okansas.blogspot.com
Occassional thoughts about orienteering


Wednesday, February 13, 2008

How to get more training and better results

 

Imagine you're advising an ambitious young orienteer. You want to encourage some more training and ultimately get better results.

You can pick what to say:

If you don't do some more O' training each week, then you won't have a good chance to make the relay team.

or

If you do some more O' training each week, then you'll have a better chance to make the relay team.

Which of those two options has the better chance of encouraging the orienteer to train more? Which has the better chance of getting a better performance?


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posted by Michael | 7:11 PM

5 comments


Comments:
You might want to say:

I'm sure we can count on you doing some more O' training each week, and so you'll soon be in a good position to make the relay team.
 
Or...
Forget the relay team, you're too good of a runner to bother with orienteering. Track starts in two weeks. *wink*
 
well, i'm still young, and also ambitious ;) I'd rather hear the last one, it sounds more positive.
 
Just what is this "relay" you speak of? We in NA only run one a year, and then spend the rest of the time talking about how much fun that one was.
 
Trick question.
Different people are motivated by different things & different ways of saying things. I'd guess more people are motivated by the second statement, but I'm sure there are some people out there who need to hear the first.

I remember before the first WOC '93race, in Harriman, when assistant coach Bob Turbyfill said to me, presumably as a way of psyching me up, "this is the MOST IMPORTANT race of your LIFE!" Okay, I don't respond to that kind of talk (I see it as pressure). I responded, no it's not! He then adjusted: "Well, it's the MOST IMPORTANT race you've ever run in Harriman!" No, I responded, it's not! I ran the North Americans in this park, as well as the Team Trials ... I'm not sure he ever really got what it was I needed him to say (and not say).
Peggy D.
 
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