Mental Game Skills for Skating Success
Skatergirl was warmed up and ready to go for her long program. She’d finished her six minute warm up and since she was skating second in her group, she was standing with Skatercoach behind the boards waiting to be called.
Unfortunately, the skater right before her had a costume malfunction. Swarovski crystals ended up scattered across the ice, forcing the referee to call for an emergency ice resurface.
Continue reading “Routines are the Key to Dealing with the Unexpected”The “Off Season” in skating is a misnomer.
After the last competition of the season, a new season starts. What “Off Season” really means for skaters is that it is time to “Work Smarter and Harder” to prepare for the next competition season.
When we think about the concept of off season, we probably relate it to familiar concepts. In this case we are most familiar with sports like soccer, football or baseball. Continue reading “Skaters Nail New Skills in Off Season Practice”
Do you have a plan for your daily on-ice practice time?
If you have a plan, is it an effective practice plan, one that will take you towards reaching your goal?
Here are some symptoms that you either don’t have your goal in mind or that your practice plan is not one that will focus your energies towards your goal:
Your coach often talks to you about not working hard enough, that they, “Don’t want to see you standing on the ice doing nothing, so get busy and work”.
You think, “I am working, I already did everything on my list, what do I do now?” Continue reading “5 Steps to a Practice Plan That Works”
Do you currently mentally prepare for competition? If not, you should start with a warm-up routine that includes your mental preparation, in addition to your physical preparation.
By using a pre-competition routine, you can feel focused and prepared to succeed! Continue reading “How to Perform Up to Your Capabilities in Competition”
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.
I had a conversation with a skater today. Since the end of last season, things had been going well. We have her goals and plan for the year in place, and she has already started landing new triples, and is well on her way to mastering new spins among other things.
But for the last three days, she has been struggling. Jumps feel off, spins are off a little bit, she is finding it difficult to focus and refocus back to the job at hand. Self doubts swirl around in her head no matter how much she uses her doubt rebuttals and other mental game strategies.