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Mental block
my coach says I have a mental block which is (according to my coach) why i can't land my axel.she thinks that since I fell really hard on the ice trying to do my axel that I put a mental block telling myself that I can't do it because I fell and it hurt really bad (i don't know if any of this makes sense) does anybody know what I mean
if so do you have any tips on how to get rid of it. thanx in advance ~cutie
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Skating is suppose to be fun , no PRESSURE at all ~*Courage*~*Confidence*~*Consistance*~ |
#2
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I doubt there is a single skater that doesnt know what you mean, mental block is a survival instinct as much as anything else, its a bit like swimming, all you do is move your arms and legs and away you go but if you cant swim it aint that simple.
When I first learnt a 3 jump I had a "mental block" I used to try to abort half way through the jump and you guessed it I always ended crumpled up on the floor, I know how to do any jump you like, singles, doubles, triples, trouble is my "mental block" wont let me. Just keep trying and you will get there, I wish I could even get that far but alas I think at 56 its all a little too late my "mental block" keeps me alive. Cheers Grace |
#3
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I developed a mental block this morning - husband and I slipped on a LFO edge, landed in a heap on the ice and his skate scraped my leg. When I had mopped off the blood, I got back on the ice, and we went back to what we were doing - but I couldn't do a LFO chasse in Kilian hold for love nor money! Ended up having to do them in waltz hold with him going backwards to reassure myself that yes, this was an easy step, and finally managed a couple before he had to go.... so I hope I won't have a block on them tomorrow. I better not, is all....
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#4
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One thing I've found about mental blocks in skating and other things -- the more you obsess over them, the harder they are to get rid of. What you need to do is trick your brain into forgetting it's supposed to have a mental block!
For example, if I was having a mental block towards writing an essay, I might just force myself to write anything that comes to mind, even if that it 'This essay is retarded and I don't know what to write.' For skating, I know that a lot of things are easier if my mind isn't obsessing over them. You could try working on whatever you're working on in time to music, so that you're thinking about timing to the music, rather than the jump. Or you could just decide to have fun with a friend for a day; if she jumps, you jump, and concentrate on 'me too!' rather than the jump. The trick is to focus on something else completely so your mind just shuts up a bit while you get your confidence back. |
#5
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Hi,
I had that with doubles after a hard fall. What I did was to watch the kids. They fell and got up and fell and got up and fell and got up and ..... It reminded me that it's a part of learning the jump. After that, I didn't tense up about falling - tensing up or bailing on a jump makes it so much more dangerous-, but let it happen. So I'm still doing doubles, still falling, and I'm still getting up. |
#6
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Take care Grace |
#7
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
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Did Mr. Redboots perhaps bump your knee as you-all went down, and perhaps you didn't notice that bump because of the side-effects of the unplanned blood letting?
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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ... Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems A: 5 and counting... |
#9
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Yeah I know what you mean... even though I'm not very advanced, I still sometimes do worse on certain moves if I try TOO hard. Especially seems to happen at times during a lesson, I get nervous about doing something and mess up. But then when I'm practicing on my own, I'm not as nervous and it comes easier.
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#10
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#11
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I think every skater goes through mental block at some point. I think the best way to get over it, is to just keep trying and practice it. Don't be scared to fall over. As my business teacher said, its all part of the learning cycle. Take babies, they learn by falling over. If they fall they always get up and try again, thats how they learn and thats how i have learnt to get over my mental block. Just got to keep trying, you wil get there in the end.
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Hannah. x |
#12
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~cutie
__________________
Skating is suppose to be fun , no PRESSURE at all ~*Courage*~*Confidence*~*Consistance*~ |
#13
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I can't remember for the life of me what I was going to say I had a mental block for... oh, I think KIND OF (though not too much) spirals. I fell multiple times on them really hard, and my knee is killing me because of them, so I've been a bit afriad to try... even though they're one of my better moves
As far as trying too hard... THREE TURNS!!!! I always think wayyyyy too hard because I'm convinced I can't do the "step forward" part of the outside 3s (on the mitf pattern)... so then I totally screw up. The few times my coach helped, by kinda barely holding my hand, I was thinking about something totally different, and I did them fine. GRAH |
#14
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Hannah. x |
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#16
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I certainly don't work that way. With my primary coach, he's a friend (not close friends but friends.) However, I work hard b/c I want to get better for myself and I don't want to disappoint him! Both of my coaches know that the best way to motivate me is not to scare me, but to either 1) get me mad enough to say "I'll show them!" or 2) humiliation. Works every time!!! And I'm pretty sure I know of at least another skater who's very afraid of her coach on ice... (as in scary scary!!!) but off ice, they're very good friends...
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Cheers, jazzpants 11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!! Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible" (Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???) Thank you for the support, you guys!!! |
#17
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Yeah, I guess thinking about it, it must be dependant upon each skater's personality. Personally, if a coach tried to humiliate me into doing something, I'd probably laugh and walk off the ice, and then fire him. I'm not paying him to make fun of me. But it does work for a lot of people. So I guess my thoughts above were just my personal preferences as far as what a coach should and should not be. I phrased it as if I thought it would work for everyone, and that isn't the case. Sheesh, second bad phrasing of the day, I am really letting myself slip. I just feel, if I get friendly with a coach, then I won't be afraid of him dropping me for one of my competitors, because we'll be friends. So I won't work as hard. Or I'll feel like he can overlook me gaining a pound or not being into practice, cause he's a friend. It would make me work less hard. But some people would work harder with a friend than a stranger, that makes sense too. I guess the important thing is identifying what sort of coach motivates you the best, and sticking with that particular kind.
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#18
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As for mental blocks I often find that a good way is to find someone to teach whatever you are having a block about. While you are busy talking them through it and demonstrating it, your body gets on and does it. You do have to talk out loud which can seem silly but it keeps the mind occupied. It also seems to work (for me ) for things I can't do. Talk someone else through it while demonstrating and suddenly I've done it. Doesnt always work but worth a try.
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'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession' |
#19
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I've only had one coach, but for me, she's not demanding enough...she'll say things are fine when I know they're not perfect and not point out the flaws until a later lesson, presumably when I've become a bit better overall and she feels those flaws actually matter. When she does point out errors, she's really nice about it. This isn't bad or wrong, and I can see how her coaching style would be very beneficial to many skaters, especially adults (she's often recommended to adults), but I personally want somebody a lot more demanding. I don't need a friend, I need somebody who's going to understand what I have the capability to correct *now*, who will never be fully satisfied with any element. I want a very critical eye that I have to keep working harder to please and somebody who's not very happy if I haven't been practicing something I was supposed to, not kind understanding all the time. At the same time I don't want humiliation, at all. I agree with stardust there - if a coach made fun of me it would slow my progress and that would probably be the end of my using that coach. There's a big difference between being demanding and being demeaning.
I think different coaching styles work well for different people though, so the key is finding a coach who's style you like (stardust recently gave me some very excellent advice - go to the rink, don't skate, and just watch them all giving lessons to get an idea of their style and technique they teach), whom you can communicate openly with, and who will suite your individual needs from a coach.
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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info "What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'." "At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve |
#20
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Casey, I understand what you mean, but if your coach is experienced she may have reasons for giving you corrections in a certain order. When in doubt, ask! There's often a reason why nobody expects perfection early in the learning process; for example, nobody expects Alpha-level skaters to have crossovers at the level of a FS5 skater. But when she gives you corrections that you think you could have fixed earlier, ask her why she waited, and explain that you don't need your confidence built, you want to be pushed on the ice.
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Where are those knives when I need them? ---------------------------------- I need a detachable left foot! |
#21
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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info "What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'." "At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve |
#22
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~cutie
__________________
Skating is suppose to be fun , no PRESSURE at all ~*Courage*~*Confidence*~*Consistance*~ |
#23
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My coach has a habit, which I find incredibly annoying, of suddenly coming up with a correction that absolutely transforms whatever it is I'm trying to do. So once I said to him, "Look, why on earth didn't you tell me that six months ago?" to which he replied, "Six months ago it wouldn't have done any good - you weren't at a stage when you could have profited from it!"
Mind you, some of the time I think that's just coach-speak for "I only just thought of it". Cynical, moi?
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#24
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Hi, Cutie. Your coach is right. Most of our problems with the axel are mental. And the same is true of all of the double jumps, too!
My advice is to stop worrying about the axel and start working on your double salchow or double toeloop. Once you start landing your double salchow or toeloop, you'll think, "Hey, the axel is just 1.5 revolutions, no problem!" and you'll do it. That's what happened when I hit a mental block with the axel. I ended up warming up for the axel by doing double salchows, and then I was fine. Skating is a funny thing. |
#25
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One of my friends at my rink has a similar problem... she goes into the axel but just doesn't end up pulling it off (close, though!) because she's a little afraid to give it her all. No real advice, though... I think the double thing sounds useful.
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