WORK.
Like everything in life there is no magic formula except work. Sure there are a few amazing people out there who just pick things up instantly but for most of us, progress at anything requires consistent and sustained effort.
I often get asked how did I get so good at gymnastics (a funny question to me because I’ve always considered gymnastics my biggest weakness). This is often followed up with the question – was I a gymnast when I was younger? The answer is no… I have no sporting background…I just practiced…A LOT. No one saw me at the local playground practicing my kip when no one was around. No one noticed a friend and I working on our butterfly pullups a couple times a week for 6 months! No one paid attention when I got to class 15 mins early 3x a week for 4 months to work on muscle up strength and drills. No one saw the countless hours of gymnastics videos I watched. No one saw me watching and criticising videos of myself doing lifts and movements to see what I was doing wrong. My point? There is no substitute for hard work. Hard work often goes unseen and unnoticed but it is what will allow you to achieve your goals.
If you are serious about wanting to get better anything then I recommend you do the following:
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Be honest about your weaknesses and what you need to improve.
It can be tough to admit what we aren’t good at but you will not get better if you don’t start with admitting what you need to work on. -
Ask for help.
You are surrounded by coaches and people who know what they are doing. Ask them to help you. -
Listen to the advice.
Advice is useless if it isn’t implemented. Assuming you asked someone else because you think they know more than you. Listen to what they have to do say. -
Do the work. PRACTICE. A LOT.
You will not get better at something if you only practice every now and again. If you really want to improve you need to focus and practice 2-3 times a week. -
Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
You won’t be able to improve 10 things at once. Pick 1 or 2 things and focus on those. -
Practice your weakness in WODs even if it means you will get a bad time or score.
For example, if you are trying to master butterfly pullups and can only string a few together at a time then when pullups come up in a WOD you need to make yourself do them butterfly. You may be slow and it may be frustrating but this will be short term. With high volume practice they will come and then you will never look back. -
Keep Trying. Never Give Up.
It is normal to get frustrated at times but you have to keep going. You never know when you are about to make a breakthrough so we just have to keep trying. Something may not on today but we can come back tomorrow and try again.
Good Luck!