Skatergirl and the Lost Jump
Skatergirl is gearing up to jump her 2 Lutz. She likes it. It’s her best jump and she’s usually consistent.
But for a week and a half now, she can’t seem to land it at all. What is happening? This doesn’t usually happen, especially not for so many days consecutively. It’s like Wesley Snipes is in her head telling her she can’t jump.
She is frustrated and confused.
Something just doesn’t feel right. Something feels off, so she can’t trust her body to do a great jump.
Her thoughts do all the jumping now. “What if I can’t land it? Why is this happening? Have I lost my jump?” “Here we go again…”
All through practice, she can’t seem to do it. She keeps opening up and popping. Her mind is distracted to thoughts like, “how long it will take to fix this.”
Lost in Frustration
Feeling like you lost a jump can be very frustrating. Even more so when you don’t know what’s wrong, or how to fix it. You know that these things might happen from time to time, but usually they don’t last for more than a couple of days.
When it persists, you worry. You tense up each time you get on the ice because you are not sure what will happen. The unknown “undoes” you. Negative thoughts and worst-case scenarios build up in your mind. The worry attacks you each time you approach the jump.
When skaters suddenly can’t do a jump they “own,” it can lead to overthinking (trying too hard) and overgeneralization (expecting the same thing to happen over and over). They feel like they will never be able to do that jump again, and that they have to start all over from scratch.
It’s more than discouraging.
But wait, believe it or not, you have to be laidback when jumping. Your body and muscles need to be relaxed and ready to perform in tenths of a second. When a skater is tense, his/her muscles don’t work the same way. This could cause a minute change in technique and possibly a change in timing.
This subtle change could cause problems with executing a jump successfully.
How to Get the Groove Back
Let’s assume that the skater has been working on this jump with their coach, and the usual causes of trouble such as equipment problems, injury and fatigue have been ruled out.
The coach says there really is no reason you can’t land the jumps, and concludes that it is “mental.”
You might not know what exactly made you “lose” your jump, but you don’t need to know that in order to start landing it again.
You might feel like you lost your jump, but the fact remains that all is not lost. Everything is still there, in your brain. You just need to find a way to access your motor memory again.
Jump to the Right Conclusion
Take these steps to get your jumping groove back:
- Remember that your jump is not “lost”. It is still in your body and brain. Your muscles remember what they have to do to get the jump right. This is called your motor memory (muscle memory). The jump will come to you automatically if your mind is untroubled.
- Do more–think less.
- Reduce frustration
- Take the focus off of the outcome – will I land this jump or fall?
- Put the focus back on taking action and doing the jump
- Increase confidence
- Stop judging everything you do by the end result and start noticing the small improvements. i.e. when your entrance is better or timing is more on point.
- Do exercises until things are automatic and feel more “normal”
- Suspend judgment
- Reduce frustration
- Break things down
- Take a step back and look at each step of the jump. Break down and identify what you need to tweak. Then do exercises, walkthroughs, and drills before you jump.
Jumping Back In
Everyone has off times, even if they are exceptional at what they do. Even if you can’t figure out what caused it, you can still get back on track.
So instead of getting up in your head and overthinking, work to relax your mind and let your motor memory kick in and do the rest.
Before you know it, you will be a jumping machine. Uh huh uh huh, Believe that!
Have you ever felt like you lost your jump? What did you do about it? Do you think these steps will help? Let me know in the comments!
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.