The Power of the Mind

I genuinely believe that Athletics Australia has one of the best mottos: Believe it. Achieve it! I find the influence of positive thought remarkable. Desire, motivation and dedication are the difference between a talented athlete and a successful athlete.

Within a competition, I’m entitled between 3 and 6 jumps. It is very rare that all of my jumps will be consistent. Physically my body does not fatigue or change through the rounds and yet my performance can change significantly. Sure, sometimes my timing or body position may change a little which influences my performance but I think that largely the differences are related to my mental approach.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I try to reach an optimal state using my long jump routine and preparing for competitions in various ways. My preparation for competition is not just what I do on the day of competition. After placing third behind three Russians in the 2004 Olympics, in pursuit of my goal to be number one in the world, I often focus and motivate myself using the Russians. For example, in the gym, to psych myself up to lift a weight, I will often remind myself that if I want to beat the Russians, this is what I need to do. More often than not, that reminder will result in a successful lift. During sprint sessions in the lead up to the Athens Olympics, I would visualise running next to Marion Jones and beating her. I bring my competitors into my training sessions and I beat them in my training so when I go to major competitions against them, I’ve beaten them in my head so many times, I know I can beat them in competition.

I frequently watch footage of my best jumps then visualise and feel how I need to jump. While I’m at work, walking between wards (I work as a physiotherapist in a hospital) I will walk through the last few strides of my run-up and simulate my hip and foot position. This frequent repetition programs my mind how to jump without overtraining my body.

During competitions, I walk tall and proud - I admit I strut a little. This exhibits confidence and strength and will often intimidate the other competitors (I never deliberately prowl or stare down my competitors in an attempt to intimidate them or put them off though, I believe this to be unsportsmanlike). The psychology of having a presence is good to make you feel more confident and possibly negatively influence your competitors. In long jump, if you are stressed, then you may tighten up on the runway, not run your usual rhythm and as a result not hit the board. So by landing a good jump early, this can influence your competitors’ minds.

I write some positive affirmations down prior to the meet and often during the competition to help me focus, eliminate negative thoughts and perform optimally during each round. I’ve developed numerous strategies throughout my jumping career and recommend the use of a sports psychologist to help direct your thought processes to achieve your goals.

In the event of not reaching your goals - this just means you should reflect on why, possibly reassess your goals and determine what you need to change. Your first major disappointment, and there aren’t too many people who complete a flawless athletic career, is usually the most devastating “failure”. Learning where you can improve and even using that disappointment as fuel can lead to greater success.
To reach your potential you need “the head” for it. You have to believe!