In a slump? Don’t hit the panic button

I recently returned from the men’s Eastern Cup races at Stowe held at the end of January. I have to say how impressed I was by the quality of skiing. From bib 1 to 117, there was not a bad skier out there.

I spoke to a number of the racers during the two days and I sensed one emotion quite strongly among quite a few of them: panic! Several of the racers described how they were struggling with a bad patch of costly mistakes and DNFs. They were disappointed, frustrated, angry, and mystified. With a desperate tone in their voices, they said they were at a loss for why they were skiing poorly, particularly when they had been skiing so well in training. Even worse, they were talking as if the season was almost over and were already resigning themselves to a failed season.

If you’re one of these racers, here’s what I say: Don’t press the panic button!

What Happens When You Panic?

In a nutshell, if you panic when you’re struggling, you’re almost certain to turn that bad patch into a bad season. Here’s why.

Every physical and mental resource that you need to rely on to turn your difficulties around go in the exact opposite direction of panicking. Physically, you experience anxiety, muscle tension, restricted breathing, and, over all, your body just feels lousy. If your body’s not working right, you have zero chance of getting your skiing out of the ditch and back on the road.

Mentally, you lose confidence because you feel incapable of turning your skiing around. You tend to focus on the results you’re not getting and the missed scoring opportunities that your competitors are getting. You can’t think clearly because you’re in panic mode which means you’ll have a harder time figuring out what the problem is that is causing you to panic in the first place.

Emotionally, you not only feel the aforementioned disappointment, frustration, and anger, but also a sense of hopelessness because you have no idea what is going on with your skiing. Perhaps even worse, with every race you feel an inescapable sense of dread at the day ahead because, based on recent history, you just can’t believe that it’s going to end well.

And when it comes down to your actual skiing, desperation causes you to try way too hard which only makes your skiing worse.

Possible Causes of Slumps

There’s no doubt that slumps stink big time. But declines in your skiing don’t just happen; there is almost always a reason for them. The good news is that it’s just a matter of figuring what the cause is and fixing the problem. The bad news is that one of the most difficult aspects of ski racing is that it is an incredibly complex sport with many factors that impact how fast and consistently you ski. Your challenge is figuring out what’s going wrong. Here’s a list of possibilities that you must explore, perhaps with the help of your coach, to uncover the cause of your struggles:

• Equipment
• Physical: illness, injury, sleep, nutrition
• School
• Relationships
• Technique
• Tactics
• Mental
• Emotional

Any of these factors can be the culprit. You should do a careful analysis of each to determine what has caused your recent difficulties and then take steps to fix the problem.

Look on the Bright Side

I have to admit that sometimes there is no obvious cause of a bad patch of skiing. In that case, as much as you feel compelled to adopt the doomsday scenario, the best path to take is the one that puts your current skiing situation in perspective.

The reality is that ups and downs are a natural part of the sport. You’re going to have bad races, and you shouldn’t assume that your season will continue to be bad. In turn, you’re going to have good races, but you can’t expect all your races will be good. If you can just accept those normal fluctuations in your skiing, you’ll spend less time in a down period and more time at a higher level.

You also need to be patient which is, of course, the opposite of panic. When panicking, you feel frantic and need to do something immediately. When you’re patient, you’re much calmer because you understand that it may take some time to climb out of the hole you’re in. Patience also prevents you from “trying” to turn your skiing around. There’s a difference between to doing what you need to do to get your skiing back to where it was and attempting to force it back (which won’t work). Trying just makes things worse.

Your slump may also be a good sign indicating that your body and mind are trying some different things, but they haven’t quite put it all together yet. As I’m sure you know, you sometimes have to fall apart a little before you put things back together.

Also, how you’re skiing now in no way predicts how you’re going to ski later in the winter. You may very well have your best races at the end of the season, but not if you press the panic button.

What You Should Do When You’re Struggling

When you’re totally immersed in your skiing and also struggling, it can be really hard to think clearly. In that case, it can help to take a break. That might mean going free skiing for an afternoon, taking a few days off snow, or heading to Tahiti. By creating physical distance between you and your skiing, you also create some emotional distance, making it easier to think clearly, gain perspective, stay positive, focus on things that will help your skiing, and, most basically, stay hopeful.

The chances are that, with your current skiing problems, you’re pretty worried and tense and definitely not having fun. There’s no way you can turn your skiing around in that unpleasant state. You need to break that cycle by doing things to relax your body, calm your mind, and bring some light to the darkness you are currently experiencing. This might mean getting a massage, going to a movie, hanging out with friends, or anything else that you find enjoyable and relaxing. The more you can create a physical and mental state that is the exact opposite of the how you currently feel, the sooner you’ll be able to exit your dark place.

See the slump as an opportunity to make yourself a better ski racer (and person) rather than a curse befallen on you. You are going to face many challenges in your ski racing life and beyond, and this down period gives you the chance to practice the essential skill of resilience, which means being able to stay positive and overcome adversity and setbacks.

Very importantly, you need to trust your ability, your program, and the road you’re on toward your goals. That faith in what you are doing will help you accept the inevitable highs and lows of ski racing with equanimity and keep you pursuing your dreams with vigor and joy.

Finally, right now, you’re probably having a pity party, feeling pretty discouraged and sorry for yourself. You may want to give up. If you go down that road, the chances are that your season is, in fact, over. However hard it may be, your only chance is to stay positive and motivated. I’m not saying that you have to think life is just rosy. Rather, you have to believe that your skiing will turn around. And with that attitude, you just have to keep moving forward, putting in your best effort in training, taking care of your skis, spending time on your fitness, all the things that you have to do to ski your best.