So Vincent Van De Voort will face Kevin Painter, in Round Two after Christmas, at the Alexandra Palace. This after putting Gibraltan, Dylan Duo to the sword by three sets to nil.
However Van De Voort’s journey to the venue tonight was slightly different. Firstly he drove from Holland to England, after snow cancelled flights out of Amsterdam Airport.
Then when an early evening blizzard hit the North London venue and surrounding areas, Vincent had to abandon his taxi, and walk three miles up to the top of the hill. With his young son in tow!
Which just goes to prove, that you don’t always need perfect preparation to succeed! Sometimes, performers can over-prepare for events, out of fear, worry and anxiety. And as a result lose all natural sense of flow, feel and touch.
In contrast, when a performer is ill or off-colour, they can often perform exceptionally well. Simply because their expectations have been lowered. And as a result, can relax into their work, without the usual self-inflicted beat-yourself-up pressures.
Maybe having to walk in the snow for three miles was good preparation, for Vincent Van De Voort. Simply because he had no time too worry about his opponent, Dylan Duo. And the consequences of a first round pre-Christmas exit.
The art of successful preparation, is to be able to find out what works for you. Its doubtful that Vincent, will want to repeat his pre-match exploits of tonight. But, he may have learnt that their is more than one way to prepare for a match.