Competing when Sick
Dear Roy
Do you have any advice on skydiving well when you don’t feel well?
We had a 4-way competition in my country a while ago. On the Saturday we did really well and all 5 jumps out of 5 were good or very good. Then I think I picked up a virus or something, I felt first very cold (shivering) and then very hot (sweating), all night. Of course that worried me, which probably didn’t help. Sunday morning I felt dreadful. I couldn’t believe we had trained so hard only for me to feel so bad. We had another 5 jumps to do and they were completely different, didn’t feel right, and it wasn’t even me making all the mistakes. We debriefed the meet and my teammates said I obviously was sick and that couldn’t be helped.
But then when I went home I looked at the Paraclete meet, which Hayabusa won convincingly, a long long way ahead from anyone else. Then I found out Roy, that you were sick at that meet! How do you do that? Manage to still perform when you don’t feel well? It shows you are a true champion! Congratulations, and please share some of your secrets with us amateurs…
Thank you
Olga
Hi Olga,
To be able to deliver any kind of peak performance, both our body and mind needs to be 100% fit and healthy. When we have to compete while being sick, we need to make extra efforts to get the maximum out of each round. Not only jumping-wise, but also during the day, to preserve our energy and focus on the things that really matters.
Paraclete Competition
Three days prior the Paraclete competition I was getting sick. We all know that feeling of having a sore throat, nose and ears blocked, sinus congestion, feeling weak and shivering. Every day it was getting worse. The night before the competition, fever kicked in, even though I had taken as much care of myself as possible to prevent from getting sick. Sometimes doing your best is just not good enough and you simply have to deal with the situation.
Experiment During Training
For those of us who like to compete, I suggest to find your own limits during training when you are sick or injured. By ‘testing’ our own limits, we learn what we are capable of, and what the risks are if we push ourselves. The better we understand how our body reacts, the better we can prepare and deal with the situation if we have to. It’s not just about how much pain you can take, or which medicine you need to use, but also learning how to deal with the mental distraction.
If you can kick ass while you’re sick, this usually starts playing in the heads of your opponents as well
Every athlete who is sick or injured, that still wants to deliver a peak performance, will have an extra mental challenge ahead of him/her. The fact that he knows he is not in top condition, while his opponents are, will add some extra pressure to him and the team. It’s all about gaining experience, how to deal with it, and trying to reverse the negative momentum into something positive. Usually in sports when the opponents see someone who is weak (sick or injured), this gives them extra motivation to push hard and try to gain the lead (this is normal of course). But if you can kick ass while you’re sick, this usually starts playing in the heads of your opponents as well, or at least, in most cases.
The more experienced we become, the better we’ll learn how to deal with it. And the more we proved to ourselves that we can handle it in a good way, the more confident we’ll get and automatically that will boost our performance level and our morale.
Saving Energy
For me personally, I focus a lot on saving as much energy as possible during the period that I am sick. I try to only use energy for the things that are really necessary, physically and mentally. I don’t care about showing up at parties or being involved in social events. What matter is, that I can perform as well as I possibly can, and not let my team or myself down. My performance is the most important thing that matters in that moment. Saving energy and getting as much rest as possible is fundamental.
The thing that helps me when I am feeling really shit and still have to compete, is the thought that I just need to go flat-out for 35 seconds, nothing more, nothing less
Of course, the treatment for an injury can be very different compared to the one for an illness. If you bruise your elbow, it doesn’t mean you need to be in bed resting at 8 pm. Use common sense would be my advice 😉
Nutrition
What is important as well is to keep eating and drinking enough during your illness. Usually we don’t feel like eating so much when we have (for example) a fever, but by not eating, our energy level drops down. Pay extra attention to the quality of the food; good nutrition will help you to recover faster, and make sure you drink enough water.
Extra supplements and/or vitamins can be helpful for your recovery. Also it’s smart to get yourself informed about nutrition in general, and the effects they have on our body, it can make a big difference!
Mental Focus
For me personally, the thing that helps me when I am feeling really shit and still have to compete, is the thought that I just need to go flat-out for 35 seconds, nothing more, nothing less. Just push, push, push!!! After each round I can go back to recovery mode and prepare for the next round, step by step, round per round.
Fighting Spirit
I believe that being successful in life has a lot to do with how much we want something. Having the right attitude and fighting spirit will let us excel beyond our own limits! When we are sick, we cannot give up; focus your energy and fight for what you’re worth! Of course there are circumstances where our illness or injury will affect our performance negatively, but it shouldn’t affect our fighting spirit. When we give 100%, there is nothing to feel ashamed of, and sometimes not winning doesn’t mean that we’ve lost.
Never feel sorry for yourself, complaining doesn’t get the job done!
Inspiration
What might help is to find inspiration from other people that did something incredible during difficult or extreme situations (not just sport related of course). In any case never feel sorry for yourself, complaining doesn’t get the job done!
Team Support
During your illness it’s great to receive team support. The more they can contribute to help you to recover, the better. Even little things like going to the pharmacy or getting you lunch, can be already a big help. Make sure you keep them informed about your status so they also know what is going on.
For the team; it will never help to be complaining when somebody is sick. Usually the person who cannot jump, feels the guiltiest anyway. When you see him/her putting lots of effort in to it to get better, just appreciate this and try to motivate him/her.
Personal Medical Travel Kit
What I always recommend is to bring your own personal medical kit when you’re travelling. It can be simple things like nose-spray, muscle spray, anti-allergies, specific medication… Whatever you usually need, make sure you bring it with you. Don’t count on other people, or at a local pharmacy, because maybe they don’t even sell those products in the country that you’re visiting.
Safety
Yes, I recommend training when you are sick and to find your own limits, but always use common sense of course! In some cases it’s clear that you shouldn’t be jumping, so don’t do it!
The wind tunnel is usually a more forgiving environment than skydiving, so understand the differences between them. When you doubt about the situation, it’s up to you to learn it the easy or the hard way… 😉
Good luck!
Roy
Facebook: FS Coaching Roy Janssen
