Clean Run - May 2017 - 63

tem, the fundamentals are much more
similar than you think. Different systems
may combine skills or emphasize certain
principles more than another, but if you
understand the basics, the transition is
much easier.

ﬂaws (and styles) easier to work with
than others.
We talk about consistency all the time in
dog training, yet we insist on jumping on
each new band wagon that comes along,
changing our handling, and then wonder
why we aren't getting to a new level of
performance. Changing the rules every
few years does not breed consistency.
Your performance suffers.
To take a leap to the next level, you
need to answer one question as honestly
as you can-the most important question: Why is your current situation not
working?
And if you aren't sure of the answer, my
next question is this: how good are your
fundamentals and can you execute them
consistently well within the system you
are using?
The answer is you must ﬁx the problems you carry with you from system
to system-your fundamentals. A new
system will not ﬁx bad fundamentals,
just like a new camera won't ﬁx a bad
photographer.
The fact is most instructors and seminar
presenters, no matter what system they
are teaching, end up coming back to the
basic problems with their students: improving timing, executing basic crosses
better, understanding handling choices,
reading and connecting with your dog.
James Clear wrote that when he asked
an elite lifting coach about why some
people get to the top and some don't,

the coach answered: "At some point, it
comes down to who can handle the boredom of training every day and doing the
same lifts over and over again."1
Fundamentals never go out of style. Most
handlers get bored with fundamentals.
They'd rather learn "new skills" instead
of improving their existing ones. They
don't want to miss out. So they never really develop fundamentals because they
never get deep enough into any one system to understand the nitty-gritty details.
Develop the fundamentals of basic
crosses, timing, positioning, commitment, course analysis, and so on. It gives
you a framework to understand how all
the pieces ﬁt together.
Sometimes you do need to change and
adapt. Shifts in course design can require
adaptions to handling methods. Tweaking is one thing, but full-scale change is
something else, and shouldn't be done
lightly. Having said that, sometimes a
change is necessary. At the foundation
of any good handling or training sys-

Fundamentals make winners. Can you
imagine an Olympic athlete changing
her system every three years? That's the
equivalent of digging a hole 100 yards
deep and then quitting when you are
only 1 foot away from hitting gold, and
starting over digging another hole just
10 feet to the west.
To improve, spend 85% or more of your
practice time on pushing and honing, not
throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater
change.
Don't be afraid to trust what you are doing and excel at it. Maybe what you are
doing is perfect for you and you're only
a few feet from gold. Perhaps you will be
the next trend.
Find something you like and don't be
distracted by new fads. Stay focused.
Learn to trust a process.
The ultimate advantage is doing the
basics better than anybody else because most people won't put in that kind
of focused work.
What about you?
Clear, James. How to Stay Focused
When You Get Bored Working Toward
Your Goals. http://jamesclear.com/stayfocused. D
1.

Kathy Keats is an internationally renowned competitor, coach, writer, and speaker. She has represented Canada in sheepdog trialing, basketball, and dog agility, with
regional, national and world championships to her credit. Kathy specializes in the mental game, developing training cycles, and major event preparation to help
competitors reach their potential. Get her newest e-book The Connection Blueprint at theconnectionblueprint.com.

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http://www.jamesclear.com/stay-focused http://www.jamesclear.com/stay-focused http://www.theconnectionblueprint.com http://www.cleanrun.com http://www.cleanrun.com

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