Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 15:03:03 -0500
From: David LaPorte 
To: coaches-forum@cycling.org
Subject: Mental Preparation - Random thoughts

IMO, mental preparation is often undervalued.  This is a particular problem
with less experienced riders but could also benefit elites.  It seems that
more experienced riders have somewhat less of a need for this, but is this
because they've learned the skills on their own or because those who needed
this the most have already dropped out of the sport?

Negative thinking is at the root of a lot of these problems.  Riders believe
that they can't do something and so, of course, they can't.  They may have
negative thoughts before or during a race.  They may misinterpret pain as a
sign that they are about to blow up when, in reality, they are simply riding
hard.  They frequently believe that they are the only ones that are suffering.
 They may see a mental picture of crashing just before they need to make a
move.  They may hesitate for just a moment and miss the key break.

Some strategies that may help:

* Visualization *  This has been mentioned by others.  However, IMO, most
athletes don't know the difference between productive visualization and day
dreaming.  Seeing yourself feeling good and easily cruising to victory is
pretty useless.  That won't prepare them for the race because that's not how
it will be.  The visualization has to be realistic.  It is essential that they
really believe in it.  When they get into a real race situation, they need to
feel like they've been there before and were successful.  Another part of good
visualization that is often overlooked is that all the senses should be
recruited.  Many people just see mind pictures and they see them from an
outside perspective, as though they were watching someone else.  That
obviously won't duplicate their race experience.  Good visualization is a
skill that needs to be learned and practiced.

* Mind pictures *  this is like visualization, but can be done during the
race.  Many riders see negative mind pictures (e.g. crashes) at key moments. 
These pictures are self-fulfilling prophesies.  Trying to ban the pictures is
usually impossible.  It's much better to replace them with a very brief mind
picture of a successful outcome.  Obviously, they shouldn't be riding around
with their mind out of the race.  However, a momentary picture can set them up
for the move they need to make.

* Positive Self Talk *  Key phrases can be very useful during times of stress.
 These are typically positive, upbeat phrases that the athlete has developed
and practiced during training.  Part of their purpose is to build the rider's
confidence because of their positive nature.  More importantly, if the mind is
occupied with positive thoughts, there is much less room for negative ones. 
As with negative mind pictures, trying to block negative thoughts without
replacing them with something better is usually not successful.

* Not dwelling on the future *  When confidence is lost, it is often because
of what may happen much later in the race, not because of what's happening at
the moment.  This is a particular problem with long events.  Although riders
certainly need to be concerned about what's going to happen later on,
obsessing about it and developing a sense of dread will sink them in a hurry. 
They're much better off focusing primarily on whether they are doing what they
should be doing at the moment.

* Keeping things in perspective *  Beginners, in particular, put their egos on
the line every time they race.  They view each race more as an opportunity to
fail rather than to learn and, perhaps, succeed.  They need to understand that
getting dropped is common in bike racing and nothing to be ashamed of. 
Coaches can do an awful lot to help them set their goals and evaluate their
outcomes.  Even elite riders lose perspective at times, treating training
races like the World Championships.


Before everyone jumps on me, let me acknowledge that all of this has to be
applied with moderation and common sense.  Riders should not spend lots of
time doing visualization during a race.  Nor should they ignore real dangers
and take foolish chances.  However, mental preparation can make a huge
difference in outcome.  I don't know where this saying comes from, but it's
spot on:

"90% of bike racing is mental and the other half is in your head."

David

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