Now is the Time to Start Your Mental Training for Ski Racing
It happens every winter. In December, January, and February, I get calls from national team athletes and parents of young racers who are struggling mentally in their ski racing, and they have big races coming up. They want me to somehow fix them quickly. Though I think I’m pretty good at what I do, I’m no miracle worker and mental training isn’t magic.
To put the request in perspective, do you wait to get injured before working on your fitness? Do you wait till you develop a major technical flaw in your skiing to work on your technique? In both cases, of course not. You build your fitness and improve your technique during the prep period to prevent injuries and technical problems from arising during the race season. You should approach how you treat the mental side of your ski racing in precisely the same way. So, this article is a challenge for you to take an essential, yet often neglected, piece of the ski racing success puzzle and make it a priority during the off-season.
Let me elaborate in several ways. First, I frequently speak to racers, coaches, and parents around the world about the mental aspects of ski racing. Whenever I get the chance, I ask them how important the mental side of ski racing is compared to the physical and technical sides. Though there are always a few who say that the mind is less important than the body and technique, about 99 percent say that it is as or more important. Admittedly, I don’t even think it’s more important because all of the mental training in the world won’t help if you’re not physically or technically capable of getting down the hill. But I think it’s safe to say that without a well-trained mind, you have little chance of real success.
Second, I ask racers how many hours a day they devote to their physical and on-snow training. Most say from 2-6 hours depending on the season. Then, I ask, if the mind is so important, does that mean you’re spending 2-6 hours a day on mental training? At this point, there are a lot of shaking heads and nods of recognition. Clearly, the answer is ‘no,’ but the question is mostly rhetorical and meant to open your eyes to the absurdity of not spending time on such an important contributor to our sport.
Third, I work with a number of racers each year, from U14s with big dreams to Olympians who are realizing their dreams. What has become abundantly clear to me is that, once the foundation of fitness, technique, tactics, and equipment is established, it is the mind that separates racers who achieve their goals from those who don’t. This occurs at two levels. Having the right mindset and preparation enables you to get the most out of your training. And, on race day, being able to stay positive, calm, focused, and withstand the pressure—self-imposed and external—will enable you to ski your fastest when it really counts.
Fourth, of the racers who come to me, the number-one reason is because they can ski really fast in training, but they ca seem to translate that into race-day results. And they don’t understand why. To help you understand, think of it this way. There is no objective difference between a training course and a race course; they both have a start, the course, terrain, and snow conditions, and the finish. So, what makes races different from training? It’s obvious: results matter in races! And that difference occurs entirely in your mind. Your challenge is to either ignore the difference or embrace the difference.
Let me say that you actually do quite a bit of mental “stuff” without realizing it. I’m sure that you attempt to motivate yourself, think positively, fire yourself up, and focus in training. But there is a huge difference between doing mental stuff and doing mental training, just like there is a difference between doing a few sets of arm curls every few weeks and committing to comprehensive, structured, and consistent physical conditioning program.
Here’s the question: Do you approach mental training in the same way as you approach your physical and on-snow training? Do you have a comprehensive, structured, and consistent mental training program? Probably not. Would you do your physical conditioning or on-snow work in a haphazard way? Of course not, because trial and error is neither an effective nor efficient way to improve. Rather, you have a systematic program that guides your physical and on-snow training, thus maximizing your efforts. You should approach mental training the same way.
Have I convinced you yet that you should make mental training a priority during this off-season? Do you now wonder how you can develop a systematic mental training program to complement your conditioning and on-snow efforts? Here’s what you can do:
Do some self-analysis and understand what worked this past winter and what didn’t, as well as your mental strengths and areas in need of improvement. You can use the ten questions I provided in my recent article.
Get feedback from your coaches on where they think you need to improve mentally.
Learn more about the mental side of ski racing by reading my past articles, so you can decide the mental areas you want to work on this summer.
Commit to a structured and consistent mental imagery program.
Find a qualified sport psychologist or mental coach in your area (I can help you find one, so feel free to reach out).
Certainly, you should continue to engage in committed physical and on-snow training programs during the 2023-24 prep period. But if you commit to an equally rigorous mental training program, I can say with confidence that you will be even more prepared to ski your fastest and achieve your ski racing goals next season.
