How to Gain Karting Confidence
Ever
had days in karting when you could do no wrong? You hit the turns
perfectly. You maneuvered the kart as if it was only you and the
track. Call it what you want – “getting into a flow”
or “hitting a zone” – but the feeling is unmatched
and very important for a karting driver.
How does a karting
driver master that feeling by ignoring everything and else and just
concentrate on the track? How can the driver draw from that confidence
in every karting race and get into their flow?
The answer is
through practice and preparation, and by studying every aspect of
kart racing before the race starts. If you feel you are operating
at your optimum potential with your driving skills, you will have
the utmost concentration on your kart and the track.
You basically
believe like you know it all and you can face any challenge with
your driving skills.
Analyzing “getting
into the flow” deeper, we can break it down to three areas
– setting goals, know the challenge that lies ahead and tune
out everything except you and your kart.
Setting goals
Everyone sets
a goal to win in karting, so you must set yourself apart by dividing
that ultimate goal into performance goals that will add up to a
victory.
Performance
goals can include following a checklist that pertains to a diet
to feel in top form, or developing a training schedule that tracks
what areas of karting you mastered or need more time to work on.
On the track,
these secondary goals can include a plan to brake at a certain point,
hit a late apex on the exit, and keep a focus. You can set a goal
to maneuver an exit a certain way in order to carry maximum speed
on to a straight track.
Setting these
secondary karting goals is like writing an outline for a literary
piece or speech. In order to make an effective presentation, you
must research different areas and know how to perform in these areas.
Knowing your
challenges
Again, every
karting driver knows the ultimate challenge is to win a race. What
about the challenges within a race using your driving skills that
might get you the victory?
If you are a
beginning karting driver, do not set the challenge of only crossing
the finish line. You are selling yourself short. On the other hand,
do not believe your challenge is to win easily. Are you really that
good yet?
Your challenge
within the challenge of winning the race should be wanting to pick
up at least a couple of places by the end of lap one. If you challenge
yourself to pass a couple of other drivers – because you know
your kart is faster and you have better driving skills – than
anticipate the next challenge.
Some of these
challenges might include taking advantage of your braking skills
or hitting at least three gaps. When you can gain the confidence
to meet these challenges, you should become a winning kart racer.
You and your
kart as one
Your kart is
an extension of your ability. Think of it as a bat in baseball,
or even a shoe in soccer. You must feel comfortable with the equipment
to gain confidence in karting. Confidence turns into “getting
into a flow” that we have discussed.
So think of
this equation: Your ability + your kart = confidence + getting into
a flow.
Sounds simple
enough, but let’s break it down further.
