Ed, the Editor’s recent topic put to me was that of the ‘High Performance Training Environment’ and what commonalities one could expect to find. I had some pretty clear ideas on what this could be, though out of interest, I asked a very close friend who has worked with the Special Forces and other exciting organisations. Their reply was as I expected; concise and to the point. The three words to my three sentences make life much easier, so here we go. They were:
PURPOSE
TRUST
FUN
I will deal with them in that order.
Purpose
A goal. An objective. Something to achieve. A ‘north star’. Something that essentially, at the highest levels, dictates the way you live your life. If you aren’t that fussed about a specific goal, you won’t go to extraordinary lengths to achieve it. That might be something straightforward, like going to bed 30′ earlier than you would like to ensure you get enough rest to recover from training or paying proper attention to your diet and hydration. But, a fundamental purpose, be it to get that NSR/HRR win, a GB vest, or perhaps it’s just to make the 1st boat spills over into everyday life. It doesn’t have to dictate it, but it has to be accommodated and given as much attention as possible so that when you sit on that start line, you know you have done everything you can!
As mentioned in my last page of waffle, you have an excellent opportunity to put rowing at the top of the list with zero distractions. An appropriate time to see how professional you can be, add the Olympics running in the background….get stuck in!
Trust
Trust is what happens when all team members approach the common purpose with as much effort, energy, and attention to detail as they can manage. Of course, no one is perfect, but recognising that a) everyone has a specific job to do and b) that person has trained the best they can for that job is what brings crews together and elevates them to the point where they are ‘greater than the sum of their parts’. Sitting on that start line knowing that everyone has trained to the max is a great feeling in itself, plus it gives you all the best chance of performing at your best and making the most of the opportunity to see how good you can be at that point in time. This is ultimately what sport is about!
Above all, remember this; trust gives you confidence, and confidence is vital in these pressure situations. Trust in each other and your plan to achieve your goal (purpose) helps keep the negative voices at bay as the pressure rises. But you have to earn that trust by approaching the common goal together, so, as per my last instalment, sit down and come up with a plan and work out how you will execute it. You still have a week to improve and find 1% (3.9 seconds over six and a half minutes!). Take, give feedback in a positive manner where possible and remember it’s all towards the common goal.
Fun
Fun is what happens when the points above are addressed and you come together, yet it should also occur along the way. Again, we are not dealing with life or death here; it is only sport, but if the Special Forces can have fun along the way, then so can we rowers. The best crews I have coached have had a superb ability, rarely enforced by me as a coach (salient point, cough cough,) to muck around on land and even in the boat, but when it comes to getting serious, they can flick a switch and focus on the task in hand.
Fun can be not only comradery and chat between the crew but also competitiveness that drives you on but doesn’t get unpleasant or personal. Competitive training, with no pressure of losing a medal but instead just a bit of pride lost or bragging rights gained between good friends, is what brings the best teams together and helps forge the trust mentioned above and is the best way of squeezing that last 1% of out of yourselves in those moments, or sessions that we all know with both love and hate in equal measure. Some of you may remember Alan Campbell, M1x bronze in London; he regularly trained with his opposition, the likes of Drysdale and Olaf Tufte. Now those are guys who know how to have fun but flick that switch when it matters!
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