Making the difference

As the game gets faster it becomes increasingly difficult to meet the ever increasing demands of achieving maximum velocity, cutting out spurious movements to shave off 100ths of a second.  In short, its the little things that make a big difference.

Before we can look at these smaller details greater consideration should be given to more obvious factors that influence performance such as;

Above is a list of some of the factors that contribute to overall performance.  Humour me whilst I ask you to consider each one and as honestly as you can giving yourself a rating of 1 - 10 ('1' being very poor and '10' being perfection where no improvement is possible!!!).  It would be fair to say that10's across the board would be the perfect scenario scoring the maximum of 200 points.

Now consider a more realistic total of, lets say.............155pts, and just pulling some results out of a hat  nutrition 7/10, Core stability training  8/10, sleep/rest 4/10 and knowledge of rules 6/10.  The results of selected four components totals 25/40, a deficit of 15pts that influence performance with a performance percentage of approximately 60%. The athlete is down 40% before they even get to the start line.

Below is a chart illustrating the results of a more comprehensive list (a real result but the name omitted to maintain anonymity) clearly shows the athletes perceived strengths and areas of improvement.

 

The questions I am asking and the questions you need to ask yourselves;

• Are you really doing everything you can to achieve your potential?
• What are you going to do about your deficit?

All that remains is just how badly you want to win and are you willing to make the sacrifice and pay the price. If NOT, enjoy your Karate and manage your expectations to match your personal drive, discipline and limited commitment and you will enjoy your limited success.


If YES, then you will increase your chances significantly of achieving your goal and maximising your potential, however you must remember there are no guarantees.

Lets mop up these loose points and foster the discipline needed to make it happen.   Consider what your rivals are doing and how hard they train.  Is there someone out there that always beats you by the narrowest of margins?  Do you excuse it by saying "they're my bogey fighter and that everyone has a bogey".  Well that's just baloney, Get over it, train smart, hard and then overcome!!

David Brailsford - Director of British Cycling / Article

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