By Larry Lauer, PhD, CC-AASP

Michigan Youth Sports Institute
Named one of the NSAPE Top 100 coaching educators of 2007

For a number of years I have worked with athletes as a coach and mental performance consultant. Self-confidence is usually the reason why athletes first contact me. They have hit the bottom so to speak and are willing to try something “alternative” in their minds to find their games. With these I clients I have talked a lot about staying positive and thinking productively. Yet, I notice a phenomenon that many athletes struggle to overcome. And, that is self-handicapping.

Allow me to describe one case to make my point. I have consulted with an elite tennis player for several years. He is a very talented player but lacks the confidence to truly excel meaning he often leaves matches thinking he missed an opportunity or was unable to perform well. At first, he described this as being unable to focus at times on the court. He would think about random things, and become distracted on things he could not control such as line calls. Even worse, things he could control, such as his arousal or energy level during the warm up, he perceived to be out of his control. It was indicative of “waking up on the wrong side of the bed” and “it is not my day” thinking…..

At the time we worked on his ability to focus on stimuli that would enhance his focus and performance (e.g., the racket strings, his game plan). We also examined his thinking before and during matches. What was undermining his confidence? Off the court he is a very confident young man. What was eroding his confidence on the court? Then, he described to me how he compares himself to his opponent. He attempted to predict his chances of winning. This would occur hours before the tournament once the draw was announced or during the warm up once he began to see how his opponent was striking the ball (especially the serve).

Self-Talk is Key and Can be Good or Bad

This has been an ongoing battle for this player over the past few years that he manages well and not so well at times. And, the effects of self-handicapping are not limited to just playing very good opponents and doubting his chances to win and play well. To this day he will examine the draw and say “This guy is not that good, it should be easy.” Now, I don’t mind a player believing he or she can win, however, this overconfident comparison also sets him up to perform poorly. In fact this occurred in the last tournament I attended. In a first round match he expected to win he lost handily after leading by a break in the first set. He described his performance as “lazy” and “not being able to get the feel.” To me these were descriptors of not being at an optimal level of arousal due to his overconfident state and subsequent lack of preparation.

Self-handicapping is not confined to this one player or the sport of tennis. I have noticed the tendency for players to compare themselves prior to competition in soccer, football, ice hockey, figure skating, baseball, you name it and it occurs. That is why some football coaches will line their reserve players along the middle of the field; so the starters will not be looking at their opponent!

Know “How” Your Mind Races

It seems very hard for athletes to keep themselves from handicapping a competition. Several tennis players I’ve consulted talk about how they are negatively affected when family or just other players talking about the draw. For professional athletes reading the paper, listening to and watching sports shows would definitely tax one’s ability to avoid too much self-handicapping. Prior to the 2006 World Cup of soccer there were endless predictions about each of the pools and which teams would make it to the round of 16 matches. At this year’s Wimbledon injuries and upsets opened the draw for several players to make a deep run for the first time in a grand slam. You would think what a great opportunity! However, for some players this creates a great deal of pressure because their expectations rise and losing is more of a disappointment. Their mind races to what could be (the breakthrough of one’s career) and what they could lose (the opportunity of a lifetime). Certainly, these thoughts can overtake even the most mentally disciplined athlete.

Develop and Rehearse “Proxy Thoughts” to Keep it Real

How can athletes overcome their tendency to self-handicap and be their own worst enemy? First, they must develop awareness that they are self-handicapping and how it affects their mindset and preparation for competition. Going back to the case of the tennis player, he identified self-handicapping thoughts that occurred during the warm up such as “this will be easy.” Next, he attempted to stop these thoughts immediately. One technique previously presented in Podium is that of the “Thought Pattern Interrupt.”  Not only does this technique result in thought stopping, it can be used to reroute thinking.  For example, he replaced his self-handicapping thoughts with thoughts focused on how he was feeling – “powerful, strong, confident, loose”, etc. At the same time we did want him to learn about his opponent during the warm up. We talked about observing his opponent for tendencies and for strengths and weaknesses but to treat it like a coach. His goal was to understand his opponent’s game and not to judge his chances of winning. A tough thing to do, but nonetheless important!

Use Rhythm and Routines To Your Advantage

Finally, we spent a great deal of time working on routines and getting into a rhythm. By getting into a comfortable routine our hope was that he would get “his feel” and begin to flow into competition. This would allow him to focus on productive thoughts and minimize handicapping thoughts. Sometimes athletes need a trigger to able to go from evaluating to just reacting. In tennis players can use the strategy of thinking “bounce” when the ball bounced on their side of the court, and “hit” as they are striking the ball to find rhythm and feel.

Overcoming the tendency for athletes to self-handicap is not easy. It is difficult to avoid handicapping one’s chances because the brain has a natural propensity of comparing and judging. In addition, parents and other players often handicap and predict match-ups which lead the athlete back into a comparison thought process. In some ways you want to teach athletes to use self-handicapping sparingly and to their advantage. They should believe in their chances and yet not become overconfident. Great coaches have been manipulating self-handicapping for years. If a team is entering competition overconfident the coach will find ways to remind them that they must prepare and compete – “because on any given Sunday…” any team can win. And in the opposite case where a team is lacking belief, coaches will build them up and focus on their strengths and playing their game versus worrying so much about their opponent. In this way, athletes should think like shrewd coaches and manipulate their thoughts purposefully.

Ultimately, athletes must be aware of how their self-handicapping is affecting their preparation and performance. Then, they have an opportunity to implement strategies at appropriate times and minimize self-handicapping.

Dr. Larry Lauer, PhD, CC-AASP, USOC Registry – is a coaching education specialist at Michigan State University and a valued member of the Michigan Youth Sports Institute.  He was voted one of the top 100 coaching educators in the country and was winner of the prestigious “Dissertation Award” by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology for his work:  Playing Tough and Clean Hockey: Teaching Emotional Management Skills to Reduce Aggression in Youth Ice Hockey

Podium’s Podcast of the Month – Featuring – Dr. Kevin L. Burke

Editor’s note: As the summer creeps into view, NASCAR is beginning to ramp up and The IRL is gaining momentum.  America’s favorite racing venues are virtually sold out weeks in advance as fans clamor to catch all the action.  Emerging as one of this countries most popular sports – NASCAR racing is capturing new fans every week.  The why is not hard to figure as race cars reach speeds approaching 200 mph in tight conditions and not a week goes by without at least one crash.  The risk to life and limb is immense and the sport challenges a team to deliver week in and week out.  Of course, the success or demise of a team rests in the skill of their driver, whose task is to win or be competitive every time the flag drops.  The job takes more than skill and guts….it is vital that drivers are both physically gifted and mentally tough enough to endure four hours of the most grueling of conditions.

Dr. Kevin L. Burke is a long time member of AASP – and is one of the  foremost authorities on the psychology of motor sports in the country.  This Podcast serves as the benchmark for this topic in Podium Sports Journal and we are pleased to have his insights and observations on this insanely popular sport.

Burke gives a thorough synopsis of how – concentration, focusing techniques, pre-race preparation, the use of imagery, and the ability to manage strong emotions – are indispensable mental skills every successful racing driver is constantly working to improve.  In addition, Burke speaks to how one recovers from mistakes and can use anger productively to race better.

We suggest that you review previous interviews in Podium with Dr. Ken Hodge on his use of Critical Action Response Strategy for training drivers, and Dr. Ashwin Patel, whose doctoral research on the “Mental Demands of Professional Motocross Racers” is most illuminating.  Finally, it should be noted that sustaining motivation during the long and arduous season drivers experience is treated in one of Podium’s more popular articles by Dr. Tami Eggleston “Get and Stay Motivated”.

Here is Burke’s podcast: Dr Kevin L. Burke – Psychology of Motorsports April 30 2010

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. Kevin L. Burke is Professor and Director of the School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University.  He also maintains a private consulting business, Kevin L. Burke Enterprises.  He has assisted professional, college, high school and recreational athletes in various sports – and- maintains research interests in momentum, optimism, humor and personal control.  He has long served as an intercollegiate basketball official, was head coach of three NCAA Division I tennis teams, and has driven stock cars at various motor speedways around the country including Charlotte, Atlanta and Bristol.  Another podcast of Burke’s comments on issues and events in motorsports can be found at Burke on Motorsports.

You can email Dr. Burke for more information at: kburke@ilstu.edu

Taylor Mays works out in preparation for the NFL Scouting Combine

by Noah Gentner, PhD, CC-AASP

A few weeks ago I talked about the mental challenges of the NFL Combine (http://www.podiumsportsjournal.com/2010/03/18/the-most-important-job-interview-in-sports-part-i/).  I was even able to interview former NFL offensive lineman, Mike Rosenthal, to get an insider’s view of the Combine. According to Mike the most challenging aspects of the Combine are dealing with constant scrutiny as well as being pushed to the limits mentally and physically.  For the remainder of this blog I want to discuss the strategies that Mike used to deal with these challenges because, let’s be honest, if they work at the Combine there’s a good chance they can work in other situations.

Preparation

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”  This quote by Benjamin Franklin sums up Mike’s views on the combine.  Just like any other big game, Mike spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the Combine.  He believed it was his job to do everything he could to prepare for his workout.  Fortunately for athletes who are going to the Combine, they know exactly what they will be asked to do.  There are very few surprises at the Combine (particularly in the physical tests).  So, Mike spent several months preparing for the drills he would face at the Combine.  “Back then there weren’t a lot of combine prep camps so since I was finishing up my degree at Notre Dame I stuck around and worked out with our Strength Coach Mickey Mariotti.  I trusted that he would do everything he could to prepare me for the Combine and I was happy with the way he trained me.”  Because of his physical preparation, Mike was extremely confident entering the Combine.  This highlights one of the most important outcomes of preparation…it leads to confidence.  We all know that athletes perform better when they are confident.  What is one of the best ways to increase confidence?  Preparation!!  Think of the best performance you have ever had in sports, school, work, etc.  I bet you were well prepared.  Focusing on preparation is focusing on success.

Of course, there are two sides to proper preparation: physical and mental.  Unfortunately, Mike admittedly did not get enough of the latter.  “Mentally, I did not do too much.  I wish I had done more but at the time I was just a dumb college kid trying to play football.”  When Mike went to the Combine Sport Psychology was not as widely used as it is today.  Now athletes can take advantage of a number of Combine prep camps which prepare them both physically and mentally.  “At these Combine camps these days they teach players how to take the Wonderlic and how to interview.”  Players who take advantage of these camps are not only taught how to interview and take the Wonderlic but are introduced to psychological skills training and how they can use mental skills to enhance their performance.  While Mike simply felt prepared for the physical aspects of the Combine, now athletes are prepared for both the physical and mental challenges they will face.  The outcome?  Extremely prepared and confident athletes.

As you think about your next competitions remember the importance of preparation.  What can you do both physically and mentally to prepare yourself for success?  Preparation leads to confidence which leads to success.

Attitude

In addition to his preparation Mike felt his attitude was extremely beneficial at the Combine.  He even said he was able to identify which players were going to be successful.  “Guys who were prepared, were professional, and worked hard in drills succeeded.  The people who were arrogant or lazy usually performed poorly.  I think maintaining your confidence without being arrogant is important.”  This is pretty consistent with what we know about successful athletes…they are well prepared and have a winning attitude which includes taking their performance seriously and being confident without being arrogant.

When you think about successful people they all have one characteristic…they CARE.  They care about what they are doing.  They take it seriously and want to be successful.  Because they care they spend time preparing themselves and they take their work seriously.  Again, think about your best performance ever.  It was probably something you cared deeply about.  Because you cared so much about that event I’m sure you spent time preparing yourself and took the event very seriously.

The final piece of the winning attitude is confidence without arrogance.  I often tell athletes, “Confidence is the belief in your ability to get somewhere.  Arrogance is the belief that you are already there.”  Confident athletes and people believe they can achieve greatness.  Arrogant athletes and people believe they are entitled to greatness.  Confident athletes work hard to get things while arrogant athletes expect things to be given to them.  As you compete, believe in yourself and your ability to get what you want.

Ability to Recover

When athletes are well prepared and have a winning attitude they are typically successful.  However, things don’t always go our way.  We aren’t always going to be at our best.  One of the things that I believe is that a major difference between great performers and everyone else is their ability to recover from bad moments.  Great performers aren’t always great…sometimes they are just less bad.  Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, and Mia Hamm all had bad moments but they were able to quickly recover from those and get back on track.  Renowned Sport Psychology Consultant Ken Ravizza often says, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.”  What he means is that things aren’t always going to go your way so you might as well learn to make the best of all situations.  It’s easy to be good on our best days but can you be good on your worst days as well?  In order to do this you need to be able to quickly recover from bad moments.  Mike believes this is a key aspect of the Combine.  “Staying positive is a big thing.  A drill is not going to go well sometimes, but if it goes poorly, move on and do your best on the next test.”  We can’t change the past so we might as well put it behind us and move on to the next drill or play.

The NFL Combine is an extremely stressful “job interview” which can bring out both the best and worst in athletes.  Those who are able to deal with the challenges make millions and their success is largely based on three factors: Preparation, Attitude, and Ability to Recover.  If we can apply these principles to other performance arenas we might be able to improve our performance and success.  It might not make us millions but it will make us happy.  As Mark Twain said, “Always do right, You will astound some people and gratify the rest.”

Noah Gentner, Ph.D., CC-AASP is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Sport Psychology graduate program at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA.  He received his Ph.D. in Sport Psychology from the University of Tennessee in 2004.  He has published his research in several journals and has given presentations on Sport Psychology at worldwide and regional Sport Psychology, Coaching, and Athletic Training Conferences.

Practice intensity is the will, commitment, and enthusiasm to practice with a purpose. Most coaches consider it an important characteristic of any successful team. The best players and teams have learned to get the most out of practices. They come to practice with an intense focus that directs them to enthusiastic, determined, goal-driven training. In youth sport very talented players often just ‘get by’ and are not intense in practice. They can cheat themselves for a while, but eventually others that practice with intensity catch up and pass them. ‘Going through the motions’ regularly in practice will stall your progress as an athlete. What you need to do is make practice intensity a habit. This column will explain practice intensity, highlight some possible causes, and help you develop ways of enhancing your practice intensity.

Intensity is not as simple as either you have it or you do not. Intensity must be viewed along a continuum where players can be over- or under-intensified. Thus, an appropriate level of intensity will lead to the best practices…..

Accordingly, sport psychologist Jim Taylor (1993) suggests that there are three important aspects of practice intensity including; (1) an ideal level of intensity is needed to play your best, (2) it is a positive feeling, and (3) the optimal level of practice intensity is different for all players. Let us now examine possible reasons for a lack of practice intensity.

Players that ‘go through the motions’ drive coaches insane. Why would players come to practice lacking intensity when it is obvious that good practices lead to good performances? Usually it is not intended. Instead, athletes that lack practice intensity may not be able to tell you the cause. Fortunately, research has provided some insights into this problem. Under-intensity often is the result of poor preparation, a lack of motivation, and fatigue. Moreover, under-intense players frequently lack goals or a plan for practice. Please reflect back to a practice when you were ‘going through the motions.’ Attempt to determine the reason(s) why you lack practice intensity.

Intensity level recognition is vital to focused practices. I often tell players to “check-in” with themselves right before practices or games to determine their level of intensity. Then we use an intensity meter to rate their level. A rating of 1 means that you are early asleep, and a 10 equals high intensity; maybe so intense that you are not focused on the appropriate things in practice. A log is a great way to track your intensity levels in practice. You can then determine after a couple of weeks what intensity level coincided with your best practices. An important note is that you should track you intensity for at least several weeks, otherwise you may get a “false reading” and not obtain the true optimal level of intensity.

Once you have determined your appropriate level of practice intensity, it is time to use several skills to increase practice intensity. You should think of these skills not just as strategies a player uses to increase intensity during practice, but as a way of consistent practice preparation. As mentioned earlier, players often lack intensity because they are not prepared. Developing a preparation plan before practices that include the following skills will help you eliminate ‘going through the motions.’ First, all good practices are goal-driven. Goals are achievement standards set to direct behavior (i.e., I will learn the forward crossover). Therefore, goals give us a clear purpose for practicing. It is amazing how many players go to practice without a goal. It is like driving a car without knowing the destination. Do not allow practice to be haphazard and lackadaisical. Set goals for improving skills, tactics, and techniques so that you will be on the road of progress every single practice. Chart your goals daily and list whether or not you successfully achieved your goal.

The second skill an athlete should make a habit is using cue words, phrases, and images that refocus behavior. These skills will help you overcome a lack of motivation or fatigue. For instance, when you are lacking practice intensity you should use an invigorating cue or effort phrase of “come on, let’s get intense” to increase intensity. Or, use an image of a time when you were playing great, practicing hard, or had great intensity. Finally, many athletes will think of powerful images such as a rocket launching or a leopard sprinting to increase intensity. In conjunction with these cue words, phrases, and images players can begin to increase their own intensity by running in place with high knees or performing quick starts and stops. ‘Going through the motions’ in practice undermines your attempts to improve as an athlete. Setting goals and using cues and images are important to increasing intensity. To become your best you must make practice intensity a habit. Pushing your limits every single practice will enable you to improve skills and develop into a consistent peak performer.

Taylor, J. (1993). The mental edge for tennis. (4th ed.) Aurora, CO: Minutemen Press.

The above article was written by Larry Lauer, Ph. D.
Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, Michigan State University
It appeared on the AAASP website. Here’s the link.

“Mental preparation” is a term used by sport psychologists to describe the process found to be valuable for athletes in most sports. Because of the nature of weightlifting, being mentally prepared is, probably, more appropriate than most sports because of the nature of the event. Firstly, the competition is, essentially, a self centerd task because the focus is on the athlete’s performance in reference to his/her own standards as well as to the competition’s outcomes. Secondly, the actual event is of such a short duration in terms of the actual lift that being mentally prepared before and during the lift will enhance performance.

There are three stages of……

…… a competition in sport regarding mental preparation. These are:

1. the pre-competition phase

2. the competition phase; and

3. the post-competition phase

The pre-competition phase should be concerned with using techniques to avert distractions, become settled and certainly to focus on the venue, the athlete’s own mental state at the time and to avoid all other thoughts.

The competition phase implies having strategies in place to optimize the mental state of the athlete and to ensure that the focus is on making the best possible lift and not on winning. If an athlete does the best lift possible then the winning will take care of itself. Research shows clearly that focusing only on winning will detract from an optimal performance. This is one of the reasons why athletes may lift better in training than in competition.

The post-competition phase is an individual one. Some athletes like to be on their own and consider their performances whilst others prefer to talk to their coach or other competitors. Most essentially, in this phase, focus of attention should only be on the positive aspects of the performance and how they can be improved.

Because a weightlifting competition is very structured the adoption of a “ritual” will aid the preparation phase. Consider the warm up room as the focus for pre-competition strategies; the chalk tray, the mat, addressing the bar as key situational points where appropriate strategies can be employed. The actual lift, then, will be effected with the appropriate lead up to a point of total arousal. Throughout the “ritual” the use of techniques such as relaxation and mental rehearsal (pre-competition phase), self talk and affirmations with focus (at competition phase) will enhance performance. It must be stressed that such strategies are skills themselves that need to be learned and practiced. As a sport Psychologist of many years I have, always, encouraged the use of mental plans, or preparation, as being a part of training routines and not a “fast fix” at the time of competition. By learning and practicing mental training skills, routinely, they become habituated and form a “normal” part of the competition “ritual” for an enhanced performance.

The above article was written by Barry Kerr and appeared on the site for The Queensland Weightlifting Association. Here’s the link to the full article.

Pete Webber has been mountain biking for more than 20 years, including six years as an internationally ranked professional racer during the 90′s. He raced in three World Championships and notched numerous top results at the national level in both mountain biking and cyclo-cross. Pete’s mountain bike racing is behind him, but he continues to race cyclo-cross, recently finishing 2nd at the National Championships in the master’s category. Pete now works for the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) in the fund-raising and communications department. He served as project director for IMBA’s best-selling book, Trail Solutions, and is currently creating a new IMBA book focused on mountain biking management strategies.

Podium: When did you start racing?

Pete Webber: When I was growing up I really was into ski racing, alpine ski racing, and that’s because I lived at a ski area and my parents were involved in the ski industry. I started cycling as summer-time fitness training for skiing. I had this competitive background from a young age in racing, no matter what kind of racing, and I was pretty into it. I was really competitive; my nature was to always try to race. And I brought that from ski racing into mountain biking. And though I loved just being a recreational rider, there’s something about racing and competition that really got me psyched.

Podium: What’s it like for you at the start of a race?

Pete Webber: The start of a mountain bike race is totally hectic, and just full of frenetic energy, and it’s one of the most exciting aspects of the sport. When you’re standing on the start line of a mountain bike race, your heart rate is just pinned, and everyone around you is sweating and nervous, and they’re just on the edge. And it’s because the start of a mountain bike race can be so important. One reason it’s so important is because usually the trail becomes narrow within a few miles of the start, and it has to narrow down to single file traffic. It’s important to be as close to the front of the race as possible. So you have to be able to explode off the start line and practically sprint the first few miles of a race in order to establish a good position when the track turns into single track.

Podium: How do you practice that? Isn’t it a bit of contact sport sometimes?

Pete Webber: Well it’s true that the start can be pretty aggressive as everyone’s going for that hole shot. The best way to practice for it I think would be to create mock starting scenarios, whether alone or with your buddies.

Podium: How do you get yourself motivated?

Pete Webber: You know I think I was lucky in that things like motivation and focus came somewhat naturally to me. I don’t know if it was just that I was born with it, or if I developed it by being an athlete as a kid. But you know what? Motivation, I think, is really tied to two elements and probably the most important is passion. You have to have a passion for what you’re doing. And if you love it, if you sort of eat, sleep and breathe the sport, you’re going be motivated. It’s going to come fairly naturally and you’re not going to have to force it. So I think it’s really important that you identify what your passions are in life, whether it’s athletics, or work, or family; and try to pursue those instead of forcing yourself to strive for some goal that you’re not entirely passionate about. Identify what you love and pursue that avenue, and the motivation will be easier to find.

Having goals always worked for me too. It’s a pretty basic concept but some athletes neglect to set goals to chase. If you don’t have some good goals it’s hard to motivate yourself day after day. Having some clear goals in mind, short-term, long-term, writing them down and maybe telling your friends about them is a good thing so they can support you. It’s a basic, basic concept, and you can’t neglect it. You have to carve out the time to set those goals and they’ll be a tremendously strong motivating force.

Podium: Racing mountain bikes isn’t perceived as tactical as road racing: what’s your take on that?

Pete Webber: Yeah, not when you think of tactics as team tactics and drafting tactics, but there are different types of tactics in mountain biking; they’re individualistic, they’re more about you, not about your teammates or competitors. The tactics you have to employ in mountain biking are things like starting technique, bicycle skills, pacing yourself, and how you’re going to race compared to your competitors. Are you going to try to shadow them? Are you going to try to go off the front and stay away? Are you going to try to come from behind? I think it would be a mistake to say there are no tactics in mountain and it’s just hammer, hammer, hammer. They’re just different tactics than road biking. People that are into mountain bike racing, usually like the fact that there are fewer variables, in terms of team tactics, political tactics, and all the really crazy intricacies of road racing. They are fun and interesting, but for some people, it’s just not them. They’re more into just racer against racer, pure athletic contest.

Podium: Talk about pain.

Pete Webber: Well, bike racing is definitely painful, you have to be able to suffer; you have to be willing to do it. You have to be psyched to do it. And if you have a problem blocking out the pain, it’s going to be difficult to rise to the top in bike racing. A race can be hours long, and you have to be focused and suffering the entire time. You really can’t afford to let your mind wander during a race. When you lose your focus, all of a sudden you’re going to slow down, because you’re not able to push yourself as hard as you need to.

So how does a racer block the pain, push through the suffering and just keep going? That’s a really hard question, and I don’t know if I can give it just one answer, but it seems like the key is finding a way to have that focus and be locked-in on the goal for the whole race, no matter how long it is, and just being super-committed to that focus, into that zone, and not letting your mind wander. When the race is long, probably a good technique would be to focus on intermediate goals. So if it’s a three hour mountain bike race, and it’s three laps around a 10 mile course, it’s probably too hard to focus on the finish three laps away. So focusing on just one lap at a time and on what you are doing in that lap. Forget about the rest of the race. Just focus on that short-term period. Once you get through that, shift your focus to the next intermediate goal. And before you know it you’ll be at the finish, because I sure wouldn’t want to set out focused on a finish three hours from now. That would be damn demoralizing.

Podium: Did you ever try to disassociate from the pain?

Pete Webber: Yeah, definitely. You know what worked for me was to remind myself that the other guys were suffering just as bad, if not worse, than me. You can’t let yourself get out there and think that you’re hurting worse and you need to back off. Or that the other guy must be so fresh, and he’s hardly working. And I’m just dying, and he’s way better than me, and I better just back off. Because I guarantee you that everyone on the race course is hurting. It’s just a fact of life. And so when you’re out there, remind yourself that everyone’s hurting, and it’s not just you, and you’re in this together. And sometimes you can even work with another racer without them even realizing it. You can sort of join in their suffering together and sort of find some energy from it.

You know in bike racing your ability to dig deep and suffer is one of the most important aspects. The guys that can suffer more are the ones that win races. And they’re not necessarily the strongest guys on the course. They’re just able to overcome the suffering and work through it. And you need to remind yourself of that. And I think what you need to keep in mind is your goal. You have to be focused on your goal, and use that to dig deep. If you lose site of what your goal for that race is, it’s far too easy to back off and cruise. So push yourself really hard towards that goal and don’t let yourself back down.

Podium: Talk about your training.

Pete Webber: When I was in the peak of my racing days I was pretty scientific about my training, and I used heart-rate monitor, and SRM power meter to help dial in my training, and be really specific about the type of training I was doing. But as I got more experienced, I grew less dependent on the tools and relied more on my body to give me information. It’s not imperative that you use these gadgets in your training. For some people they’re great. If you’re not into it, that’s okay.

The key here is having what it takes to pace yourself for the length of a bike race; usually a couple of hours and that can be tricky. I think you have to push yourself harder than what your heart-rate monitor might be saying, or what your body and brain might be saying. I think that you can make the mistake of going too easy in a bike race, during the early part. And you’re convincing yourself that it’s a long race, and you have to pace yourself. But I bet you that the guy that’s winning is not thinking about pacing, and he’s got the hammer down and he’s at his limit, and he’s just hoping he can hold out. I focused on taking care of my body, basically eating and drinking plenty during the race. And I do think a lot of racers make the mistake of not keeping their energy stores up during the bike race.

Usually guys never even reach for their water bottle until 30 minutes have passed. And by then it’s too late. You’ve missed the opportunity to stay hydrated and to keep the sugar going. So you know, I think it’s really important that you have a plan for how much you’re going to eat and drink during the race, and that you really stick to it, and that it’s a really important tactic. Usually it means eating and drinking more than you’re really comfortable with, especially with your stomach churning and you’re breathing hard and you can hardly get the water bottle in your mouth. But you do have to make a special effort to stay on your plan for eating and drinking. And that means right from the start, don’t neglect the first 30 minutes. That window is important.

Podium: Talk about cyclo-cross.

Pete Webber: Cyclo-cross is the only racing that I do these days. It’s one of the most fun disciplines in bike racing. Now that I have a job and a family, and a busy life like everyone else, cyclo-cross is a good balance for me because it doesn’t take quite as much time in training and racing as some of the other forms of cycling do. Cyclo-cross races are only an hour long. The season is only a couple months long. It doesn’t require quite as much training beforehand and during. So it fits well with people who are both busy and love the racing.

Podium: Overtraining is talked about a lot these days. What did you do in recovery?

Pete Webber: What seems to work for me is to take a really nice, long break between seasons. And I did this when I was mountain bike racing too. It was important for me to take a break totally away from the sport. I wouldn’t even ride. I would hardly even do any training. I would only do what was fun, and what I was into. And it gave me both a mental and a physical break. So during the winter these days, I really don’t do much training and much working out. It works for me because when I do return to training and preparing for the cross season, I’m fresher. You know I feel like I’m more into it, I’m more motivated, and there’s none of that lingering burnout that you inevitably get at the end of every racing season. I think it’s important for athletes to carve out the down-time, force themselves to take a break between seasons, or even in the middle of the season. And yeah, you might have a set-back, in terms of losing some fitness, but I usually think it’s worth it, because you’ll come back fresher, and be able to dig deeper when it’s time to.

Podium: Talk about descents: the steeps and speed and dealing with the fear factor.

Pete Webber: I think there are two things that you can do. Most important would be practice makes perfect. Be sure to practice your bike-handling skills, your descending skills, and gradually you’ll overcome your anxiety about those sections of the course. The second thing to do is to stay focused on your goal for the race, and stay in the zone. When you’re approaching a section of the course that scares you, don’t let yourself get out of the zone and start saying, “Oh shit, here it comes, here it comes.” Keep your mind focused on the goal, stay in the zone and ride that section. Just like you do the rest of the course. Don’t let your mind wander and focus on the negative.

Podium: What gets most overlooked in mountain bike racing?

Pete Webber: I think one vital aspect about mountain bike racing that doesn’t get enough emphasis is preparation. I’m not talking about physical training, or aerobic training. I’m talking about other forms of preparation for the race; things like your bike-handling skills, your strategy for the start, your hydration, your mechanical preparation; all of those other little aspects of the sport, when added up, can be more important than how physically strong you are.

You must make preparing for the race a vital part of your training program. For race day, that means you have to pre-ride the course a couple times to really feel confident about how you’re going to tackle the course, and especially how you’re going to handle the tricky sections, the technical sections. Preparation also means, “What are you going to do in the event of a mechanical problem?” Are you prepared to change a flat really fast? If you’re not good at changing flats, it’s something you need to practice. You need to do it during your training, just as you practice hill climbing.

You need to go into the race with your bike tuned, and perfectly dialed in. If you’re not a good mechanic, you need to get someone to help you and you need to learn the mechanical skills, because mountain biking is self-sufficient. And it would be a real shame to focus all year on getting really strong, and then blow out of the race with a mechanical problem.

There’s an added benefit to being fully prepared for a race, because when you’re super-prepared, you can relax. When it’s race day, you know that you’ve taken care of all the little details, and nothing has been left up to chance. And you’re not going to be stressing out on the morning of the race, because you forgot to prepare your bike, or you forgot your energy drink, or whatever, because you took the time to be prepared beforehand. And when it comes to race day, you can just relax and just ride, and not worry about all the details.

Podium: What about support systems?

Pete Webber: (You) perform for your team and the people that are supporting you, and so a group effort is easier than doing it all solo. I also think that it’s important to take personal responsibility for everything, and yes, you should ask someone to help you, but don’t rely on them 100%. Because they might not know exactly how you want your bike set up, or exactly how you want your energy drink prepared. Blaming them at the end of the race isn’t going to fly. So ask for their help and tell them what your goals are, but then also be sure to be personally responsible for the things that are important to you.

Podium: Talk about coaches. What makes a great coach?

Pete Webber: Well, great coaches do a lot for your motivation, and a great coach will find a way to keep you motivated and keep you psyched. And I think one way they do that is by building up your self-confidence. You know, they keep you charged, they keep you confident, and they build your self-esteem. And they do it subtly. It’s not just giving you pats on the back and saying, “good job.” It’s more of a long-term process of them helping you set goals, and then helping you hit those goals. And before you know it, you’re starting to feel pretty confident about yourself, but it’s not because they just said you did a good job. You’re confident because you’ve achieved your goals. And so coaches, good coaches, have a knack for doing that.