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. Matt had been experiencing an information defi cit. He had the athletic ability and the motivation, but he lacked the specifi c knowledge about how to improve his technique. Once the ideas jelled in his head, he made rapid progress.
WHEN A BREAKTHROUGH IS POSSIBLE…
T ese two examples show how breakthroughs can happen when there are specifi c things missing from someone’s overall development. As instructors, we can examine the recipe each person brings to the table and see if one aspect is in need of particular development, and if so, if a breakthrough might be possible. Of course, this is true for us as well. It merits some self- examination to see if certain elements of our own development might be holding up the whole package.
… AND WHEN IT PROBABLY ISN’T
I’ll share one more anecdote with you. I was driving home from a multi-day training event with Andrew, a fellow instructor, and we were debriefi ng about the event. Andrew works at a neighboring ski area, and we skied together only once a year. He always appeared inquisitive and engaged in the learning
process, but his skill development had stagnated. During the clinic Andrew had struggled with the off -groomed skiing, and he was down in the dumps about it. “I need to work on my bump skiing,” he mused. I nodded in agreement. “T ere’s just one thing missing,” he continued, “I feel like I just need that secret ingredient that you guys all have. Once I get that, everything will click.” I refl ected on his appraisal. T e clinician had given Andrew
several tips, but nothing was going to elevate his game quickly. T ere were multiple reasons why Andrew couldn’t ski ungroomed terrain as fl uidly as he’d hoped. His stance, pressure management, timing, and tactical choices were all slightly off . T ere wasn’t just one magical ingredient preventing success; rather, he needed to refi ne several of his fundamentals. Hoping for a breakthrough might impede his ability to buckle down and keep chipping away at it. T is is an important lesson. A survey of the research about athletic
performance reveals very little about breakthroughs, while the emphasis is on long-term, incremental improvements. T at’s because, for the most part, we improve gradually, as a result of consistent yet small improvements that we keep making over the course of our careers. People who have achieved a high level in their sport typically credit long pathways and hard work. T ere is no way to shortcut that.
MAPPING THE ROAD TO IMPROVEMENT
With an understanding of the diff erence between breakthroughs and gradual improvements, you can keep both pathways in mind. Be on the alert for opportunities for rapid gains and experiment with pushing yourself or your students if you feel that a breakthrough could be imminent. Understanding how this element fi ts into the learning process can help you make the long journey of continual improvement both more successful and more fun.
Karin Kirk LV D /HYHO ΖΖΖ DOSLQH LQVWUXFWRU VWDff WUDLQHU DQG 5LGJH *XLGH DW 0RQWDQDȇV %ULGJHU %RZO 2ff VKRZ VKH ZRUNV LQ VFLHQFH
HGXFDWLRQ DQG FXUULFXOXP GHVLJQ :HEVLWHV
karinkirk.com, Karin@
kirkframeworks.com.
Pinnacle moments in our progress can be the result of a big breakthrough, but it can also happen by chipping away at a long-term goal.
%5($.'2:16 T
WHAT IS A BREAKDOWN?
WHAT'S HAPPENING – AND WHAT IT MEANS – WHEN A STUDENT HAS A BAD TIME %\ %HQ 5REHUWV
he boy was rolling on the snow, tears streaming down his face. One foot was strapped into his binding, but every time he stood upright, his board slid out from under him. T e instructor and supervisor looked on helplessly, his mother and grandfather were asking him what was wrong, and his father and grandmother were nearby, looking very concerned. T rough his sobs the boy kept saying that he just wanted to ride, and so he continued his struggle to stand up. What happened? Why was this boy having such a terrible
meltdown? One experienced instructor and two supervisors had already tried to help this young man – what was I going to do?
30 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2017
A breakdown is a situation where there is a sudden and dramatic decrease in a person’s ability to learn or perform at a level of skill they already possess. Physical, cognitive, and emotional factors contribute to the loss of performance, with one of these three factors playing a dominant role in any given breakdown. Breakdowns are most common when working with new ideas
or a movement that has not yet been mastered. Our learning at this stage is fragile and impermanent, and the process of learning tends to consume us physically, cognitively, and emotionally. During these vulnerable stages, overload can trigger a breakdown.
PHYSICAL BREAKDOWNS
Nutrition, hydration, strength, endurance, cold, and pain are elements that may be present in a physical breakdown. Very often it can be easy to turn a bad situation around with a snack, some
KAREN KIRK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124