“Argh. I want to quit,” Skatergirl shouts.
“Didn’t you say that before?” Skatermom asks. “Like last week, and the week before that, and the week before that, and the week before that, and…”
“Yeah, well I wanted to quit then too!”
“Then, why don’t you just quit?” Skatermom asks.
“I…”
“No one is stopping you from quitting.”
“It’s been a while,” Mentalgamecoach says. “How has practice been going?”
“Poorly,” Skatergirl says. “It’s been super frustrating.”
“I see. Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s my jumps. Well, it’s always my jumps…but, this time it’s my triple loop.
“Last month it was perfect, but now I can’t land a single one. This is the third time I’ve lost it.
“This always happens. I hate this sport. I don’t know why I put myself through this! I should just quit!”
“Wow. Sounds like you’re really frustrated. Let me ask you this. Looking back at our work together, do you ever really lose your jumps?”
“No, they are stored in muscle memory.”
“Yesterday, when you were doing your triple loop, what were you focused on?”
“I was focused on how much I wanted to land it.”
“Think back to the past. What do you need to focus on in order to do a jump successfully?”
“I need to focus on doing the jump, not the results… Oh. That was the problem. My concentration wasn’t in the right place.”
“So, do you actually want to quit?”
“Not…really? But, there’s no way I can continue on like this…”
“Okay. That’s why I’m here. Let’s make a change.”
Mentalgamecoach’s Tip
Do you actually want to quit or are you so overwhelmed that you feel like you want to quit?
In many cases, athletes say they want to quit out of frustration. They want to make a change, and quitting seems like the only option.
In Skatergirl’s example, her frustration comes from being too caught up in the results. She’s frustrated because she keeps losing her triple loop.
So. Next time when you want to quit, ask yourself this question.
Do I actually want to quit?
If the answer is yes, the solution is to hang up your skates and walk away.
But if the answer is no, maybe it’s time to take a step back and make a change. Instead of banging your head against the wall by doing the same things over and over again, identify the root cause of the problem and break out of the cycle.
It won’t be easy, but the results will be worth it.
Here are two articles that might help in this process. They will teach you to suspend judgement and embrace the process, two techniques that will help you overcome the frustration.
Mental skills training can make a difference because it can help you access what is already there during competition and practice.
Start here: download “Confidence Myth Busters,” a complimentary eBook and make a change.