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Guru�s Grumblings. Australian Squad. Anxiety notes. Anxiety is something that affects even the finest of sports people. So do not be concerned that you are the only one. For starters, have you thought about what anxiety is? How does it affect you? I know how it affects me, and I also know what to do to take advantage of the nervousness that comes with this state of mind. When you really think about it, you will understand that this is all it is, just a state of mind. Anxiety is purely fear of failure, or FOF as I call it. FOF can manifest in several different ways, and by far the major concern with most team shooters is your fear of letting the team down. I actually saw this in our recent training weekend when we slathered the Qld group, and it was mentioned to me when I discussed it with one of the guys who thought he was on the way to let the team down. You cannot let a team down, as a team score is merely an addition of a set of numbers. How those numbers are arrived at is a collective effort by all of you. Any team is only ever as good as the lowest result and even when you get a result that has incredibly high scores as the lowest result, you just haven�t let the team down Have you? Like I said, just an addition of numbers. Anxiety is often felt as a negative influence deep within your mind and I would like you to consider just what shooting well is. You see , shooting is a mind sport, a sport of strong mental control, and this team is one of the strongest mentality I have had the pleasure of working with. Anxiety is necessary to perform well, and each and every one of you will feel anxiety accelerating your pulse, that gut wrenching feeling that goes hand in hand with extremely high performance levels. I remember my first world record distinctly, and I can assure you that the total mastery of that performance came directly from between my ears. I learned that performance at that level was a matter of attention to detail not only of the techniques, but of the mental gymnastics entailed within. You see, big scores can only be achieved by adherence to the (one at a time routine), and I would like you all to consider what I am about to tell you in a completely personal sense, as everyone of you know what to expect, and how to overcome the personal feelings that anxiety brings within your mind. The symptoms of anxiety that affected me were a very negative response as I moved along the pathway to success. FOF came in an ever accelerating worry, and I had to re-train my thinking and focus entirely on the shot that I had in the barrel only. Not the previou s results of my individual shot performances, or the addition of the score as I moved along that pathway. My mind set was one of experiencing a completely new set of mental techniques, and what I had to do to retain the performance level I was reaching. I knew I had to develop a relaxed attitude, yet maintain the very high levels of performance I was putting together shot by shot. So all the training I had done with my beautiful small bore rifle developed a strength within my mind that I knew I had to take advantage of. The relaxation techniques I had developed with my Sports Psychologist, (Graham Winter of the South Australian Sports Institute, and later the Australian Sports Institute in Canberra) were devoted to specialising in the shot I was about to fire. None other than the round I had in the breech. Total attention on firing this particular shot. Graham and I called this particular technique (Wave Effect concentration) and when explained to you all you will understand just how simple it is. I can assure you that this method will develop a steel trap mind when it comes to fighting the effects of anxiety, as it actually turns the effects of anxiety around so that it helps the performance! Wave effect. How to use it to produce what you are after. Your Goals. Wave effect is connected to relaxation, and breathing. To explain it, think about your preparation for your first sighting shot , and the preparation that has already gone into your performance. You are fit and ready to shoot, having gone through your rehearsal an d mind set routine that comes with a level that each shooter in this team has reached. (You are IN THIS TEAM BECAUSE YOU DESERVE TO BE IN THIS TEAM!) So the first sighter shot is approached, and all your training to achieve the preparation needed is in place. Position acquisition etc, sighting anomalies down alongside the wind coach on the mound. You are ready. The rifle is loaded with a round, and this is when it starts, because this is the last time you will get a chance to fire this particular projectile. Make it a good one! Go into easy breathing, relaxed, and bring your attention to the techniques needed to fire this shot right up to maximum attention on the sights and shot release. The mind is totally fixed on belting this shot right on the scriber hole. When the shot breaks, follow it through and then allow the breathing to take over the relaxation curve as you come down from the effort needed to fire that shot. Feel relaxed about it, easy within yourself as you proceed through the loading process for the next shot. This is the first of the (wave) you will feel as you move along the bottom of the wave, relaxed and comfortable with where you are. The next shot is approached, and the wave upwards starts to accelerate as the focus is lifted to once more fire the shot onto the scriber hole. All your aiming attention is focussed fully. This is the high point of the wave as the shot is released under a full effort, followed through, then down the other side of the wave of concentration to the relaxed side of the bottom of each wave for each shot. This is (Wave Effect) concentration. This is the way that world record scores are reached by attention to the details of performance within your mind. Every shooter in this team is fully aware of where they are in terms of performance. I can assure you that just how high this team reaches on the 29th June is a matter of course, as it is an open ended top end when you look at goals connected within the squad. If we do the work, the result will just add to the kudos connected with this team. Feel comfortable with the adrenalin rush that anxiety brings, it will help you to achieve your personal goals, and when we achieve these goals, what do you reckon will be the result after we add the individual results into one set of numbers? Be relaxed, confident within yourselves, and fire the whole lot, one at a time. Think about it, Guru.
Last Modified - 01:10 8 Feb 2008