Blue, get ready ! Blue, take the next wave ! : competition anxiety must not overwhelm the stake and the fun !!!
Many surfers sometimes get anxious when they compete. They get nervous on who they are competing and they get so worked up that they lose focus on playing their game. In the end, they make mistakes and end up beating themselves up if they do not win. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a surfer can use to help manage the stress of playing against the competition.
The first step is to learn as much as you can on your competition environment. Although this may seem obvious some surfers may think they already know what they need to know. Remember there is always something to learn about your competition. Check out and train at the competition spot. Ask other surfers what they think about the waves. Study the waves : what length, how high (EPIC,classic, fluffies), how speed, where the beach break is, is there a sequence between waves, fluffies,..? Try to figure out an angle on how you can beat your competition. Train in hard conditions like increasing lag on purpose, test your skill at the limits: if you belly or drop out, it doesn’t matter … you learn. The more you know about your competition the better your chances are you will win the game. This will also help to reduce your worries about who and what you will be facing in your next game.
Use all opportunities to compete. Register to “non-SLSA” comps as Surf Jam or St Patrick. The rules, the opponents, the judges, the waves are the same as SLSA comps but the stake is different. In those comps, the stake must not overwhelm the fun. Use those comps not to sharpen your skill but to learn managing competition stress.
Do not assume anything about your competition whether they are stronger or weaker than you. Every surfer has his good and bad days and just because you may be facing a strong heat does not mean that you will lose. Remember that before you start surfing, you and your opponents all have an equal chance of winning. You are all starting from scratch. This should help you to give you confidence going into your next game.
Focus on how you can best strive for perfection in your own surfing instead of worrying about your opponents. For instance, let’s say you are surfing a real tough heat and you are nervous. Instead of focusing on how good your competition is, focus on how you can play your best surf. Concentrate on how you can better surf the waves or how you can best improve on your problem areas. Focusing on your surfing will definitely help you when you are nervous in competing a strong heat.
Don't be distract by others. While you're on the stands, stay cool, relax .... during your heat, stay focused ! Stop IMing with the whole world, only keep IMs with your coach and good friends : short information, write briefly, close all negative IM. On the open chat window : only pay attention to Marshall and Judges. Don't be distracted by other surfers and don't distract them ! Most of the time, surfers talk while competing to shrug off their own stress, even if they joke or what. Don't let you infected by ones stress.
Realize that you cannot perform on all of your waves and that also includes your competition. You may be the best surfer in the world, however you will still lose eventually. No one surfer can win all of their comps. Yes, they may have some winning streaks or win ninety percent of their heats, but they will still lose some comps. When facing tough competitors, use this fact to your advantage. Even the best surfers will make some mistakes and lose.
Give yourself some pep talks during the heat to re-enforce encouragement to yourself. During your heat take advantage of the breaks you get by giving yourself encouragement. For example, you have ridden your first wave and you are making a lot of mistakes. During the break, tell yourself that you need to settle down or remind yourself that you can do it and you need to relax. This positive self talk can help reduce your stress and anxiety.
View a particular competition as a learning experience when things do not work out. For example, you are making many mistakes and the heat is out of reach. Instead of beating yourself up, try to figure out what you are doing wrong. The best time to improve on your surfing is when you deal with adversity. Figure out what you can do better so that you can deal with your problem in the long run. This is how most athletes get better so use this adversity as a learning opportunity.
It is not uncommon to get nervous when you compete. The key is not to psyche yourself out just because the competition gets tough. Remember that some heats will be easy to play and some heats will be more difficult. All you can do is to focus on your own surfing style and ride the best you can. This will help you in the long run and will help you to stop worrying whether you will win or lose.
What I know concerning comps is :
- The waves are the same height, speed and length as the one you train on
- The beach dimensions are the same; the stands just hold more people.
- The skills required to win haven’t changed, you have performed before and you have all the skills needed to perform again.
- A competition is never lost until the results are given. Never give up until the end. Don’t blame yourself. Fight on each wave giving the best from the take-off to the beach break.
- If you don’t win, it doesn’t matter because we are so proud of how we grow as a team and as surfers. In my mind you are already winners by beating the odds and being there in the first place. There are no remorse but there are regrets and it’s very different : you trained, you gave your best ... of course, you can have regrets ! but don’t blame yourself.
- Stay humble in the victory and respect all surfers, newbie or pro : without the surfer community, there would be no comp at all..
At the end, it’s all about fun, fellow riders !
Looking forward you reading your experiences.
~G.
