"Have you ever performed well in competition when it seemed highly unlikely that you would? Maybe you arrived late and never got the chance to warm-up properly, or maybe you learnt the wrong test and had to learn the correct one an hour before you were due into the arena!

I remember seeing a Czech athlete at an international pentathlon forced to use a pistol she had never touched before after hers broke. She went on to win the shoot!There was also a British athlete placed at a World Cup competition whilst suffering a severe bout of food poisoning in Egypt!

Having studied many such performances, it would seem that such amazing performances are possible not despite adversity, but because of adversity.

This Sunday I was witness to another such story in the form of Bath-based eventer Alex Peternell riding his debut appearance at Badminton. Two weeks prior to the event, Alex was ejected rather dramatically from an over enthusiastic horse inflicting acute ligament damage to his right knee. On crutches and unable to ride until just days before the event, Alex then suffered a rather poorly timed bout of sickness and fever that would stay with him during the course of the competition. Despite illness and injury and having only walked the course to the extent that his crutches would allow, the South African rider went on to jump clear on his first ever attempt at the Badminton x-country course, finishing the competition in the top third of the field.

Evidence would suggest that when our bodies are working on a limited capacity, we are forced to narrow our focus 100% on simple things that are required of us rather than trying to control every last technicality of our sport. This suits us well under pressure, when the brain responds best by following simples rules with 100% commitment (as opposed to following complex rules with 80% commitment). Master this and we will perform fluently and instinctively – something we often find easier to achieve in training. This is precisely why the ability to challenge ourselves is a key element of Mental Toughness (see previous blog), because challenge/adversity ironically forces us to commit to a more simple and coherent train of thought, taking one step at a time.

Of course we can achieve the same effect without eating raw prawns before every competition! How? By using our competition preparation and warm-ups as an opportunity to leave behind the technicalities of training and focus on conducting simple routines 100% well. Of course, simple routines must still be planned ahead of time – or else they become surprisingly complicated under pressure! Get it right though and the experience of competition can remain genuinely fun and hugely rewarding!

The Psychology of Success

On the 31st May (Bank Holiday Monday) we will be running a workshop near Bath that for the first time will invite back attendees from previous workshops for the second half of the day. The event will be well supported by numerous international riders and coaches from all parts of the country and will be a valuable experience for equestrians of all levels. It will be the perfect opportunity to develop the principles of performance psychology whilst learning from other people’s experiences and will also include a social pub lunch at half time! For more details please visit the link below..."