I was speaking to an Olympic athlete with whom I work after his country\u2019s national championship recently and he told me that all he could think about before the event was how much he didn\u2019t want to be there. He was burned out and just wanted the season to be over. Yet, this athlete also said that he had a handful more competitions left in his season. Clearly, his attitude is not a recipe for a strong finish to his season.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re ending your season soon or at some other point in the future, you will likely fall into one of three camps as far as how your season will go. First, you may have a break-out season in which you are absolutely thrilled with your progress and results. You would be perfectly content if the season ended at that point.<\/p>\n
But why wouldn\u2019t you want to continue your great season by seeing if you can take it to an even higher level? Gosh, with a great season under your belt, at that point, you have nothing to lose and more to gain by making a conscious decision to really dig deep and see if you can \u201craise your game\u201d even further. Not only might you add more good results to your season, but may find that you have another gear in you that you can carry into the next season.<\/p>\n
Second, you\u2019ve had an okay season in which you\u2019ve shown improvement, but you haven\u2019t done as well as you had hoped. Though you wouldn\u2019t be entirely happy if the season ended here, you wouldn\u2019t be entirely upset either. For you, there\u2019s still time to take a decent season and turn it into a great one. So, again, you might as well make a commitment to performing the best that as you can.<\/p>\n
Finally, your season is a real disappointment filled with setbacks or plateaus including poor performances, unsatisfying results, and a strong sense of frustration. If the season ended here, you would be one unhappy camper. Though you may wish for the season to end\u2014just to put you out of your misery\u2014as the saying goes, \u201cIt ain\u2019t over till it\u2019s over.\u201d With some competitions ahead, it\u2019s never too late to not only salvage a season, but to actually have it conclude on a high note. Same as with a mediocre season so far, if you keep doing what you\u2019ve done, you\u2019re probably going to get the same results. Why not decide to try something new and see what happens? You certainly don\u2019t have anything more to lose at what has, unfortunately, been a losing season.<\/p>\n
As for the season that will lie ahead, you will fall into one of two camps. Either you are already thinking about the off-season and jonesing to hang up your gear and chill out for a while. Or, you are still chomping at the bit for the upcoming events and are committed to do everything possible to finish your season strong.<\/p>\n
Let me assure you that if you fall into the first camp, you might as well end your season now because you\u2019re chances of having a good end of season is just about zero. Why? Because you won\u2019t bring the necessary drive, intensity, or focus to get much out of your training or for you to give it your all in the remaining competitions. Though there are no guarantees, your only chance to finish strong is to make the commitment to getting the most out of your training and deciding to do nothing less that going for it as the season comes to its conclusion..<\/p>\n
How the end of the season plays out depends on your attitude and your actions between now and when you walk off the field of play in your final competition of the season.<\/p>\n
If You\u2019re Performing Well<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re performing well, my gosh, keep doing what you\u2019re doing. You are in an ideal position the last competitions of the season for several reasons. First, because your season is already a success, the rest of the season is just icing on the cake for you. Second, the pressure is off to get results, so you can compete with reckless abandon and not care about what happens. Just trust yourself and focus entirely on what you need to do to perform your best at every opportunity. If you keep doing what has worked so far, the chances are good that you will finish strong.<\/p>\n If Your Performing is \u2018Meh\u2019 or Worse<\/strong><\/p>\n If your season to date lies somewhere between disappointing and devastating, there\u2019s one thing you should definitely not do: panic! If you panic, some very bad things will happen. First, you will shift entirely into result mode, meaning you will focus on the results you need to get to salvage your season. This result focus will cause you to feel immense pressure every time you compete. This pressure will trigger negative thoughts (\u201cIf I don\u2019t get a good result, my season will be an absolute fail.\u201d), even worse emotions (fear!), and so much anxiety that you will be physically incapable of performing well.<\/p>\n As hard as it will be, you must let go of the pressure (\u201cEven if I have a lousy season, I will be okay.\u201d) and maintain a process focus (\u201cWhat do I need to do to perform well?\u201d). This point in the season is the time to step back, take a long and hard look at yourself, and see if you can identify any changes that will help you get your season end well.<\/p>\n At times like this, your best chance is to fight. This means that, instead of having a pity party and giving up, you need to get really mad and direct that anger into all of your practice and competitive efforts. The reality is that bringing it won\u2019t necessarily produce a good result; your aggressiveness may lead to a big mistake or a defeat. But going for it is your only chance of getting the results you want. Or, you can say, \u201cF&%# it!, let go of everything, relax, and let your body perform without your mind trying to control every little thing. I can assure you that, whatever the outcome, you will feel much better having ended your season with a bang rather than a whimper.<\/p>\n Back to Basics<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019ve had a stellar, mediocre, or awful season so far, there are some things you can do that may help you finish the season strong. Go back to basics. In other words, do things that have helped you perform well in the past.<\/p>\n\n