Performing under pressure - internal and external.

With the British National Track Cycling Championships having just recently taken place this past weekend, we discuss how competition can bring out a mix of positive and negative emotions. And what we can do as athletes and coaches to turn race anxiety into better performance execution.

"Greatness is relative" Erling Kagge

Psychology and Physiology - they interact

There are many psychological theories that help to ascertain thoughts, processes and approaches to sport. Physiology works in the same way. We as scientists or researchers create theories, we put them into practise and we develop what we believe to be the best approach to training. The interaction between the two often ebbs and flows, but they never detach themselves from one or another.

We all experience nerves, anxiety, that feeling of fight or flight - these feelings we experience are governed by our mind, our previous experiences in our lives that mean we associate certain places or events with very specific emotions.

I am not going to dive into the many theories that exist to explain these feelings, but instead describe these feelings we experience in a practical sense, and ways we can overcome certain 'negative' emotions that may affect our performance.

Control the controllable

We hear this phrase thrown around a lot within the cycling scene, "control the controllable", coined by ex-GB cycling psychologist Steve Peters. But what does this exactly mean? And does this help us feel prepared?

Simply, we mean take full control of all the things you can control - physical preparation, sleep, nutrition, equipment, warm up.. the list is long. By doing this we eliminate the unknown. The 'unknown' is often what causes the pre race anxiety we experience. However, it is not always this simple. There is also a long list of things that we cannot control, and it is equally important to learn to accept these for what they are. Knowing and understanding what is in your control and what is not is the first step.

In or out of your control?

• Start time? Sometimes yes, sometimes no - find this out.
• Equipment check? Yes.
• Nutrition? Yes.
• Other athletes performances? No.
• Fulfilment? Yes.
• Others expectations/ opinions? No.
• The result? No.
• Your execution of your performance? Yes. Outcome - No, Process - Yes.

Each event will present its own list. Talk to your coach, and or athlete to work these out well in advance - don't leave things you can control to chance. Let the things you cannot control run their own course.

Physical Preparation

If as an athlete you often feel anxious before the race or event, it is generally stemmed from two feelings; A) you feel underprepared for the effort you're about to do and therefore are heading into an "unknown" physical experience or B) you have allowed internal or external pressures to build and narrow your field of view. Both of these can be detrimental to your performance. How do we break this feeling?

Well firstly, as coaches, our aim is to get part A right. We work tirelessly to find a balance between training fatigue and competition freshness depending on where the athlete is in the season and the importance of the event we're preparing for. This is a team effort, the athlete needs to have a good understanding of how they want their season to be shaped, and following this, the coach will build a plan to suit these needs.

Once you are at your event and performing your pre-race warm up, there is simply nothing you can change about the past - you are where you are. If you can learn to accept this you will allow yourself to execute your performance to the best of your ability, in that moment.

"Victory awaits him who has everything in order - this is called good luck. For him who has neglected to take the necessary measures in time, failure is absolute certainty - this is called bad luck" Roald Amundsen

This quote has stuck with me since the first time I read it. It is one of the very first ideas of controlling what you can control. Once you have this in order you are guaranteed victory, but this is 'victory' in your own sense - you achieve what you set out to achieve! This doesn't always mean the Gold medal, this can be achieving a personal best - it is relative.

Pressure

Internal Pressure

As sportspeople, we put pressure on ourselves innately. If we didn't we wouldn't be competitive and put the time and effort into our training to improve our performance. However, internal pressures can become overwhelming. Usually this can come down to setting over ambitious goals, making the 'what's physically possible' and 'what isn't' become blurred. Getting this right is a good start. Internal pressure can also come from wanting or needing a specific result for selection - so knowing what result or performance is required well in advance is key! This allows the coach to find a solution, if the desired outcome is realistic, or adjust your expectations if the outcome is too ambitious. Remember, being ambitious is key to success, it is the balance of knowing what is 'ambitious' and what is 'unrealistic' that is key to keeping these internal pressures at bay.

External Pressure

These are often where the 'uncontrollable' come into play. If you allow these pressures to creep into your preparation you will lose focus of what the controllables are and mistakes arise. An example of this may be when crowds appear for the first time, or you're approaching the race/event as a 'favourite'. This can sometimes create a sense of wanting to perform for others. Because you believe people have an opinion of you and you must reach this opinion for there benefit. Letting others opinions or expectations of you cloud your judgement can be one of the biggest contributors to under performing. You are in control of your own destiny, you and only you will be content with your performance - it doesn't matter what others think.

"Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done" Amelia Earhart

Don't let the outcome result define you as a person.

You're a human with value. Whether thats a young or experienced coach or athlete. Allowing performances to define your experiences and fulfilment is detrimental to your well-being. What makes you happy, why are you in this sport? These form the fundamentals of your psyche. Understanding what it is you want, and what others want from you is key to allowing well executed performances. There are many techniques we can use to overcome certain nerves or anxious thoughts but by building habits that create a strong mindset and internal belief will serve you well for a long and successful career.

As an athlete and coach I have experienced both sides. I've experienced low aspects of both and highs of both. I hope to use this experience to develop athletes understanding from a first hand point of view, but also to allow fellow coaches to continue to learn from others experiences.

Athletes and coaches - we're in this together, we win together, we lose together and we learn together.