[NSRCA-discussion] Competition Nerves

[Adam Glatt]

Anthony, mental state is very important to performance. Neglecting it is 
much like choosing to never practice in a cross wind.

Most of the knowledge on this is in the field of sports psychology. From 
my research and experience, the optimal state is called flow and has 
been somewhat characterized.

I wrote a paper on maximizing performance in a school exam. I chose that 
subject because everything I learned applied to pattern flying, as well, 
so it was interesting to me. The body of the paper is at 
homepage.usask.ca/~ajg360/300body.doc and should be attached as well. It 
might be helpful. I suggest reading the conclusion first, and ignoring 
most of the stuff at the end, as I was just filling pages at that point. 
Anxiety reaction and flow are the two useful parts.

One of the sources I found useful was an interview:
http://www.wie.org/j21/csiksz.asp

This book has a few good parts: Lavallee et al. Sport Psychology: 
Contemporary Themes. New York: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 2004.

Here's the conclusion:
Eliminating the anxiety reaction is not the ideal adaptation, 
surprisingly. By interviewing people who thrive on performance and tend 
to excel, in activities ranging through painting, chess, rock climbing, 
meditating, and basketball, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi was able to 
characterize what was happening in the mind during rewarding, optimal 
performance. He calls it flow, and it includes the feeling of effortless 
participation, loss of sense of time, utter devotion to the task, and 
constant challenge. Achieving it on a final exam requires you to be 
“between anxiety […] and boredom” (Debold). Hopefully flow and Tiger 
have convinced you that the anxiety reaction is vital to peak performance.
Your body will react to an imminent final exam by increasing heart pulse 
rate, perspiration, and adrenaline, and there will be a distinct feeling 
in your stomach. This response, left unaltered, will detract from your 
final exam performance. I have recommended two ways to better deal with 
your body’s anxiety response. The first is to sustain the mental image 
of a fair, unsurprising, and honest final exam. The second is to change 
your attitude towards the anxiety response; see it “as a form of 
anticipatory excitement” (Lavallee et al 121).

-Adam Glatt

Anthony Abdullah wrote:
> I am trying to get myself ready for the upcoming pattern season and 
> have been evaluating my past performances. I made a list of the 
> reasons I don't do as well as I would like and learned some 
> interesting things about myself.
> Other than practice which was one through five on the list, I found 
> that my performance is sometimes hindered by nervousness. Sometimes I 
> get so wound up and the adrenaline gets pumping so much that my thumbs 
> are a blur and I go into brain fail safe. For example; one year at a 
> the district championship contest I was in a dogfight for the contest 
> victory. I was flying well and had won three out of five rounds. On 
> flight six everything was going great and I had made it through the 
> toughest part of the pattern. It should have been smooth sailing to a 
> victory. Unfortunately I finished a set of three maneuvers then 
> dropped the gear and called landing. My caller asked me if everything 
> was alright and I assured her (my wife) that all was well and it was 
> time to come on home. On base to final she calmly reminded me that I 
> had three more maneuvers to do before I could call it a day DOH!!! Can 
> you say 0, 0, 0? I was so nervous that I managed to snatch defeat from 
> the jaws of victory. Fortunately it did not cost me the district 
> championship.
> The point is, I have noticed that I am calm and focused during 
> practice, and extremely focused during a competition, but not calm. 
> Other than practice is there something that I can do to help calm my 
> nerves? I am practicing Yoga with the wife and am open to meditation, 
> etc to help keep the mind calm but focused. Is it just me or do some 
> of you more experienced pilots experience ventricular hyperactivity as 
> well? I would be interested in hearing if that is normal.
> Signed
> Spongebob Blurry Hands AKA The Galloping Ghost
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