Friday, May 26, 2006

preperation.

i read today that winston churchhill, one of my favorite people, used to spend 30 minutes in preperation for each 1 minute of speech time he gave. now, i don`t advocate such focused work, churchhill was a consumate scolar, but some preperation is neccesary if you expect results.
i am preparing for a game of soccer tonight. it is our team`s first competitive game of the 2006 season. i am the player/manager so my duties are varied. i will focus on my playing preparation for the purposes of this discussion.
my first task is to have an hour or so before the match where i am clear of distractions. generally i will get to the field 3/4 hour early for this purpose. my focus will be on visualisation. i find a spot on the bench where i can sit comfortably and begin to do some light breathing exercises to focus my attention internally. once i feel that i`ve attained some center i then review some previous matches where i`ve had good performances. i run the events from my memory in my mind a few times to get a physical sense of the memory.
then i do some goal net viualisations. seeing the ball in the net, going to the net from my foot and actually ending up feeling the net in my hand and the feel of the ball hitting the net it`s self. these are powerful anchors to physiological performance.
i then get focused and warmed up, help get the net up and begin to organise the other members of the team as they arrive and infect them with the sense of what we`ve shared on the field in the past.
the rest is automatic.

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