If you don’t think the mental game is important even as a beginner, consider Bobby Mote.
He’s a world champion bareback rider who is basically a #6 or #7 header. He has no reason to be heading as good as he is right now. But he’s turning cattle alongside the best headers in the world because of his attitude.
There might be some guys out there ashamed they’re letting a bareback rider beat them. But Bobby is so disciplined in his self-control and work ethic that he can come right into the team roping event and also win.
One reason he’s roping with Mike Beers, one of the most consistent winners of the past 30 years, is that he has great horses. But Mike also sees in him what I see – Bobby can execute everything Mike tells him to execute.
He can be told to stay off the barrier, take three swings and handle a steer good and he’ll do that 10 out of 10 times. Or he can be told to get his swing up earlier, take two swings and reach a coil coming in, and he’ll practice that on the dummy and then go execute it exactly.
From bareback riding, Bobby’s learned to stay very conscious throughout the run. He has a great sense of awareness jump for jump. So whether he has to rope fast or just back off and make a jackpot run, he is mentally able to execute.
You can transfer mental skills to your roping, too. Are you excellent in business? Maybe you’re a great golfer or you were a great ball player back in the day. Use that mental focus and thought process in your roping.
In 1984, I did exactly the same thing with Jimmie Cooper that Mike is doing with Bobby this year. Jimmie had bulldogged and roped calves primarily before we began roping almost in the middle of the year. We made the Finals that year and the next two, then he retired.
Jimmie listened only to me and was mentally strong enough to execute what I told him, and he had a good horse. He went to the NFR having stolen the place of guys who had been team roping at rodeos for 10 years.
A guy just about as mentally strong and willing to work at it as Jimmie is Trevor Brazile, who uses his mental game from calf roping and steer roping in his team roping. It should be motivating for you to see these guys come in and use mental skills from other events in their team roping.
You are only so good a roper with so good a horse. Whatever that potential is, your mental game is what allows you to use 100 percent of it. Some guys are getting the most out of themselves and some are getting 10 percent out of themselves.
Don’t mentally handicap yourself. That’s just smart roping. Visit www.smartroping.com for more tips and techniques, plus great products.