Motor Sport Psychology - Why Did That Happen?
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Why Did That Happen?
Four key challenges to the millions of reasons the top racers give for why things happen and the one simple answer we should all give
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What reasons do you give for your racing failures? What reasons do you give for your racing successes?
If you’ve ever worked on a race team then what reasons have you heard the rider or driver give?
“I was just unlucky”
“I may have won but the others had a bad day with problem pit-stops”
“We should have been on the same strategy as my team-mate”
“This car sucks!”
“That pre-season testing we did with the bike on the Dutch sand tracks has got me on the podium today”
Like me, you’ll have heard all these and hundreds more besides. Some are true, some are offensive, some are ridiculous and some are hilarious. The bottom line is that decision makers in race teams say these things and perceive them to be correct. And perception folks is reality, make no mistake.
In the first instance it doesn’t matter a fig what reasons are given. It only matters what answer is given when the four key challenges confront our ‘reason’. These challenges are just simple questions.
The four-key questions for the reasons you give:
Reasons for success:
1. Can you repeat it?
2. Can you control it?
Reasons for failure:
3. Can you change it?
4. Can you control it?
The top guys always answer ‘yes’ to the above four questions (two questions relate to success, two to failure). They do so because they learned to do it that way. They were not born instantly doing it just as they didn’t learn how to trail brake whilst in the womb. Mental skills are learned, even if in some cases they were learned very early.
To make it simpler, you can reduce the four key challenges to just one. When you give your reason for why things happen, just ask yourself – can you control it?
For example, the last quote above talking about pre-season testing being a reason for getting on the podium is one that can be controlled (and therefore repeated). This fuels confidence in going out at the next race and being successful yet again.
Mechanics and Race / Design Engineers are especially good at this, at least with practical and tangible problems. They tend to see such problems as ‘things that just need solving’ and so do just that. A former Technical Director I worked with, Malcolm Oastler, once said that after the basic layout of next year’s car was confirmed, to deliver a quick car at the first race was ‘just engineering’.
‘Just engineering’ = Cost pressures, tight deadlines, cash flow problems, material supply issues, breakages, failures, development, redesign, track testing, competitor pressure, etc.. However tough though, these are just controllable problems that give in to effort and smart thinking.
It’s also a whole load of fun!
Now what if us pragmatic racers could apply such motor sport psychology to our Mindset for Racing? Starting with the reasons we give for why things happen? How much faster could we go?
* The Mindset for Racing Finish Line *
Analyse the answers you give when you evaluate a day’s training, testing, practising or racing. The more important the outcome of that day is to you, the more effort you should spend on analysing. (There are reasons why we should avoid and specific ways to avoid overdoing this at times, and Mindset for Racing will discuss these in future.)
What reasons are you giving and most importantly can you answer ‘yes’ to the four key questions? When under pressure, your reasons will tend to be given at an emotional level, rather than a thoughtful one. If these emotional answers often result in a ‘no’ from the four key questions, then your mindset is letting you down.
These reasons can relate to any issue: Equipment, fitness, diet, technique, team organisation. Understand that your psychology / mindset is fundamental in how you evaluate everything to do with your racing.
You know what the top guys do and what you should be doing, don’t you?
Enjoy your racing and never give up.
Mike Garth
Motor Sport Psychology
Motor Sport Performance Coaching
mike.garth@sun1400.com
www.sun1400.com
Sun1400: Sunday 2pm - Ready to race?
Maximising your mental approach in motor sports
Mike Garth
Motor Sport Psychology
Motor Sport Performance Coaching
www.sun1400.com
Why Did That Happen?
Four key challenges to the millions of reasons the top racers give for why things happen and the one simple answer we should all give
=================================================================
What reasons do you give for your racing failures? What reasons do you give for your racing successes?
If you’ve ever worked on a race team then what reasons have you heard the rider or driver give?
“I was just unlucky”
“I may have won but the others had a bad day with problem pit-stops”
“We should have been on the same strategy as my team-mate”
“This car sucks!”
“That pre-season testing we did with the bike on the Dutch sand tracks has got me on the podium today”
Like me, you’ll have heard all these and hundreds more besides. Some are true, some are offensive, some are ridiculous and some are hilarious. The bottom line is that decision makers in race teams say these things and perceive them to be correct. And perception folks is reality, make no mistake.
In the first instance it doesn’t matter a fig what reasons are given. It only matters what answer is given when the four key challenges confront our ‘reason’. These challenges are just simple questions.
The four-key questions for the reasons you give:
Reasons for success:
1. Can you repeat it?
2. Can you control it?
Reasons for failure:
3. Can you change it?
4. Can you control it?
The top guys always answer ‘yes’ to the above four questions (two questions relate to success, two to failure). They do so because they learned to do it that way. They were not born instantly doing it just as they didn’t learn how to trail brake whilst in the womb. Mental skills are learned, even if in some cases they were learned very early.
To make it simpler, you can reduce the four key challenges to just one. When you give your reason for why things happen, just ask yourself – can you control it?
For example, the last quote above talking about pre-season testing being a reason for getting on the podium is one that can be controlled (and therefore repeated). This fuels confidence in going out at the next race and being successful yet again.
Mechanics and Race / Design Engineers are especially good at this, at least with practical and tangible problems. They tend to see such problems as ‘things that just need solving’ and so do just that. A former Technical Director I worked with, Malcolm Oastler, once said that after the basic layout of next year’s car was confirmed, to deliver a quick car at the first race was ‘just engineering’.
‘Just engineering’ = Cost pressures, tight deadlines, cash flow problems, material supply issues, breakages, failures, development, redesign, track testing, competitor pressure, etc.. However tough though, these are just controllable problems that give in to effort and smart thinking.
It’s also a whole load of fun!
Now what if us pragmatic racers could apply such motor sport psychology to our Mindset for Racing? Starting with the reasons we give for why things happen? How much faster could we go?
* The Mindset for Racing Finish Line *
Analyse the answers you give when you evaluate a day’s training, testing, practising or racing. The more important the outcome of that day is to you, the more effort you should spend on analysing. (There are reasons why we should avoid and specific ways to avoid overdoing this at times, and Mindset for Racing will discuss these in future.)
What reasons are you giving and most importantly can you answer ‘yes’ to the four key questions? When under pressure, your reasons will tend to be given at an emotional level, rather than a thoughtful one. If these emotional answers often result in a ‘no’ from the four key questions, then your mindset is letting you down.
These reasons can relate to any issue: Equipment, fitness, diet, technique, team organisation. Understand that your psychology / mindset is fundamental in how you evaluate everything to do with your racing.
You know what the top guys do and what you should be doing, don’t you?
Enjoy your racing and never give up.
Mike Garth
Motor Sport Psychology
Motor Sport Performance Coaching
mike.garth@sun1400.com
www.sun1400.com
Sun1400: Sunday 2pm - Ready to race?
Maximising your mental approach in motor sports
Mike Garth
Motor Sport Psychology
Motor Sport Performance Coaching
www.sun1400.com
Tags:
bike racing performance,
f1,
karting psychology,
moto-cross,
motor sport performance coaching,
motor sport psychology
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Rob Robson
Sport and Business Psychologist, Warwickshire