Preparation is Key
It doesn't happen very often, but you occasionally see someone on ANW that has not trained at all. They usually don't make it far. One poor man fell into the water on the first step of the first obstacle. He thought being strong was going to be enough, but it wasn't. Most people on the show have trained all year, either at Ninja Warrior gyms or by building obstacles in their own backyard that mimic those on the show. Some of them build a warp wall that is a foot higher than the one that will be on the show. This is preparation. These are the people who finish the course.
As a student, you can't expect to walk into a test and succeed without preparation. I'm not saying no one ever has; but like on Ninja Warrior,
the odds are against those who don't prepare. Spending time at home practicing your skills is a better path to success.
Keep Moving Forward
Ninja Warrior is made up of multiple obstacle that each require different kinds of skills. It is difficult to be equally great at all of them. Some people just barely get across the dancing stones but can totally rule the salmon ladder. The true champions on the show put the previous obstacle behind them and focus on the next one.
Students often get hung up on one bad test grade. They get so focused on that one bad grade that they let it affect the next activity. No matter how low your last test grade was, you can't go back and do it over. Put it behind you, and focus on the next set of skills because that is the test you can do something about.
Don't Stop - But Pausing May Be Needed
There are a couple of skills on Ninja Warrior that tax one specific muscle group. Often, the next obstacle will require use of those muscles. There are obstacles, like the rolling log, that will make the contestant dizzy. Invariably, the following obstacle will require balance. There are people who are so focused on their time that they will jump off the rolling log and right onto the balance skill while they are still dizzy. Those people fall in the water. Success is more likely if the contestant pauses for a moment to establish equilibrium before moving on. Some people even counter spin for a moment, forcing the fluid in their ears to stop spinning. Rock climbers on the show will hold on to an obstacle with one hand in order to shake out their arm before grasping the next handhold. They know that just a moment of muscle rest will save them time in the end. Taking too long can be a problem, but a brief pause is often useful.
I think the student equivalent of being focused on time is being focused on perfect scores. A driven student will take on five AP courses and then stay up late EVERY night trying to ace every one of them. It is important to pause every now and then. Trading a few points on one assignment to get a good night's sleep will ultimately yield higher scores in the end. Take a day to "shake out your arms" and then keep going. Not one of your teachers cares more about your perfect score than they do about you. Don't stop altogether, but recognize that a pause can be what prepares you for the coming challenge.
When You Fall in the Water, the Run is Over
I've never seen anyone on American Ninja Warrior climb out of the water and go beg the producers for a do over. The score is recorded. You may be moving on to the next level, or you may not be. This run, however, is finished.
I don't know who teaches students to ask for re-tests, but they need to stop it. Life doesn't have do-overs.
Next Season is Coming
American Ninja Warrior has been on for seven seasons. There are athletes on the show this year who have been competing all seven years. Before they make their run, the producers will usually show a little package that includes clips of their previous runs. I have noticed that most people who have failed on a certain obstacle before don't fail on that obstacle again. These are the people who build that obstacle in their backyard to keep practicing or find a Ninja Warrior gym and work with a trainer. If they fell in the water under the swinging spikes last year, they will likely not fall off them again. They may fail somewhere else, but that will just drive them to practice that one for next season.
I just said that life doesn't have do-overs, but you can bet it does have next seasons. If you don't learn from failure, you will repeat it. If you take them time to analyze your mistakes and learn from them, you will not fail in the same place again. Students, the right response to a bad test grade is NOT throwing that test in the trash. Put it in your notebook. When you are ready, sit down and look for patterns in your wrong answers. Is there one skill you didn't master? Master it before the exam. Is there some concept you got reversed in your head, causing you to answer every question about that backwards. Get it straight before the final. Your teacher will help if you will let them. Like a trainer, we can help you identify your weaknesses and work on them for "next season."
Sometimes, It's Just About Hanging On
There are certain obstacles on the show that seem untrainable. These are obstacles where bicep strength may not be helpful. You can train on balance, running, climbing, etc. How do you train for grip strength. The ledges on the ultimate cliff hanger are barely as wide as the first joint of your fingers. It seems like they are hanging on by their fingerprints. Rock climbers seem to be the best at these obstacles because they have learned that sometimes their life depends on just hanging on, praying for strength, and inching forward.As a student, some weeks are harder than the rest. These are not necessarily weeks for which you can prepare. The last week of third quarter is going to be hard. Know that, and just hang on. It will eventually be over if you just keep praying and inching forward.
Watch this show. Be inspired by the athletics. Then, recognize that any lesson athletics can teach is something that is also true in life outside of that world.
No comments:
Post a Comment