Mountaineer Chris Warner on teambuilding, the dangers of K2 and why in climbing the ties that bind make the difference between life and death:
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Preparing for Peak Performance
People are finally starting to realise that "the right stuff" isn't something you have to be born with. The fact that we can learn to tap previously unexplored potential has been quickest, perhaps, to take hold in the world of professional sports. However, the principles involved will work just as well outside this elevated world.
One of the best-known techniques, for what sports psychologists and counselors call "performance enhancement," is visualisation. Now, visualisation is simply a form of mental practice. It's doing your sport over and over again in your mind, with all the right moves and the desired end result. You can do this with your eyes closed in a quiet room, riding the bus, in the shower, while you're waiting to see the dentist – virtually any time.
All that's required is that you see yourself performing. It doesn't matter what the action is, as long as you are doing it perfectly. This is because your subconscious doesn't know the difference between a vividly imagined picture and the actual event. And while mental practice can't replace the discipline and hard work of physical practice, in some ways it's even better. It guarantees that you are practicing perfection, and when you practice perfection, you are far more likely to perform perfectly.
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