These “tricks” i’ll tell you about weren’t necessary to do when i was fighting to the smaller categories , because “things” weren’t so professionally .
Of course when it needed , and i couldn’t win very easily , i did this “tricks”, but i did it for a very small period of time and in a smaller grade .
When you are in your amateur stage in your life , trying to find out yourself , what you want , what is your biggest talent , so you may focus 100% , you don’t need to do this mindset “technic” . You are a “kido” and things are more childish .
These are your “innocent” years and in the phase you are about to enter the adults world .This doesn’t mean that you are mustn’t trying enough to fulfill goals and searching your inner self . You have time in front of you to be “cruel” to yourself .
So i have won many races in my first year in the smaller bike catagories and i have pulled the attention of the big factories above me .
So after my second year in these categories ad after the championship i took , the big factory “knocked” my door .They showed respect about my previous championship and they believe : in my abilities as they said to me .But i know that the facts are a little bit(!) different .
They have aleady the World Champion who took the championship this year ,on the top bikes level and they took also me , because another team wanted me and had some contacts with me , off the record .
So i accepted with big joy , their proposal to join their team as a “newbie” , but i knew inside , that my road ahead will be VERY DIFFICULT .
And the road which spreads in front of me , i want to finish taking the world championship . NO MATTER WHAT IT NEEDS .
Yes i know , that it is very soon to make these kind of dreams and maybe this sound like arrogance , but i was always honest with myself . I was always be honest to where i wanted to go . And that is the FIRST PLACE IN THE WORLD .
Yes i have ambitions , as all humans have and that doesn’t mean that i don’t confront things in life with humbleness .These were totally different things for me .You can be the most ambitious human in the world , but that doesn’t men that you are an arrogant person .
When you put out your “work suit” , you become the human being you were before all this compteting thing . Anyway the day of the announcement to the press of the new years team has arrived including me and big lights fell over me .
Who is this newbie guy , who manage to get a contract to one of the biggest factories on earth ? Yes they knew that i had some good results in the smaller categories , but other guys had too in the past and they weren’t so lucky .
Journalists searched and found my past and the life i had till then and they asked me so many things .
All this was so impressive for a small town boy as i was . But i didn’t anything to be ashamed to . My parents was divorced and i wαs raised with my mother who tried to give me the best she could .
I have worked to countless jobs in my teenage years and i have some traffic police calls as many “wild” kids have in their first rides . Of course the big ammount of jouranlists went to the current Champion , asking him his plans and this year race approach .
This guy seems very confident and strong in my eyes and i silently told ot myself : This the one you MUST WIN if you want to be a Champion . Fantacy and unreal dream ?
We’ll see . We have a couple of weeks infront of us til the first race for this year and my physical training is in its final stages .
Since i’ve signed my contract , i’ve totally changed my approach to my body training .
Very early morning wake – ups and many miles running to get rid of even the belly i had from my night beers with my mates .
After that a good breakfast with the best real food and supplements i need to take , to perform as i must and after a couple of hours training in the gym with weights .
I need to get stronger to tame these “beasty” bikes and the most important , my muscles must gain the muscularity resistance it needs to help me perform in the 100% of the race and not get tired in the last laps , no matter if the race is on 5 degrees above zero or 35 degrees in the extreme hot summers .
I must be a “beast” in the physical area , because i know that noone would expect that and this wil be my future benefit . Ops , i’ve started already the mind games and mentality stuff …..
After the gym , i’ve taken my bicycle and made 20 miles before my days rest .That was my DAILY ROUTINE , and didn’t change a bit no matter what distractions i had .
But when , i learned the routine of the current champion , i changed my routine . If he was running 10 miles , i run 12 ones .
If he spend one and half hours in the gym for his muscularity , i spend 2 hours .If he made 20 reps , i made 25 reps .If he loaded 100 pounds in the “machines” , i’ve loaded 120 pounds .If he run with his bicycle 20 miles , i made 25 miles .
I had made him , my “TARGET” and i wanted to beat him so badly .But all these in a complete “quiet mode” .
I didn’t go to a famous gym with many people around me , seing what i do and how i do it . I didn’t want to be prepared about what is going to hit him . This is the correct mentlaity for me . No social photos , no chit-chats , noego laughs during the training , no ego “massage” during the training .
Total focus to the goal , total focus to the daily improvement i must have ,total minimization of mistakes therefore body injuries and problems ,correct after training treatment ,correct mindset to choose race strategies and all the above with the maximum of seriousness .
Only blood sweat and tears , EVERY SINGLE DAY .And to do all this you need the correct humans around you , appropriate environment and mind “peace” .
You are not the same person you ewere before the starting of this . .
You ARE ANOTHER HUMAN BEING and you’ll come back to your previous stage , AFTER YOUR WINNING .
PERIOD my friend .
I know it is tough , but there isn’t another way . Fighting has its own rules since the beginning of time , with minor changes during human’s history . Everything went ok , my preparation is finished and the new World Championship is beginning .
How should i choose to behave in the metanl area and the continuous mind games ?
This is VERY IMPORTANT TO MY GOAL . Maybe more importand than the physical part , because if difficulties “brakes” you , most propable :
GAME IS OVER .
Mind scenarios for many scenarios must be in your “hard disc” . Mind scenarios for difficult situations , must be created in milliseconds by you using your experience ,intelligence , instict , judgement , heart and soul , your fighting personality .
Souls scenarios to confront difficulties and pain above your currentmaybe existance , must be in a “corner” of you ,ready to unveil if necessary with no hesitation and back steps .
I choose the COLD – BLOODED face and eyesight approach to all of this . I choose the “machine” face approach .
The “terminator” face , who doesn’t have feelings ( or doesn’t show them ) and emotions . I choose not to show through my face contractions , ANYTHING to the others .The press ,the competitors ,anyone whose interesting to “decode” me and suspect the plans i have , to WIN HIM .
I choose sometimes , to seem a little bit vulnerable and troubled about my performance , so my rivals feel more certain for their victory , than they should , and then realise that i’m not so vulnerable as i showed (!) .
Sometimes to be more convincing i make bad lap times in my qualifing , spreading rumors in the press and paddock that my bike isnt so good this weakend , or i have themes with my tyres , et.c .
Sometimes i use press to do my mind games .Sometimes i wrap up an arm , an ankle or anything pretending to suffer from a past wound .
Sometimes even if i know that i’m so very good in the race and i can easily begin in the front and “dissapear” , i let the one who wants to compete me and challenge me , to pass me !!!!!!!
Then i follow him in a very close distance , playing the cat and the mouse with him ,to load him with stress , to see if he can hold on the stress in the highest level .
I want to see if he makes mistakes easily , if he has ENOUGH heart to keep the first place and how hard is he prepared to fight for it ,how far is he prepared to go , does he has the tough enough mentality to take the risks noone is willing to take to WIN ?
Where is his “breaking point” mentally ?is he well enough prepared physically TILL THE LAST meter . Does he gets tired ? When he gets tired how many “easy” mistakes he makes ?
When he makes a mistake , he corrects it with another mistake from stress ?
He reacts with “worthless empty” aggressivity when someone pushes him or when aggressivity has a wise purpose ? …
WHO IS HE WHEN THINGS GETS TOUGH ?
Sometimes , i take walks around the paddocks ,the “locker” rooms ,around the competitor teams having light chit-chats and small talks , always with my “cold-blooded” face and complete luck of emotions .
These “trick” make them wonder , what is going on in my team , how good we are ,or we aren’t ,makes them wondering if we have some problems and i made these walks around to “steal” ideas from them .
It is very effective , not letting your rival enters your brain , or let him enter and “go” wherever you want to go and make the conclusions , YOU WANT TO MAKE . Especially when you are trully in trouble .
It is very importand to hide from your opponents what real problems you have , and the most important : WHAT SOLUTIONS you’re thinking to give to them .
And when you make it and win , it is very crucial to let them suspect that you are not going to continue the next year .That you are satisfied taking the championship and next year propably you aren’t going to be so “hungry” .
Your rivals i suppose they count on this fact , they count that you aren’t a Champion who will last in time , that you are a “balloon” about to deflate .This mindset of them , is very convinient for you .
Because they’ll relax a little and maybe won’t evolute in the maximum grade needed , or miss a spot on their approach .
I know that this will sound a little(!) bit selfish , but the greatest satisfaction is when ALL PEOPLE HAVE YOU as FINISHED , when all your competitors think you are not in their level or class and they will demolish you easily and vanish you from their path .
When you lift above your head , the Champions Crown , the look at their faces worth a billion dollars ….. And the GAME IS OVER !!!!! You did what you wanted to do , you won . You won with YOUR rules . You won and took as many championships you wanted ,you are complete inside you .
You made money , you traveled the world , you met people , you saw countries …you did it all and it’s time to step down and honesty relax and enjoy life .
All these mind games and tricks you’ve used to your competitors , YOU MUST MAKE A BOX AND PUT THEM INSIDE .
It is the time you should put out the cold-blooded suit you were wearing all these time of your extreme competition life , and your “old” self . Your original personality comes back for good .
All these mind games , are usefull in the “war” , but in “peace” , ISN’T MORAL TO USE THEM to people . I don’t think playing with other people’s mind to achieve anything , is a moral thing .You must respect people , no matter what .
No matter if they like you , hate you ,love you , despise you or whatever .You played “games” to win in a specific situation , but also your competitors have played “games” .
It was a “war” and in “war” sometimes you did things in the edge of the human brain .But even in “war” situations , you’ve NEVER PLAYED DIRTY and outside the red lines . Even in “war’ , unwritten laws exists .
The Ancient Greeks ( and not only) , they were taking a day off their battles , to bury their dead . During the Olympic games , no war was existed . So , during your “war” period you did “things” but NEVER DIRTY things , to harm deeply other humans personalities .
Yes i suppose you are proud of that . Anyway , now it is necessary to “return” to your “original” self and think back to your “battles” , drinking a glass of red wine smiling a little .
These were GREAT EXPERIENCES . They changed you as a person . You experienced yourself , acting under the most dangerous situations you could possibly imagine and you’ve made it .
You’ve made it , with your humanism and LOVE FOR PEOPLE UNTOUCHED 100% .Because deep down you know that victory without MORALITY and rules ,doesn’t have big value , for you . Being a champion in any area in life or being a good human , wasn’t a dilemma for you , ever .
So after all this , you are wondering how did i do with my new racing year ……?