(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Today’s post is about ensuring that sports travel is as successful as it can be. My focus is on competitive sports, although some of these tips can be applied to recreational sports or even just regular leisure travel.

A. Know the Environment

It’s very easy to determine things like the altitude, average temperature, and humidity of your destination. All of these can play a huge role in dictating the types of conditions you’ll be facing. I can attest that altitude sickness is a real thing, and that overly dry climates can be just as challenging as very humid ones.

By researching this in advance, you can pack accordingly and minimize the risk of being completely unprepared for the weather or geography.

B. Respect Jet Lag

A rule of thumb is that it takes one day to fully recover for each time zone. So, if you are travelling to central Europe, expect a full six days to pass before you are truly acclimated to your new location.

In practical terms, this means one thing: arrive early! For my upcoming trip, I will arrive in France more than a week before the serious competition starts. I will be practicing within two days of arrival, and playing in less competitive events soon afterward. However, I won’t have any truly intense matches until jet lag is but a memory.

This leads to my next point…

C. Ease into the Intensity

Don’t go crazy over the first few days. Though it will be tempting to practice all day, in order to get used to the local conditions, it is best to gently increase the intensity. I do this for two reasons.

Firstly, it reduces the risk of injury…particularly if you haven’t played for a while. Secondly, intensity uses up your mental and physical resources. You want to have something left in the tank for the final few matches…not just the first ones. Finally, including some leisure time also keeps everything in balance.

D. In competition, stick with the familiar

The competitive surroundings will be new and interesting…maybe even challenging. The opponents will be different. The accommodations will be unfamiliar. The food will be different. Maybe the language is different too. All of those things use up mental energy and can take a toll on you, even if it seems fun at the time. So why would you want to experiment with a new technique or new equipment on top of that?

I firmly believe that I play best when I am in a “flow” state – it’s almost unconscious. I don’t have to think about what I’m doing. All the hours of practice have led to that point. And it is much easier to be in a “flow” state if you are using familiar equipment and techniques.

E. Do the Hard Work Before the Trip

My goal is to have a completely unencumbered mind when the competition gets serious. That means it is much better to do the hard work before I go, so that I am not “cramming” upon arrival. It’s like preparing for an exam.

I don’t want to disclose too much about my pre-competition preparations here. But, in general, this would encompass things like developing game plans and doing my sports psychology reading. That last one is really important. I read a couple of special sports psychology books each winter so that I’m ready to hit the ground running in the spring. Even though the content is familiar by now, it still needs a bit of time to settle. If it has settled, I can then call on those resources easily if I suddenly need them in the midst of the competition.

Bringing it all Together

I know that if I do all of the above things, I am maximizing my chances for success. I’ve done what I can to control what is truly within my control. Yes, luck plays a role. So do other external factors. But while I can’t control everything, I am increasing the odds that unforeseen situations end up in my favour. And in competitive sports, where there are no easy matches, it really is about improving the odds.

A final thought…some old clichés stick around because they’re true. Here is one of my favourites about sports competitions: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” That is particularly true for competing in unfamiliar places.

[The photo at the very top of this post is from Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. I don’t think it is well known to Canadians, but it is justifiably popular among Italian skiers for an enjoyable week “away from it all.”]