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Previous Tips on Adding Speed or Problems when adding speed

It's important to remember that we need to practice going fast too.  If we don't try to go fast in practice but we try to go fast at the rodeos, that is when "speed jams" occur, since our body, muscles & mind aren't used to going fast. If you have the technical stuff  down to were you can do them 5 or 10 times in a row correctly, then it's important to work on doing them quickly too.  Let's use tying for an example: If you can sit on your goat & ty it 10 times in a row correctly with no mistakes, then it's definitely time to try to ty him as fast as you can.  When you add something new, like going fast, things will fall apart at first until your muscle memory, body & mind gets used to going fast.  That's OK!  Work on going fast for one practice.  Start off the practice warming up & tying correctly.  Then try to ty as fast as you can for the core of your practice.  Finish out your practice by tying correctly ten times in a row at whatever speed that you can in order to do it correctly.   Remember when you are working on speed, break it down & just work on that element; just sit on your goat & ty.   When you feel you are tying faster, work on speeding up your gather.  When you feel like your gather is quicker & has no pauses, put the two together.  Then work on flanking faster, then add the flank & gather together & eventually put all three together and when you can do the flanking, gathering & tying 5 times in a row as fast as you can & without any mistakes, then it's ok to start running at the goat & think go fast, as your body will be somewhat adapted to it, since you have done this in stages on the goat.  

"If you do not consciously for good habits, you will unconsciously form bad ones." Anonymous

When you feel like you have consistent ground work, some times in practice you will need to think about nothing other than going as fast as you can on the ground.  Running to the goat as fast as you can, flanking, gathering & tying all as fast as you can.  Don't get frustrated or worry about the mistakes that you make at first, just keep going as fast as you can.  If you practice this, it will become habit & you won't have to think about being fast in competition. If you start developing bad habits with your ground work, you can always slow it back down & get it right.

Focus on the strong points when you visualize your race. - Unknown

Avoiding/preventing "speed jams."

First you must realize what the causes of speed jams are before you can fix them.  

 #1 problem is practice. If there is a lack of practice or a lack of quality in practice, speed jams may occur at the rodeos.  You must practice like you want to compete.  You can not go 1/2 pace in practice & just go through the motions and then expect to be able to "turn it on" & go all out in competition.  You have to give 100% in practice & go as fast as you can so that when you are in competition, you are not doing anything different.  Practice like you are at the rodeo & rodeo like you are at practice.

#2 problem is caused by thinking too much during competition.  If you have time to think during your run, you will be too slow.  Instead of thinking about all the elements that make up goat tying, focus on ONE thought.  When I struggle with confidence, I like to think about getting a 'flat flank'.  I will focus on that thought before my run and during my run; even after I have flanked my goat & am tying, I will still have 'flat flank' floating through my head. 

"Some succeed because they are destined to, most succeed because they are determined to." ~ Unknown