Mindset, Body Language and Mental Preparation

Confidence and Mindset Coach, Jane Brindley from Horse Riding with Confidence Scotland shares her thoughts after seeing an image of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

I was fascinated when I saw this photo of these two giants of the tennis world. I don’t know the back story here and am not a tennis expert in any way I’m just looking at the photo of two men who look, to me, as though they are heading out on court for a match.

Look at the difference in them… what do YOU see, I wonder?

I see one man – Federer – looking loose in his body. His hands are open and relaxed looking. His stride appears balanced and steady. His shoulders in a natural and comfortable looking position. His face slightly bowed as if avoiding eye contact. His expression appears to be one of total focus, in the moment, and filled with quiet determination drawing on inner strength.

Nadal’s demeanor looks totally different to me. He appears to be full of energy and tension with a tightness across his shoulders which spreads throughout his entire being. His expression again appears to be totally focused but, to me, I would guess that he is drawing his determination from his surroundings and external sources rather than from within.

Whatever is going on at this moment in time you can be 100% certain that this routine, this mental preparation and this level of energy will have been rehearsed many, many times.

I would also guess that each player has a pretty high level of their natural stress hormones at this time. Their respective records as tennis superstars show that however they prepare certainly works for them.

Their preparation will cover minute details such as precise calorie intake, and the timing of eating and drinking; the order in which they put on their clothes, and the exact fit of differing items of clothing; how much rest they have had; who they have spoken to in the lead up to the match and what they will be saying to themselves with their internal voice; plus so many other aspects of their well-planned processes.

The two men’s attitude and style on the court is also very different. Again, I’m not a tennis expert but I have read about Federer’s ability to find “flow” and in that state to be able to draw on massive, virtually unconscious, mental resources.

Nadal, in my amateur opinion, is a super exciting player to watch filled with enormous energy and physical strength.

How does this snapshot relate to us as horse riders and in our preparation for competition?

Here are some points to consider applying to and for yourself:

1. How does your whole lifestyle affect your performance?

For example, do you take active rest into consideration before competition? Many riders certainly complain about an inability to sleep well the night before so do you compensate for this by having a snooze when you can, getting someone else to drive you to the venue or simply spending a quiet 10 minutes on your own before your warm up?

Do you perform better on a full or an empty stomach? Think back to the last time you competed and how your body and energy levels felt for you.

2. Where do you draw your mental energy from?

Do you need time alone to focus, concentrate and be quiet or do you need to be with others and get energized from a more physical process?

I remember taking part in a fun shooting competition a while back. We were in teams and my team came last in the first round and were determined to do better in round two. My team mates were getting very excited and pumped up with loud and encouraging voices and I just felt the need to retreat into a corner on my own.

I had to ask them firmly to leave me to my own devices and not speak to me as I mentally rehearsed my process… I was the last to go, took a breath and shot five out of five on target to give us the win!

My process worked for me and, on this occasion, for my team.

3. What works for you in your warm up routine and why does this work?

Keep notes and refer to them regularly so that you can repeat what works, learn from what doesn’t work and aim to develop your own well-rehearsed processes.

4. Trust your processes…

Virtually all of the work of competition preparation happens way before the event. Competition day isn’t the time to try anything new for the first time or to begin schooling your horse. Have a plan and concentrate on all of the things that are within your control rather than worrying about those things over which you have no control.

5. Riding is an individual sport

Other than the obvious team events remember that you may well be affected by the presence of other riders and they may be affected by you. For example have you ever found yourself thinking “Oh no! SHE is here again, SHE always beats me!”. Be aware of this risk and the effect that it may have on you and take steps to combat it, e.g., “SHE” is not allowed in MY bubble and I am going to focus on MY performance not HERS!

I think that the key here is to know and understand what works for you so that you can develop a consistent process for performance whilst respecting that your friends and colleagues may prepare in a totally different way that they have found works for them.

Jane

To find out more about performance coaching contact Jane at www.horseridingwithconfidencescotland.co.uk

Photo credit: Eurosport

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