You know that feeling when a stunt drops? That frustration, that disappointment, that bitter taste in your mouth? That's what defeat tastes like. If it tastes bitter in training, it will taste like bile from hell if it happens on the competition day. Don't let that happen.
Every time you get a taste of defeat in training, remember that taste, savour that bitterness, swallow it slowly into your gut and let it spread into your veins, until you realise how much you hate defeat.
The team that wins isn't the team that wants to win the most, it is the team that hates defeat the most.
That taste of defeat has to be so shitty that no matter what kind of pain you feel, you'd ratter have pain than that bitter taste.
So even if the prep position doesn't feel right, or your body feels cold and stiff, or you had a bad day in the office, or a basket toss comes crashing into your already injured hand; tell yourself that you'd rather embrace the pain than taste defeat. And then do what you need to do to hit that stunt.
Anyone can hit a stunt when they're feeling good. But we gotta be that team that can hit every stunt
even when we feel like shit. That, that is the mindset of a winner, that no matter the circumstances, you're gonna win the battle between yourself and defeat. Defeat isn't gonna kick it's own ass. We gotta kick defeat's ass so that victory can come in. And defeat doesn't care if you're feeling good or terrible, it just wants to stick around and give you a taste of itself.Come 28 March 2015, every team but one will taste defeat. And what's worse, the closer you are to victory, the stronger the taste of defeat gets. Defeat's favourite colour is silver, so if you see a silver medal hanging around your neck, you basically see defeat smiling cynically to your face and the taste of defeat is strongest.
Let's kick ass!
Ivan Yee
NOVA Base, Tough and Proud
