Why Attempts to 'Calm Down' Don’t Work and How to Turn Pre-Start States into Energy for Victory
Before an important start, athletes often fall into extreme states. Some try to forcibly 'calm down', suppressing anxiety and expending a colossal amount of energy on internal struggle instead of preparing for the event. Others, on the contrary, get lost in nervousness, allowing anxiety to completely dictate their actions. There are also cases where an athlete approaches the start in an apathetic state, with low motivation, as if 'disconnecting' from the moment’s importance.
In each of these cases, you are not in your optimal state, and therefore cannot realize your potential. However, it is important to understand: any of these reactions are not a 'break' of your psyche, but rather a signal that you have not yet found your personal key to focus.
In my practice, we do not try to 'fix' you or mold you to average standards. We work with the state you are in and learn to form an Optimal Fighting State (OFS). This is not an innate gift, but a skill that we build together, relying on logotherapeutic approaches and your personal experience. We tune your psyche for effectiveness, turning any of these options—whether excess anxiety or lack of motivation—into a manageable resource for victory.
Hyper-Motivation and the Trap of Expectations
Often, the cause of failure is not a lack of preparation, but hyper-motivation. When the goal—such as a medal or a specific result—overshadows the meaning of the activity, you lose your grounding. You stop feeling the process, becoming a prisoner of expectations.
My task is to help you shift your focus. We do not abandon ambitions but learn to see the start not as a 'judgment of yourself' but as an opportunity to realize what you train for. When you regain your 'will to meaning,' the pressure of external expectations weakens, giving way to conscious concentration on action.
The Metaphor of the 'Passenger Seat'
Your anxiety, fear, or excitement is part of your experience. I often use the metaphor of the 'passenger seat'. Imagine that these feelings are in the car, but they are sitting in the passenger seat. You are the driver.
We acknowledge these feelings but do not let them take the wheel. You continue to drive the process, taking into account this 'signal' that highlights the importance of the moment, but without allowing it to overwhelm your consciousness. Anxiety is not an obstacle, but a signal from the body that something important is happening. We use it to 'turn on,' while monitoring that the level of tension does not become excessive. You remain in the 'here and now,' maintaining control over every movement.
Practical Steps to a Fighting State
A fighting state is a skill that is gradually trained. In our work, we use three key tools:
- Activation Ritual. We do not take ready-made templates. We create and implement a unique sequence of actions that suits you specifically. We select the necessary breathing exercises and affirmations that together help form your personal state of focus. This is your personal 'key' to activating the fighting mode, sending a clear signal to your brain: 'We’re beginning.'
- Acceptance of the Inevitable. You cannot control judges, the weather, or your opponent’s condition. You can only control your response and actions. When you accept this fact, resources are redirected from struggling against the external world to your start. This frees up a huge amount of energy that you previously spent trying to control what is beyond your power.
- Conscious Sacrifice. The tension and pain of overcoming are the price you pay for realizing your values. When you understand what you are enduring for, it stops being pointless suffering and becomes part of your journey. This turns 'hard work' into a conscious choice.
The Start as an Act of Responsibility
Forming a fighting state is not an accident or a 'mood' that either exists or does not exist. It is the result of your self-work. We cannot 'turn it on' at the push of a button. We learn this gradually, analyzing each start and each training session. We identify what specifically helps you focus, what your state consists of, and what exactly you did to achieve it.
If you feel overwhelmed before a start, it does not mean something is wrong with you. It means we are beginning the journey to your personal 'focus'. It is an act of responsibility—to take control of your state while remaining true to your values, despite any pressure.