Interview Kristina Loew - Sports Psychology Expert

General questions for Kristina

How did you get into psychology and mental training?
In the year I did my A-levels, I thought about several possibilities for my career and talked to people from different industries. I very quickly decided on psychology because I was excited about the many possibilities the degree programme offered. In 2010, I started with my Bachelor's degree and always wanted to orient myself towards business and/or sport. Since 2016, I have been working in the field of human resources and organisational development, but have never lost sight of sports psychology. As I am an athlete myself (show jumping), I know exactly that the head makes a big difference and that mental strength is extremely important in order to be able to call up one's performance with pinpoint accuracy. I already wanted to start training as a sports psychologist in 2019, which was not possible for professional reasons. The right time finally presented itself in 2021, and I graduated in the summer of 2022. Currently, I continue to work full-time in the field of human resources and organisational development and as a sports psychologist on the side.

What is your philosophy in the sessions with your athletes?
Like all psychological support, the support of athletes is unique and very personal. It requires a trusting relationship. In my work, authenticity, professionalism, appreciation, loyalty, openness and transparency are very important to me. My goal is to support the athletes in optimising their performance, to be able to fully exploit their personal potential and to respond to their individual needs. In the course of the cooperation, the athletes should learn mental techniques and be able to apply them independently.

Questions from the EQUILEC Community

1. I am always very nervous at the show. What can I do about it?
The difference between the tournament and training is the uniqueness, a special environment and special expectations. First of all, nervousness affects all athletes. What is important is how you deal with it: some can handle it well and bring out the best in themselves, others suffer from it. However, every athlete has their own "stress tolerance" and optimal state of arousal.
If athletic performance suffers, however, action should be taken. In principle, it is advisable to talk to a sports psychologist on an individual basis and develop a concept. Nevertheless, precise tournament preparation, for example, could already help and give security:

• Determine (realistic) goals for the respective tournament (result-oriented - what do I want to achieve? as well as action-oriented - how do I want to act in a certain situation?). Goals help to stay focused.
• Mentally prepare for the day and the environment: Where is the tournament? When do I have to be there? When do I have to leave?
• Strengthen self-confidence, e.g. by becoming aware of one's own strengths, or remembering past successes.
• Breathing exercises to relax (exhale longer than inhale, counting while doing so)
• Establish routines - (e.g. fixed routine) important to find one that can always be recalled (not a lucky charm that can be forgotten)
  

It is important to have a certain level of tension - neither too tense nor too relaxed can peak performance be achieved. Every athlete should know his or her level between tension and relaxation in which he or she can perform at his or her best.

2. At home in training it works perfectly. When I'm at the tournament and other people are watching me, I get nervous, insecure, unfocused and make mistakes. How can I deal with such situations?
In sport and to perform, it is important (among other things) to be able to concentrate. This means being able to perceive the right things at the right time and to block out disturbing factors. This is often more difficult at a tournament than in training. Depending on what is "right", you can concentrate on your environment (outside) or on yourself (inside). It is important to be able to switch between the different orientations, because different situations require different orientations. You have to practise this in training, to concentrate on yourself from time to time, on your horse, on the people at the side, etc. You can also practise this in everyday life. You can also practise this in everyday life, e.g. when listening to music: sometimes concentrate on the lyrics, sometimes on the voice and sometimes on the instrument.
For example, to establish a concentration routine, you first have to notice the distraction - what could be distracting? How does the athlete notice it? Then: develop a clear signal to refocus concentration. Some imagine a stop sign, exhale consciously or give themselves a word as a self-instruction. Then it is important to define what the concentration now wants to be directed towards. What is to be done next?
You can also try to put things into perspective for yourself - what is the worst thing that can happen when people are watching you? You yourself are not sitting on it :-) (and still often know better). If there is no real "bad" consequence, these thoughts can take the pressure off.

3. I recently fell at a tripple bar and this is now my "fear obstacle". How can I overcome my fear of this obstacle?
It is important to realise that fear is always a signal. Wherever fear appears, one should look more closely. In this example, the fear of the tripping obstacle prevents determined riding, doubts arise and insecurity is increased. In these situations, it is important to replace thoughts like "I hope it doesn't go wrong" with positive thoughts - e.g. "We can do the trippelbare without any problems because we have trained well" - to get out of the negative spiral. In addition, it helps to visualise very good rides - either in your mind, or watching previous successful videos (several times). These images give security again and strengthen self-confidence, which suppresses the negative thoughts. Relaxation exercises such as breathing exercises also help in the situation to reduce nervousness. The goal is to create a concentrated, relaxed and positive state in order to be able to successfully complete the task accordingly.

4. In the dressage test I suddenly become quite "passive" and forget to ride. How can I still stay active?
It is generally helpful to prepare mentally for a test in good time. Another nice exercise to prepare for competitions is to develop a so-called start mantra for mental preparation. This is a "positive self-talk" regarding upcoming tasks and one's own goals. You create a kind of "inner schedule" for yourself, which you can either write down or record and read through or listen to before the tournament. It should include how you want to go into the test - procedures, positive images, positive self-instructions. This helps to strengthen, set a positive mood and mentally prepare for an exam. Negative feelings are replaced by positive ones - so in this case, construct a super positive routine by keeping the rider active and not forgetting to ride.

5. When I ride a particular horse, I always want to do it particularly well. Unfortunately, I am always very tense and hectic, which is then also transferred to the horse. How do I stay relaxed so that my horse also stays relaxed?
The rider should ask himself why the feeling occurs with this horse of all horses? This does not mean anything bad, but rather in the sense of "this is important to me". This should not lead to negative consequences such as tension. Here, too, an exercise such as the start mantra can be helpful in that the rider gets in the mood for the test with the horse in question in advance.

6. How do I deal with setbacks and bad results?
Setbacks and bad results are just as much a part of sport as victories and the joy of them, and it is quite normal to react sadly or dejectedly to them at first. It is important to adopt a constructive inner attitude. To do this, it is helpful to take setbacks as a snapshot and to be able to tick them off so that you can be confident again at the next tournament. First of all, the athlete cannot turn back time. One should be able to accept setbacks as part of the journey. In other words, accepting the result is a first step.
After that, the athlete can analyse: What went well? What went badly? What can the athlete learn from it and do better next time?
Two points are particularly important: memorising positive aspects and understanding and ticking off negative aspects. It is essential not to fall into self-doubt and self-criticism. The experienced setback can then be ticked off - it can't be changed anyway. What is important is what you can take away from it for the future. The athlete should focus on the points on which he can still work and set realistic goals for the next tournament.
A diary as "lessons learned" after each tournament can make the follow-up a habit.

7. I am afraid of forgetting the task in the stressful dressage test situation. How can I prepare better to prevent this fear or even forgetting the task?
Again, it is very relevant to be able to concentrate at the right moment (see question 2). In addition, it can be helpful to be aware of one's strengths: take a piece of paper and a pen and write down the attitude with which you want to go into the test - it is important to trust in one's own strengths and in what one can do in order to be able to call up one's potential at the decisive moment. Often you want to be "extra perfect" at the show and especially then you have to be aware of your own strengths. It is relevant to formulate positively: "I will achieve xy today" instead of "hopefully I won't forget the task"... and to read through this several times and make yourself aware of it as an additional support.
In addition, it can also be helpful to visualise: the rider can go through the task several times in his mind; he can watch himself riding the task in his mind's eye - sometimes as a spectator from the stands and sometimes as a rider. He can feel how he is mastering the task, what he is paying attention to and when, and approach the matter with a positive feeling. With your own strengths in mind and by relying on what you can do, it is easier to keep your head in the game.
A breathing exercise to relax can also be helpful.

8. In principle, riding is an individual sport, but at championships, for example, team titles are also awarded. How do I deal with the pressure of riding in a team?
In equestrian sport, unlike in many other sports, everyone rides for themselves and then the overall results count. This means that the focus is still on delivering the best possible result oneself and the (sporting) demands on oneself are the same. Among other things, it is also important to have confidence in one's own abilities and to focus on one's own strengths. The rider is allowed to ride in the team because he has the appropriate competences - to be aware of this and of one's own strengths is very important in order to be able to perform.