“Don’t stress!” says Martin Himma to calm his nerves before a competition. The life of a top skier and creating content for social media are two different paths that Estonia’s best skier, Martin Himma, has managed to combine, because for him, sports and entertainment go hand in hand.
How creating content on social media gives you energy and planning your life boosts your motivation was discussed in episode 8 of Stebby’s podcast “Samm-sammult heaoluni” .
Listen to the episode on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts.
If you want to enjoy winter to the fullest, you will find ski lessons, marathons, and tickets to ski resorts on Stebby HERE.
How does the transition from recreational sports to competitive sports take place?
At sports high school, I realized that I now had two years to become a top athlete, otherwise my skiing career would simply be over. After realizing this, I put a whole system in place for myself to achieve this top athlete level, and perhaps thanks to this, I achieved good enough results and also found sponsors so that I could continue doing all of this after school.
Actually, it is very important to get everything right when you are young – even I have some things now that I missed out on when I was young. Technique is very important in skiing, but when I was little, my coaches and I didn’t pay much attention to it, and now it is very difficult to change such an ingrained technique. Strength is also something I lacked when I was young, and I am definitely working on that. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to change all of this as an older person.
Where does a top athlete’s motivation come from?
My motivation is probably that I first need to prove myself. I want to prove to myself that I can achieve the goals I have set for myself.
I have also always found that goals are necessary – when I set myself a goal that does not seem impossible, but is difficult to achieve, I think about it every day during training.
Of course, proving everyone else wrong comes with it. Unfortunately, sometimes those negative words motivate you more. When someone says that you can’t do it and you’re not capable, that’s when I prove them wrong. My family, who has supported me throughout this journey, is definitely a source of motivation, and good results would be a way of thanking them.
Do you have time to enjoy other sports besides skiing?
I actually like all sports, and skiing itself is very versatile – in the summer we run, rollerblade, ride bikes, go to the gym, and so on. When I was younger, I also did orienteering and played indoor hockey, and when I have more time in April and May, I try to do a lot of sports other than skiing.
In general, I am also a passionate athlete, so I don’t care – give me the Estonian champion and I’ll say, “No, I’ll do it, I’m better,” even though I know I’m not. At least I have this “I’ll give it my all” mentality.
How to overcome competition jitters?
The hardest thing for me is when I know that I am in good shape, for example. But as always, when you do something a lot, you get used to it and it starts to come out better. Since I have competed so much, I know all the tricks that help me cope with the pressure.
On the other hand, I was once invited to speak in a small hall, where I had to talk about my career, and I honestly wasn’t as nervous before the Olympics as I was at that moment, because it was my first time. After that, everything has become easier. The truth is that being too tense definitely doesn’t help in competition.
Martin Himma recommends two ways to reduce anxiety.
- Don’t try to motivate yourself differently or “overstress” because of the competition.
- Stick to your routine and do what you’ve always done.
But how is Himma a role model on social media, why does he create content for social media, and what are his plans for the future? Listen to episode 8 of Stebby’s podcast “Samm-sammult heaoluni” on Spotfiy and Apple Podcasts.
Find over 9000 ways to take care of your wellness on Stebby.
