Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Psychology of Cycling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JKbiBNztErQ

Early in my athletic career I had the good fortune to be invited to Dr. Cooper's Aerobic Center in Dallas, Texas to participate in a test on Olympic runners to determine what made them elite. There were many Olympians invited - Frank Shorter, Steve Prefontaine, Kenny Moore, Paul Geis, Philip Nadoo, Gary Tuttle, Ted Castinada, Jeff Galloway, Mike Manley - yeah, some big talent. I was there as a member of the control group known as "good college runners". One of the tests conducted involved psycholoical testing and a very revealing result was determined which has stayed with me ever since. The test showed that the "elites" were constantly focused during the event and were constantly evaluating feedback from their body so they could best determine how to meter out their energy. The control group was more apt to let their minds wander and, essentially, lose contact with their surroundings. The other day I stumbled across this video from the University of California"s "success in sports" series, which succinctly explains the points learned at the Cooper Clinic so many years ago. The video is 45 minutes long - perfect for a trainer session.  

If you are doing any sporting event, I think you will find this video of value.

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