Rossi Answers Chapter 2.0 (Mindset)

[Horton]

http://www.ballofspray.com/images/2014/rossi.gifThanks again to all the Ballers who are participating in this contest and continued discussion. As I read through your questions, it is apparent to me that most of them are very similar. My hopes here are to help fill in those voids that you have so that we may dig deeper into some new questions. I would also like to encourage questions from our longer line, slower speeds skiers too. This is not meant to be an elite level discussion. What I have found through the years of skiing and coaching is that what you don't understand is what holds your skiing back and that most of us would rather focus on what we do know as it is easier to practice and more rewarding. I have always tried to understand things off the water first and then spend time with the on the water practice. I feel as though a lot of skiers reverse this and try to do the actual practice portion of skiing without understanding the theories. A really good homework assignment for each of you would be to write down in detail what you believe happens from setting up for your pull out through the completion of the course. Be extremely detailed in every area. Any place where you struggle with detail shows an area that you can start to dig deeper into. Now onto this chapters winning questions...

@Skoot1123 - Chris - thanks again for doing this. Was wondering if you can comment on your mindset/way of thinking in order to make 6 ball the best ball of them all. In other words as you round one buoy and maybe mess up a little do you start thinking about form in order to get a better next buoy or do you maintain the same thoughts throughout the pass?

This is a great question. I feel as though most skiers get ahead of themselves while skiing the course. When buoy 1 is not optimal, skiers tend to fast forward in their mind to buoy 2 with the hopes of making a big turn and making up time. We all know how that story ends 90% of the time and that it isn't a good ending. A long time ago I realized that this mentality was not good for my skiing. The first lesson here and easy answer to your question is that we must stay in the moment at all times. Nothing good happens when you get ahead of your skiing. Just because things aren't perfect, we should not start to panic. In general, we have to be less sensitive skiers. Don't sweat the small stuff. Have you ever watched video of me making multiple blatant errors and still running 39 or 41? That video of me at 41off@34 that was posted on BOS last August is a great example. My buoy one was atrocious and if you took a picture of my finishing angle (ski tip pointed at boat) you would bet I was done. But, there is a lot of room for error while we ski (even if it does not feel like it) and I was able to focus on getting into a strong stacked position to optimize my situation. I was not thinking of what i would have to do at buoy 2 to get back into it, I was thinking about the stacked position that leads to angle and speed at the centerline which will set me up better going into the buoy. Will buoy 2 be optimal, no, but all I can do is make the most out of what I ended up with. As a long time coach, I have learned that you can use 1-3 keys while skiing the course. Every skier will have a different set of keys depending on their individual weakness. What I suggest is going to a professional coach and do some skiing. They will find your weakest links and give you the tools to help improve them. Take each of the lessons they give you and sum them up into one word. This way, your 3 keys will end up being only three words total. I'll give you an example from my skiing. My three keys last season were Wide, Strong, Center. Now I'll interpret that to you all. Wide - I have been ending up narrow on my gate glide so I use Wide as a way to remind myself to get up on the boat in my glide. Strong - refers to getting into my stacked position early and being aggressive into the wakes. Center - refers to being strong only to center line so that I don't pull long. Like I said before, everyone will have a different set of keys. The biggest thing is to find those keys (go to a pro coach) and then simplify them down to a simple word.

I look forward to continuing these discussions in the forum and also plan on answering many of the non winning questions as their own topics under the "Ask Rossi" heading.

Radar Skis, Tige Boats, Performance Ski & Surf, and Aseda Raw Honey

[Skoot1123]

@chrisrossi - thank you very much for answering this question! Good information that I'll be working on this coming ski season. For myself I know that if I mess up #1 buoy I immediately think about the next buoy instead of thinking where I am in the process of my skiing from one buoy to the next.

 

Determining those 3 Keys will for sure help anyone to progress their skiing - in the course and out of the course. This is where the Pro - Coach can REALLY help. Thanks!!

[andjules]

I think I know the 3 things I'm going to be working on... but I haven't distilled them into single words - good idea.

[webbdawg99]

"we must stay in the moment at all times" THIS is a very insightful/valuable piece of advice!!!

[Skoot1123]

@webbdawg99‌ - that is the hard part!!!

[colo_skier]

Some how the word "squirrel" always comes up when I am in the moment. Then I'm not.

[webbdawg99]

Anyone ever practiced turning six ball and pulling for "seven"? I'm a left foot forward skier, so turning six ball helps me increase my offside practice by 50% each pass! But what I've noticed is that 6 ball is usually my best turn. Why? I think it's because I'm only focused on 6 ball and not what's coming next.

[markchilcutt]

@horton and @chrisrossi thanks for all the time and energy spent on these topics. I really really like this thought process. Hoping i can figure out my 3 keys!!! Seems simple and that is what i need.

[webbdawg99]

The "3 Keys" principle is also found in sports psychology. What are the 3 things I need to do to be successful at x task? Whether its kicking the game winning field goal, making the free throw in the basketball game, or running a slalom pass. And when thinking about these three things, always think in the positive, not negative. For example, think "start wide" vs "don't start narrow". When mentally preparing for something, your body somehow always ignores the "don't" part of a negative statement, causing you to often do exactly what you're trying to avoid doing!

[Klundell]

Thanks Chris. This was great, I love the three keys.

[Skoot1123]

SO I put this "in the moment" mindset to work during my workout. It is not an easy task to do - it is mentally tiring and requires (for me at least) at LOT of concentration. Add to that doing lunges/squats and balance moves on one leg while burning out your muscles and it ends up being a very intense workout. BUT - my balance was GREATLY improved it also helped reduce the crazy movements trying to keep my balance. Granted - it wasn't perfect but I will continue to work on that. One of my keys: Stay in the Moment.