Mind games

I wanna know if the mind games really have a role in a 100m dash…and If it does…do you have some advice to be able to play the mind games lol :smiley:

I raced against Donovan Bailey back in the day and during warm up he jogged in front of me, lifted up his hind leg and let out a fart. I was so distracted that he ended up beating me in that race. So, we can see from this example that if Donovan Bailey can beat me, that mind games do indeed work.

Personally, I don’t think mind games make that big a difference, unless it’s a mental battle within yourself. Like if you’re lacking self confidence or have doubts about how prepared you are. Most higher level sprinters should be mentally tough enough not to let little things bother them (like smack-talk or staring down before the race).

Yes, but at the lower level if an athlete lacks self confidence and you can exploit it you are at an advantage.

i agree i think the mind games are all in oneself’s heads, if someone did come up and distract you but you know you are physically ready to take them down, then: one it wont effect you, and two the other person will be able to see with your body language that you are ready. and i think that is better than any smack talk

Last year, a guys beat me in a race…just one time! and after, at all the race he came and said like " you dont have to run I’ll beat you anyway" I have to admit that at this time I wasnt strong enough(mentally) and it affect me, but now I kick his ass of 0.4 in the 60m so I look at him with a great smile lol…maybe I just have to focus on my race and understand what I have to do…wich is Winning

If you focus, the mind games wont affect you…am I right?or maybe it will affect you?

In “speed trap” Charlie gives an example of mind games that cracked me up - and i wish i had the guts to pull off.

A group of sprinters told Bob Hayes(I think), that they were going to kick his ass in the upcoming race while he was eating luch. He proceeded to flip over his table and stare them down. They all backed off and said that he was “crazy”.

I find that mind games are fun to watch when your not racing, but they’ve never gotten to me in a race as I just tend to ignore people.

I just tend to ignore people.

Yea, thats a good way trust me, Ignorin people who try to physce you out pisses them off, I would know because I used to always try to play mind games and It almost always worked but then I met my match, this one fella, so damn calm and relaxed, didnt pay me any mind, didnt even watch me once! So my plan backfired, getting into my blocks all I was thinking was that this guy must be damn sure that he is gonna beat me, focus was totally off, he ended up beating me, I was to tight trying to push it too make sure I beat him and he ended up passing me at 85m because he was relaxed.

After that humbling experience, I became like him, just ignoring people who try to play mind games, and dont intentionally play any one them, just focus on the race.

It was Hasley Crawford, not Hayes.

They can work. I think it depends on the athlete.

Linford Christie apparently said “I was warming up and ready to do a runthrough and one of my competitors stepped out of my lane, I knew I had him beat that day”

I found when playing hockey that if my opposition player had a go at me verbally or physically I was going to eat them alive.

I find that subtle stuff usually works best to distract people. In a close race, I would defenately “advise” one of my competitors to be careful of the start protocol, or something like “don’t start too quickly.”

I find that the simplest things are the ones that get into people’s heads the most.

Christie’s comment was just an observation, not an action. The ones who try to get an edge are the ones who are worried about others. The top guy doesn’t give a S*** what you say or do!

great story Herb very funny though! :smiley: :smiley:

back to the orgonal question about mind games, if your the best runner on the track you have no need for them at all. if your not, well then they have a place. Talking shit to someone who is way better than you really isn’t the ticket but there are numerous little things you can do that will help. If someone out classes you by a ton then the best you can hope for is a dq on a false start or some other form of a dq such as running out of their lane or what not. This rarely if ever works though. For example the USA under 16 national champ in the 100m goes to a school about 10 minutes from mine, they are our big rival and guess what that guy can beat me by about a second, theres no chance in any subterranian hot place that i can beat him in a clean race. When we race them all of our guys in the first heat might take their full alloted minute to get into their blocks and then we’d have a designated false starter. Next we’d again take another minute to get into our blocks, again. Hopefully by then mr. future olympian would be pissed enough to pick up the second false start for the field. If not well we’ll still win the meet cause he’s only allowed to particapate in 4 events and thats only 20 points, about 50 less than they’d need to win. However great sprinters at the high school level do screw up. For example last year J-Mee Samuels the USA high school record holder false started and was DQ’ed from the North Carolina western regionals race. Had he ran clean in regionals and done as expected Mount Tabor(his school) would of won a state championship and Samuels could of had his first 100m state title ever and he would of been only the sixth person to pull of the 100 and 200m double in 4A comp in NC in the last 20 years. Another one was Alvis Whitted who is in his 8th year in the NFL right now but couldn’t catch a cold in high school and he also took his Orange high team from 7th to 3nd during the last leg of the 4x100 and from 8th to 4th on the last leg of the 4x200. Moral of the J-Mee story and the resulting tanget don’t get physced out by other competators because it can cost you dearly and if need be attempt to play mind games for any edge it will give you.