Never would we imagine that our first post in 2019 would be one on our upcoming March Holidays Boot Camp. Indeed, given the proximity of the National Schools Wushu Championships, most parents are anxious about their children's performance in this period and are looking at ways to increase training dosage for their children.
Nonetheless, those who are familiar with training periodization will be well aware that we are entering the 'Competition Phase' of training periodization. In this period, it is crucial that coaches have the knowledge to prescribe the correct amount of training such that we minimise the risk of injuries for our students and gear them towards peak performance for the upcoming competition. As such, this crucial period of fine-tuning routine movements and sharpening competitive skills is one of the key focuses for our coaches.
Simply increasing dosage is not exactly the best solution for Wushu performance in the Competition Phase. This explains why it is important that our coaches are well-trained to understand the full training periodization model and apply it effectively to our training programme. Given that Wushu is different from sports such as soccer and basketball, our training programme is therefore specially prescribed based on the sound understanding of sports science.
As our students face immense pressure from the competition, our coaches are also equipped with ways to teach our students mental skills to cope. For those who are experienced in competitive sports, they would immediately recognise the importance of mental health of any athlete when it comes to sporting performance. Without proper mental strategies to handle the pressure of competition, athletes often find themselves performing under par during their events. Therefore, it is key for our athletes to have appropriate mental preparation in this period. Ideally, the Competition Phase of any training programme will see the athlete performing at his/her peak. Through focused training at Xuan Sports headquarters, our coaches ensure that our athletes are able to achieve this.
Another area of focus in our training programme is values. At Xuan Sports and Wellness, one of our key focuses is inculcating sound values in our students. Sportsmanship is one of the most important values we emphasize. We expect our students to be magnanimous winners and even in defeat, to show their utmost graciousness in the sport. This explains why we encourage all Xuan Sports students to cheer for their fellow Xuan athletes who are from different schools. This is a perfect display of good sporting behaviour and promotes friendship - an important value in sports. Besides, we make it a point for each and every one of our students to understand that being in the sport of Wushu is not all about winning. That, it is more than a sport; that it is life. The values of Wushu is an excellent guide for anyone to live a life with a good moral compass. This is what we aim to imbue in our students.
In Xuan Sports and Wellness, we truly believe in giving our students the best and developing them into individuals with truly good values that permeate all areas of their lives. This is our mission.
