|
|
Trainer's Tip: by Kerry Millikin with Jo-Ann WilsonQuestion: “What Makes the Best Riders the Best”
I believe Kerry’s answer can be applied to every level of riding not just the world’s best, but also the best in every level and discipline of sport. Kerry competed very successfully at many of the world’s top international competitions. According to Kerry, “to be the best and at the top of the sport, riders must want to strive for excellence. They want and look for the challenges. They need to be 100% committed to strive for excellence.” Some of her tips and characteristics for being at the top are the following: Tips for Being the Best:Identify Goals: The best riders set ultimate goals. They understand the purpose of their goals, and exactly what they want to achieve, and why they want to achieve it. Once they identify their goals, they must work backward from the ultimate goals by setting daily, weekly, monthly and yearly training goals. They need to stop at each step and measure if they have accomplished the goal of the step before they move on to the next step. Choose a Good Coach: A good rider has a good coach who knows just how far they can push. Good coaches always put pressure on their riders. A good coach is positive and supports and invests in the rider’s improvement and advancement up the ladder to reach the ultimate goal. Being Mentally Tough: The rider must be able to take the pressure. They need to accept the lows with the highs of the pressure in training and competing. If the rider cannot take the pressure in the day to day training, how are they going to tolerate the pressure during the competition? Daring Yourself to be Better: Daring to be better requires consistent discipline, perseverance, a deep commitment for a steady program. A thinking rider will get ahead by always asing “what is happening”? What do I want at this point of the journey? What have I achieved? Where am I at in my training? They will carefully analyze what they might not be accomplishing and what they might not be getting from the horse. Why are they not getting what they want from the horse? Seeking Help: Complacency is the Enemy of Achievement. The best riders ask for and seek help. They look and study successful models, programs and other athletes programs. Best riders are open to varying resources. They independently take responsibility for their plans and actions. They have realistic expectations realizing and accepting they are not going to win every time. Best riders are open to criticism and analytical thinking Controlling Emotions and Self Care: The best riders have strong constitutions and work at self -care. They use relaxation, meditation, and visualization techniques to keep them grounded and less reactive to emotions when things do not go as planned. They accept nervous tension and learn how to make the tension work for them by knowing how to channel the nerves, and anxiety. They seek help from a sports psychologist or a mentor. They are self- motivators. They work to develop mental and physical fitness levels to successfully meet the demands of the sport. Proper nutrition and rest is an important part of their programs. They have to be willing to sacrifice aspects of their day, week, month or even their life to reach the ultimate goal. Acknowledging their limitations, strengths and weaknesses is critically important. They know their strengths and weaknesses in order to capitalize on their strengths and work on strategies to address and overcome their weaknesses. Making Details Matter: “Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off The Goal” says Millikin. The best pay attention to all details. They use laser focus and organization to attend to all details so as to address the things that need support or are lacking. The small details of the horse are equally important. In order to successfully embrace the challenges they must be disciplined, organized and detailed to accomplish all of the steps toward the ultimate goal. Seeing the Horse as a Partner in the Equation: The most critical element in the horse is that he must be structurally sound to begin with. The rider must understand and accept the strengths and weaknesses in the horse. What a horse may lack in his talent can be overcome by being generous, having a big heart, being brave, and having a good work ethic. They must be obliging in their work. Excellent management of all aspects of the horse’s life keeps the horse happy and with a sense of well- being. A content horse in in all aspects of his life and sport is one of the most important elements for the Best Rider’s To Be The Best. About Kerry: Not only have Kerry's talents as a rider carried her to winning medals at the Olympic, World Championships, and Pan American Games to excelling as an established and keenly talented painter and sculptress of horses, animals and landscapes." Read more about Kerry at https://www.kerrymillikin.com/about |
 |