Is life all about being competitive? I believe in most instances it is. This is part of human nature. For anyone who believes in getting better or achieving success to its fullest, being competitive is a must. Those having enormous talent and an ability to endure undoubtedly have a head start, yet it is great desire coupled with true discipline that leads to a successful life and ultimately to being a champ.
In the case of golf, in some way or another there is competition everywhere, be it among beginners or top professionals on the PGA tours. "Hey my ball flew 100 yards," one beginner says to the other. "I got four birdies and I drove 290 on one of the par 5s," one club golfer says to his partner. What is all this?
This is simply the player's ego exerting itself on a fellow golfer, making him aware that he has just done something better. Sometimes I think that if there was no drive to compare and compete, life would be very dull.
In today's world, competition exists not only in sports but in every field. Look at education for example, where every student wants to go to the best school or college, or how every businessman wants to be richer day by day. In golf, you have the challenge of hitting a longer drive, hitting a perfect draw or fade, hitting it close from the bunker or to sum it up, "scoring better".
So exams arrive and the pressure is on. Similarly, it's competition day and what happens? Tension, negative thoughts and all the "normal day" performance characteristics disappear. The end result: from mediocre to a disaster.
So what advice can I give to help you turn all those days and months of practice and playing into a successful tournament result?
In the 24 hours preceding a competition it helps to have a routine that you can rely on to get you into the right physical and mental state for competing effectively and at your full potential.
Uncertainty is always a source of stress. As you know, the sudden realisation that you have forgotten something can cause outright panic. If you want to make sure you are really prepared, a simple pre-competition routine will be really beneficial. It is an important part of staying in control of yourself and your performance.
Start by setting out three columns on a page with headings 'Time to Rac&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#'&#̵'216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;216;', 'Activity' and 'Notes'. Use the notes section to add more detail if required, perhaps to build in some contingency. Set out the activities that you need to carry out to perform at your best. Write them in time sequence so that they are easy to follow.
Try to view a competition as something greater than the duration of the match or race or round. Give yourself time to get things right, and recognise that your actions several days before, even weeks before your event, can have a bearing on performance. You won't, for example, suddenly manage to produce your best on the day of a race if you have neglected your training all week.
The more you use a plan or routine, the more you will refine it based on your personal experience and the more reliable it will be on the big stage. Try developing and using these preparation techniques over a period of time. Start with minor competitions, even though you might be tempted to put less effort into your preparation at these events.
Your plan might feel awkward to begin with but with time, practice and fine-tuning it will come good if you persevere.
Build in some flexibility and don't get hung up on details. What we don't want is for your plan to become a source of stress. It is there to take some of the mental effort and strain out of the competition experience, not to add to it!
Finally, your routine is yours. What works for you might not work for others. What works for others therefore might not work for you. There's only one winner. Make it you.
