We delight in the messages from the American relay athletes: “We will no longer be beaten regularly by Belgium.” It's from the pastbut this strengthens us in our work and in our stubbornness to always move forward and look towards the future.
Jacques Borlée's column: coaching is not just training
After asking the athletes to come down from the podium following our victory at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March, I must now direct the brain towards this new deadline. How am I going to go about it?
First I'll show them the video of the 2015 edition (it was already in the Bahamas and it was our first outdoor world medal) and explain to them the importance of the tactics used at the time.
The 4x400m relay team qualified for the Rio Games!
Then, I will ask the athletes three questions, which I will divide into three groups (there are eight of us: two groups of three and one group of two).
First question: what positive things can you bring to the group? What actions can enhance each athlete?
Second question: we won 18 medals, what are the attitudes that allowed us to win this jackpot?
Third question: how, through your body language, can you show your confidence to other teams?
Dylan Borlée opens his season with a time of 45.67 at the Tom Jones Memorial in the United States
As a coach, I know the questions, and sometimes I can be surprised by the answers. I have to prepare for it and guide their responses towards the necessary mindset.
Last Thursday, I participated in a speech with John-John Dohmen and what is fantastic about this national hockey team is that they understand the mechanics and attitudes that allow repeat performances.
Once again, there are three fundamental elements: concentration – positivism – relaxation. Dialogue and actions must be oriented towards these mechanisms. You have to surprise without surprising, laugh while being serious, create dialogue without exaggerating it.
Jacques Borlée's column: here are our methods to improve stress management
It is all the time filled with subtlety, love, empathy with a body-language which transforms all actions into a vibrating thread which makes you love competitive sport by its level of requirement, by its level of excellence and which places your brain in alert simply communicating flow.
In two weeks I will tell you what happened from the inside. But what I would especially like beyond the results is that they are all inspiring for our youth and that we understand what a pact of excellence is…
