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ARE YOU ON THE BRINK OF YOUR NEXT BIG LEAP? %\ .DULQ .LUN
he idea of transforming our performance with a breakthrough is an alluring one. A sudden, seemingly magical elevation in our abilities that launches us to the next level – who doesn’t want that? But before you get too excited about your imminent emergence as the next Angel Collinson or Sage Kotsenburg, be warned that breakthroughs are relatively rare. Gradual, continuous progress is the primary way that we learn and improve. T at said, breakthroughs are particularly interesting from the coaching point of view. A breakthrough is a rapid, permanent improvement in abilities. It might also be the fi rst time you accomplish a particular feat, and it paves the way for future performance. Let’s jump in and look more closely at how breakthroughs can occur.
COMPONENTS OF YOUR ABILITIES
As you already know, our capabilities as skiers and riders are based on many diff erent components. We need skills: the ability to edge, steer, and manage pressure. We need physical abilities such as strength, alignment, balance, fl exibility, and endurance so that we can push, pull, slice, and twist our gear through a range of terrain and conditions. Information from multiple sources tells us what to do and why, and cognitive abilities help us understand what we are trying to do and when to apply diff erent tactics. Motivation keeps us plugging away at our goals, even when it’s below zero and everyone else is lounging fi reside. We need an emotional state that puts us in the sweet spot. Too much anxiety prevents us from pushing our game, while a fearless attitude might not allow slowing
Building well-rounded skills and practicing fundamental movements sets the stage for long-term progress and performance.
maintained her balance yet paused anyway, skiing past opportune places to initiate her next turn and bleeding the energy out of her run. Watching her, it was clear there was no physical reason for the lack of spark – it was an emotional response. She didn’t feel quite ready to commit to that next turn, so she opted to wait. After chipping away at this issue during the course of several
group lessons, I seized an opportunity to ski one-on-one with her and coach her mental game. We used the word “pounce” to describe the move to the next turn, and I hoped to engender a feeling of deliberate energy going into it. I skied behind her, yelling, “Pounce!” at the end of every turn. Sure enough, the new tactic produced a
BY THE END OF THE YEAR, MATT HAD RE-TAKEN THE PREP CLINIC TO RAVE REVIEWS AND EARNED THE SNOWSPORTS SCHOOL’S AWARD FOR THE MOST IMPROVED RIDER.
down long enough to refi ne our movements. Lastly we need the time, space, and environment in which to practice and perform. T at’s a long list, isn’t it? No wonder it takes a long time to get better – a lot of factors have to work together in order to create improvement. But not every aspect of the equation develops at the same pace. Everyone’s progress is uneven; there are always some parts that lag behind the rest. If just one or two elements are left behind, but the others are strong, the stage is set for a breakthrough. When the occasion arises for that last piece to click into place, a new, higher level of performance can be achieved rapidly. T is is only possible when all the other pieces are already capable of functioning at a higher level and, therefore, ready to support the improvement.
EXAMPLES OF REAL-LIFE BREAKTHROUGHS
Take the case of Becky, who had skied with me for several years. Her stance and movement patterns were perfectly balanced, but she was a cautious skier. While many skiers need to pause at the end of the turn to regroup and re-balance before the next turn, Becky
28 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2017
dramatic change. Becky was supported by strong skills that allowed a quicker, more dynamic transition through her turns. Within one run she was skiing better, and by the end of the afternoon she was a reinvented skier. “I never thought I’d ski like this!” she exclaimed breathlessly at the bottom of a bump-fi lled bowl. Her mental game had caught up to her physical abilities and allowed a breakthrough. In another example, Matt had been teaching snowboarding at
a small ski area for a few seasons, then moved to a larger one with a comprehensive training program. He was athletic as they come but had spent several years riding in a vacuum. When he took his Level II prep clinic, he was devastated by the feedback. “Apparently I don’t know how to ride at all,” he said afterward, visibly shaken by the experience. Understandably, it took Matt a while to warm up to the idea of attending clinics again, and he was sensitive about fi tting a certain mold with his riding. But once that feeling faded, he started to make dramatic improvements. Each week I’d watch him fl y by under the lift and I noticed huge gains. Some people didn’t even recognize him, as he was improving so quickly. Suddenly he was at every clinic off ered, eagerly seeking more feedback.
CHRIS KERR
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