Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Head games...
I know it seems as though all I'm writing about is the mental side of things... well, that's on purpose! 99% of the game is mental, friends! (My computer still won't let me use the "Enter" key correctly). Just a quick note about my own little head games. I tend to get very caught up in the oh-so-seductive "what if" cycle that is seemingly life-sucking and never ending. While trying to put myself in a nationals setting yesterday--trying to recreate the anxiety, the waiting, the nervous ticks, the discomforts--I found that many of my hang-ups lie in the "what if... ?" game. What if I skate clean? What if I don't skate well? What if I get a medal? What if I skate right after Evan, or Johnny? What if they don't land their jumps? What if I don't land my axel/lutz/flip... fall on spin... lose my focus... get too nervous... don't have good practices... get sick... trip going down stairs... blah blah blah. SHUT IT ALL OUT!! I have been at a reasonable loss as to how to do that--how do you control thoughts going in and out of your head if they're simply a reaction to where you are, what you're doing, etc.? The answer is to actively say to yourself in your head whatever you'd like to be thinking. When it gets even tougher to shut them out and focus on what you want say them out loud. When that is still difficult, raise your voice. Keep going until you are only focused on what you want and what you want to be thinking. I made the decision yesterday that as soon as I start any kind of "what if... ?" game, I would actively turn it into an, "I do... " game. Instead of "what if I don't do a good program?" it will be [something like] "I do all my jumps"/"I do clean programs"/"I do triple axel"/"I do everything I plan"/"I do great spins" ... I do... I do... I do... and so on. Continuously reminding yourself of the POSITIVE things that YOU have control over; I will continuously remind myself of my strengths. The "What if...?" thoughts are hoopla, instead, "I DO...!!!"
Soreness is my life!!
Here I am again, writing to my anonymous audience... hello all!!
(MY COMPUTER JUST STOPPED LETTING ME USE THE "ENTER" KEY AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT; CONSEQUENTLY THIS WHOLE ENTRY IS ONE PARAGRAPH) I got up this morning with a little bit of a sore groin... more stiff than sore. It was important for me to approach the day without hesitation going into whatever I decided to do. Early on I had made the choice to do everything in my programs and to minimize the exhaustive axel exercises that followed, simply to keep my groin in good working condition. Soreness is expected! Pain is expected! Soreness and pain management are also expected--do whatever necessary to improve while avoiding the unnecessary injury-provoking drills. Funny thing is, a little soreness fades into the background when you choose to focus on something else. I had another great day today, starting off with a clean short followed by a long with a couple small bobbles (nothing big) and a fall on the triple lutz--overall a great program though. The important thing for me to do is avoid my perfectionist tendency to say "if it's not perfect, it's not worth doing" and keep my mind on the idea that the overall trend of my skating is slanted upward; everything has gotten far more consistent, I am more confident, my jumps are more secure, and the overall package is continuing to improve. One or two mistakes on a session or in a program do not make or break anything. MOVE ON, staying focused on whatever you set out to achieve!! Keep pushing; keep pushing; keep pushing!! Tomorrow will be yet another day of the same kind of training, completely independent of what's come before and what's yet to come, but exercising the mind to do exactly what I want when I want to do it. Keep your focus on right now, not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today (right now), for it's the only time your mind actually has control of. Yes, my groin is still sore though, I'm still working and it won't get in the way of anything I set my mind to. "Thanks for listening"--Frasier Crane. --Braden
(MY COMPUTER JUST STOPPED LETTING ME USE THE "ENTER" KEY AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT; CONSEQUENTLY THIS WHOLE ENTRY IS ONE PARAGRAPH) I got up this morning with a little bit of a sore groin... more stiff than sore. It was important for me to approach the day without hesitation going into whatever I decided to do. Early on I had made the choice to do everything in my programs and to minimize the exhaustive axel exercises that followed, simply to keep my groin in good working condition. Soreness is expected! Pain is expected! Soreness and pain management are also expected--do whatever necessary to improve while avoiding the unnecessary injury-provoking drills. Funny thing is, a little soreness fades into the background when you choose to focus on something else. I had another great day today, starting off with a clean short followed by a long with a couple small bobbles (nothing big) and a fall on the triple lutz--overall a great program though. The important thing for me to do is avoid my perfectionist tendency to say "if it's not perfect, it's not worth doing" and keep my mind on the idea that the overall trend of my skating is slanted upward; everything has gotten far more consistent, I am more confident, my jumps are more secure, and the overall package is continuing to improve. One or two mistakes on a session or in a program do not make or break anything. MOVE ON, staying focused on whatever you set out to achieve!! Keep pushing; keep pushing; keep pushing!! Tomorrow will be yet another day of the same kind of training, completely independent of what's come before and what's yet to come, but exercising the mind to do exactly what I want when I want to do it. Keep your focus on right now, not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today (right now), for it's the only time your mind actually has control of. Yes, my groin is still sore though, I'm still working and it won't get in the way of anything I set my mind to. "Thanks for listening"--Frasier Crane. --Braden
Monday, January 14, 2008
COUNTDOWN!!
Well well, I am still alive. Despite my absence from my blog all is going very well. A couple quick notes to get out of the way:
1) I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season
2) Happy New Year to everyone
3) For those whom aren't keeping track of the calendar, the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships are taking place next week in St. Paul, MN.
Being that nationals are next week, I'm going to try and keep a daily post until I leave for St. Paul--Tuesday the 22nd; this could be anything from a small thought to a rant or run-down from the day... be warned! I can't promise anything after that as I'm not sure about Internet availability, but I'll see what I can do about keeping up during the actual week of competition.
The last two weeks of training have been about 200% of anything I've done so far this season. This doesn't mean that I've only been skating better, but my head is in the right place. With nationals approaching, it's important to stay on top of the game and not let up. There's very little time for puttsing (sp?) around so it's important to do whatever necessary to stay on track. I've spent some active time writing goals and phrases to tell myself that help keep me operating in a goal-oriented direction. Every day I remind myself of these goals and every day I say these little things. Example: "I'm a great skater." Sounds cocky and ridiculous, I know... but it's all about putting yourself in whatever mindset you need to accomplish your goal. Right now, that's confidence, optimism, and positivity.
Today I did two clean programs--a short and a long--and one short program where I only missed the combination jump. This is a HUGE booster with nationals coming up. The most important aspect of training is to prove to yourself you can do something. Often times, as athletes we sell ourselves short of our actual potential. Even better there are times when we can surprise ourselves with our own capabilities--but you have to stay on your game, even in practice. Don't worry, it only took me about 300 years to learn that... just kidding, but it literally took me about 14 years--that's a lot of time spent practicing and reinforcing habits that don't get you very far. The best part of it all, it's the mental training that's going to pay off!!!!!
I mentioned that one of my programs today was not clean. This was the first one I did. I specifically noted the point in my program where my mind lost track and rather than focusing on what I was doing, putting myself if the best position for my next element, or staying "present" (in the moment), I was thinking.... "oh my god, this is almost a perfect program--don't screw it up.... woh, you did your [triple] axel and loop--only one more and this will be clean... just keep yourself together, the axel was good, the loop was good, hopefully the lutz will be good... ah, if only I can do this lutz, this will be the best program I've done... BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!! That's ALL wrong. What's already happened is over--don't let it into your head; landed or not landed, jumps that you've already done are independent of the next and the next and the next. Each jump deserves it's own approach completely free of any baggage from the previous. It's fun to get pumped, but you can't back off thinking you'll save yourself. Stay aggressive. Keep yourself in attack mode and any peripheral nonsense can be shut out--DON"T LET IT IN!!! They're YOUR thoughts, make them what you want. Not 10 minutes later I was doing my short program again. Landed triple axel. Landed triple loop. Landed triple lutz double toe. That was that. I was not thinking ahead of myself and I was not thinking about what just happened. I keep it in my head and as I go I remind myself, "this is triple axel; I do triple axel... this is triple loop; I do triple loop... this is triple lutz double toe; I do triple lutz double toe. Each element is free of judgement, free of doubt and consequently executed the way I know how to do them.
Even now, sometimes I have a tendency to let up after a really good day, thinking to myself, "it's in the bag!" In reality it's not over 'til it's OVER. Yes today was great, but I have four more days this week, and nationals next week; no one cares about today. Tomorrow I will go to the rink do what I do every day the same way I did today. I will have no regard for what happened the previous day, how well it went or how badly it went; I will also be free of forecasts--an axel, loop and lutz combo today don't mean anything for tomorrow or next week; I will take each jump at a time, independent of the others until all jumps in my program are completed. It's important [for me] to avoid the spikes--the highs and lows that come with an emotional reaction to an accomplishment or failure. Nationals is next week. The best I can do is rehearse EVERY DAY the way I want to perform next week. Am I capable of a clean program? YES!! Any other problems I have are roadblocks I set up for myself! I will continue to free myself of any unnecessary nonsense that seems to creep into my head at inopportune times and I will continue to train my mind until it's no longer a task... until it's second nature.
Hope everyone's well. Until tomorrow,
Braden
1) I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season
2) Happy New Year to everyone
3) For those whom aren't keeping track of the calendar, the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships are taking place next week in St. Paul, MN.
Being that nationals are next week, I'm going to try and keep a daily post until I leave for St. Paul--Tuesday the 22nd; this could be anything from a small thought to a rant or run-down from the day... be warned! I can't promise anything after that as I'm not sure about Internet availability, but I'll see what I can do about keeping up during the actual week of competition.
The last two weeks of training have been about 200% of anything I've done so far this season. This doesn't mean that I've only been skating better, but my head is in the right place. With nationals approaching, it's important to stay on top of the game and not let up. There's very little time for puttsing (sp?) around so it's important to do whatever necessary to stay on track. I've spent some active time writing goals and phrases to tell myself that help keep me operating in a goal-oriented direction. Every day I remind myself of these goals and every day I say these little things. Example: "I'm a great skater." Sounds cocky and ridiculous, I know... but it's all about putting yourself in whatever mindset you need to accomplish your goal. Right now, that's confidence, optimism, and positivity.
Today I did two clean programs--a short and a long--and one short program where I only missed the combination jump. This is a HUGE booster with nationals coming up. The most important aspect of training is to prove to yourself you can do something. Often times, as athletes we sell ourselves short of our actual potential. Even better there are times when we can surprise ourselves with our own capabilities--but you have to stay on your game, even in practice. Don't worry, it only took me about 300 years to learn that... just kidding, but it literally took me about 14 years--that's a lot of time spent practicing and reinforcing habits that don't get you very far. The best part of it all, it's the mental training that's going to pay off!!!!!
I mentioned that one of my programs today was not clean. This was the first one I did. I specifically noted the point in my program where my mind lost track and rather than focusing on what I was doing, putting myself if the best position for my next element, or staying "present" (in the moment), I was thinking.... "oh my god, this is almost a perfect program--don't screw it up.... woh, you did your [triple] axel and loop--only one more and this will be clean... just keep yourself together, the axel was good, the loop was good, hopefully the lutz will be good... ah, if only I can do this lutz, this will be the best program I've done... BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!! That's ALL wrong. What's already happened is over--don't let it into your head; landed or not landed, jumps that you've already done are independent of the next and the next and the next. Each jump deserves it's own approach completely free of any baggage from the previous. It's fun to get pumped, but you can't back off thinking you'll save yourself. Stay aggressive. Keep yourself in attack mode and any peripheral nonsense can be shut out--DON"T LET IT IN!!! They're YOUR thoughts, make them what you want. Not 10 minutes later I was doing my short program again. Landed triple axel. Landed triple loop. Landed triple lutz double toe. That was that. I was not thinking ahead of myself and I was not thinking about what just happened. I keep it in my head and as I go I remind myself, "this is triple axel; I do triple axel... this is triple loop; I do triple loop... this is triple lutz double toe; I do triple lutz double toe. Each element is free of judgement, free of doubt and consequently executed the way I know how to do them.
Even now, sometimes I have a tendency to let up after a really good day, thinking to myself, "it's in the bag!" In reality it's not over 'til it's OVER. Yes today was great, but I have four more days this week, and nationals next week; no one cares about today. Tomorrow I will go to the rink do what I do every day the same way I did today. I will have no regard for what happened the previous day, how well it went or how badly it went; I will also be free of forecasts--an axel, loop and lutz combo today don't mean anything for tomorrow or next week; I will take each jump at a time, independent of the others until all jumps in my program are completed. It's important [for me] to avoid the spikes--the highs and lows that come with an emotional reaction to an accomplishment or failure. Nationals is next week. The best I can do is rehearse EVERY DAY the way I want to perform next week. Am I capable of a clean program? YES!! Any other problems I have are roadblocks I set up for myself! I will continue to free myself of any unnecessary nonsense that seems to creep into my head at inopportune times and I will continue to train my mind until it's no longer a task... until it's second nature.
Hope everyone's well. Until tomorrow,
Braden
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Report
The last I wrote, I was off to the rink on Monday after a competition weekend; I had a GREAT day. In fact, I had a GREAT week (though only three days long). I mean GREAT!! Not one day did I feel on top of my game going into the rink, but it didn't matter... I did what I went to do and made my days great. For the first time this entire season I managed to get my mind back in the right place.
Sounds cliche, and I think some athletic company uses it as a slogan, but the best approach seems to be, "just do it!" (No ifs/ands/or buts).
Here's to another great week. Cheers!
Braden
Sounds cliche, and I think some athletic company uses it as a slogan, but the best approach seems to be, "just do it!" (No ifs/ands/or buts).
Here's to another great week. Cheers!
Braden
Monday, November 19, 2007
News to me!
WOH--I just found the little link at the bottom of each blog (who knew?) with the comments everyone wrote... space cadet, party of one? Remember, though I went to school and should be able to figure some things out, this is my first blogging experience; finding out the people can comment on my comments was a pretty remarkable discovery in the life of Braden. ;) (that's right--I just did a winking smiley, I admit it)
Now that I know how to find the comments [on my comments], if anyone has a specific question or two, please feel free to ask and I will do what I can to answer them.
Thank you and a happy Thanksgiving to everyone,
Braden
P.S. It's almost against my religion to skate the Monday after a competition weekend, but guess who'll be back on the ice today!! ... Easy tiger.
Now that I know how to find the comments [on my comments], if anyone has a specific question or two, please feel free to ask and I will do what I can to answer them.
Thank you and a happy Thanksgiving to everyone,
Braden
P.S. It's almost against my religion to skate the Monday after a competition weekend, but guess who'll be back on the ice today!! ... Easy tiger.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Midwesterns
Well, I arrived home this morning after competing at the Midwestern Sectional Championships this last weekend. The good news: I'm going to nationals. The not as good news: I didn't skate as well as I wanted.
A brief run down...
Short Program: this went very well considering the preparation for it (remember I completely re choreographed the program after Southwesterns) was all of about a week and a half. I made the strategic decision to do a double axel instead of a triple--for a better overall point value. I did fall on my triple lutz though which compromised the combination jump and didn't much help my score... mmmm, ouch! There were a number of timing errors and artistic issues that will get resolved [and were probably only noticeable to me] but overall, the program was very well received--a big improvement from Southwesterns. I'm totally psyched about that. I placed 2nd in the short program.
Long Program: this was a disappointing program to say the least. Unfortunately, when skaters don't skate well, the fine-toothed comb comes out and the situation gets dissected. What happened? Why? What could've changed? What would've made it better? Was there a problem in the warm-up? Should you have been warmer? Were you nervous? Did you eat the right things during the day? Were you tired? Should you have napped? Taken a longer nap? Blah blah blah. There's only so much that's going to be helped by looking back on something and pointing fingers or finding fault. Instead, what were the good things? I got level 3's on both sequences of footwork with 2's and 3's for the grade of execution--that's something to be excited about, keep that feeling. All of my spins received a level 4, which is the first time that's ever happened--that's something to be excited about, Keep That Feeling. This was also the first competition in which I received some 8's for my components--that's something be excited about--KEEP THAT FEELING! I finished in 3rd place, overall.
It's important to reflect only long enough to learn from your mistakes and NO more than that; learn, and move on!!
What did I learn and what am I going to do about it?
1) I'm not invincible; maintain an understanding that the best program wins, no matter who you are or what your history.
2) Assumptions are holes we get stuck in; don't assume anything--understand that nothing is a given, nothing is for sure, and it's not over until it's over... don't allow assumptions to dictate your mental approach. Your program requires 100% of your effort the whole way through no matter how good or bad it may feel.
3) Program run-throughs are imperative for the necessary familiarity--that means committed run-throughs, with everything in them, including the same effort you expect at competition; practice, practice, practice!
4) My mind is not immune to distractions; practice managing distractions by staying totally focused on your task, what you're doing right now, and exactly what you intend to do in this moment. Don't lose sight of right now by looking too far ahead or behind.
Overall the competition was a great experience. There's plenty to improve and a reasonable amount of time in which to make it happen.
DESTINATION: NATIONALS!!!
'til next time...
Braden
A brief run down...
Short Program: this went very well considering the preparation for it (remember I completely re choreographed the program after Southwesterns) was all of about a week and a half. I made the strategic decision to do a double axel instead of a triple--for a better overall point value. I did fall on my triple lutz though which compromised the combination jump and didn't much help my score... mmmm, ouch! There were a number of timing errors and artistic issues that will get resolved [and were probably only noticeable to me] but overall, the program was very well received--a big improvement from Southwesterns. I'm totally psyched about that. I placed 2nd in the short program.
Long Program: this was a disappointing program to say the least. Unfortunately, when skaters don't skate well, the fine-toothed comb comes out and the situation gets dissected. What happened? Why? What could've changed? What would've made it better? Was there a problem in the warm-up? Should you have been warmer? Were you nervous? Did you eat the right things during the day? Were you tired? Should you have napped? Taken a longer nap? Blah blah blah. There's only so much that's going to be helped by looking back on something and pointing fingers or finding fault. Instead, what were the good things? I got level 3's on both sequences of footwork with 2's and 3's for the grade of execution--that's something to be excited about, keep that feeling. All of my spins received a level 4, which is the first time that's ever happened--that's something to be excited about, Keep That Feeling. This was also the first competition in which I received some 8's for my components--that's something be excited about--KEEP THAT FEELING! I finished in 3rd place, overall.
It's important to reflect only long enough to learn from your mistakes and NO more than that; learn, and move on!!
What did I learn and what am I going to do about it?
1) I'm not invincible; maintain an understanding that the best program wins, no matter who you are or what your history.
2) Assumptions are holes we get stuck in; don't assume anything--understand that nothing is a given, nothing is for sure, and it's not over until it's over... don't allow assumptions to dictate your mental approach. Your program requires 100% of your effort the whole way through no matter how good or bad it may feel.
3) Program run-throughs are imperative for the necessary familiarity--that means committed run-throughs, with everything in them, including the same effort you expect at competition; practice, practice, practice!
4) My mind is not immune to distractions; practice managing distractions by staying totally focused on your task, what you're doing right now, and exactly what you intend to do in this moment. Don't lose sight of right now by looking too far ahead or behind.
Overall the competition was a great experience. There's plenty to improve and a reasonable amount of time in which to make it happen.
DESTINATION: NATIONALS!!!
'til next time...
Braden
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Limbo
Okay, I'm not going to lie, this last week has not been quite as productive as I had hoped. Being in the middle of "crunch time" and trying to pull the things together that need to come together, I find myself looking for the motivation I think I need to do them; when it's not there, I start to get disappointed and allow the situation to bother me.
Every second is a new opportunity to change the things we don't like. I don't like the way I've been practicing. I feel I've been giving in... to aches and pains, fatigue, hunger, being sick, intimidation, distractions, being cold, etc. Now I'm saying it out loud: there's no more giving in.
Training a mind is an impressive thing. YEARS, I have spent working on different concepts mentally and emotionally to try and improve my performances and it wasn't until recently that I really understood how to do that. It's different for everyone, I'm sure, but in my case I have to stay focused on what's happening RIGHT NOW, and I have to make things factual.
One of the coaches I work with differentiates "facts" from "stories" when talking about productivity. (ex: fact--I do triple axels (I have done it once and therefore can repeat it--I am physically capable and that is indisputable); story--my last triple axel wasn't very good... I'm tired... my legs are sore (these are all the things we tell ourselves to make sense out of why we're not accomplishing what we want to; this is the story we create behind the fact). My point: focus on the facts, DON'T create a story!!
Every day, before each session, I will remind myself of my strengths; I will remind myself of the things I will do on that session (motivated or not, hungry or not, tired/sick/sore or not). I will stay focused on my goals for the day, for that session, and keep distractions away. I will focus on the facts and enjoy the journey.
Until next time,
Braden
Every second is a new opportunity to change the things we don't like. I don't like the way I've been practicing. I feel I've been giving in... to aches and pains, fatigue, hunger, being sick, intimidation, distractions, being cold, etc. Now I'm saying it out loud: there's no more giving in.
Training a mind is an impressive thing. YEARS, I have spent working on different concepts mentally and emotionally to try and improve my performances and it wasn't until recently that I really understood how to do that. It's different for everyone, I'm sure, but in my case I have to stay focused on what's happening RIGHT NOW, and I have to make things factual.
One of the coaches I work with differentiates "facts" from "stories" when talking about productivity. (ex: fact--I do triple axels (I have done it once and therefore can repeat it--I am physically capable and that is indisputable); story--my last triple axel wasn't very good... I'm tired... my legs are sore (these are all the things we tell ourselves to make sense out of why we're not accomplishing what we want to; this is the story we create behind the fact). My point: focus on the facts, DON'T create a story!!
Every day, before each session, I will remind myself of my strengths; I will remind myself of the things I will do on that session (motivated or not, hungry or not, tired/sick/sore or not). I will stay focused on my goals for the day, for that session, and keep distractions away. I will focus on the facts and enjoy the journey.
Until next time,
Braden
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