“Performance is individuals working collectively as one.”
In essence, it’s the mechanism by which a team creates a sustainable way to reap the most from each session.
Three critical components to building the ‘high-performance mindset’ have emerged throughout my time working with internationally renowned rowers. Namely:
Taking responsibility
Setting inviolable standards
Understanding your role in performance.
• • •
Taking Responsibility
Q: How can we perform both as a team and as individuals?
Most athletes and teams are attentive to what they are doing – “the training” – whilst significantly fewer challenge themselves on “how” they are working. Once these processes are built and strengthened, it is the glue that holds a squad together. Over time, the incremental improvements in team trust it provides will compound and generate exponential growth in critical areas, such as performing under pressure.
Simply put, how you do things, day in, day out, will shape you, those around you and influence long term performance.
In my day job, I recently began working with a very talented young rower who’s keen to become a leader in the squad.
The first aspect of his vision we discussed was his dedication to task.
There is no doubt that he dedicated himself to the ‘what’ – rowing as a concept; his impressive race record stands as a testament to that. However, since they began to train alone in lockdown, they’ve started to see training as a chore; as such, they’ve failed to apply themselves – they’ve been unable to lead in the ‘how‘.
A team changes change day by day, depending on how their experiences are shaping them.
Here are a few questions that get a perspective of what kind of performer you are.
How would your coaches describe you on a good day?.
How would your coaches describe you on a bad day?.
How would your teammates describe you on a good day?
How would teammates describe you on a bad day?
It’s best if you aim for consistency; at a more nuanced level, it’s pertinent to consider why you have ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days when it comes to training.
• • •
Setting standards
Q: What standards to I need to set to improve my performance?
Flowing nicely from our previous point, how a team turns up to training is something you can shape over time. Do it right, and you lay secure foundations for success.
From the perspective of a coach or athlete, you can quickly formulate the environment you need during training based on your ultimate goal.
Fundamentally, how do you want the crew to be remembered?
Henley Victors? National Champions? Bumps winner? Technical masters?
From here, set the tone of each session. Here’s a couple of examples.
“I’m aiming for a medal at National Schools’.”
This is your motto every time you step onto the erg. You need to become process obsessed.
“We’re aiming to become a friendly club people are excited to join.”
You need to understand what puts individuals off rowing, and from here, work out how you can be different.
Performance always something that individuals can refine; it’s not a linear process.
• • •
Understanding Your Role in Performance
Q: How can I effectively evaluate the efficacy of my efforts?
By asking the right questions, you’ll get immeasurably better answers.
It might sound ridiculous, but you first need to listen to yourself to get the best answers from yourself.
Here are a few simple tools to sharpen this:
What was my focus today?
In what areas did I achieve my goal. Did I do it well, and how did I do it?
How can I repeat the above and reinforce?
You won’t see the difference in this over a day – this is the difference between magnitude and measure.
You might improve your 2K score for a day or two by following performance fads, but to generate organic development in your team, you need to focus on compounding improvements.
Over months and years, small improvements in how you execute training will compound to exponential growth, putting you head and shoulders above your competition.
After all, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Stephen
This article was written by Stephen Feeney. To find out more about his story, head over to our content partners page, or read more of his work here.
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Images by Roesie Percy
*All athletes mentioned in this article have been anonymised.
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