rotters13
Well-Known Member
I once held my breath the entire way round an xc course..... Mum thought I was going to faint after.
'Nuff said!
'Nuff said!
How do nerves/excitement affect you at competition?....
- Thread starter Chloe_GHE
- Start date
CleverHorses
Well-Known Member
I have dreadful nerves and they used to effect me in a big way. I have had to really learn to deal with them. At one stage I tried hypnotherapy as they were so bad. I tend to go very pale, shakey, upset stomach, and feel incrediably ill. But i know my nerves are because I want to do well, i'm very competitive, i have a competitive family so have quite a bit of pressure on me.
When younger I used to spend the whole day at an event walking round to try and keep my nerves settled if i stood still the pain would be so intense. Lucky I had a very good mother who would tack up while I tried to deal with my nerves. Even thinking about a comp which might not happen for a week I start to get a stomach ache and nerves.
My nerves never really leave me until i'm out that start box on the cross country. Though dont get nerves for dressage.
But i know my nerves give me that competitive edge would be very worried the day they wern't there!
When younger I used to spend the whole day at an event walking round to try and keep my nerves settled if i stood still the pain would be so intense. Lucky I had a very good mother who would tack up while I tried to deal with my nerves. Even thinking about a comp which might not happen for a week I start to get a stomach ache and nerves.
My nerves never really leave me until i'm out that start box on the cross country. Though dont get nerves for dressage.
But i know my nerves give me that competitive edge would be very worried the day they wern't there!
Festive_Felicitations
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I thought I'd heard this somewhere so googled it:
"A long-standing hypothesis is that yawning is caused by an excess of carbon dioxide and lack of oxygen in the blood. The brain stem detects this and triggers the yawn reflex. The mouth stretches wide and the lungs inhale deeply, bringing oxygen into the lungs and hence to the bloodstream."
That would make sense then: when you get nervous your breathing becomes shallow, therefore a yawn is helpful.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have also read that yawning is a nervous reflex to raise your mental awareness, and that is why it is 'contagious' (how many of you started to or wanted to yawn while reading this post?) so that if 1 member of a group detects danger or the need to be more aware the 'tension' is passed on to the others. If as Baydale says it raises your O2 levels, that would explain how it works.
I am always really excited the day before a competion and find it very hard to sleep or eat the night before.
On the day it depends what I am doing. When I did endurances I was excited to be out competing but not nervous, except for the last 1min while waiting for the start when I'd get butterflies in my stomach, but they went the min we started. This was inspite of the fact that I was expected to place (rode some one elses horse and was a walking add for their stable and stud).
Eventing I am on my own horse under no pressure except to stay on. The DR doesn't worry me apart from trying to remeber my test, but then I have zero expectations here apart from not getting elim.
I love XC and the warm-up gets the adrenalin pumping but Im not scared/nervous just really really excited, which gets my horse excited so I get more excited and by the time we go down to the start we are a pair of idiots
. Fortunatly he likes standing in the start box talking to the starter while I bounce around on his back, failing at counting down from 10.
However SJ scares the living day lights out of me, I get really hot my hands/face/neck go all sweaty and my throat dries out and I get major 'I CANT DO THIS!!!' panic. To survive the warm up I like to put the fence about 1/2 a foot below what I'm jumping clear it about 3-4 times then go in before I can collapse with nerves, once the bell goes in the ring I'm fine though I do tend to forget to breath.
I guess SJ scares me becasue I have been dumped in, on, and over SJ quite a few times but never (touch wood) had a fence related fall XC.
I thought I'd heard this somewhere so googled it:
"A long-standing hypothesis is that yawning is caused by an excess of carbon dioxide and lack of oxygen in the blood. The brain stem detects this and triggers the yawn reflex. The mouth stretches wide and the lungs inhale deeply, bringing oxygen into the lungs and hence to the bloodstream."
That would make sense then: when you get nervous your breathing becomes shallow, therefore a yawn is helpful.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have also read that yawning is a nervous reflex to raise your mental awareness, and that is why it is 'contagious' (how many of you started to or wanted to yawn while reading this post?) so that if 1 member of a group detects danger or the need to be more aware the 'tension' is passed on to the others. If as Baydale says it raises your O2 levels, that would explain how it works.
I am always really excited the day before a competion and find it very hard to sleep or eat the night before.
On the day it depends what I am doing. When I did endurances I was excited to be out competing but not nervous, except for the last 1min while waiting for the start when I'd get butterflies in my stomach, but they went the min we started. This was inspite of the fact that I was expected to place (rode some one elses horse and was a walking add for their stable and stud).
Eventing I am on my own horse under no pressure except to stay on. The DR doesn't worry me apart from trying to remeber my test, but then I have zero expectations here apart from not getting elim.
I love XC and the warm-up gets the adrenalin pumping but Im not scared/nervous just really really excited, which gets my horse excited so I get more excited and by the time we go down to the start we are a pair of idiots
However SJ scares the living day lights out of me, I get really hot my hands/face/neck go all sweaty and my throat dries out and I get major 'I CANT DO THIS!!!' panic. To survive the warm up I like to put the fence about 1/2 a foot below what I'm jumping clear it about 3-4 times then go in before I can collapse with nerves, once the bell goes in the ring I'm fine though I do tend to forget to breath.
I guess SJ scares me becasue I have been dumped in, on, and over SJ quite a few times but never (touch wood) had a fence related fall XC.