How To Challenge Yourself In Training?

Do you find it tough to say motivated to practice and train at a high level throughout the off season and into the competitive season?

Practice and training can be samey and boring at times, depending on the sport.  Sometimes sessions can be long and never-ending.  Seasons can be lengthy too.  Throw in setbacks and difficulties, perhaps a loss of form, injuries, financial worries or discomfort can all take their toll.

During the year a lot of time and energy is needed.  Pressure and stressors exist in and out of sports… and there are many distractions around us.  

Take the current coronavirus pandemic.  How has that affected your motivation or your focus?  Maybe you know you won’t be competing for a few months…

So when you consider everything into the mix, it can be very easy to make excuses.  Excuses to miss a practice or training session.  It can also be very easy to go into a session on autopilot not giving it your full attention. 

Comments that I’ve heard time and time again from athletes and coaches include:

• It’s only practice.  It’s not the real thing.
• The weather is too cold.
• I’m not competing for a while so will miss practice today.
• I have so much to do today, I’ll skip training.
• I’ve a niggle in my leg and will be better resting it.
• I’m just don’t have the time today to practice.
• I’m not 100% today, I’ll give training a miss.
• I still perform well when I compete, so it doesn’t matter if I miss today.

Do any of these comments sound familiar?

Excuses or distractions can mean that you don’t achieve your potential.  They can become habits and these habits can have a big impact on your performances in the long term and the reason that some athletes don’t achieve their goals.  

What is the goal of training?

It could be argued that it is to challenge you so that you push yourself to ensure that when you compete, the pressure is something that you are used too.

When you challenge yourself it prepares you to be at your best in competition.  Top athletes, can push in training so much that competing seems much easier physically and mentally.  

A question for you?  In the last month, on a scale of 1-10 how challenging has your practice or training been?

For some ideas on this why not listen to European Tour Golfer, Chris Paisley talking about challenging himself.