You must be present to win. To make any improvements in your skills or in your performance, you need to make change in the here and now.
Here’s why being in the moment is critical for high performance athletes.
When is the best time to make a change?
Right now.
You’ve heard sales people say, “Buy now!” Yes, it’s hype, but there is truth in that statement.
Let’s relate that to skating: Everyone has heard that it is important to, “be in the moment,” but have you ever stopped to think why?
Newt from “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” had it right. “My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice.” — Newt.
You suffer in the present as you are worrying and you might suffer again in the future if the thing you dread happens. Did your worrying in the present change anything in the future? No, not unless you took that worry and used it to take some constructive action.
For example, worrying that a competitor passed you in the regional standings of an unofficial online skating website can cause stress.
It won’t change anything except sap your energy. Energy you could use to focus in practice.
There is no point in future thinking unless this motivates you re-dedicate yourself to practicing with focus from now until the competition actually comes.
Basically, the real question is, “When is the only time you can make change?”
Lets look at this a little closer:
Can you make a change in the past? Your coach told you to practice your 2A exercises and drills for 10 minutes each day for a month. You “forgot,” and finally started doing them consistently on day 20. On day 27 you really see an improvement in your 2A.
Now you wish you started earlier because competition is in a week. (sad face)
Can you go back and start the drills on day 1?
No. Sorry, you can’t change the past. Good thing you can learn from this experience and start on day one the next time you are given a similar task.
Can you make a change in the future?
You might say, that’s a dumb question, of course not. I can plan for the future, but I cannot change something right now in the future.
Can you make a change right here right now?
Yes. The answer is a huge YES! You can make a change now. In fact it is the only time you can make a change.
Your coach wants you to pull tighter in your rotation. You can do it while you are in the air as you are jumping.
You can’t do it once the jump is done.
You can’t make yourself do it in the future.
Most skaters have heard and even remind themselves before competition, “in order to skate a clean program, my coach says I have to be in the “now.” This is because thinking about your 2A during your footwork will not help you land the next jump. But it might mess up the footwork you are trying to do with the correct edges and speed by distracting you, taking your focus off your edges.
Some of the most important skills I teach serious competitive skaters is how to “stay in the present.” It is the best thing a skater can do to skate consistently and improve during practice and competition.
In order to skate your best you must learn to focus on what you are doing right now.
- The past is done–If you make mistakes, learn from them in practice, then put them behind you. They are done.
- The future is yet to come–Focus on execution right now, to give yourself the best chance of the results you want.
- Your power to make change is right now. It truly is the only time.
To build a strong mental game you need to learn the techniques and practice them over time. You need to do this consistently, every day, on and off the ice. Over time this mindset will become natural. Then it will be there for you when you need it.
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