<!--quoteo(post=57035:date=Feb 24 2006, 04:26 PM:name=NJhsRower)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(NJhsRower @ Feb 24 2006, 04:26 PM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>does meditating before a race actually help your ability. i have heard stories of it greatly helping all sporting activities<br /><br />if it does really work, how is it done?<br /><br />yea i know this probaly sounds stupid
<br /> </td></tr></table><br />I can't say I have ever heard of or seen a rower with rosary beads wrapped around the handle, kneeling on the seat, or chanting audibly. But by a more down to earth perspective, anything you can do to clear your mind, relax, and be in the moment and focussed only on the piece, on your strategy for pacing each leg, each stroke, each section of the stroke, whatever, will help. Repeated mental modelling of what the piece will feel like, especially the finish, can help. One of my best rows ever was one where I had the whole thing diagrammed on paper, and read over several times before the start. Among the worst were those with distractions, rushing, or worrying about something else concurrently. Nothing too mystical about it, really.<br /><br />In a related subject, I feel I have more tolerance for long, slow, "boring" steady state work than several folks I know, because I treat the whole thing very meditatively. If you appreciate the value of a quiet time each day to get centered, pray, or otherwise meditate in some fashion, then easy steady state or recovery rows combine very well with that, I find. Of course, good loud rock music helps too.
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