The Meltdown Before the Fire
Fast forward to the end of the year. Qualifying competitions are right around the corner and Skatergirl is freaking out.
She’s been training hard all year*. She had a couple of really good skates at the earlier competitions. (Well, let’s say there were a lot of challenges this year…so the problems might even be worse…)
However, as the qualifying season loomed closer, her coach had her do a small preparatory competition as a warm-up.
Alas, she had a terrible competition. Her nerves got the best of her.
Now, instead of feeling confident, she is trembling like a leaf. Her practices are a disaster. She is so nervous and scared, that sometimes she can’t even land jumps that she was nailing in the Summer. She is afraid she will fall, and reality follows her thoughts. Yup, she falls.
Skatergirl dreads going to practice and even going to the rink. She is on the b-rink of giving up.
Mental Burnout
It’s common for skaters to have a meltdown a week or two before a competition. It is usually due to “time traveling.” This is a clever way of describing when a skater dwells on the past (previous poor results) or worries about the future (the outcome of the upcoming competition.)
This causes anxiety to build up to the point where it starts to negatively affect their performance long before the actual competition. Skatergirl’s worried mindset causes her to feed the fires of discontent.
Now, many of her practice sessions end in tears and frustration. Her coach doesn’t know what to do with her. “Just relax!” he keeps on telling her.
“Arrgh! I don’t even know if this is worth it. Maybe I should just quit!”
Skatermom decides that she needs to change something up, and with luck she stumbles across Mentalgamecoach. {wink}
Pep Talks are not Mental Skills Training
Many athletes have a misconception about mental skills training.
When they are having a hard time, and skating is not going well, SkaterCoach might tell them in a lesson or right before an event, “take each element one at a time” or “You got this, remember how you did all of those clean runthroughs!”
This advice is basically correct, but the problem is that many athletes don’t know how to “take one element at a time” or how to make the connection between doing clean runthroughs last week to feeling confident right now, as they are shaking in their boots.
These are great last minute reminders for athletes know how to use them, but really don’t help athletes who haven’t practiced these skills.
They are similar to “locker room pep talks” that get football players all fired up to give it their all in the second half of a game when they are behind by a touchdown.
They are not a substitute for actual mental skills training.
Quick Fix vs. Permanent Fix
Pep talks take care of problems temporarily, for example a man went to the Doctor to get a refill for some special anti itch cream.
The Doctor says, “I see from your records that this rash happens a lot. Tell me about how you get this.”
“I don’t really care, just give me the cream, I’m so itchy!”
“When does this happen?”
“Hmph…Well, let’s see… I guess every time I go out into my yard. Can I have the cream now?”
“Have you looked in your yard for poison ivy? I think you need to get rid of all of it. That will take care of your rash. No more rash, no more cream…”
“…”
A pep talk is It’s like putting cream on the rash each time it flares up. It is a temporary and superficial fix.
For many serious athletes with performance problems, these pep talks will become more and more frequent and less and less effective as time goes on.
If no one removes it, whatever is causing the athlete to have performance problems will grow strong roots and spread, just like a patch of poison ivy in a yard.
Save Time, Train Your Mental Skills!
True mental skills training builds skills that lead to a resilient mindset in practice, which in turn creates a bridge to successful competition.
Mental skills training teaches an athlete to identify problems and create solutions (routines and strategies) for them. Athletes consistently practice these routines and strategies until they become automatic responses to challenging situations.
Developing a strong mindset doesn’t have to take large chunks of time. This is another misconception that causes athletes to avoid mental skills training.
It can take just a few minutes each day. The key is to know what to do and to give yourself opportunities to practice and repeat daily.
Small Steps to Big Rewards
ICE Mental Skills training can help. Our website features a variety of articles on many of the common problems facing serious competitive figure skaters.
Here are some steps you can take:
- Gather information about mental skills training by reading articles.
- Take the time to work on your mental skills during practice each day on the ice.
- The general information you need is available all over the internet.
If you already tried to do-it-yourself, but haven’t improved, don’t despair. You are not alone. There is nothing wrong with you. It’s not because you are not trying hard enough, or that you are lacking in some way. Breaking habits are difficult.
Most athletes know what they need to change. If they already have an effective plan, then the hardest part of making the change is, well…making the change. Doing the daily grind of practicing the new habit.
So if you want to do-it-yourself, be patient and do your work consistently. You will have ups and downs. this is all part of the process.
Experts can Help you Focus on Your Skating
On the other hand, if you want to skip the guesswork and the extra time needed to learn and experiment with strategies and techniques, another option is to consult an expert like a Mentalgamecoach.
Mental game coaches exist because by the time most athletes figure out they need to change, they are not sure where to start. Coaches are experts in helping you take the right steps to overcome your difficulties, and get you back on track quickly.
While we would love it if you chose ICE Mental Skills Training, there are many resources out there for you. The important thing is to start working on your mental skills right away so that the next time you need to compete, you will be on top of your mental game.
Training to be a successful competitive figure skater takes Physical training, Technical skills training and Mental skills training. You need all three in order to reach your full potential.
This means that you need to take care of your Mental skills training now. Don’t wait until a fire causes a meltdown a month before Qualifiers.
Put the necessary systems in place to allow you to skate your best when it counts the most. action, be proactive instead of reacting after you have problems.
Did this article help you understand the difference between mental skills training and pep talks? What do you do to stay on top of your mental game? Share in the comments!
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.