Three steps to having the best Nationals ever!!

Nationals season is approaching - whether you are competing at the British, Irish, American or Australian Nationals, we are sure that you are focused and working hard to achieve your Nationals goals. But there are often parts of preparing for Nationals that dancers overlook and forget about that stop them from having their most successful Nationals yet!! 

We are running a five day Nail The Nationals challenge in our Gold Club which will take dancers through the five things that Meg did before she became a multiple time British National Champion! But for this blog we have decided to focus on three things that we think you need to do to have the best Nationals ever! 

• Confidence 

When it comes to performing on stage and dancing to the best of your ability, we all know that we need to be confident. But confidence is so much more than dancing with your head up and your shoulders back. You need to believe that you are good enough to not only compete at the Nationals but also that you have worked hard enough to achieve your goals. You need to be able to look at yourself in the mirror before you dance and be proud of all your hard work, your dedication, and your dancing. Have confidence in yourself and your ability and this will shine through your dancing on stage. 

• Prepare physically and mentally 

Preparation is such a big word that dancers tell us that they need to do before a Feis, but that can be broken down into so many different aspects. Go through this checklist below and make sure you have thought about or taken actionable steps towards achieving these things: 

Physical preparation:

Have you packed?

Are you drinking enough water each day?

Are you fueling your body with enough food and the right types of food?

Are you stretching regularly?

Are you doing any physio exercises you need to do?

Are you resting enough?

Are you sleeping well enough?

Have you been giving 100% effort in dance class?

Have you got everything you need in your Feis suitcase?

Do you have a plan in place for the night before and the day of the Feis?

Mental preparation:

Have you thought about what you would like to achieve?

Have you learned from your last few Feises?

Have you got a mental plan for the day before the Feis and the day of the Feis?

Do you know who brings you good energy and who brings your energy down?

Have you remembered your corrections?

Have you been visualising?

Do you know what setbacks may come your way and how to deal with them?

Have you got a plan in place about conversation topics you want to avoid or talk about on Feis day?

Do you know your strengths in each of your dances?

Have you planned how to prepare yourself side stage?

• Stick to your own plan

Finally, make sure that you stick to YOUR OWN plan! It can be very tempting at big Feises to look around and be influenced by other people - especially if they are someone who you admire in the competition or that normally place very highly. If you like to be side stage 15 groups before you dance, but someone else near you is going side stage 30 groups before you dance, don’t be influenced by their decision. Stick to your own plan - everyone will have a different plan because we are all unique and it is important that you do what works for you….not what works for someone else. 

Use these three tips to help you achieve your best performances at Nationals, but also check out our MWM Nail The Nationals challenge, which is running this week! You can join the Gold Club for £35 (with free cancellation…but we are pretty sure you’ll want to stay!) and access 10 live classes a week, our previous challenges, our online community, our masterclasses, and our monthly goal-setting classes and correction clinics! Everything a dedicated and committed Irish dancer needs to work on their movement and mindset - all in one place!