I can give you a different story every time you ask me, what is experience.
Naturally, as a squash player, I now refer to experience in sports.
And now, even though I was a late bloomer (starting squash at 16) I still have some years under my belt, and I filled those 10 years with a lot of squash and sqiuash travels. I am not the young buck anymore. I am no longer the underdog. I am no longers the talent (never was actually). I am no longer the junior. I now have juniors chasing me, which is a weird feeling. Luckily none of them beat me yet ;) hehe
The last year, being forced to take time away from practicing the sport I love, I have been working a lot mentally, with breaking everything down. I take inspiration from the greats such as Matthew, Ashour and Willstrop amongst others who have been longer periods away from the sport injured, but has come back greater, stronger and better than before. What does that mean? What did they do while they were gone?
I do not know for sure, I can only guess. But this is my experience.
- Time away will give you fresh motivation
- It makes you look at your sport from a different angle. You will look at the bigger picture. You will look up, instead of down on your small goal you are working on at the moment.
- Its easier to realize why you started the sport in the first place.
I think its good for any athlete to take a prolonged "holiday" like this, but no one will, in this 10 000 hr rule society, where only the ones that work the hardest, sweat the most and bleed the game will succeed. Still, time and time again, I see athletes coming back stronger after injury and time off. The problem is that I think it kind of HAVE to be forced. If not you will not come out of the "zone" that traps you inside the game.
Now, the point was....
Experience if you would ask me today, would be the realization on how to maximize potential in a time where I did not. I spent the better of 5 years hacking away at my weaknesses. The first 5 years, I enjoyed the game and I tried to play as much as possible to catch up with the rest of squash Norway where they played years longer than me. The latter part of my career I tried to fix a broken technique, with less success. I tried to move more efficiently around the court, by moving slower, since I tend to over rush my movement and therefore overrun the ball.
None of this worked out. I understood I needed to take a step back to take 2 steps forward, but it was too difficult. I realized now that if I rather would hav buildt up under my strength, I would have reached longer than I did in my professional career. I am a physical player. I am strong, fast and have a nice deaf touch on the ball, well used for drops and lobs. For a long time, I would rather spend my time, trying to hit the ball harder and harder on the backhand side, especially the volley. I tried to match the top boys in training by moving slower. No need to mention. That failed.
What got me my norwegian titles was my strengths, not my weaknesses. What produced my best performances in the European Championships was my fitness and focus. Everytime I was obsessed with minor details of what I could not do... I failed.
With mentally fighting to push a 300kg Rock uphill, it took its toll and it burned me out. motivation = gone, fun=gone ...blah*
It only took me 13 years to realize that I could rather roll that stone around the hill. Rather use my strengths instead of my weknesses. Just the mere realization of this made me happier and more relaxed.
On top of this, there are tactics and gameplans I have been working on with my coach that has simmered and slow cooked like a nice beef stroganoff in my head. I feel I have a better understanding of it all and the game as a whole. I am now just looking to get healthy again so I can put it all to life. The big question is if my body and personal life will allow it. That was what pulled me out of squash to begin with. You never know what curveballs life will throw at you.
BUT
I had my first hit in a long time at Squashcity (Where Nicol sneaked a few inches off the tin since last time) where I did not feel sick after. I did not have any setbacks these few weeks, so it is looking up :)
Take away message: Its not all about focusing on your weaknesses and lesser sides of yourself. It is important to be aware of them. But treat yourself to look at your positives ones in a while. See why you are great. What makes you better than the rest. What got you where you are. Draw the confidence from it, highlight it and enjoy it :)
Naturally, as a squash player, I now refer to experience in sports.
And now, even though I was a late bloomer (starting squash at 16) I still have some years under my belt, and I filled those 10 years with a lot of squash and sqiuash travels. I am not the young buck anymore. I am no longer the underdog. I am no longers the talent (never was actually). I am no longer the junior. I now have juniors chasing me, which is a weird feeling. Luckily none of them beat me yet ;) hehe
The last year, being forced to take time away from practicing the sport I love, I have been working a lot mentally, with breaking everything down. I take inspiration from the greats such as Matthew, Ashour and Willstrop amongst others who have been longer periods away from the sport injured, but has come back greater, stronger and better than before. What does that mean? What did they do while they were gone?
I do not know for sure, I can only guess. But this is my experience.
- Time away will give you fresh motivation
- It makes you look at your sport from a different angle. You will look at the bigger picture. You will look up, instead of down on your small goal you are working on at the moment.
- Its easier to realize why you started the sport in the first place.
I think its good for any athlete to take a prolonged "holiday" like this, but no one will, in this 10 000 hr rule society, where only the ones that work the hardest, sweat the most and bleed the game will succeed. Still, time and time again, I see athletes coming back stronger after injury and time off. The problem is that I think it kind of HAVE to be forced. If not you will not come out of the "zone" that traps you inside the game.
Now, the point was....
Experience if you would ask me today, would be the realization on how to maximize potential in a time where I did not. I spent the better of 5 years hacking away at my weaknesses. The first 5 years, I enjoyed the game and I tried to play as much as possible to catch up with the rest of squash Norway where they played years longer than me. The latter part of my career I tried to fix a broken technique, with less success. I tried to move more efficiently around the court, by moving slower, since I tend to over rush my movement and therefore overrun the ball.
None of this worked out. I understood I needed to take a step back to take 2 steps forward, but it was too difficult. I realized now that if I rather would hav buildt up under my strength, I would have reached longer than I did in my professional career. I am a physical player. I am strong, fast and have a nice deaf touch on the ball, well used for drops and lobs. For a long time, I would rather spend my time, trying to hit the ball harder and harder on the backhand side, especially the volley. I tried to match the top boys in training by moving slower. No need to mention. That failed.
What got me my norwegian titles was my strengths, not my weaknesses. What produced my best performances in the European Championships was my fitness and focus. Everytime I was obsessed with minor details of what I could not do... I failed.
With mentally fighting to push a 300kg Rock uphill, it took its toll and it burned me out. motivation = gone, fun=gone ...blah*
It only took me 13 years to realize that I could rather roll that stone around the hill. Rather use my strengths instead of my weknesses. Just the mere realization of this made me happier and more relaxed.
On top of this, there are tactics and gameplans I have been working on with my coach that has simmered and slow cooked like a nice beef stroganoff in my head. I feel I have a better understanding of it all and the game as a whole. I am now just looking to get healthy again so I can put it all to life. The big question is if my body and personal life will allow it. That was what pulled me out of squash to begin with. You never know what curveballs life will throw at you.
BUT
I had my first hit in a long time at Squashcity (Where Nicol sneaked a few inches off the tin since last time) where I did not feel sick after. I did not have any setbacks these few weeks, so it is looking up :)
Take away message: Its not all about focusing on your weaknesses and lesser sides of yourself. It is important to be aware of them. But treat yourself to look at your positives ones in a while. See why you are great. What makes you better than the rest. What got you where you are. Draw the confidence from it, highlight it and enjoy it :)
