Kateřina Šalandová is a pioneer of female kite foiling and world runner-up in the big air discipline. As a sports psychologist and promoter of innovative methods, she shows us how important a role the state of flow and connection to one's body plays in the issue of mental resilience.
How does the Venus balls help her capture challenging tricks? And why does she believe it's not necessary to divide scorecards by gender in foiling competitions? Throw yourself into the salty waves and a new topic with us: elite female athletes, their management of menstruation, their approach to sustainability or barriers in their disciplines.
Katka, tell us about the start of your “wet career”. How did you get into such an unconventional sport as kite foil racing?
I have been fully involved in various sports since I was a child. I ski and snowboard in the winter, tennis and soccer in the summer. During my studies, I fell in love with climbing, acro yoga, windsurfing and kitesurfing. These sports (with the epithet adrenaline) became the center of my life.
I also followed this when choosing where to live. Be it near the sea or the snowy mountain tops! After finishing my master's thesis, I decided to go to Mexico for two months and just kit. Two months are now six years.
How did a hobby become a profession? What fascinates you most about this sport?
I work as a sports and organizational psychologist. During the mental preparation of world kiting champions, I discovered my passion for competition. When I heard that kite foiling was going to be in the Olympics, it seemed like an exciting challenge.
Foiling gives you a feeling of absolute lightness and relaxation. It instantly transports a person into a state of flow and meditation. Thanks to a special wing, a person floats on a board above the water. As if he was flying! Time stops and transports me to the present moment.
Currently I am engaged in two foiling disciplines: speed racing and big air, such jumps and pirouettes in the air. In the latter, I became world runner-up last week.
As a sports psychologist, you deal with a revolutionary method of eye movements. What effect does this method have on your performance in sports, specifically in kite foil racing?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a method that continues to fascinate me, as it allows us to reprogram our memory and mind. With its help, they integrate and break down fears or blockages that hold athletes back. EMDR removes stress and anxiety from competition, leads to the release and reprogramming of limiting beliefs, optimizes the state of mind for learning new skills.
Thanks to such a state of flow, clients are able to turn on the state of efficiency and the most optimal performance whenever they need. Moreover, the change occurs practically immediately.
How do you deal with menstruation during your training and races? Do you have any tips?
I have been using menstrual cupfor more than 10 years, which allows me to train during my period without any problems. I use electrical stimulation (TENS) for lower abdominal pain. This stops the transmission of information about pain towards the brain and thus the pain.
When did you first start experimenting with sustainable products such as menstrual cups and Venus balls, and what led you to it?
I first got the menstrual cup from my mother, who always guided us towards sustainability. Venus balls from the Whoop·de·doo collection was then given to me Anička. I like to experiment, so one day I took them to a foil freestyle practice and… things were happening!
This discipline involves jumping several meters high combined with pirouettes in the air. Complex maneuvers, which I sometimes did not dare to do, went like clockwork that day.
After this experience (and some research), I realized that we store most of our tension in the pelvic floor area. Thanks to the balls, this area gets moving and is thus more able to react to the stimuli of the surroundings.
How do you incorporate Venus balls into your training? What are their main benefits for your performance?
The balls put me in a deep state of relaxation and flexibility, which is reflected in my mental state: it increases my self-confidence, minimizes any doubts or negative thoughts. There is really only the here and now and goal orientation.
In psychological and neuroscientific parlance, we would say that the Venus balls have the power to activate a state of flow in which I am at optimal performance. One of the participants of my kit and self-development retreat aptly remarked that this gives a woman "balls".
And it's not just about sports. Living in the present moment is important in any activity we engage in at work or in our free time. When I am engaged in a purely cognitive activity, with the help of the balls I get into a creative state. It was as if I had suddenly unlocked access to an incredible store of information and grasped a higher number of thought processes.
Neuroscientific research describes this state as a combination of brain waves promoting high efficiency. (this is discussed, for example, in the article EEG correlates of the flow state, collective of authors, 2018).
What would you recommend to women combining demanding athletic performance with self-care, sustainability and mental resilience?
In situations that are associated with nervousness (whether it is a competition or negotiating a salary increase) the variance between the maximum tension and release critical to excellent performance. As well as mental preparation.
It is important to let go of any fears, old losses, injuries or beliefs. In addition to EMDR, "ordinary" concentration on the breath will also help us. Extending the time of exhalation leads to relaxation, the opposite to activation of the body. Let's listen to his signals. Take it easy with the inclusion of Whoop·de·doo tools to enhance mindfulness.
What are you planning as part of your sports development? What are your goals for the future?
Push the boundaries of women's kite foiling! Last week's big air title was preceded by several "crates" in international competitions, mostly in men's categories. I am confident that the gender gap in our sport will dissolve.
Working on authentic self-confidence goes hand in hand with this. I want to continue to spread awareness about a holistic approach to health and performance by organizing workshops and retreats. I also support fellow extreme sports within the international organization She-flies.
So fingers crossed, Katko!
We certainly haven't spoken to each other for the last time.