SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

After a mistake – how much time are you losing?

Jason McCrae

NAVIGATIONAL mistakes are often the most discussed, disputed and analysed aspect of any orienteer’s race. At any given event competitors can be seen pouring over maps and dissecting where they went wrong and at multi-day events this analysis can be seen at club dinners and camp grounds well into the night. Yet for all this analysis and discussion it is rare that we give thought to how well an individual orienteered on the legs after the mistake(s) occurred. The period immediately after a navigational error often produces additional time loss and possibly even more time loss than the mistake itself.

What happens after a navigational mistake?

After an error has been made, whether an individual has corrected themselves or is still trying to find their way out of being ‘temporarily misplaced’, there are certain common responses that occur. Firstly our thinking and concentration is often diverted to analysing what we think the consequences of the error might be. Common thoughts post-error might be: • How much time have I lost? • Is that enough for Dave Lotty (or some other relevant competitor) to catch me? • What place can I still come given the time lost? • I’m a fool / dud orienteer / joke / sledger (insert your own selfcriticism)

I’m often amazed at the number of people who as soon as they finish can reel off in great detail exactly what their mistake was, how much time they lost, and what time they could or should have done. This analysis can be explained to fellow orienteers before an individual has reached the end of the finish chute and indicates that at least some of the runner’s mental energy while racing has been focused on this mistake-analysis rather than navigating and orienteering.

While these questions are thought, analysed and answered, an individual is not focusing their full attention on navigation and the process of orienteering. This almost certainly means an increase in the chance of more navigational mistakes and, at the least, not orienteering as efficiently and effectively.

There are also often other ‘non-thinking’ responses to mistakes. Swearing, cursing, yelling and blaming the mapper and/or course setter are not unheard of after a mistake! A drop in confidence at the realisation that this is not going to be a perfect race can also have an effect on an orienteer’s performance. Perhaps one of the most common responses after a navigational error can be to rush – this might be running off fast in the approximate direction of where the next control is without reading the map thoroughly or rushing thinking and navigation in general. Often it’s motivated by the perceived need to regain the time lost.

Error Recovery

working on with athletes. While all orienteers are probably working to eradicate mistakes the reality is that navigational mistakes do happen and will continue to happen, be they 20 second or 20 minute errors. If an orienteer can recover from a mistake and be back to full concentration and orienteering at their best efficiently and quickly then no further time will be lost post-mistake.

Ideally after a mistake the main goal is to get back to full concentration on navigating as soon as possible. This can be done by having a couple of key steps you follow to get your mind back on task and can be similar to how you navigate at the start of a race – slowly and thoroughly with a focus on navigation rather than running: 1. First step should always be to focus on where you are. By identifying some features in the forest, where they are on the map and in turn exactly where you are on the map, your mind focuses away from mistake analysis and back on to orienteering. This first step would also include a decision to physically stop, thus calming your body, increasing oxygen to the mind for navigation and concentration and countering the ‘rush’ response. 2. Next, plan how you are going to navigate to the next place where you want to go (presumably the next control). By planning and slowly starting where you go next you are regaining control of your concentration, attention and orienteering. 3. Finally tell yourself to ‘build’ back into the course. By doing this you are further countering the desire to rush post-mistake and encouraging the return of focus and concentration to orienteering.

Other ingredients in recovering from a mistake might be to make a conscious decision to analyse mistakes and their consequences after the race. By deciding that you will work out what went wrong and how much time you lost in a mistake, but after the race, an orienteer is satisfying the need to analyse the error but delaying this analysis till after the finish when the job of navigating and completing the course is finished. It may also be a benefit to set some minigoals for the remainder of the course. These might be technical and process in nature such as using the compass more for the remainder of the course or stopping and reading the map every time you feel the features in the terrain don’t quite match the map. These sorts of mini-goals give a focus to the remainder of the course that can be achieved while distracting the mind from the analysis and disappointment of a mistake

Putting it into Practice

Mental skills, just like physical and technical skills, need training and practice to master. Set out your own error recovery routine and choose some events where performance or result is less important and practice the routine. These races can include street events where navigation is less difficult but mental skills can still be practiced. The practice should occur when a mistake has been made and this might involve artificially encouraging mistakes – run for a while without looking at the map and then re-look at the map and implement your routine.

Jason McCrae is a Sport Psychologist at the ACT Academy of Sport. He is also a keen M21Sledge competitor. He can be contacted on Jason.McCrae@act.gov.au