Skatergirl is tired. She’s been studying for finals, training nonstop, and on top of all that she has a competition coming up. But, she doesn’t want to take a break.
Why?
Because the double axel in her long program isn’t working.
Earlier in the season, Skatercoach changed the entrance of Skatergirl’s double axel from her usual right back outside edge to a left back outside counter. And even though she’s had several weeks to work on it, Skatergirl still isn’t able to execute this entrance consistently.
Every so often, Skatergirl is able to land the jump. But, most of the time she ends up popping or falling.
This is the reason Skatergirl doesn’t want to take a break. She wants to solidify the entrance before the upcoming competition. To reach this goal, Skatergirl vows to train harder. She decides to do 20 reps of her double axel from that entrance on every single one of her training sessions.
Unfortunately, even with this intense training, Skatergirl’s double axel doesn’t seem to be getting any better. In fact, the only change is Skatergirl’s ever growing frustration.
When the competition rolls around, Skatergirl is a mental wreck. Not only is she exhausted from studying and training. She’s also out of her mind with frustration.
And, the results speak for themselves. Not only does Skatergirl pop the double axel in her long program, she makes several other mistakes and ends up with a very mediocre score.
Cramming for competition doesn’t help
Cramming right before a competition is counter productive. It doesn’t help you to perform better, and most of the time it makes you perform worse.
Competition is 100% mental.
All of the skills that you’ve honed through countless hours of training (muscle memory) are stored in your hindbrain. Which means, in order to execute your skills like you would in practice, you need to have access to your hindbrain.
It is easier to connect to your hindbrain when you are physically well rested. Not only will your body be in better condition, but you will be more likely to be in a sound state of mind.
When you cram before a competition, you make yourself more tired, and if things aren’t going well your frame of mind will deteriorate. Together, these two things will make it harder for you to connect to your muscle memory, which will make it harder for you to perform up to your potential.
What’s the solution?
The solution is simple. Before a competition, make sure you taper your training and get adequate rest.
Tapering is when you reduce the amount of training you are doing leading up to a competition, while gradually switching from the training mindset to the competition mindset.
A sound body is the foundation for a strong mental game and tapering and resting will help you optimize the state of your body before you arrive at competition. This will make your mental game more resilient, which will make it easier for you to access your muscle memory and perform up to your full potential.
Remember, competition is 100% mental, so a strong mental game will help you more than any amount of extra training.
For parents
Sometimes, parents perpetuate the problem by making comments that spur their athletes to cram before competition. But, if you want your athlete to perform up to their potential, the best thing you can do for them is to allow them to rest and recharge physically and mentally.
This will help them have a strong mental game and give them the best shot at performing up to their full potential.
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.