“Argh,” Skatergirl says. “I’m so frustrated. I was so close to skating a clean program. If I hadn’t made those two mistakes, it would have easily been a personal best.”
“What happened?” Mentalgamecoach asks.
“First, I fell on my triple salchow. Yes, it’s near the end of my program, but I’ve been 85% on it during practice. After that, I tripped on my footwork. I didn’t fall, but it killed my GOEs.”
“I see,” Mentalgamecoach says. “Let’s go back through it and try to figure out what happened. What was going through your head when you were going into your triple salchow?”
“Let’s see. I had just finished my triple flip. The landing wasn’t the best, but I didn’t fall…”
Skatergirl places her chin in her hands, thinking.
“Oh right. I remember now. Going into the triple sal I was slightly behind the music. I was trying to make up time so I wouldn’t end late.”
“That was your mistake,” Mentalgamecoach says. “Your mistake wasn’t a technical one, your mistake was not recognizing that your mind was wandering and refocusing.”
“Okay, that makes sense” Skatergirl says. “The stumble on my footwork was similar. It was near the end of my program and I was starting to get tired. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do my double axel which comes right after my footwork.”
“Exactly,” Mentalgamecoach says. “Every mistake you make is caused by a mental drift. Maybe you’re worried about something in the past, maybe you’re worried about something in the future. Either way, you aren’t in the present which is what causes you to make the mistake.”
“But not every mistake is caused by a mental drift, right? Aren’t some mistakes caused by technical errors?”
“Yes, during practice, but not during competition. During competition, if you make a mistake on an element that you are consistent with in practice it’s a mental mistake. Remember, competition is 100% mental. You’ve solidified your technique in your muscle memory during practice, so any technical mistakes you make during competition is due to a mental drift.
Your technique is consistent in practice, so that’s not the cause of the mistake. The mistake is caused by a mental drift.”
Mentalgamecoach’s Tips
If every mistake is caused by a mental drift, how do you fix it?
It’s simple in concept, but it’s not easy to implement. It takes as much practice and repetition to master as learning a jump or a spin. Recognize when your mind is drifting and refocus on the action you are doing right now (jump, spin or technical skill).
Yup, that’s it. Simple, yet effective.
If you want a more in depth explanation, check out this article and this article.
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.