European championships for business series 18.-21.11., Seixal, Portugal

The EC championships for business series will be held in Portugal In Seixal 18.-21.11. Taekwondo athletes are represented by Christian Kamphuis, Aino Kortelainen and Sofia Sarala. Christian participates in the adult freestyle series and the U30 group series. Aino participates in the cadet girls' individual series and the cadet girls' group series together with Sofia Sarala and Airada Heikkilä (Kuopio). Sofia also participates in the cadet doubles series together with Lassi Kaasinen (Herttoniemi).

In own words

Achieving a prestigious competition place requires a lot of work and perseverance. How much do you train on a weekly basis?

Aino: The amount of training varies depending on which features and areas I focus on. Now that the preparation for the competition is underway, the amount of training is less, because I only do sports training. In summer and early autumn, when the effort was at its hardest, the amounts varied between 15-20 hours per week.  

Sophia: The amount of training for me also varies depending on how close the games are. In the summer, there is about 10 hours of training per week, and now less when the competitions are coming up. Before the games, we only do sports training. The body must be kept ready and energetic for the games. The last week is really light.

Christian: Today, I train less time per week than, for example, a couple of years ago. I'm trying to focus even more on quality and that I also recover better. Each week is a little different due to the varying schedules of the school. A normal week usually includes about 2x per week boom saw, 1-2x trickery, 3-4x per week characteristic training (speed exercises, strength and mobility). I try to take 1-2 days of complete rest a week these days. When I was younger, I was able to recover even from larger amounts of training.

How much do you train on your own and what?

Sophia: A lot depends on whether the guided workouts are suitable for what I want to hone, or whether I prefer to train independently. If you aim high, you have to do a lot yourself.

Aino: I do about half myself. At the moment, I mostly do the characteristic training myself and some of the sport training as well. A couple of times a week, I go over things with the coach and we work on different skills. Otherwise, yourself.

Christian: 90% of the time I train alone. In practice, I only train with a group in poomsae training. I don't have a permanent trainer at the moment, but I am responsible for my own training. Fortunately, I get a lot of help from my training buddies and sometimes from outside coaches too! I like to train alone, because I can focus on my own thing in peace. It's also more practical due to fluctuating schedules.

You have a great attitude during training, which helps you to continue from one training to another?

Aino: It's really hard to describe. The goals are high and internal motivation is needed to achieve them. I want to find out what I can do at my best. As a goal, it motivates a lot.

Sophia: We are going along similar lines. Internal motivation must be found. When the competitions are approaching, you focus on them fully and try to show the best version of yourself. I go one race at a time and give all my attention to the next performance.

Christian: I really enjoy the process of self-development, no matter the topic! In my opinion, training should basically be fun most of the time. It is also motivating to notice how development takes place from year to year.

Aino and Sofia, you also guide Taekwondo athletes in training for children. How has the competition experience at a tough level been useful in training guidance?

Sophia: We already know the techniques very well and have received a lot of quality feedback from our coaches, so we can share our tips and expertise. We ourselves have learned what good and encouraging feedback is like.

Aino: We have experience in what is required. We already trained a lot as children, so we know what kind of training is needed and we have been able to see the model from our own coaches. However, we have to remember that everyone is different and we can't just assume what is needed or always do exactly the same way.  

What last-minute race preparation routines do you have?

Aino: You have to take care of the basics, even if you're nervous and you don't like breakfast. I try to wake up peacefully and talk about things that relax and help. The warm-ups are pretty much the same every time these days. First, a bit of leg kicking and then a bit harder sport-specific training. When I'm waiting for my own performance, I don't look at my opponents or their scores at all. If the race has more than one round, I don't look at my own ranking either.

Sophia: I don't have a particularly specific routine. I try to find the right feeling and assess what my body needs today. However, I always do one thing. Just before my turn, on the corner of the competition mat, I try to relax and close my eyes for a moment to find the right kind of focus.

Christian: In the last week before the Games, I rest significantly more than usual. I try to keep my thoughts on things other than the games for as long as possible. I try to sleep a lot and eat well.

Throw in the best tips for alleviating race tension for enthusiasts who are starting to compete?

Sophia: Of course, it depends on the person, what helps everyone in relieving the stress of the competition. For me, that moment before my turn and calming down in general are important. It's easy to be over-energetic and tense during competitions. Conscious relaxation makes you feel better.

Aino: Everyone is really different. I'm always nervous myself. However, you have to remember that getting excited is natural and you don't have to be afraid of it. You get used to it. On race day, it's good to try to focus on yourself, and not analyze or compare. Don't look at others or give extra energy to the tension.

Christian: I recommend that you do everything else nice before the race days. It's good to keep your thoughts elsewhere so you don't exhaust yourself mentally before the race day. On the day of the race itself, I try to keep a sense of humor so that it doesn't feel too real. Listening to music also often helps to relax or psych yourself out, depending on how you feel and what kind of mood you want to get into the competition. Competing is fun and excitement is also fun when you learn to control it! Try to enjoy the racing feeling!