STAYING IN FOCUS

Staying in Focus

Staying focused on what you need to do in order to overcome the obstacles in front of you, is a main ingredient to reaching success.

You may have never heard of Karoly Takacs, but in the 1940’s he was well known in Hungary as a national hero. Everyone who knew his story was inspired by it, after reading his story you will never forget his success and how he made it happen.

When Karoly Takacs showed up at the 1939 National Championships, many of his friends and other shooters greeted him with open arms and were excited that he came to watch them shoot. They were surprised when he told them that he was there to compete, not to watch. They were even more surprised when he won!

Things looked like they were back in order for Karoly. He was now the talk of the shooting communities and his dream of going to the Olympics were once again a reality. This reality of going to the Olympics was once again short lived. The 1940 and the 1944 Olympics were cancelled, due to World War II. It looked like Karoly’s dream of going to the Olympics was not meant to be. He would continue his training over that eight-year period and at the age of 38 he would qualify for the 1948 Olympics.

Before the rapid-fire pistol event Carlos Enrique Diaz Saenz Valiente, the former World Champion and the current world record holder and favourite to win the event, asked Karoly why he was in London England.

The reply that Karoly gave was a humble one, “I’m here to learn.” Karoly not only won the gold medal, but he beat Carlos Valiente’s world record by ten points. During the award ceremony, it is said that Carlos looked at Karoly and said, “You have learned enough.” Karoly would also repeat as Olympic Gold medalist four years later in Helsinki Finland.

The more you think about something happening you improve the probability of that thing happening. This is what Karoly Takacs did better than anyone else. He focused constantly on what he needed to do.

Never doubting what he could achieve, but focusing on what he needed to do in order to put himself in position to achieve his goals. His story is one that is told throughout the international shooting communities around the world.

While many will use his story as one that proves you should never give up, I think it’s Karoly’s ability of constantly thinking about what he wanted and what he needed to do to get it that is the bigger lesson learned.

Author: Coach Excellence

Tags: focus, mental, rehearsal, reinforcement