Has your coach ever said something that didn’t make sense to you?
Well fear not, because today, I, Coach Interpreter Bot 1000, am here to bestow upon you the secret wisdom behind your coach’s words.
Before we get started, a few disclaimers.
It’s important to remember that your coach wants you to succeed. But while most skating coaches are well versed in the technical side of the sport, fewer of them are mental game experts.
Skating is a complex and highly technical sport, and most coaches do not have time to become a mental game expert since coaching mental skills is also highly complex.
This leads to them repeating buzzwords that they can’t explain the theory behind, when their students run into problems that can’t be solved by technique.
Remember, it’s the coach’s responsibility to teach the student. It’s not the student’s responsibility to decipher the coach’s intentions. Therefore, communication is essential.
Now, let’s have some fun and try to uncover the deeper meaning behind your coach’s words.
Don’t ____
The meaning behind “don’t _____,” is straight forward. When your coach says, “don’t _____,” they want you to stop doing _____ and do something else.
In mental game work, what you’re focusing on is important. Remember, in order to effortlessly execute a skill, you want to be in your body and focused on your current action.
“Don’t _____”, isn’t an action you can focus on, so it isn’t helpful for landing the jump. Instead, you want to focus on what you want to do.
Here’s an example. “Don’t let your left arm move on the takeoff of your triple salchow,” can be translated as, “keep your left arm checked on the takeoff of your triple salchow.”
“Keep your left arm checked on the takeoff of your triple salchow,” is an action you can take. Which means, it’s something you can focus on to help you land the jump.
If you aren’t sure what you’re supposed to be doing, make sure you ask your coach to clarify.
You know how to do this, what’s wrong?
“You know how to do this, what’s wrong?” is something a coach says when they believe you can do a skill, because you’ve done it before, and there is nothing wrong with your technique, you just need to relax and reset.
When you hear this, odds are you aren’t in your body, so it’s important to bring yourself back into your body and allow your muscle memory to take over.
Remember, you’ve done this before and there isn’t anything wrong with your technique. The reason you aren’t able to execute the skill isn’t due to a technical problem, it’s due to your mental game.
You are stuck in your head, which is making you tense or tentative. So, the solution is to focus on your current action and bring yourself back into your body.
“Relax,” is another way to say, “focus on your current action and bring yourself back into your body.” When your coach says, “relax,” what they really mean is “bring yourself back into your body, and allow your muscle memory to take over.”
Just do it like in practice
“Just do it like in practice,” is similar to “you know how to do this, what’s wrong?” So, the solution is exactly the same.
When they hear this phrase, many athletes start to focus on the results (the successful outcome). They think back to their previous practice sessions and try to do what they did the last time.
However, this often makes the situation worse. It takes their attention away from what they are doing and puts them into their head. They’re trying to replicate something, instead of focusing on their current action. Instead, the solution is to bring yourself back into your body, which will allow you to “just do it like in practice.”
Push
When your coach tells you to “push”, they want to motivate you to push through the hardship and ascend to a new level of awesomeness. But, this often has the opposite effect.
Instead of being motivational, the phrase “push” brings the athlete’s attention to how tired they are.
They focus on the fatigue. They focus on the burning in their legs. They focus on how much they hate cardio training and double run-throughs.
This makes the suffering worse, because instead of being focused on their current action, they are stuck in their heads. Or, they tense up and try to muscle their way through with brute force.
In order to perform your best, you want your muscles to be relaxed and ready, and this doesn’t happen when you’re stuck in your head or trying to force your way through.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that these are made up examples. Each situation, coach, and student, is unique and should be treated as such.
What’s truly important is respectful communication with your coach when you are unsure of what they mean. Ask them for more information so you can act on it and improve.
Be curious and proactive, it’s important to get more information. This will help you find a path towards executing the skill.
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.