With the Commonwealth Games starting tomorrow, we thought we’d share some ways that we help our athletes to peak when it matters most. So, what things can athletes do to thrive over the next couple of weeks?
Focus on what matters
At big events, it’s really easy for athletes to focus on the wrong or on unhelpful things, either in camp or right before they compete. Here are some easy tips to help athletes focus better:
Ask good questions
A nice way to think more effectively is to ask yourself good questions around camp or prior to competing. Here is an example of some of our favourite questions:
Questions like these allow you to start thinking in a more helpful way, by challenging your thoughts and by focusing back on what you need to do to perform at your best. Check out this blog for more helpful questions to ask yourself.
Confidence is key
Being confident before you compete is important. Although it might sometimes feel like finding confidence can be difficult, we think there is an easy way to do it: think about it in terms of a timeline, using the past, the present and the future. Here are some ways to do this…
Using the past:
Using the present:
Using the future:
The way that you view a big event like the Commonwealth games is really important.
Some people tend to see big events where you have to perform well as a threat, where you can lose something or let people down. This makes an event stressful, which can make performing well more challenging.
However, people that do well often reframe this and see it as a challenge to rise to. In this sense, it can become more motivating and exciting. There are two ways you can do this:
Making sure you are ready to perform is crucial, and sleep plays a big role in this both for the mind and the body. Although we all know this, there are lots of mistakes that people make when they go to sleep that get in the way. Some of them include:
So, want to work on your sleep to be a better athlete? This blog has tips for you.
Flow is being totally absorbed with the task at hand and often helps athletes to perform better. For example, Mo Farah said: “When I run I just go out there, go in the zone and just block everything”.
Being in a flow is really important, but it can be quite hard to achieve. So, we have written a nice guide on how to do it which includes strategies such as:
For some athletes, peaking when it matters most comes easily. However, others may have to put a bit more thought into it.
But either is fine! Although the performance is really important, it’s also important to remember to enjoy a major event such as the Commonwealth Games – these are the moments of the career that you will remember and that will make you most proud.