Skatergirl is struggling to land her triple loop. She’s got the full rotation, but she can’t seem to stay on her feet.
She’s so close, yet so far.
“Leave it for today,” Skatercoach says. “Doing too many reps will open yourself up to injury.”
“Okay,” Skatergirl says.
Skatergirl goes and starts working on spins, but the triple loop still niggles at the back of her brain.
Finally, despite Skatercoach’s warnings, she gives in.
Okay, fine, she tells herself. Just one more repetition.
Skatergirl skates around and does another rep. Unfortunately, like every other rep she’s done today, she ends up falling.
I should move on, Skatergirl thinks. But that one was really close. Let’s do one more rep.
She skates around and tries another attempt. Unfortunately, this one also ends with a fall.
The cycle continues and Skatergirl starts to lose all rationality. Each rep makes her more frustrated, and the frustration makes her want to do another rep.
By the time the end of the session rolls around, Skatergirl hasn’t done anything except triple loops. And, as an added bonus, she’s sore and frustrated, and Skatercoach isn’t happy with her either.
Why can’t I move on?
Why did Skatergirl get stuck on her triple loop? Why wasn’t she able to let go and move on?
Was it because she was mentally weak? Was it because she lacked willpower?
No. Skatergirl couldn’t move on because her nervous system was over-activated.
When your nervous system is over-activated, your rationality goes out the window. When you’re in this state, it’s hard if not impossible to break this cycle and let the jump go.
The solution
So, what’s the solution? How do you break out of this cycle?
First, stop what you’re doing and take a moment to regroup and refocus.
When you’re obsessed with a jump and you can’t let it go it’s a sign that your nervous system is over-activated. And, no one performs well when their nervous system is over-activated.
Here are some things you might already do that give you space to regroup and refocus
- Go to the boards and get a drink of water.
- Go to the boards and blow your nose.
- Take a lap around the rink.
- Switch to a different skill and come back later.
Okay. That’s great. But, why do these things help?
These simple actions give you the time and space to bring yourself back into your body. When you are actively focused on an action, it’s harder to focus on your thoughts.
Once you’re back in your body, it will be easier to follow your plan and move on. So, next time you find yourself obsessing over landing a particular jump, try this exercise.
You might be surprised at how much it helps.
P.S. If you find this information helpful, here’s an exercise I teach my students to help them get back into their body:
- Squeeze your right fist for three seconds.
- Squeeze your left fist for three seconds.
- Squeeze the toes on your right foot for three seconds.
- Squeeze the toes on your left foot for three seconds.
- Repeat, while paying attention to the feeling of each action.
If skaters took Mental skills training as seriously as they do their on ice technical skills, they would find that their technical skills would improve exponentially.
Start here. Download “Confidence Myth Busters,” a complimentary eBook and make a change.