Mikaela Shiffrin utilizing imagery throughout inspection GEPA /Matic Klansek
The 2023-24 alpine race season is now underway. From Soelden to Copper to Edouard to many different race venues, it’s “go time” for racers from juniors as much as the World Cup. So, now’s the time to shift from coaching to race mode.
This transition requires a number of important modifications in your focus and in the way you strategy your coaching:
From give attention to method and ways to give attention to going quick.
From particulars of snowboarding to the large image of snowboarding.
From considering and analyzing to feeling and trusting.
From decrease depth to race depth.
From coaching preparation to race-like preparation for coaching runs.
Good Snowboarding vs. Quick Snowboarding
This distinction between good snowboarding and quick snowboarding is a big distinction for me and one which I work with racers on consistently. Over my a few years in ski racing, first as a racer after which as a psychological coach, I’ve seen many good skiers. They had been technically and tactically sound and made good turns. These good skiers had been strong and constant. However there was just one downside. They weren’t often on the rostrum. Why? As a result of they had been extra centered on snowboarding effectively than snowboarding quick.
Right here’s the issue: Good snowboarding doesn’t essentially translate into quick snowboarding. I’m on the hill with younger racers consistently each winter and summer time and I see a misguided emphasis on good snowboarding amongst racers and coaches. In fact, method and ways are essential to ski quick, however they alone are inadequate. The final time I checked, they don’t give fashion factors in ski racing. All that issues is the whole time between begin to end. You’ll be able to have an attractive run and be gradual and a really ugly run and be quick. Considering again to my racing days, the races I felt I had skied effectively had been inevitably gradual, and the races the place I held on for expensive life had been often quick.
Right here’s how I take into consideration good snowboarding:
Secure
Balanced
In management
Clear
Snug
Clean
Protected
NOT FAST!
In distinction, quick snowboarding is a really completely different strategy to racing. Good skiers give attention to going across the gates throughout a race run. However quick skiers don’t take into consideration going across the gates. The Mikaelas and Marcos of the World Cup solely give attention to getting from the begin to end as quick as doable. In fact, they know they have to observe the principles and go across the gates, however that’s not what’s on their minds.
Right here’s what I take into consideration quick snowboarding:
Unstable
On the sting
Ragged
Dangerous
Uncomfortable
FAST!
It’s vital to notice which you can’t ski quick with out good snowboarding. In case you don’t, you’ll be quick for a couple of gates however will in all probability make an enormous mistake or blow out since you didn’t ski effectively sufficient to handle the quick snowboarding from begin to end. A necessary a part of this shift from coaching mode to race mode is making certain that you just take your good snowboarding to the subsequent degree of snowboarding quick.
Velocity is an Acquired Ability
Like method and ways, I don’t consider pace, that’s, going as quick as you’ll be able to, comes naturally to many racers. As a substitute, it must be practiced and discovered. If you first begin specializing in snowboarding quick, you’ll really feel out of stability, uncontrolled and uncomfortable. Your thoughts and physique received’t be capable of sustain with the pace and you’ll doubtless make errors, DNF, or crash at first. You want time (and a variety of reps) to determine easy methods to keep on prime of a brand new degree of pace.
If you shift to race mode, you do what you recognize you have to do to ski quick; for instance, earlier than a coaching run, you may improve your depth, breathe aggressively, or fireplace your self as much as assault the course. You additionally must embrace the angle that you could be make errors if you ignite the afterburners, and that’s an excellent factor as a result of it means you’re pushing your limits. When this occurs, remind your self to be affected person and keep dedicated as a result of, in time, your thoughts and physique will meet up with the brand new pace, and also you’ll change into sooner and end.
Discover Your Velocity Threshold
There is just one solution to uncover how briskly you’ll be able to ski: crossing the brink and maybe crashing and burning. Good snowboarding received’t enable that to occur; solely quick snowboarding does. What defines the greats is their capability to constantly discover that threshold and ski inside it.. Discovering and staying simply inside that line is a talent that takes apply and the willingness to fail and to get uncomfortable till the uncomfortable turns into comfy and quick snowboarding will get sooner.
In fact, proceed to enhance your method and ways. However don’t cease there. When you’re feeling strong in these two areas and snowboarding effectively, set them apart and switch your consideration to what in the end issues most in our sport—quick snowboarding!—and let ’ er rip.
Prepare Like You Race, So You Can Race Like You Prepare
A significant a part of this transition from coaching mode to race mode is to make sure that you prepare such as you race so you’ll be able to race such as you prepare. Listed here are a number of key guidelines to ski by.
First, no matter you do in races, you have to first do in coaching. This appears apparent, but racers typically neglect it. If you wish to ski technically and tactically effectively in races, you higher get that method and people ways down in coaching first. However, with race season upon us, you additionally must ingrain the sensation of going quick in your coaching so it comes extra naturally in races.
Second, no matter you do in coaching is what you’ll do in a race. Ideally, the purpose of coaching is to develop efficient expertise and habits that translate into quick snowboarding on race day. It additionally means creating pace expertise. However right here’s the issue: racers typically apply unhealthy expertise and habits in coaching, whether or not technical, tactical, psychological, or pace.
So, take into consideration what you do on race day to prepare and do the identical in coaching as a part of your coaching routine. For instance, do an excellent snowboarding warm-up, examine the course (don’t simply slip it), get your physique transferring at first, do psychological imagery and give attention to going quick. In fact, you’re not going to spend 15-Half-hour preparing for every coaching run, however it is best to take key components of your race routine and shrink it all the way down to a 1-2 minute coaching routine.
The extra you may make coaching like a race, the extra you’ll ingrain in your physique and thoughts the abilities and habits to ski quick in a race. The final word purpose is that if you enter the beginning gate of a race, your physique and thoughts routinely do what you do in coaching, and you’ll ski quick within the race identical to you do in coaching.
Mindset
You’ll wish to make a big shift in your mindset. After I speak about mindset, I imply what you’re considering 3-5 minutes earlier than you enter the gate. In coaching mode, your mindset was in all probability centered primarily on method and ways. However in race mode, your mindset ought to change to give attention to what you have to do to simply ski quick.
With most racers I work with, this implies adopting a extra aggressive mindset. Essential instruments for constructing an aggressive mindset embody elevating your bodily depth, intense respiration (compelled exhale), aggressive self-talk (“Assault,” “Cost,” “Let’s convey it”), and aggressive imagery the place you see and really feel your self attacking the course.
Use Psychological Imagery
As you in all probability know from my writing about psychological imagery, I consider it’s a highly effective software that can assist you obtain your ski racing objectives. It’s also a necessary software in serving to you get into race mode. A lot of going quick entails a variety of repetition and getting comfy with a brand new degree of pace. Utilizing imagery can speed up that course of.
As you get deeper into race mode, repeatedly (no less than thrice every week or extra), see and really feel your self simply plain snowboarding quick. For five-10 minutes in every imagery session, think about your self getting ready to ski quick earlier than your coaching and race runs. Then, see and really feel your self being aggressive, charging down the course, and pushing your limits. With each imagery session, you’ll extra deeply ingrain the picture and feeling of snowboarding quick in your thoughts and physique. So, on race day, those self same photographs and emotions will emerge, put you in “full ship” mode, and show you how to ski your quickest.
Workout routines
That will help you make this shift from coaching mode to race mode, listed below are a couple of workouts you are able to do in your on-snow coaching:
Set up a constant coaching routine that could be a mini model of your race routine to make sure whole “race mode” preparation earlier than each coaching run.
Gear (boots buckled, armor adjusted).
Bodily (transferring physique, respiration).
Psychological (imagery, self-talk).
Incorporate a number of “race” runs (i.e., give attention to simply going quick) into coaching periods.
Make the primary two runs of coaching “race” runs to coach your thoughts and physique to go quick the primary two runs (as a result of that’s what has to occur on race day).
Do off-snow imagery of aggressive and quick snowboarding.
Deal with confidence, aggressiveness, and feeling (not considering).
See and really feel your self snowboarding extraordinarily quick.
