A New Training Method
Last week I mentioned that I am trying out a new training method for my freestyle program. Coach B thinks that I need to do a better job training myself mentally for performances since I am fully capable of executing a clean program. My head just gets in the way.
One new technique she is instilling upon me is running my jump passes 3 times in a row. I’m not allowed to take a break in between. Since I have typically had issues landing my axels during a program, that’s the one jumping pass that I’ve been focusing on. I run my footwork leading up to the jump and then the steps leading out of it.
Here’s the catch though – if I miss the axel, I have to repeat it 3 more times. The first time I attempted this exercise, I missed the 2nd axel. So, I had to do 3 more. Thankfully, I only had to run that jumping pass 6 times that day (3 original attempts plus the additional 3 for the 1 miss). The goal here is to teach my mind and body to fight for every landing so that I don’t have to do it 3 more times.
I’m keeping a log of all the days I am practicing and writing down how often I land and miss the axel. I have a little matrix (hello, dork alert!) where I write the date in a column and label the rows 1, 2 and 3. Then in each box, I write either an L for ‘landed,’ R for ‘rotated’ or P for ‘popped.’ I am happy to report that as of this writing, I have only missed 1 jump, and it was only because there was another skater in the way.
Coach B said that her coach used this technique on her when she was executing triples. Thankfully, I am only doing singles, but this method is definitely teaching me to fight for my landings. I’m staying positive and am confident that this will help me land this jump more often during my performances.
