{"id":3315,"date":"2014-02-20T16:32:30","date_gmt":"2014-02-20T16:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=3315"},"modified":"2025-06-11T08:59:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T12:59:17","slug":"netherlands-speedskating-preparation-is-key-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/netherlands-speedskating-preparation-is-key-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Netherland&#8217;s Speedskating: Preparation is Key to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/olympic-speed-skating.jpg\" alt=\"Olympic Mental Toughness\" class=\"wp-image-6127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/olympic-speed-skating.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/olympic-speed-skating-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mental_or_Physical_Preparation_For_Competition\"><\/span>Mental or Physical Preparation For Competition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/netherlands-speedskating-preparation-is-key-to-success\/#Mental_or_Physical_Preparation_For_Competition\" >Mental or Physical Preparation For Competition<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/netherlands-speedskating-preparation-is-key-to-success\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/netherlands-speedskating-preparation-is-key-to-success\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>What do you do to prepare yourself for competition? How do you do train yourself, mentally and physically, to give yourself the best chance to succeed at competitions? Olympians dedicate countless hours, over the course of the Olympic cycle, working with coaches, trainers and mental skill coaches to optimally prepare for the Olympic Games. Preparation is one of the most important keys to success. Preparation helps minimize anxiety and enhance confidence. The more prepared you are, the more <strong>confident<\/strong> you are to perform your best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Netherlands\u2019 Olympic speedskating team is reaping the rewards of their high level of <strong>preparation<\/strong> for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. At the halfway point of speedskating events, the Netherlands have dominated by winning 12 medals, which is ten more medals than the second place country. The 12 medals is one medal shy of the Olympic Games record. The Dutch have outperformed their 2010 Olympic medal total of nine medals and still have six events remaining. By comparison, the United States squad has been shut out of medals after earning four medals in the 2010 Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Dutch team has been a force in speedskating events for several decades. Many analysts attribute their success to the fact that skating is a national pastime for the Dutch. In the Netherlands, there are more speedskating tracks than most countries in the world and most skaters participate in the sport from an early age. In fact, half of the Netherlands Olympic squad is comprised of speedskaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just because the Dutch have the opportunity and facilities to skate doesn\u2019t guarantee their success at the Games. The reason for the Netherlands\u2019 success in the Games is their commitment to thoroughly prepare at a high level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both speedskating teams from the Netherlands and the United States are using technologically advanced suits during competition. The difference is the Dutch prepared by using these suits as early as the first event of the World Cup season while the US squad has been tinkering with the suits for a lesser period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact the US skaters unanimously decided to change back to the old suits for the rest of the competition. US coach Matthew Kooreman called the suit change \u2018just a mind game,\u2019 &#8220;It&#8217;s mental now; we have something that we&#8217;ve eliminated maybe one small piece of doubt that people had. Now mentally I think people are focused and they know it&#8217;s on them to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another difference between the Dutch and US teams is the location of their training. The Dutch prepared for the Sochi Games by training at lower altitudes similar to those in Sochi while the US team trained in the higher altitudes of Salt Lake City and Collabo, Italy. In essence, the Dutch prepared by mimicking the very conditions in which they would be competing, and their preparation strategy has proven to be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Tips for Honing your Preparation<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You should attempt to replicate competition conditions during training sessions as much as possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You should train with the same mindset that you want to utilize during competitions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You should prepare thoroughly, <strong>mentally<\/strong> and physically, so that your <strong>confidence<\/strong> levels are high when you compete.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Prepare yourself mentally for competition by working through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\"><strong>The Confident Athlete Workbook and CD Program<\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-or-your-team-have-the-comeback-mindset\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-consistent-preparation-is-key-to-performance\/\"><strong>How Consistent Preparation is Key to Performance<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-preparation-boosts-confidence\/\"><strong>How Preparation Boosts Confidence<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/athletes-who-worry-about-preparation\/\"><strong>Athletes Who Worry About Preparation<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio\" class=\"wp-image-16347\" style=\"width:198px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mental or Physical Preparation For Competition What do you do to prepare yourself for competition? How do you do train yourself, mentally and physically, to give yourself the best chance to succeed at competitions? Olympians dedicate countless hours, over the course of the Olympic cycle, working with coaches, trainers and mental skill coaches to optimally prepare for the &#8230; <a title=\"Netherland&#8217;s Speedskating: Preparation is Key to Success\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/netherlands-speedskating-preparation-is-key-to-success\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Netherland&#8217;s Speedskating: Preparation is Key to Success\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142,40],"tags":[257,567,250,116],"class_list":["post-3315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","category-mental-preparation","tag-mental-preparation","tag-olympics","tag-sports-psychology","tag-mental-game"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How speedskaters prepare mentally for competition. 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Dr. Cohn earned a master's degree in sports psychology from CSUF and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, specializing in Applied Sports Psychology. He is also the creator of The MGCP Mental Game Coaching Professional program. He's worked with athletes in the NFL, NHL, Olympic Athletes, Motocross Champions, and NASCAR drivers. 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