Bodies on Fire, Heads in the Fridge
In the 1994 Lillehammer winter Olympics, the Japanese 120 metre ski jump team had a convincing lead in the final event with only one jump remaining. That jump belonged to Masahiko Harada, affectionately known as ‘Happy Harada’ due to his infectious grin. In his previous jump, Harada had cleared 122 metres and needed a jump of only 110 metres to secure the gold medal for Japan. He cleared 97.5 metres – the worst jump of the entire event – and Germany won gold.
“In the past, a well-raised Japanese would have to commit hari-kari after such a mistake. Today nobody expects that of us” – Masahiko Harada
So what happened? Did the wind change at a crucial moment; was it just a bad jump; or did the pressure get to him? Did he choke?
Many top class athletes with proven ability and countless winning performances behind them have choked when it really mattered – at the Olympics. Perhaps it’s the sheer scale of the event that creates unbearable pressure; the weight of expectation; the knowledge that an entire nation of supporters are counting on them to bring home a medal.
Whatever the catalyst, choking describes the moment that self-doubt kicks in. Negative thoughts creep into your head and take over. The voice in your head says, “You can’t do this, you’re not ready” – and you believe it. Everything positive that should be brought to the forefront of your mind vanishes into thin air. The fact that you are ready and you can do it gets railroaded into oblivion by the power of negative thinking and the negative thoughts manifest themselves into negative actions – a poor performance.
Four years later, Harada was back on the Olympic stage in the 1998 winter games in Nagano. Since his disappointing performance in 1994, he’d gone on to win numerous world cup events and a world championship so there was no doubt he was a class act. The Japanese team were already in the lead as Harada prepared to take his first jump. He managed a pitiful 79.5 metres and the team dropped from first to fifth place. Was it just a cruel coincidence? Did the wind turn against him at the wrong moment yet again? Or did he just buckle under pressure? Did he choke?
Now take a moment to consider how Harada must have felt as he prepared to take his second jump. Was history about to repeat itself? The team’s chances of winning a medal depended on his next jump – could he do it? Ask yourself: could you do it?
He sped down the ramp and landed a massive 137 metre jump putting the team into a virtually unbeatable lead.
“I did it! I did it!” – Masahiko ‘Happy’ Harada
Team mate Kazuyoshi Funaki took the final jump and cleared 125 metres to secure the gold medal for the Japanese team. What was it that allowed Funaki to hold his nerve when the pressure was on? What was it that prevented Harada from choking once more under increasing pressure? The answers lie in MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING and the power of positive self-talk – or did the wind just go their way?
To learn more about mental skills training in sport to achieve winning results check out the *NEW* updated Coaching Edge Mental Skills for sport course coming soon! To register interest e-mail support@zonedinperformance.com
