Digging Deep for Competitive Focus

Competitive focus is something athletes often believe is honed simply, through competing. What many are unaware of is that it's a skill which can be developed and strengthened. As Crossfitters, you engage in a multi-disciplinary endeavor, involving a focused commitment of your physical, mental, and emotional strengths. Though the recruitment of these strengths appears to be an ordinary component of performance, it is nonetheless a trainable skill that can enhance your competitive focus.

More than just nerves

Focusing is something for which everyone can benefit. For competitive Crossfitters, it's something which can't be taken for granted. Visiting the 2012 SoCal Regionals, I found that many competing athletes focused quite well. Their ability to perform a series of challenging tasks while managing a delicate balance between their physical, mental and emotional states was impressive. Doing so, amongst peer competitors, charged spectators, and an unfamiliar competition site, enhanced the magnitude of their achievements. After months preparing for this three-day, six-event competition, the most elite Crossfitters from southern California utilized their competitive focus well. However, for others competing that weekend, managing nerves played a role in their performance, and competitive focus was compromised.

There are many things you can do to strengthen your competitive focus, from visualization and affirmation rehearsal to performance routines. Though, not many provide the type of immediate performance returns quite like depth breaths: a fundamental solution to effectively release unwanted tension, clear and calm the mind, and enable you to fire correct muscle patterns.

Dig deep

The majority of athletes and coaches I consult lack an understanding of the fundamental purpose and procedure of deep breathing. Seemingly rudimentary, proper deep breathing requires you to dig deep from your abdomen, not your chest and shoulders. Commonly, Crossfitters believe deep breathing simply means a more fuller breath, often discounting the importance of where to focus their deep breathing. 

To clarify the importance of this, imagine you have just completed a segment of a WOD or event and you are quickly transitioning to your next task. Regardless of how you've performed until this point your job now is to release any positive or negative emotional response from your last task, and prepare your mind and body for the next. During these crucial few seconds how you behave and what you think will determine how you perform. Use this time wisely, trigger a calm and confident mind and a relaxed body using depth breaths. For effective depth breath training, refer to the following 5 steps:

1. Mentally scan your body for areas of tension, and shake out your arms, legs and other areas.
2. Place your right hand on your stomach and your left hand on your chest. Focus your mind on your stomach - the only area you aim to expand with air. Your right hand acts as a focus cue - you want it to rise and fall with your breaths. 
3. Begin by slowly inhaling through your nose, allowing your stomach to expand with air. Gently hold the air in your stomach for at least 3 seconds, then allow it to release from your mouth. 
4. For a more structured rehearsal routine with potentially stronger results, you can perform a 4-5-6 breathing count: inhale for a count of 4 seconds, hold for a count of 5, and release for 6 seconds. 
5. Repeat this training process several times, and perform it during structured periods throughout the day when you are free from distractions. 

The more training you perform, the greater the results. When you are performing in the training and competitive environments, you will be able to deep breathe at your pace and without the use of your hands as focus cues. 

Use depth breaths in all of your training and competitive scenarios. Done correctly and it will pay off!