BE THE SHIT: Race Day Confidence Starts Now

I was coaching at a performance clinic this summer when I brought the team to the start line, and you pulled up beside a team and thought, “Oh shit.”

My response? BE THE SHIT.

Part of performance training is building the confidence to own your stuff, know who you are, and show up at the start line ready to annihilate the competition!

But here's the thing: you can't be confident on race day because you want to be. You build confidence now, in the off-season. The saying that races are won in the gym is TRUE. It’s the sum of your off-season and pre-season work that gives you the confidence to FEEL RACE READY!

The issue is most paddlers rely on dragon boat practices to get them race-ready and then announce that they are competitive because they like to win and are eager to medal. That is not my definition of competitive.

For starters, paddlers paddle; paddlers who train year-round are athletes. Athletes own their own journey because they want to get better at their sport, and they know that to get better at paddling, they have to develop not only the skills but also the power to execute them.

I get into A LOT of trouble when I make this definition, but I do so not to shame or minimize just paddling to paddle … I love paddling.

But sometimes I also like to work towards being the best paddler I can be, and after being a recreational paddler and a world champion, I know that competing at my best requires off-season training. Period.

However, I do NOT train every season; I take years off and enjoy the sport, being on the water and hanging with my peeps. But if I have a goal in mind, I train to reach it. I have a plan: in the fall, progress through the winter to shift focus and disciplines come spring, and race in the summer. If you want to know more about this progression, click here to get your training road map.

So, as you head into the off-season, remember this: you aren't just training for fitness. You're building the athlete who will show up on that start line next season. Don't wait until spring to start preparing. Don't leave your paddling fitness to chance. DO THE WORK. EARN THE CONFIDENCE. BE THE SHIT.