By: Jacob Daheim, MA

The management of our energy can be the difference between winning and losing. We can’t perform how we want to without the right energy. With low energy, we may not have the right intensity needed to push ourselves or perform at a high level. But with too much energy, we may be too nervous or wired to focus or perform a compilated skill. We must learn our ideal energy level to be successful.

We also need to be able to control our energy levels. Have you ever seen an athlete fade at the end of a race because they went out too fast? Have you seen an athlete start slow and then pick up the pace, but its already too late to catch up? We must be able to control our energy and transition when needed.

Knowing What Affects Your Energy

Knowing what affects your energy is essential toward being able to manage and control your energy levels. Think about the following…

• What drains your energy: What DRAINS your mental, physical, and emotional “batteries” during sports? What are the things that make you tired or drained?

• What chargers your energy: What CHARGES your mental, physical, and emotional “batteries” during sports? What are the things that help you feel fired up or psyched for training or competition?

After considering what drains and chargers your energy, try and add as many chargers to your training or competition routines and remove as many drains as you can. You might want to make a specific energy plan.

Finding the Right Energy Level

Athletes perform at their best when they know what energy level works best for them. If an athlete is over-energized, they can experience nervousness, difficulty focusing, muscle tension, or over-aggression. If an athlete is under-energized, it can lead to poor performances because they can’t focus all of their energies on their performance. Now think about the following…

• Your best performances: Think of your best performances. What did your body feel like before and during these performances?

• Poor performances: Think of times when you performed poorly. What did your body feel like? How did your muscles feel? What was your heart rate? How was your breathing? What were your nerves like?

Things to Consider:

• What does your body feel like when your energy level is just right?

• What are things you can do to help your body get to that place?

• If your energy is to high, what are things you can do to relax?

• If you need to get pumped up, what are some things you can do?

These are specific things you can think about to help you manage your energy. Providers at Tackett and Bradstreet can also help you explore and answer these questions and they can help you develop energy plans.

Quote of the Day: “There will come a day when I can no longer run. Today is not that day.”

Joke of the Day: Relay Runners… You’ve got to hand it to them.