This video was created due to this question - "How do I mentally prepare for a race weekend?"
It is a perfectly good question that most drivers should ask more often and put more effort into.
As a sport I know we are far more interested in mental training now but still there is a lot of confusion out there on how to mentally prepare for a race event.
This causes drivers to approach it half heartedly and to sometimes be skeptical if it doesn't quite work as they expected. Well I am here to give you some pointers and a framework that has worked for me and my drivers (and other drivers).
This 5 Stage Mental Preparation framework that I usually follow when working with someone on the mental side who is preparing for an upcoming event. They often don't even realise that they are doing this by the way, but it is what the coaching is based upon.
To give you context then this is aimed at the driver who is conscious of the fact that they are not getting the best out of themselves mentally and wants to do better in that area next time out.
They have the driving technique going pretty well and their fitness is good enough for the car they drive but they often make a mistake or buckle under pressure when it matters most.
If this sounds familiar then you may just like this episode.
The Framework
I am going to run you through the framework of how to mentally prepare for a race weekend, but to give you a heads up the 5 stages / steps, here they are:
1) Get Clear
Know what you are doing mentally that is hampering you and what is creating this to happen. Then get clear on what you want to be like mentally in your chosen situation.
2) Get Motivated
Inject some motivation so the brain says "I really must change".
3) Get a Plan
What are the mental strategies and techniques / sciences that you are going to use to overcome this? Put a mental training plan together. This could be for when in the car or a mental warm up procedure before competing to get you in the desired mental state.
4) Get Good
Practice, practice, practice. Do not wait until the race weekend to do your mental plan, instead train it before hand in similar situations. This way you will get it down and modify it to suit you best.
5) Execute
Bloody do it when at the race event, never put it off or be lazy, execute.
Then the data from this current weekend provides the information and experience needed to start the 5 steps cycle again for next time out.
Although these steps are the same for most people, the content, information and mental training techniques/strategies are very individual to the driver but with the details I give here you can easily start to put together you own mental preparation ritual that will fit in nicely for your pre-race prep.
This is something that will forever be adjusted to suit what you are about to face and how you performed as the last race event but it is a mental training cycle that will allow you to perform at your best and extract more from yourself.
Let us know your thoughts and keep sending me your questions.
Watch and/or listen
You can watch the video by clicking above or listen to it on our podcasts (the iTunes podcast takes time to update, but it will be there soon).
