The Chowbin Look
When I was in J1 and entered the canoeing championships the first time, I was a novice kayaker (500m). I remember my senior Tze Hsien who was also a kayaker and who guided me as much as he could in how to learn kayaking, and he told me this in the in season period a few weeks before the races, "When you get to the race line and you see all the competitors all lined up, you must learn to have a chowbin look, because those competitors there will give you the same look, and if you're not confident enough your morale will be shaken. It is not arrogance. It is just simply a chowbin face to show them how confident they are, and if they try to give you that look and you can reflect it back, they themselves will be affected, but of course as you do it, don't have trouble with your balance; you must be very zhai to carry it off, even if in reality you're not."
Ok, it is not the exact words but the gist is there. In return, I told this to Shaoyong, and Andy, who learnt kayaking under me when I was in J2.
It was an important thing. Let me define it in a more formal way. It's all about projecting self confidence and superiority. To go into a race, if you're already telling yourself it's going to be a tough fight and I'm not sure if I'll get anywhere, then you might as well not race. Not sure are words you have to wipe out of your vocabulary.
It doesn't matter if you're going to be the last of the race. When you go in, you go in with an air of superiority and nothing less, because it not only gives you self confidence but it also shakes your competition. Of course, you can't just use this on the race day itself, you should be training with that mentality all the way for it to work on race day. It is NOT, I repeat, NOT arrogance. It is training with a superior mindset. Some of my year did not like the 'air' that I had because they thought that I thought I was a kayaker and therefore have the best boat and best skills amongst all of us. Of course not! But then again, there was some truth in that. Not sure if you would understand. For me, telling myself I was the best and will be the best in Kallang worked wonders for me and my training progress. In the end, I was proved that I was in fact only 3rd best, Hwa Chong kayakers, both of them, were better. I give it to them. They were good, but without training the way I did I would never have gone so far.
When you train. never tell yourself that you are anything less than the best. The most common and dangerous mistake is not to tell yourself that you are the worst, but to tell yourself that I'm not the worst, but also not the best. That is athletic limbo. Surprised? telling yourself you are the worst at least you will have the motivation to strive to be better. telling yourself you are average condemns you not to strive as hard for your goals.
Think best, will be best, and trust me on this.
Ok, it is not the exact words but the gist is there. In return, I told this to Shaoyong, and Andy, who learnt kayaking under me when I was in J2.
It was an important thing. Let me define it in a more formal way. It's all about projecting self confidence and superiority. To go into a race, if you're already telling yourself it's going to be a tough fight and I'm not sure if I'll get anywhere, then you might as well not race. Not sure are words you have to wipe out of your vocabulary.
It doesn't matter if you're going to be the last of the race. When you go in, you go in with an air of superiority and nothing less, because it not only gives you self confidence but it also shakes your competition. Of course, you can't just use this on the race day itself, you should be training with that mentality all the way for it to work on race day. It is NOT, I repeat, NOT arrogance. It is training with a superior mindset. Some of my year did not like the 'air' that I had because they thought that I thought I was a kayaker and therefore have the best boat and best skills amongst all of us. Of course not! But then again, there was some truth in that. Not sure if you would understand. For me, telling myself I was the best and will be the best in Kallang worked wonders for me and my training progress. In the end, I was proved that I was in fact only 3rd best, Hwa Chong kayakers, both of them, were better. I give it to them. They were good, but without training the way I did I would never have gone so far.
When you train. never tell yourself that you are anything less than the best. The most common and dangerous mistake is not to tell yourself that you are the worst, but to tell yourself that I'm not the worst, but also not the best. That is athletic limbo. Surprised? telling yourself you are the worst at least you will have the motivation to strive to be better. telling yourself you are average condemns you not to strive as hard for your goals.
Think best, will be best, and trust me on this.
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