Jim Loehr, Psychologist and author of The New Toughness Training for Sports, believes we have two distinct selves within us. Our Real Self and our Performance Self. As you might guess the Real Self, is the real you, with your dreams, worries, needs and responsibilities. This is the part of you that is making shopping lists in your head, worrying about how you rode in your lesson or replaying a recent conversation.
The Performance Self, is the other end of the scale. This is the persona you take on when you need to perform at your best. When you’re in your Performance Self you’re only ever in the present. The Performance Self knows and trusts your abilities and focuses only on the current task and on doing what’s needed in that moment.
Often we experience disruptions to our riding or performance, when something brings us out of your Performance Self and back into your Real Self. When you’re in your Performance Self you are completely absorbed by the moment and what you are doing and are not thinking about winning or losing. You’re tuned into your horse, able to make adjustments quickly and you get huge enjoyment from your rides in this state.
With this in mind, you want to get into your Performance Self each time you ride, not just during competitions. As you’re tacking up start thinking about only what you’re doing in that moment, nothing else. Bring yourself into the present, so when you’re riding you can show up as your best self; your Performance Self. If during this transition time your Real Self shows up, bring yourself back to the present and keep doing this as many times as you have to, until you can make the switch and sustain it.
How can you stay in yourself your Performance Self
Here are some other strategies you can use to maintain your Performance Self;
Two-Beat Mantras
You can create a Two-Beat Mantra which you say in time with your horse’s stride. This mantra should be something which sums up what you need to feel or what you want your horse to do. For example, ‘Forward and Free’ or ‘Calm and relaxed’, whatever works for you. Saying this will also help to keep you in the present, where your para sympathetic nervous system is in charge and can works it’s magic to keep you focused and calm.
Say Delete
Sometimes you get distracted and it’s at these moments that our Performance Self can slip. It’s important to get back into the zone asap. The quickest way to stop these errant thoughts is to say ‘Delete’. This might seem a little bit bonkers, but it’s a really useful way to get back on track. It’s a short word, so it’s a quick fix, your brain knows exactly what you mean and the word is totally neutral.
Chanelling
We often learn by modelling. We do this as kids to help us learn just about everything, and as we grow up and start riding, we observe how someone else rides and we try to emulate them. To help you stay in the zone with your Performance Self channel your favourite rider; someone who’s a great, focused competitor. How would they ride, what would they do? Emulate that and you will stay in your Performance Self.
TRY THIS
- Write down some of the characteristics of your Performance Self. This might include your facial expression, and posture, for example. If you’re not sure look at photos of you competing and notice these characteristics.
- Practice deleting errant thoughts. Pick a task, this could be anything that takes around two minutes, such as making a snack. Now for the duration of this task you only want to focus on this specific task. Every time you start thinking about something else, say ‘delete’ and refocus. Then, over the next few weeks, practice staying in the moment and each time you stray ‘delete’.
- When creating your Two-Beat Mantra focus on the ‘Do’ rather than the ‘Do not’. Have you ever tried to not think about a certain thing? Tricky right? You end up thinking about it, then you have to try to think of something else to replace those thoughts. Whereas thinking about something is easy, you just think about it. One thought, easy peasy. So, you wouldn’t say ‘Don’t look down’ you would say ‘Look up’. Your unconscious mind doesn’t process don’t. So if you say ‘don’t look down’, your brain will only hear ‘look down’.
- Next time you ride, pick a rider you admire to emulate. Picture them riding, how do they look, imagine what they would be feeling, how would they react to situations. Then jump on and try to channel them. Ride as they would, react as they would. Then when you finish your ride, write down how you felt. This will consolidate these feelings in your body, so you can tap into them next time you ride.
The great news is you can practice going into your Performance State any time you want. The more you practice the easier it will be to get into the state and to maintain it. You’ll be developing new neural networks, which support this state. Delete your wayward thoughts, channel people you admire and use your two-beat mantra to help you focus on what you DO want to happen. Then when you’ve got off your horse, you can switch back to your real self and be present with the people you love.
NOW READ: How your mindset controls your riding