Hawaiian Paddler Training - The Mental Game - OC1 Canoe Training

Aaron and Kai

Ccompetition tests all our capacities; physical skill is only part of the game. It's not unusual for the conditioned athlete to come in second or third because they haven"t mastered the mental game.


Physical experts can be weakened and distracted if they are susceptible to emotional flightness or mental fuzziness.
The ancient samurai warriors recognized that, If they were to reach old age, a razor sharp mind and emotional calm must precede physical skill. Expericenced athletes usually fare well in high-pressure competitions.

They're able to control their nervous energy; centered, they don't walk around gawking at the other athletes but focus on their efforts; they' ve developed rhythms of warm-up and energy expenditure. Expericence comes from having learned the lessons of training. Some athletes gain a great deal of experience in a relatively short time. other athletes may compete for years and never be seasoned because they haven't learned the right lessons.

Inner Athletes treat both training and competition with the same respect and intensity. When they train, they apply the same mental focus and determination as if they in competition; when they compete, they're relaxed and easygoing as if they were practicing.

Competition is a test of our serenity and one-pointed-ness, a chance to show "grace under fire."

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