PERFORMANCE COACHING
(client Clare Knowles) .
Confidence in your equestrian partner
We can all think of great equestrian sport partnerships, whether that is a great racing partnership like Ruby Walsh with Kauto Star or those fabulous dressage partnership such as Edward Gal and Morlands Totilas or Anne Grethe Jensen with Marzog. In all of those cases and virtually every winning combination that you can think of, there has always been a clear confidence both by the rider and by the horse in each other. Whether it is a jockey that is riding towards a fence at speed or a dressage rider approaching the sequence changes, there needs to be belief and confidence that they know what they are doing and that the horse will respond to the communication/aids required to clear the jump or to make the changes on the aids.
A horse that has a clearly trained understanding of the movements and aids can give a less experienced rider confidence in themselves to match the confidence they have in their horse. A horse that has been more erratic in his training or is less reliable in his responses can easily shake the confidence of a less experienced rider in terms of their ability to compete at their highest levels. Any rider that has lost confidence in their ability to stay on a particular horse is likely to ride in a defensive manner and exude a lack of confidence which can make the horse less confident and the aids more easily misunderstood.
In the longer term it is of the greatest importance that if a rider has a desire to succeed in their sport then they need to be confident in both themselves and their equestrian partner. The loss of confidence can be addressed in several ways depending on the causes. An empathetic and interested trainer can often be the key to establishing knowledge and confidence in the rider; others may need additional help via a sports psychologist. A trainer who is also a top quality rider may help in the training of the horse to help the horse’s understanding so that the rider’s confidence grows as they learn how to access the understanding of the horse rather than teaching the horse from scratch. A serious loss of confidence which has their roots in safety, may be best addressed by taking some lessons on a schoolmaster, by trying sports psychology or even hypnosis or by making improvements in the rider’s core stability and riding position but if this does not work then selling the horse and finding a new partner may be the best and certainly the quickest solution.
Most often the confidence issue is more about the self-confidence of the rider and it is unfair on the horse for a rider to blame their shortcomings on the animal. In addition, unless the rider admits that they lack confidence then they are unlikely to make the changes needed in themselves to alter the dynamics of the relationship. An enlightened trainer, a sports psychologist, a Cognitive Behaviour therapist, a hypnotherapist or just some good friends can all contribute towards the personal self-confidence issues. With confidence in yourself and an intelligent approach to the training of the horse to ensure you are always communicating effectively then the two-way confidence between horse and rider can grow
(Christine Kershaw & Uri)
Living in the Present and making peace with your past
It is only too easy to live your life clouded with regrets or over analysis rather than enjoy the present and develop your future. Everyone is a survivor in some way or another- of a less than perfect childhood, of guilt over missed opportunities and failures, of disappointments and of grief. Yet despite all of the negative issues we have had to deal with we are here now so we have survived these issues. However, if you have not made peace with your past then you will carry the burdens of unresolved matters and the only one who can deal with it is you.
We experience our lives as a timeline with a past, a present and a future and it is important to remember that the past is simply our interpretation of what happened. It can spoil and corrupt the present and the future with feelings of anger, sadness, shame and regret. If we learn from our past, both the situations that arose that were caused by us and those situations that happened to you. If we dwell on the past without learning and making changes then we are likely to replicate those patterns.
Not everyone can make peace with their past on their own and these are the situations where a coach or therapist can help but for many people who are able to recognise the patterns and have a desire to make changes to them then the first step is forgiveness. Without forgiveness of yourself or of others then you will remain locked in the past with recurring negative feelings of guilt, anger, regret, resentment, bitterness and shame. It is not an easy thing to do to forgive someone who has been destructive towards you and it involves letting go of resentments that can often be a comfort blanket. Forgiveness requires you to take an objective view of the behaviour of people who can provoke feelings of resentment or bitterness. Try standing in their shoes- can you see why they did what they did? Can this help you to re-evaluate your memory of what happened when it is not all from your viewpoint? Then write them a letter (but don’t send it) drafting out how you have decided to forgive them and how it has allowed you to move on. Then write down how you will feel once you have let go.
Being in the present means that you pay attention exclusively to what is around you right now. There is of course a time for planning and goal setting but the majority of the time should be spent enjoying where you are- silencing your mind’s constant chattering about the past and the future. Re-frame the past as something that only exists in your mind whereas the present is ripe to be savoured and enjoyed. Learn how to meditate and slow your mind to anchor yourself in the present. Problems are an inevitable part of life but you have a choice about what you think about those problems. Negative thoughts can be vanished if you deny them the ability to hurt you without your consent. Recognise 1 think every day that you have enjoyed that day and note it in your journal- very soon you will be focusing on your positive present instead of your negative past.
(Client Cheryl Jackson winning the
RoR championship at Trailblazers 2011)
From the Archive -Maintaining A Balance
In this instance I am not referring to the rider's seat and balance but rather to the rider who is losing perspective over the importance of results and achievements. In order to maintain balance in your life you need to maintain a sense of perspective of each element. Every life coach will encourage their clients to utilise a balance wheel to get a better image of their life and the elements that need to be addressed (see web page link on the links Page)
If you place too great importance on one aspect such as your competition results, then it can easily make you lose perspective about all the other aspects of your life. Or by having too great a success in one area then you can be neglecting other areas which can lead to new unwanted pressures affecting your riding in due course.
previous articles include;
Dealing with Anxiety
Inner Voice
Effects of Stress on Performance
Perfectionism
Focus & Distractions
Making better decisions
Anchoring
Investing in yourself
Self Sabotage
Barriers & Threats to Concentration
-if you wish to read any previous articles I will be republishing them in future months or you can ask for details on a contact form
Goal of the Month -Feb 12- Taking a clean 3
Taking a clean 3 is a term used in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) when looking at an action or experience you have had that you wish to change. There are essentially 3 perceptual positions, your position (1), the opponent/antagonist (2) and an impartial observer(3). When you see things from your own viewpoint then it is very easy to become intransigent and stuck in your position as the emotions are making you subjective. If you put yourself into the second position then you are “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes” and trying to imagine what it looks and feels like from their viewpoint. In the 3 perceptual position you are an impartial observer who is only able to see and hear what is happening but does not experience the same emotions.
It is particularly useful when dealing with conflicts, if both parties can view the situation from the second position (and thus understand that position ) and then disassociate themselves from the emotions of the situation. In addition it is a way of helping you to anchor your position which we will look at in the future.
It can also be very useful if you want to make changes to the way you react to a situation or if you want to change your position but your emotions are getting in the way. Start by watching a video of yourself riding, in a test situation or just at home and see if you can make observations about what happens without getting caught up in the emotions that you felt. What happened? What did you need to do differently? By taking this clean position (cleaned from emotions) you will understand more clearly what the judge is seeing. It will take practise- trying writing down exactly what you see and hear on the video- and limit yourself to factual information but it can be the most helpful way to improve your self-coaching techniques.
Previous Goals include;
Doing Your best
Making the change
Personal Investment Statement
Building Rapport with yourself
Confident New You
Dealing with Criticism
The Bubble
Stretching for the rider
Mental detox
if you would like more information on previous goals please use the contact form
If you would like more information on performance coaching please
click here
( client Jayne Gingell & Plato)
