Hello everyone,
Since 2002, anytime i run a race, i will get really nervous that the referee fires the gun and i would not know what’s going until i reach 60 metres and at that time the other runners are almost gone.Any ideas of what to do so I will not be afraid of the gun because it really slows my time down. I used to run 11.34 in the 100metres but during competition, I will end up at 15seconds. Thanks
Do you workout alone?
I have suffered from the same thing - complete blackout after the gun goes. Yesterday I did a group workout for the first time ever - just 4x40meters from blocks but I learned more from this one workout than the five meets I have done. I feel confident now that next time will be even better.
Is the 11.34 from a meet or practice?
If it is from a practice you are probably putting to much pressure on yourself - I know I do ,and that is why I tense up.
Being eager to run fast (faster than at practice even) ,and at the same time not really confident - not really deep down confident might be the cause.
Speedmaster do not get uptight about this,it can work to your advantage.some of the elite guys i talked to expereience this and explain that the race can be a blur/completly automatic.on the other hand some athletes expereience a slow motion effect depending on the individual.
concentrate on your weakness’ in training and during meets just run exactly like you have been practicing during training runs.make all the nervousness be to your advantage
Why not buy a gun ( high sound ) and start getting used to that thing you never hear in training. Plus I believe that I can always train alone and come to the results I want. I have always done that. I know its harder and you lack a lot of things from running with others but its still very possible IF you want it to be possible. So I guess that you should start visualizing your self win while running on major competitions. And you have to know before hand that I’m in here to have fun. I run 16 then who cares I still had fun. I ran 9 then its bounus over the fun part. Then I guess you won’t be very worried and you’ll get about enough adrenaline to keep you excited.
Thank only off your first movement out of the blocks
A few points:
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Being nervous isn’t bad at meets(it can even help you as long as you’re under control).
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I am aware of the ‘blacking out’ sensation you describe, but I don’t think it’s a significant problem.
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How long ago and under what circumstances did you run the 11.34? Poor thinking and tightness on race day may account for a couple of tenths, but there’s no way it’s 3-4 seconds!
Have you ever noticed how in team-sports one person can totally dominate the others during practice, only to become mediocre on game-day?
Come game-day such persons appear to be paralysed, almost sleep-walking, but often when these people are given increased responsibility, or a specific task to perform, they wake up and become themselves again.
It is as if they do certain things of their own accord they have exposed some big secret. It is a sort of timidness more related to temperament than a lack of confidence i believe.
Admitting it is the first and most important step towards overcoming it.
any tricks or things to overcome this lack of confidence??
It depends on what do you mean by confidence. Some people are only confident when they are 100% sure that they are going to win. And so you go out there and do your work under no much pressure. But then when the level starts getting higher the term confidence to me means doing my job right and then who cares about the result as long as you have done what you were supposed to do. Some people get so worried that they start forgetting what they were supposed to do. The phases should be practiced well enough to be automated, but then you should still revise your self for a last time on the start and know where the keypoints in your race are. And not start worrying about who’s in the lane next to you or where the wind is blowing or any of that crap. So confidence would be knowing that you are able to excute what you’ve been training for all that time… Its just my point of view after all.
As I said I believe that at its root it has more to do with temperament than confidence and this manifests itself in an inabilty to let loose.
This is of course all subconcious and the only solution is to make it concious by finding the cause and giving it its proper name. A name is really a powerful thing.
This will give you something to focus on, a direction.
What I have found for myself is that because of this restraint every movement, especially of the arms and hands, are intensely felt, and in sprinting every movement has to feel more exaggerated than they actually are.
To accomplish this I focus on a powerful, straight-forward motion of the top of the hands all through acceleration.
That´s why i´m afraid of Marihuana…
Speedtrap has a wealth of interesting info on this and Ben’s highly efficiant start. Here are a few;
As the start man sais “set”, Ben would rise and take a breath as he was doing so. After the gun blew he would just concentrate on raising his left hand. Everything else fell into place.
Liford christie once said that when he was in the blocks his back leg used to shake from nerves and anticipation. The answer was to just let it shake.