Clean Run - October 2014 - 10

Adrenaline:
Friend or Foe?

By Sandy Rogers

My guess is that most agility addicts get adrenaline
rushes when they do agility. So why can some handlers
make the effects of the adrenaline work for them while so
many other handlers fall victim to it? It is easy to see the
focus and control of top handlers and the panic, what I call
"hair on fire" handling, in so many others. I see so many
perfectly capable handlers running well-trained dogs who
are unable to meet their goals because they can't keep
their wits about them. Frantic handling is never pretty and
rarely ends well. When the effects of adrenaline get out of
hand, everything and anything can and will go wrong.

Ask Yourself
Does your adrenaline rush help you succeed in agility?
When you step to the line are you able to channel that
rapid heartbeat and excitement into pure focus? Are you
able to keep your wits about you and execute your welldesigned plan? Do you feel in control of your body and
actions while you are running a sequence in class or a
course at a trial? Can you keep your composure when
things are not going according to plan?
or
Does your adrenaline rush cause you to fail?
When you step to the line does that rapid heartbeat rattle
you and cause you to doubt yourself? When you are on
course does your brain have trouble keeping up with your
dog? Does panic cause your mind to go blank? Or do
you choke because everything you ever learned about
10

handling is pouring into your head all at once, making it
impossible for you to react as you want to?
If your adrenaline rush facilitates you getting into "the
zone," you are probably reaching your agility goals and
possibly enjoying the sport a bit more than those who are
being traumatized by the effects of adrenaline and nerves.
If the zone isn't greeting you at the start line, recognizing
what adrenaline rushes do to your body can give you
critical insight to help you better your performance.

The Bad Stuff
Some unwanted effects you might have experienced
during an adrenaline rush:

*

You are not in control of your body-arms flail, feet get
stuck in place, hips rotate late, and your voice goes up
and up in both volume and pitch.

*

You are not in control of your brain-you end up in the
wrong place, on the wrong side of something (dog,
obstacle, path), or at the wrong obstacle entirely. You
begin the "Hail Mary handling," the dreaded "make it
up as you go and hope for the best" strategy.

*

You can't react appropriately when something isn't
going right. You or the dog (think dropped bar) make
a tiny error that either could have been "saved" or no
longer matters. But you can't dismiss what no longer
matters and keep up your handling, and you can't fight
to save what could have been saved. The brain won't
react; the body has no hope.
Clean Run | October 14



Clean Run - October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - October 2014

Clean Run - October 2014 - 1
Clean Run - October 2014 - 2
Clean Run - October 2014 - 3
Clean Run - October 2014 - 4
Clean Run - October 2014 - 5
Clean Run - October 2014 - 6
Clean Run - October 2014 - 7
Clean Run - October 2014 - 8
Clean Run - October 2014 - 9
Clean Run - October 2014 - 10
Clean Run - October 2014 - 11
Clean Run - October 2014 - 12
Clean Run - October 2014 - 13
Clean Run - October 2014 - 14
Clean Run - October 2014 - 15
Clean Run - October 2014 - 16
Clean Run - October 2014 - 17
Clean Run - October 2014 - 18
Clean Run - October 2014 - 19
Clean Run - October 2014 - 20
Clean Run - October 2014 - 21
Clean Run - October 2014 - 22
Clean Run - October 2014 - 23
Clean Run - October 2014 - 24
Clean Run - October 2014 - 25
Clean Run - October 2014 - 26
Clean Run - October 2014 - 27
Clean Run - October 2014 - 28
Clean Run - October 2014 - 29
Clean Run - October 2014 - 30
Clean Run - October 2014 - 31
Clean Run - October 2014 - 32
Clean Run - October 2014 - 33
Clean Run - October 2014 - 34
Clean Run - October 2014 - 35
Clean Run - October 2014 - 36
Clean Run - October 2014 - 37
Clean Run - October 2014 - 38
Clean Run - October 2014 - 39
Clean Run - October 2014 - 40
Clean Run - October 2014 - 41
Clean Run - October 2014 - 42
Clean Run - October 2014 - 43
Clean Run - October 2014 - 44
Clean Run - October 2014 - 45
Clean Run - October 2014 - 46
Clean Run - October 2014 - 47
Clean Run - October 2014 - 48
Clean Run - October 2014 - 49
Clean Run - October 2014 - 50
Clean Run - October 2014 - 51
Clean Run - October 2014 - 52
Clean Run - October 2014 - 53
Clean Run - October 2014 - 54
Clean Run - October 2014 - 55
Clean Run - October 2014 - 56
Clean Run - October 2014 - 57
Clean Run - October 2014 - 58
Clean Run - October 2014 - 59
Clean Run - October 2014 - 60
Clean Run - October 2014 - 61
Clean Run - October 2014 - 62
Clean Run - October 2014 - 63
Clean Run - October 2014 - 64
Clean Run - October 2014 - 65
Clean Run - October 2014 - 66
Clean Run - October 2014 - 67
Clean Run - October 2014 - 68
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