Here are 7 key questions for you to diagnose yourself and your rowing.  Most people lose sight of their goals.  Every year at the end of the season I look back over the year and see what I did well and what I can improve. This annual review is very important because that’s what I use to set goals for the next year.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your rowing performance? This gives you a quick snapshot how great your rowing life is and can be very telling.
2. Why did you score that way? Why did you give yourself that score? It’s really important to ask yourself this question. For a lot of rowers, it’s because they didn’t train enough or they don’t have time? Or is it something different for you? Sometimes it’s really frustrating when you’re hitting a dead end point and you can’t seem to get past it. Whatever your reasons are, write them down.
3. What were your biggest accomplishments this season? Note down every accomplishment you achieved after making changes (if you made some to improve since the previous season – 2010). Are you still where you were in 2010. Are you worse or better?  Whatever it is, whatever you are feeling, write it down.
4. What are the biggest lessons learned in 2010 that have made your rowing performance better for 2011? Are you training better? Are you getting more coaching? Are you resting more? Eating better? Write down those changes you are making that are making you faster and a better rower.
5. What are the current parts of your life, training and rowing technique that can improve? Can you eat more consistently healthy food? Can you pack more often healthy food from home?  Can you sleep 8 hours every night? Or at least few days a week?  Can you row on the water very often?   Or more often?  Can you row with rowers that are better than you to learn from them?
6. What are your immediate next steps to overcome these parts of your life, training and rowing technique that need improvement?
7. What are your biggest goals that you want to achieve next season? In the subsequent years?

Questions to ask yourself

“How can you make next year your best year ever?”

“What can you do to make sure that you will get faster every year?”

“If it’s now the end of your rowing season, what do you want to see in your next year at this same moment?”

Then, set these as your goals.

What will it take to make you feel a 10/10 satisfaction level at the end of the next rowing season?  What goals do you want to have achieved?  What dreams do you want to see fulfilled?  Write these rowing goals down and set them as your key rowing goals for the next year.

Guest post by Carlos Dinares