Olympic Preparation: The Performance Algorithm

Paris Olympics 2024

With the approaching Olympics, I'd like to introduce a concept I employ to assist my athletes in achieving their optimal performance state.

Elite athletes are often perceived as individuals who experience minimal emotions, harbor no fears, and exude unwavering self-confidence. While this holds true for certain athletes, it's essential to recognize that not everyone falls into this category. Some elite performers grapple with heightened emotions, doubts, and escalating pressures, particularly as the crucial moments of competition draw near. What sets the truly exceptional athletes apart is their ability to navigate these challenges skillfully—embracing and managing the full spectrum of emotions, making necessary adjustments, and employing strategies to cultivate their optimal mental state.

Your Performance Algorithm.

Let me first explain what I mean by algorithm. Have you ever been scrolling Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook and noticed that after watching a video or even searching something in Google you start seeing more of that same type of video or see advertisements about the thing you searched pop up? Inside our social media and Google are algorithms with specific directions to analyze you and feed you with things it thinks you like, or want to see more of whether it is positive or negative. Like a computer algorithm, the brain follows specific patterns in handling input and producing output. The brain operates through neural networks and connections, similar to the way algorithms work through a series of steps or instructions. Neural pathways are strengthened or weakened based on our experiences and the information we encounter. Repeated exposure to certain types of information strengthens corresponding neural pathways, influencing our thoughts and behaviors. The brain operates algorithmically, processing input to produce output, and what we consume significantly shapes this process.

As the journey towards Olympic glory draws nearer, the significance of shaping the ideal mental state becomes increasingly paramount. While this importance is constant throughout, its intensity heightens as athletes approach the culmination of their efforts. The growing nervousness mixes with the deep realization that all the hard work, the blood, sweat, and tears, is about to go public on a global stage.

This heightened pressure is further compounded by the additional stressors of photoshoots, press coverage, flights, meetings, and various other obligations.

Hacking your algorithm is proactively feeding your brain with the best information, routines, people, events, thoughts, and actions that ultimately influence your overall mental and physical state.

Understanding Your Performance Zone or Ideal State.

Each athlete has a preferred zone for competition and practice, comprising crucial elements such as mindset, energy/arousal levels, and established routines. During our meetings, we will pinpoint these key areas and implement strategies to ensure their optimal maintenance.

A significant but often underestimated factor influencing our ideal state is the external environment. While we can't control everything and everyone in our surroundings, it's crucial to curate an environment that fosters and aligns with the thoughts, feelings, and goals we pursue. A practical approach to this involves monitoring social media and external information inputs. Observing competitors' training or paying attention to news sites discussing or critiquing us is tempting. If these sources induce doubt we cut it out. In their place, we introduce inspirational videos, highlights, and other positive content. Additionally, we strive to saturate our environment with reinforcement and positive subliminal messages, akin to the strategies employed in commercials and advertisements. The aim is to exert as much influence as possible on our ideal state.

Certainly, internal factors take precedence in our efforts. Ensuring that athletes engage in self-care, stress management, and activities that evoke the internal states necessary for optimal performance remains a primary focus of our work.

Whether you aspire to be an Olympic hopeful or are currently on that path, it's crucial to recognize that your actions, words, and surroundings carry influence. Crafting your own ideal algorithm, or what I often refer to as self-marketing, is a strategy to maximize your chances of success.