Article originally published on the now defunct UrbanFreeflow.com. Follow Jussi Tarvainen on Instagram for more insight. Also, check out FormSupreme.com for more great training articles and Instagram.com/formsupreme for more amazing content from Jussi. Click here for part 1.
The Progressive Performance Triad for Accelerated Improvement
Most traceurs and freerunners get stuck on the plateau because they are trying to solve progression blocks with wrong techniques. There are roughly three areas that are required for consistent progress and shortcutting frustrating plateaus. I call this “The Progressive Performance Triad”.
1. Technique = Flipping, Vaulting and Precision Skills
This is your trick, move and maneuver library essentially. Your body awareness, environment reading ability and so on. Even your ability to fall in a way that makes you less prone to injuries. Most traceurs and freerunners start learning the technique of their sport first before getting into the two other areas of the progressive performance triad.
2. Physical Fitness & Nutrition = Physiological Strength
Freerunners and traceurs who are committed to progression usually sooner or later realize that by exercising at the gym, stretching and conditioning, for example will help them improve their technical skills faster.
Your flexibility, mobility, physical strength, stamina and explosiveness supports your ability to perform at your peak level and for longer periods of time. These in turn gain you the advantage to make faster improvement in your technical skills.
Not to forget that your muscles protect you from injuries like a layer of protective padding. Also your nutrition plays a large role in improving your physical fitness and keeping up your energy levels to practice longer and at a higher level.
In addition proper nutrition helps your mental game so you don’t get tired and frustrated as easy and can focus better without getting distracted by negative self destructive thinking.
3. Headspace & Mental Game = Mental Technique & Strength
Most freerunners and traceurs don’t know that just like you can go to the gym and do specific exercises to gain physical strength the same goes to your headspace and mental game. You can do simple and easy exercises to improve your confidence, focus and discipline. And just like every trick, move and maneuver has its own recipe, a specific technique to it, so does the inner obstacles that sabotage your performance. You use mental techniques to overcome internal obstacles.
Key to Taking Advantage of Fear
In order to go through plateaus faster, consistently perform at your best and learn new tricks, moves and maneuvers with greater speed and confidence you want to improve on all three areas of progressive performance. Learning the techniques and improving them in each of these three dimensions will help you overcome the progression obstacles holding you back from becoming the best you can be.
Essentially when you get stuck it’s either lack of repetition or you’re trying to solve a problem with the wrong tool. It’s pretty frustrating trying to unscrew a bolt with a hammer. Right tool for the right problem. First you need to pin point the problem and then get the right tool to solve it.
Most athletes make the mistake of only improving one or two areas of progressive performance triad. As a result they get stuck and frustrated on a plateau.
Take Action
Identify which of these three areas (Technique/Physique/Mental Game) is the one holding you back the most. Using this simple strategy of identifying the bottle neck, the problem you need to solve will help you make consistent progress and shortcut plateaus.
You can simply do this by asking yourself these two questions:
1. What’s my biggest fear or worry at the moment in my technique, physique and mental game?
2. What’s my biggest frustration or challenge in my technique, physique and mental game?
Learn and apply the right technique to get unstuck, start making progress again.
Google is a magical tool. YouTube is full of free tutorials on any subject imaginable. If you are serious about learning them faster, drop in on a local course or sign up for one online.
Next Level
My goal for you is that you master your mind so you can gain the full freedom to actually do the things you dream about whether that means going pro, doing tricks you see your idols doing or keep improving and consistently performing at your full potential.
I’m looking forward supporting you on your journey. The best way to do that is to leave your comments and question below, liking, sharing and actively participating in the conversation.
That’s the end of this 4-part article series! We hope you found value in it! If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below. We’d love to hear your thoughts and respond 🙂
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