Mental Preparation Key for Karatekas At Karate 1-Premier
This weekend, the World Karate Federation will hold its final Karate 1-Premier League tournament of the 2017 season in Halle/Leipzig Germany. With the 2020 Olympics on the horizon and karatekas from all over the world beginning to focus on not only this Sunday, but Tokyo for the Summer games, athletes like Ukranian Stanislav Horuna feel like they’re already there.
“Now I see my goal more clearly. I see Tokyo 2020 and my mind and body are there. It is still a long way, and I know that I must continue working hard. I will be tough but I am ready to take the challenge.”
Brazilian Douglas Brose feels that this event may be even bigger and more difficult than the World Championships due to the depth and level of competition, so much so that he thinks that…
“All of us will be fighting for one or two points, and this is what Karate really needs, this excitement and this high-level competition.”
Horuna, who has been out for most of 2017 with an injury feels like he has to try new things. Not only the finale this Sunday, but also heading into 2018…
“Seeing how this season went, with all the success I have had so far, we can say that it worked great for me. I still have a few tricks that I want to try for next year and I will try to keep improving, especially in terms of the distance strategy”.
And while Horuna may not be preparing any differently than at any point this season, he understands the magnitude of an event like the Premier League and is looking to make his mind as ready as his body.
“The part that we work the most for this event is the mental aspect of the bout. We try to be ready to deal with the pressure and to make the most of our participation in this competition.”
Douglase Brose agrees with Horuna, that it is the mental preparation that is the most important for this final event of the year…
“I have done a really strong metal preparation to be here. I didn’t train the physical part or the techniques that much but I have been doing a really hard work in terms of mental strengthening.”
And as Irina Zaretska prepares to try and walk out of Leipzig standing tall, her eyes are set straight towards Tokyo with this weekend as the spring board.
“If you want to be in Tokyo 2020 you have to be a good professional inside and outside the tatami. Since the Karate 1-Premier League events are so important in terms of the ranking to get the qualification for Tokyo, we will use every Karate 1-Premier League to get more experience and to learn more and more in the race to Tokyo 2020.