Managing stress and crises
Chapter Six: Routines, rituals and superstitious behavior
The world of competitive fishing is made up of information, influences and variables too numerous to count. We are faced with a panorama of equipment, the complexities of Mother Nature and the ever-changing logistics of tournament scheduling. To the casual observer or to the tournament neophyte, chaos appears to reign, leading to the conclusion that luck, not skill, is the main ingredient in fishing success.
Savvy tournament anglers, however, recognize the differences between the many variables we can understand, predict and control, and those we cannot. Such individuals often use routines and rituals to bring order and stability to the confusing array of variables inherent in competitive fishing. Let’s look at some of the many tactics that work; we’ll also investigate a few things you should probably avoid.
Practical routines
From a practical perspective, there are several facets of competitive fishing that can be best handled by the use of structured routines. You probably already have routine boat and towing-vehicle maintenance schedules. Using your calendar and your Performance Fishing notebook, you could construct a similar routine for inspecting and repairing rods, reels and terminal tackle.
As you plan for an upcoming tournament, you could also schedule a specific day and time to gather lake information and do map review. As the saying goes, if it’s on your calendar, it happens. Have you ever sat in your boat before takeoff thinking about the preparations you should have done but didn’t? Of course you have. So have all the rest of us; it often results in the kind of negativity and self-doubt we want to leave behind as the tournament begins.
Take some time between tournaments to write down all of the practical dimensions of your competitive experience that occur regularly. Include obvious things such as travel time, accommodations and pre-tournament meetings. List also your personal priorities that come up regularly such as meetings with sponsors and colleagues or phone calls home. Once you have all these things written in your calendar, you can feel confident that you will not overlook them. More importantly, you will not have wasted precious psychological energy wondering, worrying and fretting.
Mental routines
It is equally important for you to develop a mental preparation routine to maximize your tournament performance. A few successful athletes ignore this element, though most top competitors use some type of psychological routine on a regular basis. You can probably find 15 minutes, two or three times a week (preferably every day), to perform your personalized mental routine. You might spend your time reading and reviewing the goals you listed in your Performance Fishing notebook. You could bring to mind a recent successful experience and think on that for a bit. Practicing the deep breathing exercises we discussed last month can be momentarily as well as cumulatively valuable. End your 15 minute session with an affirmation such as “Yes,” or “I will succeed.”
Rituals
Many successful athletes emphasize the use of prayer, songs, meditation and other contemplative rituals. Each individual must explore his or her own path in this domain. However, psychological research clearly indicates that people who engage in religious or spiritual rituals fare better emotionally than those who do not. Contemplative, meditative, religious practices are associated with improved concentration, diminished anxiety and greater self-assurance. Reading, personal reflection, and discussion with friends and family might be worth exploring here.
You might also have a more mundane ritual such as what you eat the night before a tournament or what you carry with you to the dock on tournament morning. Historically, clothing has played a big part in competition rituals. Professionals in several sports are quite particular about what they wear during competition. So, if you have a favorite hat or a pair of pants you prefer, wear them with pride knowing you are part of a long tradition. Just remember, it ain’t the shirt!
Superstitious behavior
Not all routine behavior is psychologically healthy, however. In extreme form, systems, schedules and rituals can result in narrow-minded, rigid thinking and magical beliefs. Athletes have been known to become quite distraught if their routines are disrupted. For example, some hockey players who apply and fasten each piece of equipment in exactly the same order have to undress and start over if they mistakenly put on something out of sequence. Other competitors burn their shirts after a poor performance. To an outsider, this represents ritualized behavior that has gone too far. However, it is often difficult for individuals to recognize when routines that worked in the past have become extreme and no longer useful. Trust your friends, family and fellow competitors here. If more than a few people question one of your routines, you would do well to examine it.
For the most part, however, routines can help decrease ambiguity and uncertainty, eliminate unnecessary decisions and allow us to concentrate our energies on the many variables we can’t directly control or predict. Try some of these techniques for systematizing recurrent dimensions in your tournament fishing and watch your overall efficiency improve.
Jay T. McNamara, Ph.D., L.P., is a psychologist, who is also an avid bass and walleye angler. With more than 25 years of professional experience complemented by participation in competitive fishing at local and national levels, he is uniquely qualified to illustrate how performance psychology principles apply to tournament fishing.