Only because it’s there doesn’t mean it’s good
I am currently reading Daniel Kahneman’s book “Thinking, fast and slow” – truly amazing, both the man and his ideas! One of the things he talks about is the “availability heuristic”. Now, a “heuristic” refers to a simplified decision-making process, which comes into play when there is simply too much information to consider all of it – and that is the case quite a lot of the time!
Most of the decisions that involve other people or future events also involve lots of information that is very difficult to predict and thus almost impossible to take into account. In those instances, we need to rely on means other than considering all necessary information to come to a satisfactory decision. Let’s take a very simple example to demonstrate what I mean: imagine it is lunchtime and you have popped into the supermarket to do the shopping for tonight’s meal. It’ll just be you and your partner (and perhaps the kid(s)). You now have to decide what kind of food to buy. “Easy” I hear you say, “I do it every day”. True! But it’s only easy if you don’t try and take into account all the possible information – if you did, you’d still be standing there 24 hours later, as you would need to consider: 1. how hungry everyone is at around 7pm that evening; 2. their nutritional requirements for that day; 3. the nutritional value of all the food in the supermarket (so you could then choose the most appropriate items); 4. the cost of all potential combinations of items of food compared to the state of your bank balance, … shall I go on? Yet you still manage to make an incredibly complex decision every day because you rely on heuristics, i.e. rules of thumb, common sense or an educated guess.
Back to Kahneman’s availability heuristic: he argues that when forced to take a quick decision, we often rely on information that’s most easily accessible, and then consider that the most valid and most important (in that particular situation). So as for you standing in the supermarket, you are most likely to buy items of food that you have bought quite recently, simply because they just “popped into your head” – that information was simply available.
It’s a very neat concept, and one that explains a lot of the decisions that people take on a daily basis. But what are the effects when riding and/or competing? Say you have had a couple of bad experiences or you are feeling particularly nervous – either at a show or at home. You enter the ring (or the warm-up or the training arena) and your horse lifts his head to peer at something in the bushes/the judges’ table etc. Any decision you will now make regarding how to deal with your horse, will be based on the information that is most readily available – and seeing that you are nervous anyway, that information is most likely to be negative: “he’s going to misbehave again, just like last time”. So you will act accordingly, holding on tight, feeling tense, getting angry, whatever…
BUT – in all likelihood your horse wasn’t even going to do what you thought he would – it was just that you made a decision based on something that was at the forefront of your mind (just like you were going to buy pasta again for dinner). But because you made that decision, you acted accordingly, which probably upset your horse even more, causing him to be tense and not work at his best, resulting in poor performance – which you’ll no doubt remember the next day or when preparing for the following show. And there you have it: a vicious circle!
The moral of the story is as follows: Even though availability heuristics work well in many situations, they don’t always provide the most accurate basis to act upon – especially not when it comes to riding horses. You might therefore try and dig a little deeper into your memory banks to come up with information that is perhaps not as readily available, but provides a more accurate basis for a decision. Somthing along the lines that your horse really is your own personal superstar, and he has given you many, many fantastic rides in the past!
Another year, another resolution…
First of all, a very happy New Year to you all! Now that 2012 is upon us, many of us will start (or have already started) thinking about what they would like to achieve this year. These New Year resolutions usually revolve around anything from losing a few pounds, to going to the gym more often, quitting smoking etc. etc. All very laudable of course, if it wasn’t for the fact that, unfortunately, only very few of those ambitious resolutions survive for much longer than the first stressful week at work (when chocolate cookies/bags of crisps become the ultimate aid to survival) or the first outing to the pub/club where smoking, weirdly enough, still seems to be some kind of social status symbol.
I probably sound like a cynic now, and a miss goody-two-shoes at that (which I am not – I have already polished off lots of chocolate today…). However, the fact remains that people find it generally quite difficult to achieve something that they consider difficult. And this actually brings me back to where I left off last time: how to break free from the vicious link of worrying about your performance and thinking about nothing else than the things that worry you – which, in turn, make you worry again. Incidentally, it’s the same thing that makes it so hard to quit eating chocolate, etc. You crave it, so you think about it, so you crave it some more, so you think about it some more – until you can’t stop yourself… In terms of failed New Year’s resolutions, the consequences usually aren’t more dramatic than a few extra pounds. In competitive sports however, the result of competitive anxiety can be even more frustrating – you’ve spent weeks, months, years practising only for it not to pay off when it matters most.
So, what’s the solution (or at least, one of several)? What I am about to write next sounds insanely simplistic and you may wonder how something as easy as that could possibly work. Two reasons: Firstly, people don’t like simple, because they think that a simple solution can’t possibly reap the rewards they crave. Secondly, my “simple” solution takes a little bit of practice, and, like all sport psychology tips, tricks and interventions, are a long way from wand-waving magic à la Harry Potter.
In my opinion and experience, keeping anxiety (and poor performance) at bay is all about keeping your goals manageable. There is a large amount of literature that talks about “SMART” goals, and short term and long term goals. All very valid, but if you only have a little bit of time and need a quick fix fast, “manageable” does the trick.
Okay, what do I mean by that? I said in my previous blog that when worried, we tend to focus on the things that worry us the most. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense: if you are about to me mawled to death by a wild animal, you need to keep an eye on those rather sharp looking teeth. But competition isn’t anything like being mawled, and the consequence isn’t death. So, you can afford to focus on something else. This is where you have to know, well in advance, what you want to focus on, as you won’t have time to think things through in the heat of the moment. Here is where your “manageable” goal comes in. Rather than focusing on something large (and, in part, unmanageable) such as “I want to win today” or even “I want to do as well as I can”, stick to “I will keep my wrists relaxed” or “I will keep my horse straight in front of the fence”. Focusing on something relatively small, that is within your control (and not anyone else’s) will give you both confidence (you’ve got control so you can do it) and something to take your mind off the stuff that worries you.
For example, instead of worrying about what a judge might think and the kind of score you’ll get, you might want to ask yourself (in advance of the competition) what you need to do to make sure your horse goes the way you want it to. One important aspect might be a soft, submissive contact, and in order to achieve this, you might need to relax your wrists. Or you might really worry about the massive triple combination half way through the showjumping course. Seeing that there’s nothing you can do about that (short of turning round and going back home) you could also think about what you need to do to make sure you give your horse the best possible chance to come into the combination well (which might be straightness). These are just two examples but I hope you get the idea. Rather than focusing on big, impressive sounding goals, keep it manageable for yourself. It’ll give you something to focus on when all else fails!
You might have already spotted the connection with New Year resolutions, but allow me the luxury of a couple more sentences: New Year resolutions equally fail because people make them too big, too “unmanageable”. So, if you have recently signed up to the gym, make sure you don’t expect some crazy heroic effort of going every day for two hours at a time! Pick one, or two days a week, take a friend along with you and, very importantly, stop when you are having fun. It’ll make you go back for more! And that, after all, is what a succesful New Year’s resolution should be all about!
Living life with blinkers on?!
With a sudden pang of guilt, I realised today that I haven’t posted any blogs on here for quite some time. Thinking back of the last few months I realised that I have unconsciously employed the same kind of principle that many riders (and, indeed, other athletes) regularly use when gearing themselves up for competition. In sport psych circles we generally refer to this as “attentional narrowing” or, more simply, “tunnel vision”!
When in a relaxed, neutral state, most people are aware of what is going on around them. Rather than merely focusing on what is, literally, in front of them, they also perceive things on the periphery, the sidelines. This concept of a broad attentional focus comes in handy when, for example, driving a car (you really need to be aware of what’s going on around you!) or going for a Sunday stroll in the park, where you might bump into people you know (if you weren’t broadly aware, i.e. did not notice them, you might end up with very few friends).
However, while engaging in a sporting activity, which in a best case scenario also involves moderate (!) levels of excitement, anxiety or arousal, our attention narrows, i.e. we start to ignore things that are irrelevant to the task at hand and pay attention to what matters most (by the way, this is what your coach means when s/he shouts “you need to concentrate!!”). Expert performers, by the way, are much better at focusing on stimuli that are most relevant to performance than novices. In equestrian sports, these kind of attentional strategies are not only important in order to improve performance, but also to ensure the safety of horse and rider. A recent study I conducted with a couple of students of mine showed that horses tended to misbehave when riders started to relax too much, and lost their focus on the task at hand. In essence then, when riding a dressage test, jumping a course of showjumps, riding across country, etc., etc. some “attentional narrowing”, e.g.. focusing your horse and the aids you need to give, rather than on what the judge might be thinking or whether your friends are in the audience, is a very good thing! It’ll help you to perform and stay safe all at the same time.
So, back to why I haven’t been around to blog for some time. These last couple of months, I have been really busy preparing for the 7th International Symposium of Equitation Science and the Global Dressage Forum, both held in Hooge Mierde, the Netherlands. As I wanted to be as ready as can be for both conferences, I admit that any “peripheral activities”, as pleasant as they might be, had to take a back seat for while. But…. now that it’s all over, I fully plan to devote lots of attention again to my trusted blog. Watch this space 
P.S.: (and, yes, there had to be a “P.s.”) We know from a number of research studies that the more anxious a person gets, the more he or she starts to be prone to distractions. So, rather than just being able to focus more and more on what’s really important to performance, anxious individuals are drawn to exactly those kind of stimuli that worry them. Which, in turn, results in poorer performances, which again, results in more anxiety – voilà, the vicious circle. Next time, I’ll devote some more time on how to get out of that again.
The path to excellence
I am currently reading the book “Bounce” by Matthew Syed, formerly the British No. 1 in table tennis. In what could essentially be called an analysis of his own and other top performers’ sporting prowess Syed discusses the virtues of “the hard graft”. The “10,000 hour” rule, which denotes that one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours at any given task before becoming a true expert, has been around for some time now. In essence it means that those of us who are not amazingly talented can take heart – good old hard work can get you there (or at least somewhere close).
In addition to “merely” slaving away at the skill in question, Syed emphasizes the importance of “purposeful practice” (also referred to as “deliberate practice” by K.A. Ericsson). When engaged in an activity many of us like to stay within our comfort zone. We are repeating skills that we are already good at, because, quite simply, that makes us feel competent, and, as a result, confident – which is of course something we all enjoy very much! However, truly exceptional performance only occurs if we continuously push ourselves just that little bit harder, trying to improve on the things that we are not quite so good at yet.
Essentially this is when things start to get difficult – not only from the point of view of new skills needing to be mastered, but also psychologically. Facing your own limitations over and over again can be tough! Every single day or training session translates into confronting yourself with what you can’t do yet… However, the more you stretch yourself, push your own limits, the more you will grow. And in the words of Matthew Syed: “Excellence is about stepping outside the comfort zone, training with a spirit of endeavour, and accepting the inevitability of trials and tribulations.”
When nothing is something
Most athletes know that recovery is one of the most important elements in improving physical fitness. The body is only able to adapt during periods of recuperation, enabling it to cope with increased training demands as time progresses (and appropriate recovery periods are scheduled in). Those athletes who push themselves day in day out will soon find that not only do they not seem to be improving (or worse still, deteriorating) in their performance; they might also get plagued by injuries and illnesses. This, by the way, applies equally to horses as it does to humans….
But what is more, the mind also needs a break now and again! Passionate athletes live and breathe their sport , happy to structure their whole lives around what they do best. But once in a while, it is important to schedule some “time out”, forgetting all about training schedules, commitments or performance requirements. This way, the mind is being given a chance to work through all the different experiences of a competitive lifestyle, put them in perspective, and, if necessary, gain some distance. As a result, the mind is refreshed and motivation renewed, allowing athletes to return to the fold ready for the next challenge!
Life as a superhero
Dutch television was showing a rerun of the Matrix this weekend. While I was watching Neo, Morpheus and Trinity trying to save the futuristic world of 2199 from destruction, I started to wonder about extraordinary people… Have you ever noticed that almost every superhero has a side-kick or, at least, a number of friends or confidants they can rely on when things get tough? Think Batman and Robin; Clark Kent and Lois Lane; Knight rider and KITT the car; Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley – the list goes on and on.
Modern day athletes are a bit like superheroes. When in the public eye and doing what they do best they are expected to be perfect. Every competition doubles up as the stage for another record, another life-changing performance. Life like that can be very tough – for superheroes and athletes alike!
This is precisely where the “side-kicks” come in. They are there to support the superheroes, providing necessary – usually life-saving – ideas and equipment, or lighten the mood with some well-placed quips. Anything to keep the superhero from falling apart! In the world of sports, a good trainer, supportive parents or dedicated training partner are just as vital to help “the hero” through to the next round, the next game, the next opponent. Of course, in the heat of the battle (of the superhero or sporting kind) heroes or athletes are on their own. But making sure the hero gets there in one piece, in top form and ready to go is the enormous task of the “side-kick”. Without a good supportive network very few athletes would be where they are today. Without a good network, young talent will struggle to go all the way.
So next time when we marvel at another performance worthy of a superhero, let’s be sure to thank the “side-kicks”!
Life getting you down?
There’ll always be days when things aren’t as much fun as they used to be. Stuff – whatever it may be – just isn’t going as well as it should, and we don’t seem to get as much energy from our favourite activity as we used to. We start to question why we are doing what we are doing. We might even start to have doubts over whether our chosen path is right for us. Most of us will, at some point,get bogged down in a downward spiral of negative thinking, something along the lines of “This isn’t fun anymore, why I am doing this? I am no good at it anyway? ”. However, the thing is that most of us feel motivated if we feel that we are doing well, or at least have some chance of getting better. So if things get rough for a while, perhaps because we have “plateaued”, we quite often worry that we have reached the end of the line, and we’ll never make it any further. The thing about “plateauing” is that it is only for now that we have reached the limit of our abilities. It is only for now that we’ll, invariably, have to stay at this level – just until the moment that we are ready for the next step up.
The key is to try and sit it out, to try and develop a healthy kind of patience. Instead of giving up altogether or falling into a kind of “nothing I do makes a difference anyway” – apathy, we should try and find our motivational core: This means trying to remember the very first reason(s) we started doing what we do, realizing how far we’ve actually come, and reminding ourselves where we wanted to go. This way, reaching a plateau isn’t so much “standing still” as it is “taking stock”. The next natural step then is to set new goals and develop new strategies of ho w to get from where we are now to where we ultimately want to be.
And, with that, a fresh sense of purpose is almost guaranteed to come rushing back…
Under pressure
The title of a very popular song by the musical combo David Bowie/Queen summarises in one what many riders regularly struggle with. And it doesn’t really matter what level they are at: professional riders feel the pressure of doing well in order to please owners, the national trainer, national federations and/or to sell a decent amount of horses to keep the business afloat (in addition to finding the next superstar to keep them at that level). Sub-top riders face similar issues and, in addition, still need to prove to the rest of the sport that they have “it”. The ambitious “amateur” rider struggles to fit in daily training and weekly competitions with the day job, that keep their horses well-nourished and wanting for nothing. And the list goes on and on…
Trying to keep the pressure at bay is no easy task, especially as our sport revolves around an extremely sensitive animal that seems to be able to pick up on our moods faster than you go say “relax”. But try to relax we must for the good of our horses! Getting on in a state of agitation usually ends of being frustrating for both sides.
Depending on the type of issue, there are a number of strategies that can be effective in managing pressure. One of those is a lovely German saying “Was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nie auf morgen“, e.g. don’t wait until tomorrow to fix a problem that could be sorted out today. In essence, this means trying to deal with things as soon as you can. Don’t allow them to stack up so that you end up worrying about all the nasty things you might still need to do at a later stage. But more simply, getting the unpleasant things out of the way at the beginning of the day leaves us with a sense of achievement that sets a positive tone for the rest of the day.
However, there will always be things that cannot be fixed that easily. Here, the key is to try and let go as much as possible. The simple act of writing things down can be very helpful. Make a list with the thing(s) that worry you or cause you to feel pressured/stressed. Decide which ones you can do something about and note down how you are going to deal with them specifically and step by step. The other items, those that you cannot do anything about as they are outside of your personal control should be marked as “uncontrollable”. Resolve to distance yourself from these issues by mentally and/or physically throwing away the piece of paper featuring your “uncontrollables”.
Instead, focus your energy on aspects that you can control. Positive action will always make you feel better, allowing you to get back to your horses (and everything else) with a renewed sense of purpose and feeling of control.
Ride with your mind – but how?!
Mental skills, sport psychology, mental coaching – what are they, who has them and can they help you improve your riding? People are intrigued about the concept that you might just be able to “win with your mind”, and, naturally, want to find out if it could work for them too. My straight-forward, simple-as-can-be answer: Yes, it can! Horse sports are, as we all know, all about the interaction between horse and rider. Horses are flight animals, and are “reactive” rather than “reflective”. This means they react first and ask questions never…
Especially in a stressful situation, such as a new environment, or when the rider does something he or she wouldn’t normally do (such as being much harder with the hand or all of a sudden clamping on with their knees), a horse may be prone to react – and usually not in a way the rider wants. Unfortunately, come competition time (or, in fact, any situation in which a rider is asked to “perform”) riders have a tendency to do things just that little bit differently. As a result, the horse reacts differently too, and the harmonious performance they were aiming for leaves something to be desired. This is where strong mental skills come in. If you can learn to master unproductive thoughts, negative emotions and control your body on command you are one massive step closer to consistently applying all the right aids, giving your horse the security it needs to concentrate on you. The ability to concentrate when it matters most, to be able to shut out all distractions, to ride with energy but in a relaxed manner, to keep nerves at bay and your confidence up are just some of the aspects to effective mental control.
So, watch this space for tips and tricks, insights and ideas on how to improve your mental control. But remember, mental skills training (and all other associated skills) are no miracle cure. In as much as you need to ride your horse regularly to improve, you also need to practice your mental skills to get better…
