Watching videos of yourself and World Cup racers is a powerful tool for strengthening important mental muscles such as confidence, intensity, and focus. It can also be used, when combined with mental imagery, to improve technique and tactics. Another benefit is that watching yourself ski fast and top World Cuppers ski faster just gets you [...]
It sure was a bummer missing all those miles of skiing when COVID-19 struck. Let’s be realistic. You’ve lost a bunch of miles by not being on snow the last six weeks of the ski season. And we don’t yet know if there will be any on-snow training anywhere this summer. But there is a [...]
Whenever I speak to racers and coaches, I ask them how important the mind is to ski racing success. With few exceptions, the response is that the mind is as or more important than the physical and technical side of our sport. I am obviously biased given what I do for a living, so I [...]
I was recently interviewed by a Canadian TV show for two segments on how skiers can cope with the current COVID-19 crisis and keep their "head in the game" during the downtime. The segment also includes Canadian Brady Leman, the 2018 Olympic Champion in skicross and Max Gartner, a long-time ski industry leader. The segment [...]
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 [...]
The off-season is now underway and you are probably hitting the gym and, hopefully, hitting the slopes soon as well some time in the next few months. Though getting the miles on snow is very important, a key focus during the off-season should be on building your fitness that acts as the foundation for all [...]
Yes, the 2019-20 race season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Yes, it was massively frustrating. But it’s time to put the past behind us and turn our gaze to the future, meaning next season. Being the best ski racer you can be is not a part-time activity. It requires a year-round commitment and [...]
Due to COVID-19, the race season ended with a whimper, not a bang. After what was still a long and demanding winter, you’ve had some down time to do remote school and hopefully begin to look toward next winter. But before you file the 2019-20 race season away, you want to act on a famous [...]
Is the COVID-19 crisis and Shelter-in-Place getting you down and/or driving you crazy? Are you feeling like you're spinning your wheels with your ski racing progress (in other words, not making any!)? Well, join the crowd; it's frustrating for everyone, to be sure. What is crazy is that the last races of the 2019-20 season [...]
The downtime imposed on us by the COVID-19 crisis is certainly frustrating whether you're an athlete, coach, or parent. As an athlete, you may feel that your development has been slowed or come to a screeching halt. But this time is also an opportunity for you to focus on areas of your athletic performance that [...]
