I have to say that this is the worst feeling you can have about yourself or someone can have in you. Examples being when your parents say they aren’t mad, they are disappointed… That really burns most of the time. The other example is when you had a goal or a mission and it didn’t result as intended. It’s an even stronger feeling when you put all your eggs in that one basket.
The ninja comp for me today was a disappointment, as i wanted to qualify for the FINA World Championship. However, i missed the mark by one point in speed and two or three in endurance. Now, here’s the thing, i could blame a multitude of things that would lower my perceived responsibility for what happened… but that would be false. I am to blame for my disappointment 100%! I made the choices that led me to the path of failure and ultimately my current feeling.
“Where do i go from here?”
The question most commonly asked internally when such an event occurs. This is where a negative can turn into a positive if you decide it to be so. We are all in control of our brains, as we are in fact our brains! I must realize a few truths to gain control of this squishy gray matter in my thick boney skull. So first take sometime to mope and embrace the feeling of failure. Then, let’s pick ourselves back up and take a look at the truth!
Confirmation Bias
I trained adequately and intensely enough as i over judged my ability through comparisons to others. I broke the course into sections and practiced them independently telling myself that is the same as competition. It’s my gym and that means i have special powers while inside that gym. I’m good enough that i can run speed and endurance on the same day! These are all false, i must acknowledge these and correct them in order to move forward.
Me Vs Me
The basis for our belt system in an objective measure of strength and skill based on standardized checkpoints. We don’t compare one ninja to another ninja to determine the belt level, so why should i use that for a measure of my ability? I tell my kids frequently after a comp not to compare themselves to others and yet i fail to tell them that during training. This mindset begins in training and must be repeated as a daily mantra. I must do better than I did the time before. If you chase someone else you will always walk away with less than if you chased yourself.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Training for competition is best done in combination with a multitude of methods. However, the most important is setting up a practice course and running it over and over again until you can beat it perfectly. Then, run it over and over again until you have shaved off every second you possibly can. Well Duh! but let’s look at the best way to do this before the sarcastic response. If you run the course by itself to shave off time then it’s biased towards a slower pace.. Now, if you individually time each obstacle when you are at your best, then you will figure out how fast it should be done. Once you have the individual times you can add them up to get a total obstacle time for that course. Adjust the total time for travel time between obstacles and you have your ideal final time. Practice that course until you can get that ideal final time and then… change the order, change the details, or add a weight vest!
Fail to plan, plan to fail
I went into this comp with no real plan and it showed.. here a few things to remember when competing in FINA. The first speed run should be treated as a stress free run where you try as hard as you can but also try every obstacle if you fail. You should obviously try to get a complete in the first run, but if you cant, then work at testing each obstacle you think might cause you trouble in the next run. It’s a fun run and you will do best with that mindset. The second run should be taken a bit more seriously but also enjoy the practice as you are getting exposed to different courses and variations. The endurance run should ideally be spaced out to the next day if you are allowed. The biggest failure in endurance is people treating it like a speed run and going too fast ignoring their breaks. You need to use those breaks and plan when to use them as well as when to chalk up! Take a few to breathe deeply and slowly to calm your mind and oxygenate the blood. Also the break time doesn’t start til you complete the obstacle, so if you can sit on one for a second or two longer than needed… Do it!
The Buzzer
Moving forward, i will stop myself from the logical fallacy of comparing to others as they have no bearing on my ability. I will keep a training regimen that encourages me to reach the optimal time for the course and each individual obstacle. I will have a plan going into competition and replay it in my head until i can follow it without hesitation or distraction. The best way is to start with those SMART goals we talked about earlier and realizing i am working on being the BEST version of myself..
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