Choking on our hardest passes

[Razorskier1]

Saw this article in the news. I thought it was really interesting perspective. How many of us are guilty of overthinking it when we get to a tournament, or worst yet, when we get to our hardest pass?

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/02/why-even-olympians-choke/283792/?google_editors_picks=true

[Texas6]

Guilty

[MISkier]

I start overthinking on my opener.

[ntx]

Kind of reinforces a statement that I have seen here before that drew some criticism. "You are only as good as your last tournament pass"

[ral]

I tend to choke more on my opener in tournaments than on my hardest pass...

[ozski]

@ral - I hear you on that but I do the same thing in practice from time to time. Suffering from head in the wrong space I think.

 

[John Brooks]

I'll have to try that squeezing a ball in my left hand next tournament. I agree with you guys, that opener is tough, mentally.

[chris_logan]

I only overthink my hardest pass in practice. In tournaments, its always my opener - and then I'm chilled out for the remainder of my passes.

[ForrestGump]

I completely underthink my opener sometimes. Go out and ski it lazy because I can and that bites me. I'm much better off once I get past that.

[Razorskier1]

Like I said at the start, I place it more in the context of overthinking. For example, in practice I just step off the platform and don't even think about 28 or 32 off. At 35 I start thinking (about my pull out, my gate timing, etc) more than at the first two passes. At -38 I think about these even more. The result is that things that wouldn't have bothered you do bother you, and affect your success. @6balls told me last year to just quit thinking when the line went to purple. He and I both know I can run the pass, so just go ski it. If you think about how many danged gates and turns you've taken in slalom, your body (and subconscious mind) definitely know what to do. My goal this year is to get out of the way and "let it happen".

[Skoot1123]

Going to have to give the "squeeze a ball in the left hand" method a try. Maybe it'll start a new pre-ski routine.... if it works.

[Razorskier1]

@Skoot1123 -- just don't screw up the order and "squeeze your left ball in your hand"!

[Skoot1123]

@razorskier1 - good advice. OUCH!

[scuppers]

@Razorskier1 Thanks, that was very interesting!

[6balls]

For some reason I get nervous about missing a gate though I have never missed in a tournament before. Of course the old 5 ball "don't screw it up" and then just don't ski it well is always lurking.

[jcamp]

I tend to overski my hardest pass, thinking that I've got to be some kind of gorilla skier to do it. This was really evident when at a tournament last year the boat forgot to shorten the rope after I ran my second hardest pass. I ran that pass again (thinking it was my hardest) but it was scrappy as hell. I made it way more difficult that it needed to be.