In the North Stack tide race, the constraints we face aren't just the physical rush of the water or the wind against the hull. The most significant barrier is often invisible: the Cognitive Load. When the environment shifts from "Complicated" to "Complex," our brains can become overwhelmed by sensory data, the roar of the race, the shifting clapotis, and the constant demand for split-second decisions.
For a coach, the challenge is to move beyond the physical and address the mental architecture of the paddler.
Performance integrity in advanced water relies on a concept called Attention Switching. As a coach, I am constantly toggling between two distinct channels:
Internal Focus: This is the biomechanical "how." Is the blade at the right angle? Is the laminar flow established? Is the kinetic chain from the hip to the blade intact?
External Focus: This is the environmental "where." Reading the next wave set, monitoring group safety, and identifying the "exit" in a shifting race.
The moment an athlete's internal focus (like the mechanics of a roll) is compromised by the external noise of the environment, performance begins to leak. My goal is to help students automate their internal mechanics so they can free up cognitive "bandwidth" for the environment.
In my first post, I mentioned the "Imposter Syndrome" that often accompanies the journey to becoming a specialist coach. Looking at it through the lens of cognitive psychology, I’ve learned that this "Imposter" feeling is often just a symptom of high cognitive load.
When we are pushed into the Chaotic or Complex domains of the Cynefin framework, our brains struggle to categorize the data. We feel like "frauds" because we haven't yet built the mental frameworks to make the "unknown" predictable. It isn't a lack of ability; it is simply the brain's way of telling us that the environment is currently out-pacing our processing power. By acknowledging this, we can stop fighting the feeling and start deconstructing the environment.
This brings me back to my roots in adaptive coaching. During my years with the GB Paraclimbing Team, I learned that you cannot coach a "technique" in isolation; you must coach the person's unique interaction with the challenge.
In sea kayaking, "coaching the boat" is easy; you tell someone to edge more or paddle harder. But "coaching the person" means dialing down the noise. If a student is gripped by fear, their biomechanics will fail regardless of their skill level. By applying an adaptive lens, I look for ways to reduce the cognitive load.
Maybe we move from the "Complex" race back to a "Complicated" eddy to re-establish that laminar flow we discussed last time. By lowering the environmental volume, we allow the student to find their Flow State, that sweet spot where the challenge matches the skill, and the "Invisible Barrier" finally starts to dissolve.
#CognitiveLoad #AttentionSwitching #AdaptiveCoaching #Cynefin #PerformancePsychology
