#1
|
|||
|
|||
Competing Nerves
Hi!!!
The other day there was a christmas skating competition at the local ice rink and i went to watch. I wasnt even competing and i got sooooo nervous for the skaters. I have my first competition in February, and I usually dont do good in front of crowds. I am going to be so nervous! Do you know any good ways to keep calm during the competition? |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
__________________
Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
I asked my daughter and she said this....
Mom, I take the butterflys in my tummy and use them and all my energy on the ice and in my program.Sometimes nervous energy is good !! In Three years she has competed alot !!Just gotta get used to it We also use the remember the people watching are someone brothers and sisters,moms and dads. And of course the judges in their undeware !!! |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Visualization helps, along with breathing exercises.
I skate in ice shows and I also agree that remembering that most of the people there are loved ones there to see their darlings skate! And, they don't know how your routine is supposed to look...which is a good thing (at my last competition, my mind went blank and I forgot part of my routine...but the crowd was a great one and I was comforted and spurred on to finish instead of freaking out . They never knew what elements I skipped!) I also like to treat each competition as my personal show "solo" piece (which I never get <g>) and they are great fun so have fun with it!!!
__________________
Skate@Delaware Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter! |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
I'll be doing my first competition in the spring and I am thinking a half a bottle of wine would be about right . . . .
__________________
Dianne (A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! ) |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Nah, TEQUILA!!!!!
__________________
Skate@Delaware Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter! |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Half a bottle of Tequila and I wouldn't even remember being AT the competition!
__________________
Dianne (A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! ) |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
In addition to deep breathing while waiting to take the ice (I do in for a count of 8, out for a count of 8), I also find technique cue words to be immensely helpful for keeping my mind on what I'm doing, no matter how nervous I am. I come up with one or more technique cue words for each element I do, including my stroking/crossovers (I think, "butt down, butt down" on my crossovers so I get a deep knee bend and good speed). I make sure I say each cue word in my head whenever I practice that element and skate my program, and then make a list of all of them on my competition day. As I stand there breathing deeply, bending my knees and shaking out my legs, I go over my list of cue words just like I'm studying for a test, and I find that keeps the nervous thoughts away while helping me stay focused on my technique throughout the program.
__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
My biggest nerve problem is forgetting to breath! I have to choreograph breaths into my programs
Lyle |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
I ate a Kahlua truffle before my competition.
I don't think it really did anything because I only had one left to eat (maybe if I'd rationed them and had five or so). I was way too nervous though, so next time I will eat at least six Kahlua truffles. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
One thing that I realized was making me more stressed out before tests, competitions, etc. was that I was thinking that it is bad to be nervous and that I should try to have 0% nervousness. So, now I approach it like this--I accept that I may feel a little nervous but I don't freak out about the fact that I'm nervous at all.
I don't know if that explanation made sense, but it made a difference in terms of how I felt before my first test (serious BIG case of wobbly knees and shivery shakes) and how I've felt before each subsequent test and competition. I also discovered before a recent competition that I can feel a well of confidence behind the nervousness. When I would feel butterflies in my stomach, I thought about the confident feeling behind the nervousness and concentrated on that.
__________________
Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor. http://www.marrow.org http://www.nmdp.org |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
I'll vouch for the dress rehearsal - my first-ever Xmas show is on this weekend (eek!), and last weekend's dress rehearsal had my friends in stitches...I usually safety-pin my locker key to my skirt just above the hem of my top, so it doesn't show. It's never mattered before if it did show, and I never thought anything more of it until...back spiral ==> locker key hung down dangling in the breeze and tinkling as it went. As I came off, my friends, still in stitches, were all saying "locker key. Good look, that." Note to self: remove locker key and give to DH to put in pocket.
|
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Is that the idea??
|
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Then you'd HAVE to get the video....as proof you were there...and to watch your skating...ummmm, maybe not
sometimes it's hard to tell the nervousness from excitement; possibly it's a blend of both!!! That's how I felt last time
__________________
Skate@Delaware Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter! |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
You guys are TOO funny! I have the Christmas show this Sunday and i don't drink at all and i purchased a teeny thing of wine. Problem is, now, sleeping the night before, since i've already started not sleeping and it's only Wednesday! oops Thursday! (12:40)
|
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Nervousness and excitement are actually the same chemical reaction in your body... more adrenaline than you're used to. It just depends on how you decide to react to it whether you call it nerves or excitement. Besides, it's good you feel SOMETHING before you go out to perform... you don't want it to look like "oh yeah, here's some stuff, I don't want to be here, I don't want you to watch, why are we all wasting our time?". And I find if I tell myself it's good and normal to be nervous/excited before a performance, that way it's not lifeless. And it's true, you CAN skate just fine, even if you do feel excited/nervous... just remember what you normally focus on.. and keep going!
Best wishes for a GREAT performance! I hope you get off the ice so happy you want to do it again RIGHT THEN!!! |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Nah, one of Becca's specials..... or several.....
Actually and seriously, I've learnt to take a hip-flask to competitions - not for pre-skating nerves (I'm not too bad with those), but for post-skating adrenaline crash, which I'm awful with. I am far worse afterwards than before, as anybody who knows me will tell you. Whisky helps, as does lots and lots of dark fruit-and-nut chocolate!
__________________
Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Actually, that's a very good point. If you are "pumped up" when you get on the ice, you can find yourself jumping higher/bigger than you normally do in practice, and oh boy have I made THAT mistake, LOL! When you jump higher, your timing and even body position will be different and you can end up having no outflow on the landing, or worse, botching the landing altogether! I have found that the best strategy is to recreate exactly what I do in practice (which is why the technique cue words have been such a lifesaver for me!).
__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Lyle |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Someone on this forum suggested RECORDING the cues into a copy of the song and putting it on your iPod/mp3/extra CD for practices.
(I, of course, hear the voices without that assistance.)
__________________
Isk8NYC
|
#22
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Whenever I work out a problem on an element, I give myself a cue word that reminds me of the proper technique, then I test the cue word and make sure my body responds to it the right way when I do the element. If it works, I write it down in my notebook when I get off the ice and look at my notebook to refresh my memory on my cue words the next time I get on the ice. So, as different things start working and new problems need fixing, my cue words tend to evolve and change.
__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
So do I but it has nothing to do with skating!
__________________
Dianne (A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! ) |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Lyle |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
So have I! Not so much in jumping, but when we did a lift in our free dance.... he lifted me far too high, we slipped, and over we went in one of those falls where all the audience holds its breath in case you are badly injured. Luckily, neither of us was, although Husband was very stiff and sore for several days afterwards.
__________________
Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|