaneously and therefore you have to stay focussed on the essential points and only those that you can control.

External pressures and non-task specific factors such as crowds, the opposition, parents, expectations, the outcome, etc., need to be considered beforehand and then filed away. Stay focussed on the process and not the outcome. To perform in the 'big race' there will be no room for negative thoughts or self-doubt. You will be nervous, but you should be confident that you know what you are going to do and you believe in it. This is partly down to personality, but is greatly influenced by your training process.

Confidence will be based on your previous results, your training and how realistically you have set your goals. Pre-race talks need to be timed well, contain task specific information and relate to the training process. The coach and crew will need to leave that discussion confident that there is unity of purpose and understanding. The 'blood and guts' stuff is a debatable issue and might say more about the coach than the needs of the crew. Best suffice it to say that it is preferable for the crew to be properly motivated well before they turn up to get in the boat.

© Copyright Sean Bowden, 1997.