Skatergirl has been having a lot of trouble. Several years ago, she was regional champion at the juvenile level, but she grew a lot and her jumps haven’t been the same ever since.
Before, she was executing double axels with ease, but now she has trouble even rotating.
Recently, she started landing her triple salchow and toeloop, but they aren’t consistent. In fact, all of her jumps are inconsistent. Everything is much harder for her than it was before.
Skatergirl is on the ice again, and she’s having trouble. Her jumps aren’t working well. They don’t feel right.
Skatergirl thinks about what Mentalgamecoach told her during their last session.
Growing is something that every youth athlete has to go through, and when you grow it tends to throw off your skills. For some people, this is a minor inconvenience, while for others it takes them longer to adapt. Be kind to yourself and give yourself time. If you persevere, your body will adapt.
Here’s the thing. How much you grow is out of your control, so while it might be hard, it’s important for you to focus on what you can control. Basically, focus on the present, but you already knew that.
The human body is amazing. If you give it the opportunity, it can adjust to anything you throw at it. However, if you keep dwelling on the past it will make the transition a lot harder.
Your mind is powerful. It can single-handedly hold you back or help you reach new heights. It is possible that your body has already adjusted, but because you’re trying to recapture the way things felt in the past you’re holding yourself back.
You might never have the same feeling, and that’s totally fine. However, if you fixate on trying to recapture how your jumps felt in the past you will actually be hindering your progress, because it is physically impossible for them to feel the same.
In addition, trying to recapture a specific feeling while you’re executing a skill makes you tense which makes it harder to perform. So, instead of trying to recapture a specific feeling, allow yourself to be open to how your skills feel today.
Approach each skill with curiosity. See new and different feelings as interesting rather than bad.
You are not a robot, so things are going to feel different from day to day. One day you might be tired. The next day you might be sore. If you are only able to execute your skills when you have a specific feeling, it will be impossible.
One day an element might not feel right, however that doesn’t mean you’re skating bad. The element might be fine, the feeling might just be off.
Instead of trying to hit a specific feeling in order for your skill to be considered good, allow yourself to accept a range of different ones.
Okay, Skatergirl says to herself. I’m not a robot. Instead of trying to hit a specific feeling on my jumps, I’m going to accept a range of them. Let’s turn this around.
Mental skills training can help to keep your emotions on an even keel so that you can practice and compete your best.
Start here: Download “Confidence Myth Busters,” a complimentary eBook and make a change.