Mental Game Skills for Skating Success
“Come on. You can do this. You have to land this jump if you want to make the podium.”
Skatergirl is skating into her triple salchow. It’s the last element in her program, and she’s tired.
Even though she can do this jump in her sleep, she’s nervous. She’s skated a clean program up to this point, and she doesn’t want to mess up.
Continue reading “Improve Your Performance by Getting Out of Your Head”
This was it. This was the competition she had been waiting for all season.
Her content was good. The score was within reach. During training, her programs were clean. Short program into long program, long program into short program, double run-throughs, triple run-throughs, no matter what her coach threw at her she couldn’t miss.
But, during the competition she fell apart. When it actually counted, she crumbled under the pressure. Continue reading “How to Stop Choking at Competition”
Success in sports requires an athlete to master complex technical skills, be in optimal physical condition, and cultivate a resilient mental mindset. Most busy coaches don’t have time to specialize in mental resilience in addition to their technical duties, and often feel dissatisfied with their ability to support their students in this area.
Continue reading “A Safe Training Environment Promotes Mental Resilience”
Nerves get a bad rap, but nerves aren’t all bad. In fact you want to be nervous, because it makes you perform better.
However, like everything else, you can have too much of a good thing. Not being nervous is bad, but being too nervous can be worse.
Continue reading “Nerves Are Good”
“C’mon. You can do it. Stay calm. Focus.”
Skatergirl skates to her opening position. She’s sitting in third after the short program and it’s time for her free skate.
Continue reading “Get Out of Your Head to Improve Your Performance”
“I’m so nervous,” Skatergirl says. “I can’t do anything.”
It’s two weeks before her next competition, and Skatergirl is trying to run her long program with Skatercoach. Unfortunately, she’s so nervous that she can’t even get off the ground for her first jump.
Continue reading “What Are Nerves”