Popping and circling are major sources of frustration and wasted practice time. Lots of skaters deal with this daily, some see an increase just before a competition.
No one wants to pop or circle. But this is a major source of frustration because they can’t seem to “just” stop.
They are told that these are habits, so why is it so hard to change? The key to stopping is to go to the underlying cause of the popping and circling rather than just “stop doing it.”
What does that mean?
When a boat leaks. You can scoop the water out when it comes in, or you can go to the root of the problem and plug the hole.
Popping and Circling are normal physical responses that can be traced back to our “cave man” days. Our normal nervous system response to perceived danger.
We don’t come across saber tooth tigers in our everyday routine anymore, but challenges like double or triple jumps can send our nervous system into fight or flight reaction.
Here are some steps you can take to stop popping and circling.
Instead of allowing yourself to repeatedly pop or circle:
- Take a time out.
- Get a drink of water.
- Shake it out or take a few deep breaths.
- Feel your heart rate or tension in your body settle down.
- Now start your task again.
- Focus on what you need to do to go into the jump.
This is a brief and general way to get a handle on this irritating time waster and frustration making behavior.
Be patient. Repeat this process every chance you get so that you can learn more about how it feels to settle down and refocus.
When you become more aware, you will skate better.
Find solutions to take action on. Instead of putting band aids on the symptoms. Become a detective—seek out the underlying causes that lead to behaviors that keep you from practicing and performing your best. Mental skills training can help you do this.
Start simply, Download “Confidence Myth Busters,” a complimentary eBook for a jump start!