Big rocks first, and then everything else that will fit

Recently I saw something inspirational on the ABC television program ‘Big Ideas’ (hosted by Wahleed Aly). A segment of this program was about internationally renowned adventurer and environmental scientist Tim Jarvis AM, and his recent replication of Sir Douglas Mawson’s near-death/survival experience in Antarctica in 1913.

Jarvis talked about how he went to see a time management specialist speak in front of a large audience in order to assist his preparations for the expedition. The time management specialist placed a glass jar on the table and filled it with rocks and asked, “Is it full?” Someone in the audience said “Yes, obviously it is full”. The time management specialist said that it wasn’t full and proceeded to fill it with gravel and then asked, “Is it full?” The time management specialist proceeded to fill the gaps with sand, and then with water. By the end of the exercise the jar was well and truly full and the time management specialist asked the audience what the message was that he was demonstrating. Someone in the audience replied that it was obvious that the jar was your life and the more you try, the more you can fit in. After all, as the saying goes “if you want something done ask a busy person”.

The time management specialist said the key thing is to get the big rocks in first. This is because the big rocks are life goals - the things that we want to achieve. These things cannot be fitted around your day-to-day life, but rather they have to be put into your jar of life first and then you have to make everything else fit in around it.

Life goals and ambitions have to be prioritised before other things if you really do want to achieve them.

You can see ABC IView Series 4, Episode 19 at http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/750141 (approximately 14 minutes into the program).

Mental Preparation is Key to Optimum Competition Performance

Last week I attended a National Team training camp held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The purpose of this camp was to prepare for the Oceania Championships which are being held this weekend in Tahiti.

At the end of the last session of the camp, the national coach sat us down to brainstorm on a whiteboard all of the things that make up a successful competition experience. (NB: We did the same exercise at the training camp at Budo University, Japan earlier in the year). We came up with about 40 things all together, including included technique, explosiveness, motivation, strategy, focus etc, and there were probably more things that could have been added as well. Next, we went through everything on the board and highlighted whether we thought it was physical or mental, or both in some instances. The outcome was that the majority of the things that we, as a group, thought contributed to a successful competition performance were mental – about 70%. Yet interestingly we train the physical side of things more than 90% of the time.

It can be said, therefore, that mental preparation is vital to optimum sporting performance. Mental training needs to be practiced simultaneously with physical training. Mental strength is linked closely to concentration. In order to improve you’re your concentration, think carefully about what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. Like any other skill, practice makes perfect. So practice your mental skills, in order to improve your competition performance.

"Seven falls, eight rises" - Japanese proverb

My time in Japan was cut short unexpectedly by the earthquake which hit on Friday 11 March. Although we were not in a seriously affected area, it was a very scary experience. We were in the gym on Friday afternoon when we felt at least two earthquakes. The following morning we changed our flights to fly back to Australia on the following Monday in anticipation of the chaos that ensued after the earthquake and tsunami caused so much damage. Obviously, all training was cancelled.

I am really pleased to be safe and sound back in Australia now, but my thoughts are with those people still in Japan. It really is terrible.

Budo 1

Hi everyone,

Yesterday (Tuesday) I arrived in Japan where I will be training for two and a half weeks with six other members of the Australian Judo Team. We are staying and training at International Budo University in Katsura, Chiba.

Our first session was yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. There are currently at least three other universities training here are there are over 70 girls on the mat. This is because it is Goshuku week which is similar to orientation week at uni at home. All of the girls are training hard in order to impress the coach and they are ranked according to their ability. I am pleased because I do not have any difficulty in getting a suitable partner - I have a lot of girls to train with who are my size.

This morning’s training lasted three hours and included both newaza and tachiwaza randori. It was tiring but overall I had a good session. For a while I had forgotten what it was like to train in Japan, but my memory came back very quickly! I am confident that this training camp will prepare me well for the Oceania Championships in April.

We had a short break of two and a half hours, which was enough time for a shower and lunch, and then it was back for session two which was a competition – Budo versus the other universities. I fought in Budo’s +70kg team and I had four fights. I lost my first fight narrowly by a yuko scored by a hold-down, I lost my second fight convincingly by two wazaris. My third and fourth fights went to time and were drawn (because it was a team’s competition there was no golden score).

I am tired now. It has been a big day.

That is all for now,

Steph

No ‘loser’s limp’ for Rafael Nadal: A lesson in humility and sportsmanship

On Wednesday night Spaniard Rafael Nadal was knocked out of the Australian Open when he was defeated in a quarterfinal match by countryman David Ferrer.

The World Number 1, Nadal, injured his left hamstring early in the match and played out the rest of the match under duress. He lost the match in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

In a press conference following the match Nadal said that he didn’t want to discuss his injury out of respect for his friend and compatriot, David Ferrer. Moreover, Nadal didn’t want to use his injury as an excuse for his defeat and he didn’t want there to be an image or perception of him as a ‘bad loser’.

I think Nadal was very gracious in defeat – he didn’t want to take anything away from his opposition even though he was clearly not at his best.

See http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2011-01-26/201101261296046110048.html

Happy New Year everyone!

2011 is going to be a BIG year for me, particularly as the 2012 London Olympics get increasingly closer. I know that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me but I am really looking forward to the many challenges that lay ahead.

One of my aims for the year ahead is to be passionate and try my best in everything that I do. This seems like quite a simple statement, but to me it means a lot more. This means being passionate when I have to wake up at 6am and go for a run, even when it is cold and raining. This means trying my best when I am sore and tired. This means being focused and urgent with regards to chipping away at my goals. This means having a positive outlook at all times. This means having fun and remembering why it is that I play judo and what I want to achieve. I want to throw myself into being the best I can be. After all, trying to be your best self, I think, is what it is all about.

To paraphrase the statement attribute to Baron Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games:
It is not the 'winning' that is important,it is the taking part in.
It is not the 'arrival' that is important, but the journeying to.
It is not the 'doing' that is important, but the trying to be.
All the world admires the 'trier' - and that is something we can all succeed at: be 'tops' in, being a sincere and punishing 'trier'.