Overcoming Setbacks

All athletes at every level of sport will face setbacks. Elite sport requires each competitor to face new challenges in both training and competition each day, and the beauty of sport is the struggle to overcome these challenges. Great athletes strive for perfect process when approaching each new obstacles, however even the most exceptional process will not always result in the ideal outcome. How athletes deal with sub-optimal outcomes is ultimately what decides their future success.

The former head coach of the US Biathlon team used to tell his athletes that they had approximately thirty minutes after each race to be disappointed with the result. This was because roughly thirty after each competition the award ceremony concluded. After the medals and flowers had been handed out to the top competitors, the winner dismounted the podium, and the spectators exited the stadium so too did our frustration with that day's race have to exit our minds. By freeing up that mental space previously occupied by negative emotion, a new positive and productive mindset could flourish.

Harnessing Disappointment

Many elite athletes live by the mantra, "There are no wins and losses, just wins and opportunities to grow." This mindset is critical to all athletes pursuing sport at the highest level. While top athletes do not enjoy sub-par performances in training or competition, many actually do enjoy leaning in to their worst days in order to better understand how to improve. This process begins by acknowledging disappointment - it's ok to admit that you are feeling down. Once doing so, move on to the good stuff - reflection.

Reflection is focused on your process. What goals and plans did you set prior to your poor performance? Did you stick to them? Were unprepared? In some cases, you followed your plan to perfection and it resulted in a poor outcome. If this is the case, then pat yourself on the back - you followed executed! Now, take a hard look at your plan - does it need to be adjusted for future training sessions and competitions? If you didn't follow your plan - why? Were you unsettled by loud fans, intimidating competitors, or poor conditions?

Setting Forth

Now that you have reflected, its time to move forward with unwavering conviction. Doing so is what makes elite competitors true masters of their craft. Having identified the factors that led to your poor performance, its time to set attainable, process-oriented goals that will help you overcome similar challenges in future training sessions and competitions. This is a great time to include your coaches and teammates in the process. Engage with their feedback and create a game plan to work towards addressing the items that you believe need improving and the items that they believe need improving. The additional perspectives that they may add will only help you arrive on the next starting line stronger and more better prepared.

Here are a few practical examples of how elite athletes adjust their preparation to overcome future setbacks:

Setback: "I was not prepared to compete in those weather conditions"...

Response: I acknowledge that I struggle with competitions in these types of weather conditions. I am going to keep an eye on the forecast and schedule race simulation training when the weather looks particularly challenging.

Setback: "I had a good plan going into the race, but the crowd was really loud and that threw me off..."

Response: At the highest level of sport, there will be larger amounts of spectators, and I need to get better at adapting to crowd noise. Before each training session, I am going to complete a 60 second visualization exercises imagining a deafening crowd and me executing a perfect process while they cheer.

Setback: "I thought I had a great fueling plan for the last race, but I ran out of energy before the finish..."

Response: I followed through with my nutrition plan, but clearly it was not quite good enough for the demands of this past race. Its possible that my fueling plan is not going to work in future races either. I am going to reach out to my coach to get her feedback on how I can fuel better. Once we make a plan, I am going to try it during training and see how well it works for me.

Takeaways

• Overcoming setbacks are a critical part of elite sport and doing so is what makes sport so fulfilling. ALL athletes face setbacks!

• It is ok to feel disappointed, but set a time limit for these feelings and then move forward with a positive attitude.

• Analyze what went wrong and why and then create a process-focused set of goals to overcome these challenges in the future.