You are a competitive athlete and want to get ahead of the competition. You wonder what you can do that is different, that can distinguish you from everyone else.
Dealing With Mistakes Can Save Your Season
In the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships, about a year ago, Gracie Gold, a favorite for the title, struggled and missed the podium. Instead of pausing to take what could be learned and putting the rest in the past, she went down the rabbit hole of self doubt (see previous article and video interview here). Continue reading “Dealing With Mistakes Can Save Your Season”
4 Steps to Greater Confidence: Confidence Résumé
Oh no, you thought this year would be different! This year, you would have more than enough time to develop the skills to take your skating to the next level.
You’ve practiced hard, picked yourself up when you fell, and brushed yourself off. Over and over.
Day after day.
Continue reading “4 Steps to Greater Confidence: Confidence Résumé”
Post Competition Plan Helps You Train Like an Elite Athlete
Most skaters focus their energies on preparing for the competition and the competition itself, but don’t give much thought to what they do after the competition.
No, I’m not talking about the party or ice cream with friends. I’m talking about planning for physical and mental recovery.
Planning what to do after a competition is not very glamorous, but without it, a skater’s risk for injury and burn out increases. Continue reading “Post Competition Plan Helps You Train Like an Elite Athlete”
Kurt Browning Shares Mental Game Tips
.jpg "By David W. Carmichael CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons")
I had the privilege of sitting in on a question and answer session with the great Kurt Browning. He was in Vancouver, BC for Stars on Ice and took time out to teach a seminar for skaters in the area.
I have always been a fan of his fun and creative style, and his skill on the ice. His showmanship is in a class of its own.
Watching and listening to him talk about skating, one can feel his genuine love of the ice fill the room. It’s tangible; the ice becomes a presence sitting in the room with us. What Kurt Browning does when he skates is what coaches mean when they say “be one with the ice.” Figure skating to him is a way of life, a way of being, not just something he does.
5 Tips For Handling Competition Nerves
Did you know that almost everyone, even elite athletes, get “butterflies” before a competition? “Butterflies” signal the presence of strong emotional and physical energy that you can use to enhance your focus in and skill execution in performance or practice if you know how to use it.