Competition Tip #3: Focus

Competition stress gets to everyone. Not just the athlete, but also family and even close friends. The environment you are in does not make it any better.

[Picture adapted from photo by David W. Carmichael (http://davecskatingphoto.com)]

You see your competitor land that double sal and you wonder if you will. You hear others gossip about how "simple" your footwork sequence is, or how your spin is "only level 1".

Tip #3: Focus on yourself

I originally wanted to phrase this as "avoid stressful situations" but that is not always possible. Moreover, avoidance is not the best solution. Instead, you need to

focus on your own training

This is not the time to listen to naysayers. This is not the time to worry about whether you should have put a double Sal in your program ~ just because others have it. This is not the time to second-guess what your coach has planned out for you.

 Work on what you have.
   Make your program the best you can.
    Focus on your strengths.
     Train hard ...
        ... and the results will follow.

Competition Tip #2: Familiarity breeds success

This may sound like a "duh" tip, but there is more to it than you may think...

[Picture adapted from photo by David W. Carmichael (http://davecskatingphoto.com), via Wikimedia Commons.]

Tip #2:
Familiarity with your program

All skaters perform a program to music, and you must

be intimately familiar with your program
You need to know your program well enough to perform it with ease, with expression, and under any circumstance. You need to know how every part of your program fits in with the music. You need to know the entire sequence of your program. You need to become one with the music.

The program must be so ingrained in you that you can focus on the quality of the execution. Such familiarity with your routine will build your confidence in your ability. Minor disruptions will not bother you ~ so what if you fell on that jump, just get up and continue.

So you're thinking, you have your program, you have practised it over and over, how can you not be familiar with it? Well, ask yourself this question:
If your program was interrupted (for whatever reason), would you be able to resume the program from where you left off?

This was what happened to dance team Yanovskaya/Mozgov at the 2012 Junior World Championships. The strap on Mozgov's pants came loose and the judge stopped the music to have him fix it. They had to start again from where they left off... Though such cases are not common, being familiar with your program will help tremendously in an already tense situation!

Competition Tip #1: Confidence

With 11 more days to the start of the Singapore National Figure Skating Competition, I am beginning to hear expressions of nervousness all around the rink. How prepared are you?

Over the next two weeks, I will be posting one tip a day regarding preparation for competition. Are you ready?

Tip #1: Confidence

Confidence is the knowledge that you are capable of doing something.

Be confident in your ability

You have trained hard, and continue to prepare physically for your competition. As you work on your jump, your spin, your step/spiral sequence and your program, remember that you have the ability to perform.

Yes, you can do each and every element in your program. Banish the thought of "don't fall". Instead, think "stand up" on that jump landing. Keep your attitude positive.

Remember that you are making consistent progress. Though your road to progress may be bumpy (who doesn't have a "bad spin day" or a "bad jump day"?) you must focus on the fact that you are training to improve.

Whenever you step on the ice, skate like your best!

 

[Picture adapted from photo by Rich Moffitt from Boston, USA (Sasha Cohen in a very high jump) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons]