With visualisation embedded in your coaching practice, you’ll help clients mentally prepare for success, amplifying their physical training with clear and purposeful intention. Next, we’ll explore the importance of slowing down to speed up—an approach that cultivates mindfulness, patience, and precision in movement.

Principle 8: Slow Down to Speed Up

In the pursuit of high performance, it can be tempting to focus solely on speed and intensity. But in truth, mastery comes from slowing down, allowing us to refine our movements and build a foundation that ultimately leads to greater speed and precision. When we engage in slow, deliberate practice, we’re not just moving—we’re learning, embodying, and absorbing each action. This principle asks us to be mindful, recognising that progress is often found in the moments of intentional slowness.

Imagine you’re learning to drive a car. At first, everything happens slowly and deliberately: checking mirrors, easing onto the road, feeling the rhythm of accelerating and braking, gauging the pressure of your foot on the pedal. In those initial stages, each movement is careful and measured. Over time, these actions become second nature. The foundation built by slowing down and paying attention allows us to eventually drive with ease and, when necessary, speed.

In a fitness context, slowing down can be likened to increasing time under load (TUL) in strength training, where the muscle is held under tension for an extended period during each rep. TUL is known to enhance muscle endurance, stimulate deeper muscle fibre engagement, and increase strength, laying a foundation for power and speed later on. Just as TUL builds resilience and muscle control, slowing down builds mental focus and body awareness. It’s this mindful approach that prepares clients to perform complex, high-speed movements with a solid foundation of control and alignment, reducing the risk of injury and reinforcing the quality of each action.

Integral Theory’s Four Quadrants further illustrates the benefits of slowing down across all dimensions:

Individual Interior (Subjective): Internally, slowing down cultivates focus, patience, and presence in each moment.
Individual Exterior (Behavioural): Outwardly, it allows for deliberate, controlled movements that reinforce muscle memory, coordination, and form.
Collective Interior (Cultural): Culturally, mindful practice establishes a culture of quality over quantity, inspiring clients to value progress built on a strong foundation.
Collective Exterior (Systems): Structurally, prioritising slow, deliberate practice creates training systems focused on safety, sustainability, and steady growth.

When we teach clients to slow down, they experience each movement fully, building physical, mental, and emotional resilience. This approach ultimately speeds up their progress, allowing them to move with confidence, control, and speed when needed, underpinned by the stability they’ve built through slower, more deliberate practice.

Practitioner’s Insight: The Slow Flow Drill with Time Under Load

This week’s “Practitioner’s Insight” introduces the Slow Flow Drill with Time Under Load, a grounded approach to help clients experience the benefits of slowing down and increasing time under load in their training.

Practice: The Slow Flow Drill with Time Under Load

The Slow Flow Drill with Time Under Load helps clients gain control, alignment, and focus. Here’s how to guide them through it:

Choose a Movement to Break Down: Start with a foundational movement such as a squat, lunge, or push-up. Select an exercise that’s suitable for controlled, multi-step engagement, allowing clients to feel the benefits of slowing down.
Increase Time Under Load: Instruct clients to perform the movement at half speed, increasing time under load. For example, in a squat, they might take three seconds to lower down and another three seconds to return to standing. This TUL helps engage and strengthen deeper muscle fibres, building endurance and control.
Engage Each Sense: Encourage clients to tune into each sensory detail. For instance, they should feel the weight of their body, the grounding of their feet, the engagement of each muscle, and the rhythm of their breath. This connection creates a powerful feedback loop, reinforcing form and stability.
Prioritise Quality Over Quantity: Focus on fewer reps, ensuring each one is executed with intention and precision. Shifting focus from “how many” to “how well” helps build neuromuscular pathways that support complex, high-speed movements down the line.
Reflect on Stability and Control: After each set, ask clients to pause and reflect on what they observed. Did they feel more connected to their movement? Was there an increase in strength or stability? These insights reinforce the value of slowing down and help clients build a mindful approach to practice.

Through the Slow Flow Drill with Time Under Load, clients not only improve their physical control and alignment but also learn to value the strength that comes from moving with intention. As they build a solid foundation, they become capable of performing faster, more powerful movements with precision and confidence.

Principle 8: Slow Down to Speed Up

Practitioner’s Insight: The Slow Flow Drill with Time Under Load

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