www
mariosantos
com
TunnelCamp.com - Coaches Corner
Your Optimum Arousal Level
______________________________
Arousal
Level:
The term “Arousal Level”
refers to your physical, emotional and mental state during a skydive. Simply
put, your arousal level describes how calm you are, how aggressive you
are, how spooled up or spooled down you are at a particular moment. It includes
both psychological (aggression, confidence, anger, fear, apprehension, etc.)
and physiological (heart rate, breathing, etc.) components.
Optimum
Arousal Level:
Over years of training and
thousands of jumps, we have found that each of us has an optimum arousal
level. By definition, your optimum arousal level is the
degree of calmness/aggression at which you perform your best. This level is
different for each person. We each have to do different things to arrive at and
then maintain this level. At your optimum arousal level, you are
calm enough to see and comprehend everything going on around you. You are
totally connected to your performance. You react and adjust at will without
hesitation. You are in absolute in control. Some athletes have referred to this
optimum arousal level as being “in the zone” or “in a
state of flow”. On Airspeed, we refer to it simply as being “on the
line”.
How
To Find Yours:
To determine your optimum arousal level, you need to monitor and record your level as you
jump and then compare it to your performance during the debrief. Under canopy,
or as soon as you land, briefly reflect on the jump assign a number from 1 to
10 to describe how aroused you were. 10 equates to the most pumped up,
aggressive, anxious or amped you have ever been on a jump. 1 describes a person
who is barely awake. The numbers are, of course, arbitrary and it does not
matter what scale you use so long as you use the same one on each jumps. If you
keep track of your arousal level on every jump and then compare it to
your performance, you will soon find patterns that tell you where you perform
best.
Just about every competitor we have coached tended to
err by being over rather than under the line. Consequently, just about
everyone we have worked with has noticed marked improvement by simply calming
down. Many people do not realize when they are over the line. If you key
a point that is not complete or if you key (or preload the key) when it is not
your key, you are BY DEFINITION over the line! If you are too
rushed to perform each step required to properly execute a block or if you blur
multiple steps together, you are over the line.
What
To Do With This Information:
Once you have come up with a scale with which to
measure your arousal level and have developed a fairly accurate idea
what your optimum is, you can use this information to get the
best out of yourself on every jump. Start by taking yourself to this optimum
level before the jump begins. Shine a mirror on yourself during the ride to
altitude and ask yourself if you are on, above or below the line. If you
are over the line, calm yourself down using meditation, visualization or
some other form of self-talk. If you are below the line, pump yourself
up by re-living some powerful performance in your past or by replaying a
particularly aggressive song in your head.
Once you have learned how to place yourself on
the line before a jump, you need to learn how to stay there the entire
jump (or, more accurately, how to return quickly each time you stray).
Developing this skill takes practice. If, during the debrief, you see yourself
getting over the line, make note of what you were doing immediately
before. The more frank and honest you are with yourself, the quicker you will
start to see patterns. Eventually you will identify the type of things that
usually precede your getting over the line. KEEP ONE THING CLEAR IN
YOUR MIND - outside distractions cannot take you off the line; only
you can do that. The better you get at recognizing yourself getting off the
line, the quicker and more smoothly you can “reset” yourself
to your optimum arousal level. [“Resetting” will be discussed in
greater detail in the segment on Distraction Control].
What
You Get:
Working to define and pursue your optimum arousal level is a process of constant and incremental improvement.
An entire skydive on the line is an incredibly powerful and
satisfying experience. Four teammates skydiving together “in the zone”
can be downright euphoric. Athletes from different disciplines have reported
feeling energized, invincible and deeply satisfied after similar “flow”
experiences. For many of us, seeking out these episodes is the prime factor
motivating us to train and compete.
wwwmariosantoscom
ã 2001 – Alan Metni, TunnelCamp.com – All Rights
Reserved
____________________________________________
http://www.mariosantos.com/docs/your_optimum_arousal_level.htm