7 Cardinal Sins of Track and Field
- Indifference/Apathy – There’s no room for these feelings if you want to develop your skills and improve your performance. Always put in 110%. Even if God has blessed you with athletic talent – the ability to run far, fast, throw or jump, work as if you had none and you will achieve your true potential.
- Stubbornness – Being stubborn leads to being uncoachable, which leads to being unsuccessful. Be open-minded and you might be exposed to a new skill or technique that you would’ve otherwise ignored. Many times when we learn a new skill, we experience failure initially. It is easy at this stage to dismiss the new technique and stay with the old. For example, your coach may be teaching you a new technique in hurdles, and at first you knock a few down or you even fall. Make sure you are open-minded during this initial trial period!
- Pride – It’s ok to be confident in yourself, but don’t allow your confidence to turn obnoxious or prideful. Being prideful will lead to silly mistakes and potential embarrassment. Always walk with confidence, head held high, but remain humble and approachable. You want to exude confidence without arrogance. A strong inner-confidence is essential to becoming a star track athlete. Schedule a session with a Mindset Coach today and you will learn confidence from the inside-out!
- Self-Doubt – It’s easy to be overly critical toward yourself. Prior to your event(s), doubts and worry can come into your mind; you are human. Worry and anxiety are energy drainers. Knowing how to focus on the right things in these moments is critical. Your Mindset Coach will help you navigate these difficult moments that all athletes encounter!
- Cautiousness – If you’re too hesitant, you miss out on key opportunities and leave room for the other athletes to close the gap. Perhaps you are a little too careful when making your corners out of fear of falling. Stay aggressive in your stride through your turns! Be a little risky.
- Perfectionism – Be careful when setting goals because you don’t want to force high expectations on yourself. It’s ok to make mistakes and to continually work on being a better athlete. Former Olympic medalist Tonie Campbell said, “if you’re not ready to fall, you’re not ready to hurdle.” Mistakes are going to happen, they should be viewed as a source of motivation and a means of learning. Plus, once you’re a “perfect” athlete, it’ll become boring!
- Over-seriousness – You should compete because you like it and you enjoy it. If you take it too seriously, you lose some of the enjoyment and add extra stress on yourself. At times like this, try to remember why you started doing track and field in the first place. You might also be too serious come competition time, because you think that is the right approach to the meet. You think you need to be super-serious in order to run your fastest, throw your furthest, or jump your longest. Athletes actually do not perform their best when they take themselves too seriously. They tend to tighten up their muscles, inhibiting free-flowing athleticism. Did you know you needed to be loose?