Discussion: Losing Form

Would like to hear peoples opinions on how to get back in form when you have had a few bad races.

Depends why they have been bad races?

Perhaps add a few extra sessions to practice whatever went wrong to gain confidence in that particular thing.

I think my problem is thinking about other stuff while running atm but cant think of anything to help me concentrate.

Try having a question (or questions) that you can ask yourself as you run that forces you to focus back on the leg you're running. This can work for me. It can be as simple as continually asking yourself "What's next?"

Thanks Just seem unable to concentrate i will give that a try :)

When you find your mind drifting. Look at the compass, Maybe that will help to bring you back to the task at hand. Other things you can do is ask yourself what the attackpoint is, what's the feature, is there a catching feature, how are you going to the next control.

I find talking the course/legs out loud (to myself:) along with the compass helps maintain focus.

Don't underestimate the extra practice. The more automatic you can make a skill, the less concentration you need to execute reliably. For example, you are forgetting to check your control descriptions, do a drill that forces you to check your descriptions over and over and over, until it becomes automatic. Then you won't need to waste any concentration on that action.

But also remember, you are still young. It's unlikely that you've found your optimal form yet. Continue doing drills that push you outside your comfort zone. (For example, run without compass. Or train on a contour-only map). These types of drills can reveal if you are leaning too hard on one technique or just 'getting by' with a substandard practice. By removing the crutch, you will be forced to develop a deeper, more reliable repertoire.

I don't really know how much orienteering you do. But thinking about myself, I tend to lose concentration if I do to much of it. It works for me to take I couple of days off from orienteering, maybe train something else. Then when I go back I find it easier to get that edge needed to keep concentration high during the whole race.

Is this about losing form or noticing a concentration problem? They're pretty different.

Try a different sport.

I am not running well atm ColmM have had a few bad Orienteering events lately and have a big comp this weekend am worrying about me not doing well!

Well, if you're running well physically, I find for big races you don't have to concentrate too much on running, if you've done the training you will run reasonably quickly anyway. And for me that's the biggest distraction I have from my orienteering at times, I'm trying to run hard, and I concentrate on pushing too much, and I don't read the map enough.
In a big race you can afford to not run so fast and just focus on the map. If you make no mistakes you will gain back any time lost by not running so fast, and probably more. And from my experience of British terrain, it is very possible to have no mistakes if you're focused on the map and navigating well.

Hey Carl, I'd also recommend talking your way through the route as you run. I tried this earlier in the year because my orienteering was too vague, too improvised, too hopeful.

I found it sharpened my concentration and tightened up the execution of routes. Most noticeable was the impact of increased attention to estimating distances.

It feels a bit uncool though, talking out loud. Articulating silently will work just as well.

Now i look back the events when i have talked myself through my route out loud or even to myself in ym head have all been good runs i think i should focus on doing that before i start as well get in the zone more.