do a google image search on 'sports inspirational posters' and discover a new world of whimsy.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=&q=sports+motivational+posters&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=582l7932l0l10450l30l28l2l8l7l1l248l2882l2.11.5l18l0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=Jjn9Tu3YNKrl0QHelIWxAg&biw=919&bih=477&sei=Kjn9TpPTCoXj0QH8qKSJAg
Thursday, December 29, 2011
put on some parameters.
When you feel distracted / oppressed / curbed by your surroundings, the thing to remember is VISUALIZING THE GAME and GETTING STRONGER and GETTING FASTER. This is not the time to fixate on social awkwardnesses or strategize how to fit another thing in.
ALSO: KEEP BLOGGING!! YOU ARE FALLING BEHIND.
ALSO: KEEP BLOGGING!! YOU ARE FALLING BEHIND.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
MOMENTUM!
Don't lose momentum just because you're double thinking what you should be using your blogspace and headspace for! Or because you are getting on a plane today.
MOMENTUM! is the word of the day.
MOMENTUM! is the word of the day.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
from the author, re. Feedback
The reason I'm not responding to your personal reflection on your own individual performance is that the goal of this blog is to get you to think outside your own circuitry, to visualize performance in a more abstract way, to think about how other people motivate themselves and deal with their demons, so that it becomes almost less personal... or something that you have an array of other peoples' tools to address.
This doesn't mean that you can't use the blog for your own space of reflection, but I'm trying to spiral you outward a little bit. I think re-engaging with your own love of the game is a good start.
with that,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmY7ttVNiWo
This doesn't mean that you can't use the blog for your own space of reflection, but I'm trying to spiral you outward a little bit. I think re-engaging with your own love of the game is a good start.
with that,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmY7ttVNiWo
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
fun and games
Today we had some guests from out of town at practice, 2 Russian guys who live and fence in the US. I had never fenced (or seen -- except for one touch at the last NAC) either of these guys. It was fun to fence them, to problem solve in the moment, intuitively.
It was a reminder of what I like in the sport. I felt that way out in Colorado Springs training with the guys, too, particularly the ones I hadn't fenced before.
All of this says to me that the negativity I'm wrestling with is not about the SPORT, it's about my ego and my expectations for myself and my desire to beat every single woman every time I fence them (especially the people I train with all the time). That's not necessarily a productive way to practice, especially if you are obsessing about outcome or getting wracked with emotion. I need to break those bouts down into touches, and see them as a game again, to get really lost in trying to solve the problem, instead of fretting over the score. (Like so much of what you 'should do' in the mental realm - its easier said than done.)
I'll just say that it was refreshing to be reminded in those 2 bouts that I do like to play the game!
It was a reminder of what I like in the sport. I felt that way out in Colorado Springs training with the guys, too, particularly the ones I hadn't fenced before.
All of this says to me that the negativity I'm wrestling with is not about the SPORT, it's about my ego and my expectations for myself and my desire to beat every single woman every time I fence them (especially the people I train with all the time). That's not necessarily a productive way to practice, especially if you are obsessing about outcome or getting wracked with emotion. I need to break those bouts down into touches, and see them as a game again, to get really lost in trying to solve the problem, instead of fretting over the score. (Like so much of what you 'should do' in the mental realm - its easier said than done.)
I'll just say that it was refreshing to be reminded in those 2 bouts that I do like to play the game!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
after the pain ends, the pride remains.
altitude is the new attitude
your altitude determines your attitude
what's altitude without attitude? (no, really)
your altitude determines your attitude
what's altitude without attitude? (no, really)
rage
Today at practice, I let my negative emotions take over.
Pretty disappointing when I'm trying actively to work on all this. Sometimes, when I fence people who hit hard, without control, I get really angry. Today, I got a nasty scrape on my thigh above my knee and it just totally broke my concentration. Made me so angry I stopped moving and working at all. I wanted to walk off the strip. I stood at my en guarde line and basically let her hit me until it was over.
This is my worst reaction in practice, it happens for a lot of reasons, and I feel true anger at the opponent. Sometimes it's a response to rough fencing/bad touches, sometimes it's a response to my own frustration with the bout, usually its a combination of both. I know its immature and unproductive to stop working hard at this point. That's when you need to dig deep and work harder.
I never do this in a tournament, never. I'm too much of a fighter. But I'm convinced that this patterning of stopping working when it gets tough is terrible for my competitions. Who knows what will come out the other side? Maybe it comes out as rushing, or making mistakes. Maybe this contributed to me getting behind 9-2 and then 14-9 in my last match at the NAC against a much less experienced opponent. I MUST find a way to stop things before they spin out of control like this. A full stop and reset is the skill I need to develop.
I stopped fencing after that bout, and just switched to hitting the wall (point/arm work) and then doing footwork. Listened to music while doing footwork, trying to stop being so angry.
Then, I stretched, got changed and lay on the wrestling mat and listened to a 25 minute relaxation script. This helped. It was nice to do it right after practice. I've been doing it before bed, but it was great then. So by the time I made my way back home to Brooklyn, showering, I of course no longer felt that rage/anger. I felt the lingering disappointment in myself for being so weak, in so many senses. So much to work on.
Pretty disappointing when I'm trying actively to work on all this. Sometimes, when I fence people who hit hard, without control, I get really angry. Today, I got a nasty scrape on my thigh above my knee and it just totally broke my concentration. Made me so angry I stopped moving and working at all. I wanted to walk off the strip. I stood at my en guarde line and basically let her hit me until it was over.
This is my worst reaction in practice, it happens for a lot of reasons, and I feel true anger at the opponent. Sometimes it's a response to rough fencing/bad touches, sometimes it's a response to my own frustration with the bout, usually its a combination of both. I know its immature and unproductive to stop working hard at this point. That's when you need to dig deep and work harder.
I never do this in a tournament, never. I'm too much of a fighter. But I'm convinced that this patterning of stopping working when it gets tough is terrible for my competitions. Who knows what will come out the other side? Maybe it comes out as rushing, or making mistakes. Maybe this contributed to me getting behind 9-2 and then 14-9 in my last match at the NAC against a much less experienced opponent. I MUST find a way to stop things before they spin out of control like this. A full stop and reset is the skill I need to develop.
I stopped fencing after that bout, and just switched to hitting the wall (point/arm work) and then doing footwork. Listened to music while doing footwork, trying to stop being so angry.
Then, I stretched, got changed and lay on the wrestling mat and listened to a 25 minute relaxation script. This helped. It was nice to do it right after practice. I've been doing it before bed, but it was great then. So by the time I made my way back home to Brooklyn, showering, I of course no longer felt that rage/anger. I felt the lingering disappointment in myself for being so weak, in so many senses. So much to work on.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
grace & flow
for this visualization exercise, project yourself onto OTHER PEOPLE. think of the most beautiful athletes you have seen in action. imagine their grace & flow, focus & resolve. rewatch great matches and see how others win, learn from the masters. be in roger federer's body, for a bit.
winning
Today I tried this meditation, a suggestion from my friend Paul:
Competition/victory visualizations (actually use the meditation to visualize something you're working on physically, actually visual victory over other fencers in a match; so long as you work to STAY with the visualization, that's meditation; 15 min).
Admittedly, I only did it for 6 minutes, because that was all the time I had in the morning (a minute more than yesterday!), but it was hard nonetheless.
To picture myself winning, like at the moment of winning, gratification is EASY. But that doesn't seem that constructive. Is it? I figure I should picture how I want to be fencing (process) in order to win. So its easy to picture how I want to move, but then I'm just visualizing myself doing footwork, and that's only half the game! I have done visualizations before of simple extensions, lunges, fleches. That's about visualizing technique and movement, but not as much about WINNING.
If I picture some sort of generic opponent, its very nonspecific, hard to visualize. I guess I can keep working on that. But if I picture specific opponents, I very quickly being going through memories, thinking about challenges I've had in past bouts (some of which I'm not sure how to address). Surely THAT is not the goal of the meditation. I guess I need to figure out how general or specific to make this. Crazy that what should be a simple task is not so easy....
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
starting again
This morning I meditated for an oh-so-brief 5 minutes. Mostly monkey mind, but nice to just sit. Let's build on this.
I tried to have a positive outlook at practice, facing forward, not complaining or lamenting the past. Had a decent conversation with Yefim about the tournament and talked about mental preparation more generally with Teddy. One thing you realize when you talk to other fencers is that everyone (well, almost everyone) struggles with their mental demons - fear, anxiety, pressure, tentativeness, whatever. And everyone has different ways of dealing with it, some by trying to just not deal with it.
The mental game, especially in epee, is huge. Because you don't have the 'protection' of right of way that foil and sabre give you, plus you have double touches, so you are more susceptible to flukes, strange styles, awkward opponents...even chance. So even the tiniest bit of fear/hesitation can be the difference between you executing a touch successfully, or being hit. Teddy and I talked about how often you see good/highly ranked fencers losing in the 64 in epee, whereas this rarely happens in foil/sabre. The winner of an epee tournament is often the person who had the most mental toughness (and resilience) that day.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
MIND=BODY RECOMMENDATION
The Five Elements in Practice with Bobby Clennell
Sunday, December 18, 2:00-4:00 pm, All Levels
In Advance: $25 Members / $35 Nonmembers
Same day: $30 Members / $40 Nonmembers
According to yogic principles, everything in the universe is made up of five subtle elements: the earth element is grounding; water brings flow; fire energizes and stimulates; air expands and opens; and space connects us to the universal spirit. Explore and understand your own unique expression of these elemental forces and balance your inner landscape and physical body.
iyengarnyc.org/
Sunday, December 18, 2:00-4:00 pm, All Levels
In Advance: $25 Members / $35 Nonmembers
Same day: $30 Members / $40 Nonmembers
According to yogic principles, everything in the universe is made up of five subtle elements: the earth element is grounding; water brings flow; fire energizes and stimulates; air expands and opens; and space connects us to the universal spirit. Explore and understand your own unique expression of these elemental forces and balance your inner landscape and physical body.
iyengarnyc.org/
Monday, December 12, 2011
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