Performance and Preparation — Building High Performance from the Bottom Up
By: Andrew Evans
Tags: Self, Goal Setting, Habits, High Performance, Performance Coaching

Photo by Gia Oris on Unsplash

Baseline Skills

If we desire to perform at a higher level than most, we must be doing more than most so we can improve more than most! This starts, like all robust structures, with a strong foundation. These ‘baseline’ skills need to be regularly revisited and are generally where we will be failing if our performance or mindset starts to wane. The primary elements of the baseline skillset are Attitude, Motivation and Goal Setting, and are discussed further below.

Attitude — we all know the saying ‘Attitude is everything’. It is a common saying because it is true. We need to consciously and deliberately choose our attitude, every time we go to practice. It is surprising how just deciding to have a good session will make it so. The same is also true for when you’ve had a bad day, didn’t get enough sleep, kids have been playing up, work didn’t go so well, all the excuses start popping up into your head and you just KNOW that training is going to suck! Well, it does, but only because you decided it would be before it started. Taking the time to mentally prepare and decide to have a good practice, regardless of what happened before will dramatically change your outlook and the outcome of your time.

Setting the tone for your practice is the simplest step you can take to improve output and performance, not only for you, but for those around you as well. Attitudes are infectious, so lift others up with yours by making sure yours is worth catching. This is a great method of showing leadership at all levels, and making sure that your dojo, club, or study group is a place that performs!

Motivation — To capitalise on our deliberately positive attitude, we must regularly cultivate our motivation levels, and not rely solely on the natural waxing and waning of our mindset to determine our desire to turn up and train. Motivation is not just something that passively happens to you, and dictates your mood or energy levels. Motivation levels are improved by ACTION!

Ever noticed that, upon ‘not feeling like training’, but turning up anyway, you actually have a good session and feel good about it afterwards? Despite most people believing that the order of operations is MOTIVATION — ACTION — INSPIRATION, it is more like a cycle and can start anywhere on the cycle to perpetuate the system.

So, if you decide to get up and train (action), you will then feel good about what you have done (inspiration), and you will build a habit of enjoying the feeling of going to train (motivation). You don’t have to start off at ‘Feeling like training’ to push the cycle into motion, and most often, action will be the kick start you need to get going!

Motivation is a big topic, and will be explored in more detail in another dedicated article.

Goal Setting — The next part of the foundation is the setting, achieving and reviewing our goals. There are several aspects to effective goal setting, and these are referred to as SMART Goals.

S — Specific. Make them as specific as you can for the context. For example, ‘get better at kicks’ is not a specific goal. Setting a goal of being able to perform a head level roundhouse kick, or to be able to perform a kicking drill 10 times without putting your foot on the floor are goals that are specific enough to know when you have achieved them.

M — Measurable. In line with the above point, you need to have the ability to quantify when you have achieved a goal. Achieving level 10.0 on a shuttle run test, holding a sumo stance for 5 minutes (ouch!), or being able to perform 20 push-ups unbroken on your toes are examples of measurable goals.

A — Achievable. While I am all for reaching for the stars, I don’t think becoming an astronaut is a goal within my reach at this point in my life. So, while your ‘big, hairy goals’ should be currently well out of reach and SHOULD scare you a little bit; they need to be something that you can reasonably achieve eventually.

R — Realistic. A goal should be something that you can put a plan together within your available time and go out and work towards. Lifestyle changes are great, and should certainly be looked at to make room for your improvement and goals, but at some point, the bills must be paid, the kids fed and the house cleaned. Make your goals something that you will be able to realistically attain given the other competing needs in your life.

T — Timeframe. Assigning a deadline to your goals will assist in the impetus to go out and work towards them. Non-specific timeframes lead to procrastination, and a loss of motivation (see point above…).

Regularly revisiting your goals, setting new, bigger ones and ticking off milestone goals is a great way to track your progress; whereas an absence of goals can lead to an inability to see just how much you are improving along the way.

These three fundamental components of Attitude, Motivation, and Goal Setting require regular maintenance, but having an awareness of them is crucial for understanding your mental state, and reviewing them is a great way to test and adjust your mindset to keep you focused and feeling good about what you are trying to achieve.