Bull Riding Mental Preparation

by Wendy Winn

As a bull riding mother you must be able to help your son mentally prepare not only at the rodeo. Practice, the bull pen, and after the ride, how often do we help our children prepare? Prepare for the wins, the losses, the slumps, the highs, practicing?

Together as a family we devote time to mental preparation, by watching videos. Videos that are instructional, past NFR bull riding champions, World Champions Videos. It is important to find someone who rides in the same style as you. He may be your size, your frame, and then you can mentally take from him some of his skills that work and try to apply them to your style.

Second we take time before the rodeo to talk about what we have drawn. If we know the bull or if someone else has drawn him before. It’s important to ride jump for jump and only let the bull tell you what he is going to do. Too often we let other bull riders tell us what the bull did with them. Then it usually ends up, you in the dirt and the bull bucking just the opposite of what they said.

Third we video the ride, both at the rodeo and practice, it is imperative to see what your doing right and wrong. After viewing the video we take time to evaluate. If we buck off, did we get bucked off or fall off? Big difference in champions!!! Every time we slide up on our rope we are going for first place, we want to be at the pay window.

Fourth if we buck off a rank one, the schooling starts by going over the bull’s moves and our moves. Did we make our moves to fast? How did the bull out think us? If we fall off???? It’s the school of butt kicking and then practice harder. Even the best fall off every once in a while. This is not a good habit to get into, if you do go rope calves!!!!

Last as a mother I try to send positive quotes in his bag if I can’t make it. Sending a picture of a great ride and a little positive influence can help in a lot of ways. Bull riding is a mental game as well as a physical game. A favor quote to end on is this: Be specific in what you want; and use specific words. Empower yourself, and become the person you dream about.

We practice getting horizontal, taking time with our eyes shut, meditation, picturing you making a perfect ride, with perfect moves, jump for jump. Practice make perfect, so be mental, physical, and find some good practice, then put your money up and head to the rodeo.