Nervous Rider?

A workshop presented by Ken Scott

Ashes NLP Coaching

ken@ashesscott.comwww.ridingconfidence.co.uk

About me

Rider/Personal Coach/Hypnotherapist/Geek

Nerves used to floor me in a lot of areas

NLP techniques helped me!

NLP? What’s that?

Neuro-Linguistic Programming

“Changing your actions by changing the way you think and changing the words you use”

What we will coverWhat are nerves?Goals and how to set them

Logical Levels and SEAPractical Techniques to help

What are nerves?

over to you!

What are nerves?Not all nerves are bad!Good nerves give you the edge,

help you perform at your bestGetting a bit nervous means you

care and want to do well – your body’s way of preparing you for excellence

Examples?

Bad NervesWhen nerves stop you from

functioningWhen your performance is

impairedWhen you 'go to pieces’Your body’s way of ‘protecting’

youExamples?

Physical symptoms of nerves

Increase in heartrate and BPShort of breathHeadachesClammy palmsDry mouthCold sweat

Mental symptoms of nerves

What ifs - worrying what might happen

Gloomy thoughtsMental fogInability to concentrateSleeplessnessForgetfulness

Previous bad experiences can cause apprehension

It's going to happen againYou imagine it happeningYour tension = horse imagines it

too!Easy to fix with NLP fast Phobia

technique

So how can we overcome ‘bad’ nerves?Goal settingTaking Stock of our skillsPutting things in perspective with

Logical LevelsNLP Fast Phobia TechniquesOther practical techniques

Goals – what do you do with your horse?Exercise 1'what do you do with your horse?’

Write 5 or more postits or use your workbook

5 - 10 minutes in pairs or groups

Goals – what do you WANT to do with your horse?Exercise 2'what do you WANT to do with your horse?’

Write 5 or more postits or use your workbook

5 - 10 minutes in pairs or groups

Obstacles to Achieving GoalsSo what stops you getting to do what you want to do?Some common onesTimeMotivationSkillEquipment or facilitiesNerves

Know what you want to do

In order to turn this ‘want’ into an achievement you need to know :-Precisely what you wantWhen you want itIf it is reasonableIf you can commit 100% to it

Making a SMART GoalGoals are not wishes or

affirmations, they are contracts with yourself and your horse

Goals must be so real you can see, hear, feel and even smell and taste them!

What are SMART Goals?Specific. Goals need to be very detailed

- imagine a legal contractMeasurable. You must be able to clearly

demonstrate you have achieved itAchievable. Set a goal that is possible

for you and your horseRealistic Timebound. It must include 'by x date’I always add F - First step to the goal

(some call it Take Action)

Example of a SMART Goal

“by March 2014 I will have competed in 4 Prelim dressage tests and scored above 62% in at least one”

SMART Goal Writing

Exercise 3In small groupsPick one of your 'want to do’Turn it into a smart goal - 10 minutes

TIP – make sure everything in the goal is under YOUR control

Feedback on goal setting

Common problemsGoal not specific enoughGoals too bigNot under your control e.g. win x

competitionNo time specifiedRemember – you need to be able to ‘taste’ it!

Summary so far

We have covered :-Mental and physical symptoms of nerves

What you do vs what you want to do

Goal setting

Next – not taking it to heartLogical levels are the layers that make up our personalitySpirit (deep beliefs)Identity (core values) - who I amBeliefs and values - my personal

'code of conduct’Skills/abilities/capabilitiesAttitude and behaviour - mental and

physicalEnvironment - horse! weather, others

Logical Levels

So how is this relevant to my nerves?When things go wrong we tend to

take it at too low a levele.g. horse naps and spins round

and stands looking, rider thinks 'I cant ride’

Rider has taken this at Identity level whereas it was actually at environment – she is a capable rider and it’s just a plastic bag flying past on windy day!

Can you think of an example?

All at SEA

The three most easily changed levelsSkillsEnvironmentAttitude

Skills

RiderDo you know the aids?Can you carry them out

competently?HorseDoes your horse understand

what you are asking?Is he capable of doing it at his

level of training?

Skills

Do you have the skills currently to achieve your goal?If not, how can you build those skills?LessonsPracticeWatching VideosReading books and magazinesYoutube?!

Environment

This includes:-The horse – is he fit enough,

warmed in correctly, does his tack and saddle fit?

The rider, bad day at work?The weather!Schooling/riding facilitiesTimeOther pressures e.g. family

AttitudeThis includes:-MotivationCommitmentPatienceResilience (there will be setbacks)Positive mental attitude

◦Do you really believe you can? ◦Do you really WANT to?

Shameless plug – NLP and hypnosis can help!

More work!

Skills AuditExercise 4 In pairs or groups, list your

strengths relating to your chosen goal THEN

List what you and your horse need to learn to achieve the goal

5 - 10 minutesFeedback

Rate your Goal

The final part of Goal setting is to rate 1-10 on how much you want to do it and how much you believe you can (1 = no hope, 10=Absolutely)

TIP – less than 10, forget it!

So how do you rate your goal?What do you need to change to make it a 10

Goal Setting Summary

We should now have:-A SMART goalA list of your skillsAreas to improve A rating (10?) of how motivated

you are to achieve the goalSteps to improve the rating if not

10

Practical Techniques to Try

Now we have our goal, what practical things can we do to ‘Take Action’?I will take you through the following NLP :-Using positive languageBreathingMental rehearsalAnchoring

Using positive language

Often we we use the words I can’t jump 70cmI can’t canter out on a hackTry reframing these toI can jump 60cm and am training

to jump a little higherI enjoy a small canter in the

school and I am building up to a small canter on a safe track

Positive Language

What if?My pet hate!How many things you think ‘what

if’ about ACTUALLY happen?Try What if not?What if he doesn’t shy?What if he does jump that fence?See the difference

Positive Language and OthersAvoid negative people if you canTell your friends and family about

what went wellWear a badge saying “Only

positive words accepted”Being really nice and positive to

people you don’t get on with really annoys them!

Worry about what went wellSpend as much time “worrying”

about a clear round or a nice hack as you would about things that didn’t go so well

Celebrate the smallest step forward

Keep a success diaryBe easy on yourself

BreathingWhen we are nervous, we take

shallow breathsA lot of the symptoms of nerves

are made worse by lack of oxygen

Correct breathing oxygenates the blood, clears the head and focuses the mind

Breathing Technique

Tummy BreathingOne hand on chestOne on tumBreathe in and only allow the

tummy hand to move outwardsCount to 4 as you breathe inBreathe out to count of 5Keep chest still and only move

tum

Breathing

If you have a medical condition, check with your GP before trying breathing exercisesHow did it feel?Were you able to think of

anything else whilst breathing?You can use this anytime when

you get nervous:-Interviews/dates/giving

presentations :-)

Mental RehearsalAlso known as visualisationYour unconscious mind can’t tell

the difference between a mental rehearsal and reality

Micro-muscle movements have been recorded when subjects visualise carrying out an action

Check out “18 holes in my mind”

Mental Rehearsal

The key to successful visualisation is to “be there”Use all the sensesBe realistic but stretchingReally dream itDon’t worry if you can’t get a

crystal clear picture – few people can!

Ken and Riley at Epworth XC

Anchoring

What is an anchor?The phone rings and you pick it

upA traffic light turns red and you

stopYou put your leg aid on and your

horse responds!An example of a Classically

Conditioned Response – “Pavlovian”

Works just as well on your unconscious!

AnchoringHow does it work?Think of at least 3 really positive

experiencesRelive them as vividly as you can one

at a timeAs you experience the great feelings,

touch your finger and thumb together and hold it till the feeling fades

If you repeat enough times, just touching finger and thumb will bring the feelings back

Anchoring

Would you like to have a try?

Anchoring and RidingBefore you rideBefore you tackle something

tricky or newUse like a “half-halt” on your self!

Summary

We have coveredWhat are nervesGoals and how to make them SMARTLogical Levels and Skills,

Environment and AttitudePractical TechniquesAnd you can use your workbook at home too!Book plug – “How to Become a Confident Rider”

Thank You

Ken Scottwww.ridingconfidence.co.uk

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