THE CONTEXT: As some parents and coaches continue to rely on what I call “conditional praise” as a form of motivation, I hope they’re aware of some of the unintended consequences. When I was a young boy competing in sports I spent a good lot of my time in the pursuit of approval—praise—from those […]
Last week after rowing in our boathouse: Four women – six men. All of them Masters. We were just about leaving when a very interesting topic came up: Makeup in sports and makeup in rowing We were discussing sunburns and how to protect your skin while rowing. Belinda asked the queston: Besides sunscreen lotion – […]
Rowing and extreme Heat stress can be serious risks for your health. Temperatures in central Europe are reaching more than 40C presently. What to do with my rowing excercises? High intensity exercise in a hot environment, with the associated fluid loss and elevation of body temperature, can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. […]
Imagine that there is a muscle that is called “Mental Strength”. Could you train it? (Photo Credit: wikimedia Comments) Rowperfect has tried to research this and believes: Yes, we can train our mental strength. When we go through the world of elite sports and watch the big athletes, Jeannine Gmelin, Madalena Lobnig, Oliver Zeidler and […]
The puddle tells the truth.(Photo Credit: Fotoclub Eggenburg) One of the glories of rowing is that a boat is only as fast as the slowest crew member. Agreed? If yes… please continue to read this post from Duncan Holland, published a while ago. Unless all the members are contributing the boat will not be fast. […]
“The art, though difficult, may be acquired by imitation of a good practitioner, and, once it is mastered, constitutes one of those delightful combinations of strength and delicacy in which is found the chief charm of the higher athletics.â€
How can we define confidence? What separates it from arrogance? Where are the lines blurred between positive and negative personality traits? Arrogance, or cockiness, in an athlete and in the sporting world more generally, is most often viewed as a negative trait. However, the very qualities that can result in arrogance clearly help to make […]
What does it take to become world-beating – or just very good at sport? Do we inherit our talents, are we born champions or can someone teach us to be a winner? This great book by British and Commonwealth table tennis champion, Matthew Syed takes personal experience and sports science to unravel the answers – […]
The few minutes from when a crew hears the gun till the end of the race often seem to be the toughest. What can you do to ensure your preparation has been perfect? You should have completed extensive physical training to prepare for the race, but how well was your mental aspect of the preparation […]
Is Mental Toughness All It’s Cracked Up To Be? asks Jason Dorland – and gives answers to our audience. THE CONTEXT: By continually celebrating the merits of mental-toughness, are coaches possibly limiting their athlete’s ability to reach their highest potential? What if telling our athletes they need more grit in order to be successful was […]
