PERFORMING YOUR BEST IN COMPETITION

by Jack Jeffries




The following notes are from Jack Jeffries' seminar during the Airspeed 8-way Training Camp, April 1997.
The key topics are:

Note: Airspeed has worked for ten years on this plan, with coaches and even a team psychologist. What has taken them 10 years to develope is out there to be shared. It makes better competitions for everyone.
Many people experience a lot of anxiety around their personal and team's performance. There are specific reasons we feel this way and we can prepare properly for the event to avoid these feelings. Everyone is capable of being a "good competitor."

TRAIN TO WIN:

THE MEET IS WON IN TRAINING:

(What you do the whole season will determine how you place in the final competition)
- EVERYTHING MUST BE AUTOMATIC (Effectiveness of training)
- YOUR PLAN MUST BE VERY CLEAR (This is where coaching is the most valuable)
YOU MUST TRAIN IN MEET CONDITIONS LONG BEFORE THE MEET
(The meet should not be new conditions)
(All these things are what you work on during the training season to achieve the consistency needed at competition time)
YOUR GAME PLAN MUST FOCUS MORE ON CONSISTENCY THAN BETTER TIMES AT THIS POINT.
Meaning, sure, you've had better jumps, turned more points, but the goal is steady consistency, reliability, which comes from steady work. Consistency is what wins meets.


KEEP DETAILED RECORDS IN ORDER TO BETTER KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.
Dive notebook: Keep records of your slot "jobs", including slot switchers, block time, and even your piece partner's job. Even notes on another person's job may be helpful in remembering something specific about what to expect in your slot.


REMEMBER, IF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEARN IT THE DAY BEFORE THE MEET.



THE VALUE OF REST:

THE HUNGRIER YOU ARE TO JUMP, THE BETTER YOU WILL PERFORM:


BE WELL RESTED:
Note: The above paragraph is for the teams that do over 1000 practice jumps together. Weekend teams that only practice 2 or 3 hundred jumps might not be training for full weeks straight at a time, and too much time off before a competition doesn't make sense. Time off right before a meet is still important, but must be scheduled accordingly. Don't risk precious practice time, yet conserve energy and keep focussed.



ENERGY CONSERVATION:

THE MORE ENERGY WE HAVE, THE BETTER WE WILL PERFORM

* CONSERVE ENERGY AT THE MEET:

      • Come prepared and EARLY!! (Never show up just as you're expected to begin the work.)
      • Comfortable place to stay (You don't want to worry about where anything is going to come from)
      • Food and water (plenty of it; prepare well in advance)
      • Necessary equipment (all the above are all part of the plan. And the plan needs to be set long in advance, not even the night before)

* COME EARLY IN ORDER TO ACCLIMATE
* WE WANT NO SHOCKS TO OUR SYSTEM THE DAY OF THE MEET.

      • Time Zones
      • Aircraft
      • DZ procedures
      • Team plan

MAKE A SPECIFIC PLAN AROUND HOW THE TEAM WILL OPERATE AND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF EACH INDIVIDUAL:

* HAVE A TEAM HANG OUT SPOT


      • We feel strong in numbers; hang out together; HAVE A GOOD COMMUNICATION PLAN
      • It sucks to be on a 5 min. call and not know where your team mate is.
      • Piece partner responsibility is a good one, but constantly looking for your is a waste of time: Let someone know where you're going first.

DURING THE MEET THERE IS A LOT THAT CAN BE DONE TO CONSERVE ENERGY:

* STAY RELAXED BETWEEN ROUNDS OR DURING WEATHER HOLDS
      • It is easy to stay keyed up during these times burning tremendous energy.
* AT THE SAME TIME, REMAIN MENTALLY ALERT, READY TO JUMP AT ANYMOMENT. (NO NAPS!)
      • Play electronic games (Game Boys are good for long waits; "Walk-mans" are OK.
      • Read
      • Do not sleep
      • Find distractions that work for you
      • Eat small meals
      • Do not socialize excessively (keep it light and brief)
      • Go over your journal, even with each other



KNOW THE RULES!!


READ THE RULE BOOK!

* MEETS ARE WON AND LOST BY MANIPULATION OF THE RULES
* IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DO, IT'S WHAT THE JUDGES SEE (Especially with LIVE judging. I.E.: Move & Stop, Move & Stop TOGETHER. Is the timing together? That's what gets the points. And, use contrasting gloves)
* TRAIN AND SKYDIVE FOR THE JUDGES

      • See what they're seeing
      • Airspeed has actually sent tapes to judges for their input 6 months before the meet, and after the judge's input, worked on what was observed by the judges.



DEALING WITH TEAM STRESS:

AS THE MEET DRAWS NEAR PEOPLE EXPERIENCE AN UNUSUALLY HIGH LEVEL OF STRESS:

* SHORTER TEMPER
      • Small problems become bigger quicker, so take care of it early
* GENERAL PARANOIA

      • We all make mistakes. Don't let the person who just made one feel worse. Show your support. The next mistake could be yours.
* NEED MUCH MORE REGULAR MEETINGS
      • You're working closely together; different personalities will see everything a little differently. COMMUNICATE to keep the stress level down, to keep the tempers in check, and to keep the strength within the team.


MANY COMPETITORS TALK OF FEELING PRESSURE OR STRESS TO SUCH A LEVEL AS TO HINDER THEIR PERFORMANCE:

* STRESS
      • Element of danger (we need to discuss our individual limits openly and honestly)
      • Unknown situation
      • Risk of failure (and FEAR of failure)
        (Keep the negative vibes out of there by focussing on the good ones. Channel your thoughts to what you know you do best)

* FIGHT OR FLIGHT
      • A certain amount can actually help
      • Too much will stymie your best efforts (don't be so gung-ho you take us all out!)
* PUT STRESS TO USE (DON'T LET IT RUN AWAY WITH ITSELF)
      • Change what you call it! (Don't call it pressure; USE IT! Visualize it and use it to your advantage)
      • Channel it (Channel it into controllable energy. Direct it to individual places- YOU CHOOSE to be in control of it!)
      • Anticipation, Awareness, Strength and a general sense of invincibility


DEALING WITH PERSONAL STRESS:


MOST PEOPLE PILE TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THEMSELVES:

(Jack says: "That's crap. Don't do it. It's unreasonable.")
* DON'T BE TOO CONCERNED BY WHAT OTHERS THINK
* DON'T BE THINKING YOU CAN'T MAKE A SINGLE MISTAKE
- The reaction to the glitch is what loses points, NOT the glitch itself.
* EXPECTING PERFECTION IS UNREASONABLE
- We all make mistakes
- Just keep going: Reset and Go! Flush that moment and go on.
- Be OK with it, be OK with your teammates as well and you free your mind.


CREATING CONFIDENCE:


CONFIDENCE IS THE KEYSTONE TO PERFORMING AT YOUR BEST:

* MIND AND BODY ARE RELAXED
-Engineer for comfort, engineer for efficiency, not for shortness of angles, but for comfort and ease of doing it. (Sometimes the longer move with non-repeats or switches CAN be shorter in time)
* OUTLOOK IS POSITIVE
* VISUALIZATION IS POSITIVE


SET YOURSELF UP FOR HIGH CONFIDENCE:

* ENGINEER YOUR MEET DIVES FOR COMFORT AND FAMILIARITY
- DON'T LOOK AT THE FRENCH!!! Don't even watch them dirt-dive; it'll screw you up. Of course, they're doing it differently! Don't change what you've just become familiar with)
* STICK TO YOUR GAME PLAN
- FORGET THE FRENCH!!! I'm tellin' ya, don't even watch them hang out. What you've trained for all season is now at stake. And for God's sake, don't look at their video until AFTER the meet!

* BE AWARE OF YOUR STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES
- Keep good records
- Stick to a plan in training, and carry it out in the meet

POSITIVE VISUALIZATION IS PARAMOUNT FOR CONFIDENCE:

* DIRT DIVE IN THE PLANE WITH EVERYTHING WORKING PERFECTLY
- Fred, do NOT dirt dive malfunctions!!
* DO NOT ENTERTAIN YOUR FEARS (or the little voices)
- If you start visualizing mistakes; STOP!
(and even say it to yourself: "STOP!" Reset and Go!) (Not out loud, Fred!)
- It's your mind (Take the "What if" monster out of there. It's YOUR mind, fill it with positive thoughts. Make the negative voices STOP!


POSITIVE SUPPORT FROM YOUR TEAMMATES WILL ALSO GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS BUILDING YOUR CONFIDENCE:

* RELIEVES THE STRESS OF WORRYING ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF YOU.
* BUILD AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE IT IS OK TO MAKE MISTAKES
* REALIZE EVERYBODY IS DOING THERE BEST
* LET THE LAST JUMP GO
- No matter how mad you are at a teammate, get rid of the anger before you land - even if you have to put your canopy in 1/2 brakes or find a thermal - lose the anger before you land. Walk back with a smile on your face and be supportive to them.


LOOK AT THE MEET AS A SERIES OF ONE ROUND MEETS:

* WHETHER AHEAD OR BEHIND, GO AT YOUR BEST SPEED.
- Do your best not to be effected by the last round's performance: IT'S OVER.
- Treat each round as a new start, and with the trained consistency
- Jack has a saying: "One Meet; One Round, Right Here; Right NOW!"
* FOCUS ON PERSONAL BEST
* FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE; NOT POINTS
* THERE IS NO DEFENSE IN THIS GAME - FOCUS ON YOURSELF
- Anything else is a distraction to you more than anything else



CREATING TRUST:


TRUST IN YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAMMATES IS A CRITICAL INGREDIENT TO SUCCESS:

* TRUST SAVES ENERGY
* TRUST BUILDS CONFIDENCE
* TRUST ALLOWS YOU TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF
- That's only thing you can truly control anyway

* TRUST MUST BE EARNED:
- Say what you mean - Do what you say
- That's what builds a strong team

*** TRAIN TO WIN - COMPETE TO DO YOUR BEST ***


There were some questions from the group for Jack, and the discussion of looking at the score-board came up. It's an individual thing that he personally tries to avoid doing, but others seem to gain strength from it. Discuss this with the entire team.

Another short discussion was on Canopy Control (Safety and Team Image) Is it finally general knowledge that hook-turns during competitions are not allowed?? Most of us wouldn't do one anyway, but some people do. It's simply not allowed at competitions, and most DZ's are ruling it out completely anyway. Hook-turns make you look like a jerk, too. Especially if you have to be carted away.

The other issue was safety under canopy. It's a competition, but we're in it for fun. However, excessive fun under canopy can lead to problems if we're not all on the same wavelength. General rule of thumb: Fly a right hand pattern (or left if the DZ dictates it), no spirals, straight in approach on landing following the rules of the DZ, whether it's based on a tetrahedron or a specified direction. You'll see some teams flying canopy formations to the ground. These guys are generally watching only each other, and not other teams that might be landing at the same time. Fly your canopy conservatively and defensively, as if your life depended on it, because it does.


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