SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Sidelines Caps
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Stallions
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Classifieds
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Thursday, July 15 2021 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Rockin’ Mental Tools in Riding and Competition

By George Williams

“It’s all because your mama don’t dance and your daddy don’t rock and roll!” The Loggins & Messina lyric is definitely catchy. I’m not sure why it popped into my head when it did. However, it immediately became my mantra to help me maintain a calm and focused mind when the young horse I was riding at the time, who could be quick and agile as a cat, started to become tense, afraid or on the verge of exploding.

More than 15 years later, I learned that the method I had instinctively adopted was similar to ones recommended by some sports psychologists to defuse nervous tension. This was just one of the mental exercises and routines I had stumbled upon to overcome nerves, self-doubt and negative thoughts that inhabit our ability to focus and be in the moment so we can perform at our best.   

At least in the dressage world, sport psychology has come a long way since I was young. I veered away from it, and tried to find my own way of overcoming the roadblocks put in place by the games my mind would play. In the late ’70s when I was just starting my more serious competition career, the advice we would hear always seemed to be based on picturing the judge in some less-than-flattering manner. That simple advice never worked for me. I may have just been ignorant about what sports psychology had to offer four decades ago, but I don’t think I was alone in my perception. Fortunately, today’s competitors are not only smarter, or perhaps just better informed, they are realizing the role sports psychology can play in improving their performances in the arena.

Two years ago, while listening to Isaac Zur, Ph.D., CMPC, speak to the Emerging Dressage Athletes during a US Equestrian High Intensity Training Session, I learned some simple suggestions on how to defuse your negative thoughts that actually work. Referred by the USOPC, Dr. Zur is considered an expert in the field of sports psychology. His practice is in New York City and includes athletes from the U.S. Olympic Team, U.S. Karate Team and professional UFC fighters.

One of the suggestions was to sing your negative thoughts in a manner that makes them sound absurd, such as to the Alphabet Song. Likewise, I found that the repetition of a simple phrase or a lyric can keep you calm and focused in times of stress. Other suggestions from the presentation on how to avoid the havoc that can be caused by negative thoughts included how to distance yourself from your negative thought, using visualization to watch your thought disappear, thanking your brain for “keeping you safe” and putting a positive spin on your own story.

Dr. Zur is quoted as saying, “What’s within you is stronger than what’s in your way.” His bio reads, “In his work he teaches clients to improve their mental strength and gain a quiet mindset to maximize their potential. He has implemented a range of methods, including emotional control strategies, performance profiling, visualization, performance development, bio-feedback training, attention control training, routine development, goal setting, assessments and more.” I was impressed and inspired by what he had to say. His insights into how our brains work and how we can influence it made me realize what a valuable role sports psychology can play in our sport.

More than a decade ago, I had the opportunity to hear a presentation by a Dutch sports psychologist at the Global Dressage Forum in Holland. He described, through using increasingly smaller circles, the stages we go through as we near the moment of competition, culminating in coming to the ideal point of truly being in the moment. I remember sitting there shocked by it, as it so accurately detailed my state of mind when I competed at my best. It started with the hours before a competition when you’re wondering why you’re doing this when you could be watching television; then as you get a bit closer to competition time, your mind starts to focus on the consequences of your test score and what the effects will be. Then comes how your nerves start to dissipate when you put your foot in the stirrup, to the focusing effect of the warm-up and finally being in the moment when you enter at A. Who knew that we aren’t so unique that others haven’t experienced the same seemingly out-of-body mental road trip on their way to the moment of competition?

Sports psychology seems to be embraced by many of the current international competitors. In this era when half points matter, successful competitors know the importance of using all of the tools available to help enhance their performance. Of course, the benefit of sport psychology is not just limited to competitors; it can help with your daily riding as well. I started repeating the Loggins & Messina lyrics long before I rode that 4-year-old who had cat-like reflexes in competition.

Photo:

Whether competing or during daily riding, successful competitors know the importance of using all of the tools available to help enhance their performance.

Photo by Melissa Fuller

Double D Trailers Info

Share this page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Tagged under: dressage, mental toughness

What you can read next

Marsha Hartford-Sapp: Training an Unadoptable Horse Named Cobra – The Amazing Story of a Wild Mustang Who Won Multiple Horse of the Year Awards and Became A Breyer Model Horse 
Espoir Equestrian: From Hope to Hanger
Art and Horses – SCAD Shows Off Equestrian Excellence with Intercollegiate Championship Teams

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
Jessica West always rode any horse that was availa Jessica West always rode any horse that was available to her throughout her Junior career, so she knew she had an advantage when she decided she wanted to ride on an NCAA team in college. Now a senior at @@auburnu and majoring in psychology, Jessica has enjoyed everything about the equestrian team and is ready to move on to her next adventure. 

Read more about Jessica at the link in our bio!

#ncea #ncaa #equestrian #collegiateequestrian #huntseatequitation #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #collegelife #showjumper #hunterhorse #horseshow #sidelinesmagazine
In the unique and challenging sport of combined dr In the unique and challenging sport of combined driving, Jacob Arnold has proven himself to be a bona fide star. It’s been said that success develops from a recipe based on hard work, perseverance, learning and sacrifice, paired with a love of what one is doing. Since the time he was a boy, Jacob has had the right combination of all of those ingredients, which have culminated in a meteoric rise to stardom.

Beginning his career as a Junior, Jacob earned the coveted @usequestrian Junior Equestrian of the Year award in 2011. Since then, he has taken the combined driving world by storm, competing successfully in four @fei_global World Championships. He also won the USEF Advanced Pair Horse National Championship in 2020 and 2021, among other victories—all before the age of 28, in a sport that has historically been dominated by older drivers. Last September, he placed 12th—the highest of any American driver—at the 2021 FEI Driving World Championship for Pairs in a field of over 100 top-level drivers.

Read more about @jacobarnoldcombineddriving at the link in our bio!

@alex.banks.photography #combineddriving #drivendressage #dressage #driving #carriage #horsedriving #equestrianstyle #equestrianlife #horselover #drivinghorse #carriagehorse #showhorse #sidelinesmagazine
@rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the f @rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the first equestrian Major of 2022, winning the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters. In doing so he also claimed an additional bonus for non-consecutive Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping wins, following his victory at CHIO Aachen last year. The German champion’s outstanding performance riding his trusted partner Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z once again makes him the live contender for the coveted Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.

Catch up on all the action and watch the free highlights video on the Sidelines Show World blog (link in bio!)

#showjumping #rolex #grandslam #rolexgrandslam #showjumper #dutch #netherlands #dutchwarmbloods #equestrianlife #hunterhorse #hunterjumper #equestrianstyle #showhorses #showjumpersofinstagram #jumpinghorse #grandprixjumer #grandprixhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 ac Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 acres in Jupiter Farms, Florida.

Jupiter Farms is an equestrian community with a trail system and a sand riding arena at the park. Charming home features vaulted ceilings, custom trim, custom lighting in master bedroom that changes color with a remote. Granite countertops in kitchen and laundry room. New 2022 stackable washer/dryer. Privacy fenced backyard with beautiful tall pines for shade, many palm trees also on property.

Secure fenced  25’ x 25’ pen with wood fencing , for a horse, dogs or a garden.  Wonderful property in desirable Jupiter Farms. 45 minutes to Wellington, 25 minutes to Jupiter Dog Beach. Perfect oasis for dog and horse lovers, close to everything in South Florida. MLS# 10778333, Agents welcome.

$655,000
Contact 561-246-9317
Load More... Follow on Instagram

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • Zweibrucker Stallion - Gallant Reflection HU
    Gallant Reflection HU (Galant du Serein-Rohdiamant-Warkant) 2009 Zweibrucker Stallion 16.1 Hands Owner/Breeder: Horses Unlimited, Inc. Approved Registries: AHS, ARS, GOV, Westfalen, sBs Breeding Fee: $1,300 1-Year or $675/dose, cooled or frozen semen EVA Status: Negative, vaccinated annually WFFS Status: N/N Negative Video Link: About: A handsome stallion with an abundance of charm,

    [Read more]

  • Jeremy Greene, Realtor
    Specializing in Luxury & Equestrian Properties Wellington, Loxahatchee & South Florida Corcoran Group Real Estate Jeremy.Greene@corcoran.com 716-997-8681 * www.corcoran.com

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • A Paris Horse Adventure: Saut Hermes 2022
  • Better Business with Malvern Bank: Michael Meller’s Secrets to Success
  • Third Annual Painted Ponies Art Walk takes over Southern Pines, NC!

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • Jung Ends as He Began — On Top — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™
  • ROLEX TESTIMONEE DANIEL DEUSSER WINS ROLEX GRAND PRIX AT 2022 DUTCH MASTERS
  • STABLE VIEW IN AIKEN POSTPONING ‘A’ RATED $400,000 H/J CHALLENGE SERIES DUE TO RESTRICTIVE MILEAGE RULE

Category

Recent Posts

  • Unbridled with Bev Bedard

    By Britney Grover     Other than leaving f...
  • Katie Duerrhammer: Driven by Love and Respect for Horses

    By Kimberly Gatto Portraits by Melissa Fuller &...
  • The Importance of Finding the Right Bit for Your Horse

    By Liz Halliday-Sharp Anyone who knows me is aw...
  • Martha Ingram’s Family Ties, From Horses to Philanthropy 

    By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Brenda Black &nb...
  • Course Designer Spotlight: Alan Wade

    Course Designer Spotlight: Alan Wade Our next S...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!