Skatergirl sighs. “My short program was a disaster. Skatercoach called me the living embodiment of a Zamboni. It was horrible.”
“Slow down,” Mentalgamecoach says. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“First,” Skatergirl says. “I fell on my triple lutz. Then, everything fell apart.”
“I see,” Mentalgamecoach says. “What were you thinking about after your triple lutz?”
Skatergirl takes a moment to collect her thoughts. “I don’t remember,” she says. “After I fell on my triple lutz, everything was a blur.”
“Going into your triple lutz, what were you thinking about?
“Hmm,” Skatergirl says. She tilts her head to the side and stares off into space. “Oh. I remember now. I was thinking about the pointers that Skatercoach gave me during my warmup. I was having trouble with my edge changing on the takeoff, so she told me to remember to place my toe down behind my skating foot.”
“Skatergirl,” Mentalgamecoach says. “Do you remember what the competition mindset is?”
“Yeah,” Skatergirl says. “The competition mindset is when you’re focused on your current action.”
Right. Do you remember why the competition mindset is important?”
“It helps you to stay in the moment, which helps you to stay relaxed and perform up to your full potential.”
“Exactly. When you’re in your head, you tense up. When you tense up, you perform worse. So, were you in the competition mindset going into your triple lutz?”
“No. But, my triple lutz isn’t consistent. I end up changing edge about 50% of the time during practice, so isn’t it better if I focus on getting that right?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Mentalgamecoach says. “But, only during practice. If you focus on your technique during competition, you’ll tense up and perform below your potential. Even if you manage to execute the element, what about the rest of your program?”
“So I want to be in the competition mindset, even if I’m attempting a jump that I’m not consistent with?” Skatergirl asks.
“Especially when you’re attempting a jump that you aren’t consistent with. Remember, when you’re in the competition mindset your muscles are relaxed. Even if you’re inconsistent in practice, this state will give you the best chance of executing your technique the way you trained.”
Mentalgamecoach’s Notes
When you’re at competition, you want to be in the competition mindset.
Why?
Let me ask you this question. Are you more likely to land a jump if you are overthinking and tense or focused on the present and relaxed.
Of course, the answer is you’ll be more likely to execute your technique if you are focused on the present and relaxed.
When you are focused on the present and relaxed, your muscles are able to fire the same as in practice. In other words, you’ll be more consistent and the quality of your performance will be better.
Even if you are falling on a jump 50% of the time in practice, that still means you are landing it 50% of the time. So, if you trust your muscles memory you have a 50% chance of landing it in competition. That’s much better than the less than 50% chance you’ll have if you overthink and tense up.
So, remember. No matter how inconsistent you are on an element. When you get to competition, you must be in the competition mindset. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to perform up to your full potential and will most likely end up falling on the element anyway.
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.