Did you see that incredible long program skate by Patrick Chan at Skate Canada? Although his performance was epic it wasn’t what happened on the ice that impressed me as much as what happened when he left the ice. As he sat in the “kiss and cry” area awaiting his marks he turned to his coach and said,
“I just shut my brain off….it was like tunnel vision”.
She proceeded to engage with him about how you have to…
“find the moment where you can take your mind and put it right there in your music…”.
That kind of connection within the performance is something that elite athletes spend endless hours training to achieve. Patrick references the journey to this magical performance as having been a “battle”, and those of us who follow Figure Skating and love Patrick Chan are aware of the ups and downs that he has endured. However, this time you could see it in his eyes, he was SO focused during this performance…it was like he was in a trance.
A flawless skate like his is not a stroke of luck. Patrick’s training and preparation, which obviously includes MENTAL TRAINING, garnered his success.
As a Mind-Body Performance Specialist to Figure Skaters, nothing pleases me more than to hear this kind of dialogue between a skater and coach. We need to create more of this, by equipping our young skaters and coaches with the skills to TRAIN THEIR MINDS to work for them, not against them.
Invest in your success and seek out someone who can support you in training your mind. Ask me how my Mind-Body Performance Coaching programs and workshops can improve your MENTAL GAME!
Until next time,
Keep your Brain in the Game!
Hi, I'm Rebekah. I help skaters improve their performance by strengthening their mindset. Please check out my blog, sign up to my mailing list, or follow me on social media for inspiration. 