WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17TH, 2011
Baseball Class 5:00pm
Open Class 6:00pm
The goal of the CrossFit Games is to see which athletes & teams are the fittest in the world. I believe that The Games are more than just a test of physical fitness. It is a competition of the most important aspect of all, a single facet that is not listed as 1 of the 10 components of fitness. The biggest test at The CrossFit Games is mental.
As a consultant in the field of sport psychology, I tune in to different aspects of competition than most spectators. I spent my weekend intently studying the athlete’s warm-up routines, their breathing patterns, where their eyes are focused, their facial expressions, what words come out of their mouths, how they carry themselves (body posture, etc), their specific rituals, reactions after a performance (good or bad) and many other psychological aspects of performance. Here is a summary of my thoughts on the mental aspect of The 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games.
What I saw, What I thought, and Some Tips
During the competition the athletes had to face some surprises such as; the ocean, bikes, monkey bars, softball throws, pushing and pulling sleds and handstand walks. Although the competition had particular rules, restrictions and schedules, the athletes were continually making CHOICES. Decisions that would define how they were remembered, the type of performance they had, how they finished, what place they would be in, & losing vs. winning.
* Thursday evening I was watching the athlete interviews about their reactions to the ‘SWIM WOD’ …the athletes had different reactions, surprised, excited, scared, nervous, unprepared, giddy etc. Regardless of what their initial feelings were, they had a CHOICE as to what verbal reactions they had. *My tip for the athletes would have been to simply say, “I’m excited, it’s going to be fun and/or I am prepared.” Express confidence, excitement and preparedness whenever possible, sometimes it will even help YOU to believe it.
* The Beach WOD consisted of athletes unable to navigate the water, trudging through the sand, falling across the finish line, smiling through the transitions, well-known athletes finishing towards the back and unknown athletes finishing towards the front. This event was unlikely to express whom the winners of The Games would be, but it sure was telling of the competitor’s attitudes, expressions and characters. Note: Annie T. flashed at least 8 smiles during the workout and ran THROUGH the finish line pumping her fist. *You have a CHOICE how you finish a WOD… before the line, at the line, or through the line….shaking your head in disappointment or with a grin on your face. Always imagine the finish line is 10 feet further than it is, hold your head up high at the end of a WOD and maybe even try the Annie T. smile.
* The Skills WOD was a test of each athlete’s ability to focus and maintain control mentally and physically. It was a great change of pace and it challenged the athletes in a different capacity. I loved seeing athletes close their eyes during the L sit, make a joke and have fun with their ability during the softball throw (J.Khalipa), & then turn on extreme control for the handstand walk. The takeaway here is that the athletes needed to be able to switch between focus channels within a very short amount of time.
The L sit is an exercise where you should be centered, calm, and even be able to disassociate from what you are doing. The Softball Throw requires finesse and control while exerting a max effort. The handstand walks are a high concentration event where the athlete must be able to tune out all surrounding distractions and be very focused on their movement. Event 2 was a huge mental test…where the practice of focus techniques, self-talk, visualization and emotional control would have been a huge benefit to the athletes. *You won’t be the best at everything and you have a CHOICE to how you respond to WODS that may not favor you or that you may not like. Choose to have fun and enjoy giving your best effort at the events where you are not the most confident, just like Khalipa.
To go through every event would be lengthy & I would risk losing readers…but there are a few other examples of elite mentality that I must touch on.
* Rob O. chose to compete at all out intensity knowing he couldn’t move on to the next cut and Rocklin CrossFit made a choice to continue to attempt ring dips when all other teams were finishing in the Final Team Event.
* Rebecca V. made a choice to get back up and continue sprinting after falling over and seemingly losing it in Event 4 and Holmberg had to choose how to react when a judge no-repped him a few times and he was the reigning champion (Event 7).
* Camille L-B chose to continue to push on after she found out her rower wasn’t correctly working and Sakamoto & Spealler made a choice to ignite the crowd with a fiery passion and perfect form on all movements.
* Froning chose where he wanted to spend his time & energy before the last event (lounging with his buddies up in the concourse talking about Scriptures) and Annie & J. Bridges chose to high five fans after they completed events.
The final event was a true mental challenge that was physically taxing and demanding. The 3-part event forced athletes to continually ‘start over’ to see how far they could make it through various stations in a given time. Talk about a mind game! This 1 event summarized the fact that The CrossFit Games were going to find which athletes had the greatest physical and mental capacity.
The competition consisted of unknown events, times and locations. It consisted of tons of spectators, lights and mandatory sponsored clothing. The athletes were forced out of their comfort zones and had limited control over their environment. Yet throughout the weekend, athletes still had to make thousands of choices. *Just like The Games Athletes, we are defined by our decisions. As athletes, we must recognize that reaction; confidence, body language, self-talk, perseverance and optimism are choices. The athletes who are able to make the best choices during pressure & performance scenarios are the ones who will win most often. The winners of the 2011 CrossFit Games are proof of that.
-Note : If you go back on my Tweets (FletcherFitness), you can see that on Friday night (July 30th) I had already picked Annie and Rich to be the winners of The 2011 CrossFit Games, I felt as though I had seen enough of their mental and physical abilities to make my call.
Dawn Fletcher has an M.A. in Kinesiology with a focus on Sport Psychology. She is a CrossFit Coach and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA) in San Diego, CA. She specializes in the mental aspect of performance and works with CrossFitters on achieving elite fitness.
Coach Justin
PerformanceQuestFitness@gmail.com
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