29 September, 2005
The Mental Component of Performance

My background in skiing is from the ski racing side. I competed at the World Cup level and I remember clearly what it took to work my way through the system to reach the highest level in skiing. The process is more taxing mentally than physically. In my day, there was little information about sports psychology, so we had to figure it out by ourselves. We dealt with mental departments like self-confidence, optimism, positive thinking, negative thinking, balancing the resulting emotions and therefore remaining positive. We also had to figure out how to prepare on race day, which included preparation the day before. So what is it that I learned?

The mental side of ski racing is not that different from what any sportsman or woman would use to help themselves perform better and more consistently in their own sport. Preparation techniques can be applied for skiing challenging terrain or new terrain that you are not accustomed to skiing. They can also be used when learning new movements. Mental training should be as or more important a training component than the physical side.

Ski racing results can change a person's confidence and therefore their skiing. Good results can improve your confidence, while poor results may diminish your confidence.

Skiers have very different responses and react differently to the emotional pressures involved in racing, performance evaluations or being challenged by terrain. If we acknowledge that emotions such as fear, anxiety and apprehension often influence performance in a negative manner, then we should learn techniques to manage them. If we can realize when these emotions have influences on us, then we can train to manage our responses to these emotions. We need to know when these emotions have a negative impact on us, and how to minimize these impacts.

Physical responses due to fear can include muscle tightness, muscle weakness, poor eyesight (limited vision, narrow focus), and unrealistic awareness or perception of speed. If any of these occur, it reduces our ability to perform at our best levels. The performance drops to fall within the constraints of the physical responses. Diana has learned much in the last few years about her mental responses; she now manages the tendency to back off when she is in the starting gate. Diana's example is a very common response to "apprehension of the unknown". If you put yourself in the same situation but use a run that challenges you, rather than the racecourse, the same response to the unknown can apply to you.

Fear of a difficult run can influence your vision

What guidelines should you use for a strong mental approach to keep your performance high?

1. Set a performance goal (PG) and focus on it every time you begin to doubt yourself. You have to learn to recognize when you begin to doubt. Many people are in denial about fear and doubt. You have to know when and why you have it before you can respond.

2. Pick a time when you had your best performance (BP) and focus on how you felt and what you did in that situation. Any time you begin to doubt don't let it enter your consciousness. Go right to thoughts of your PG or BP.

3. You have to be realistic about your PG. If you are unsure ask your coach what you should be able to do given your skiing background in certain situations. If you set your PG too high you will possibly be disappointed. Some skiers thrive on a challenge and perform better when under pressure to perform. Those skiers are rare and this usually applies to skiers who have experience in other competitive sports.

4. Warm up with good technique on terrain that builds your confidence, and where you can reliably produce your BP. This keeps your BP fresh and easily accessible in your mind.

Ski terrain that makes your warmup run feel good

5. One technique to overcome apprehension is to be aggressive, attacking to overcome the fear factor. You have to manage how much aggression you can tolerate, just as you have to know how much attacking is too much.

6. When skiing, look forward by picking the next gate, the next bump; focus your eyes further down the hill. Make sure you are actually focusing on the object that you are supposed to be looking at; so many skiers think they are focussed, but actually they are in a broad viewing mode that brings in too much information.

7. On a long challenging run don't look to the bottom. Begin by looking at only three or four bumps or turns at a time.

Focus only on the moguls that you'll ski on

8. Let your body perform; try not to overcontrol technique; let technique come out naturally as needs demand for the conditions on the course or terrain.

9. Keep one idea or movement in mind at a time, a positive theme that you have good control over and have had success with.

One focus at a time. Here, Harald works on counterbalancing.

By practicing these techniques, you'll develop the ability to manage situations in skiing that are uncomfortable or threatening. However, it takes practice and experience with these techniques before they'll work for you. You may not have success the first times you use them, as fear and apprehension are very strong emotions that can control the body. You literally have to overcome your natural instincts and become able to apply the thoughts you want to have and be in control of your skiing.

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