Lessons learned in Olympics training apply to fishing

I had one of the greatest track coaches in U.S. history, Tom Tellez, for the 1976 Olympics. He taught me one of the best performance and life lessons.

When I first started training under Tellez, he always told me I was trying too hard. I thought just the opposite! If I was trying to run faster, didn’t that mean I needed to run harder?

The lesson came when he had me run some 60-yard sprints. “I want you to run one at 90% effort, another at 100% , then back to 95%,” he told me .

Afterward, he asked me which sprint was the fastest time? I told him that the 100% was the fastest by far, I must have had a good time! He grinned and said that my third run, when I had backed off to 95% and not run so “hard,” was much faster than my 100% effort.

From then on, my brain and body began to register what real speed and power felt like; being relaxed was the key. I now realized that the “zone” and top performances weren’t about “ grinding it out” as I had been constantly told for all my athletic career. I got much faster, and it seemed easy.

On the fishing front, I also used to think that “grinding it out” was the way to go but in reality I’ve found that the same principal of relaxed, efficient effort applies. It keeps me loose, able to make quick decisions, while staying on task. Getting in the “zone” is something we’ve all experienced at times but consciously knowing how it works and practicing this high-level technique is another matter.

The other aspect of the training that Tellez continually instilled in me was that peak performance was an internal process where you executed your plan and you didn’t let what others were doing affect your performance. I see many anglers breaking this rule by constantly adjusting their tactics and techniques by what others are doing around them. You need to build confidence that you’re in your zone and that by doing so you’re doing your best; the competition just happens to be there, too. That’s how a coach with many Olympic medal winners taught me how to handle Olympic-caliber pressure.

Success is an internal thing, and learning how to work at your peak efficiency while remaining relaxed might just help you be the angler you’re striving to be. Never give up!

This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Lessons learned in Olympics training apply to fishing."