Rod Davis


Cause and consequence


One of the things I take most pride in is my Olympic and OK results. Not because of the end score – two Olympic fifth place finishes actually mean as much as the medals [one gold, one silver – ed], believe it or not. But what gives more satisfaction is that each finish was the best performance of each campaign. Exceeding all results for the pre-


vious two years. So, I was thinking, why is that? This is what I came up with – funny, it was not pre-planned (as it probably should have been) like it is written here. But looking back the key points do stand out. To perform at your best, at the level you are proud of, you must


be in a good space mentally. While this can be slightly different for different personalities, the basics apply to everyone. Basics make up 85 per cent, the other 15 per cent is just fluff on the side. For the likes of Ben Ainslie and Steve Jobs a good mental space was the prerequisite to a top performance. I have to admit, as I have


28 SEAHORSE


experienced more and grown wiser, I have recognised the mental side of the sport more as a factor to be addressed, developed really, as part of the total package of performance. Back in the old days there was a lot of talk of visualising winning,


and rubbish like ‘if you see it you can be it’ – like daydreaming would get you there! Today we are much better at understanding the total package, including ‘head space’, to get a top performance. Let’s look at some of the key points that make up a mental outlook


that will help you to be the best you can be… ConfidenceComes from knowing what you’re doing, understanding


the process and why; in fact, completely trusting in and believing in the path you have plotted and ticking off each milestone as it passes. Confidence, not cockiness. No one likes a cocky bastard. Confidence comes from knowing where you have been, where you


are now and where the path is going. Along with this confidence you will need a bit of mongrel about you. Mongrel, not arrogance. Mongrel


MAX RANCHI


ROBERT DEAVES


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