Use Inner Strength To Elevate Your Performance

When we have inner power, inner strength and inner alignment we easily and effortlessly transfer this to our sport. Period.

As a coach I see many talented athletes who are strong physically but without the internal resolve to execute their technical skills. To be a strong and skilled athlete we have to spend equal time developing these internal resources to be effective during the high pressured times of training such as try out camps, time trials and races.

Here are the 3 internal attributes athletes can develop to increase their competitive advantage:

• Inner Strength – determination, resilience
• Inner Power – confidence, trust
• Inner Alignment – focus, intention

When we bring these inner components to our workouts on and off the water they develop our inner resolves that direct and manage our physical power.

For example; we may be going through the motions and completing the exercises when we are strength training but if we are not bringing our mental focus into the exercise the opportunity of peak development can be lost.

So here are a few tips to use your physical training to build internal strength during water practices and dry land training:

1. Set up your alignment. Get picky about this as you want to feel what’s happening in the body to create confidence. This builds muscle memory and instills trust in your ability to amplify your external power with inner power when required.
2. Bring your attention and focus to the body part, activity and the intended results of each. You may choose to go internal right to the muscles being used to feel the connection and building of energy. Creating this focus will allow you to compete with strong mindful intention.
3. Keep a journal of your training. It need not be anything elaborate but it should be specific. Track the facts that show improvement, not only in strength but in the body’s ability to recover from training sessions, be more flexible, feel vitality from a hard session, experience more endurance and come back from injury. This record will help you connect to the internal resilience that allowed you to continue to train. Sometimes we miss this fortitude and overlook the challenges we have overcome through the process of training.

To train effectively builds the confidence in ones abilities and capabilities and this internal strength is what athletes use to elevate their performance.