Competitors: does this happen to you?

Question

i know almost everyone gets nervous before skating competitions.

but for me, 2 weeks before i go to skate all of my skating and hard work sort of goes down the toilet. which of course, freaks me out even more. i think its subconcious because before that im on the top of the world and then i just crash and burn.

what do you do to stop this? anything else except a sports phychologist?

ive tried hypnosis

deep breathing

meditation

self assurance

even slapping and pinching myself.

what do you do to calm nerves?

do you know anyone else with this sort of problem.

Answer 1

Usually... I talk to the skaters beside me and when they call ur name and it's time to do ur program, just relax and listen to the music real DEEP... That's all...

Answer 2

try breaking a pack of crackers. it works for me

Answer 3

For me, I've always loved the idea of going out there to skate a program in front of an audience.  I'd be so pumped up getting a new program and working hard on it (like you said, on top of the world).  I loved "the idea" of it . . . but when it almost came time for the real thing, the nerves would kick in and sometimes I wondered if I could actually go through with it (like you said, freak out).  

Besides the mental part, let's think about what it does to you physically.  Is it possible that you're over training close to competition date (the crash and burn).  Nerves can play with your mind to make you feel like you're not ready (when maybe in fact you are) . . . and then you make a mad rush to be super ready.  But then your muscles get too pooped - and you lose steam with your program . . . the frustration adding to your nerves.   As someone said above, you should be ready before then anyway . . . and then it's a matter of maintaining and always aiming for consistency.    

Learn to think in the "present".  Think of each move as you do them - not what you just did - and not what you need to do 5 steps ahead.  Focus on one step at a time.  This will be very important for the real comp when the nerves can get overwhelming.

      

Deep breathing.  If not the nerves, it WILL help you physically.  When we panic, we tend to take in shorter breaths.  Taking in oxygen will only help your muscles - less oxygen means they will burn out quicker.  Breath in deeply when you catch yourself zoning out from the nerves.  As silly as it may sound, what helped me was to put in "breathing places" in my choreography so I wouldn't forget to breath!!  

I had no clue what to do with nerves til one coach/friend gave me her piece of advice.  She said having the nerves was a GOOD thing - you need the adrenaline to keep you going on the ice. Nerves are nerves and they're just not going to go away . . . you just have to find a way to make it work for you.  It took awhile (like many comps and being systematic about what worked and what didn't) to convince myself of it.  But eventually I think I was able to mostly control the nerves (not get rid of them though).  

At the actual comp:  What worked for me was to get into ACTING in my program . . . to really get into character and not EVER let the judges or audience see or even hint that I was nervous.  Maybe that's only showing confidence on the outside, but hey, it kinda psyched me into to doing the very best that I could.  It made me react faster and better if I did happen to flub up!  If all my energy was spent focusing on the artistic side (like I knew I had to make it "look" good), then I would do better technically without thinking too much - and the nerves wouldn't be so bad.        

OT - I find it interesting that you've tried hypnosis.  I've always wondered if that really worked to calm nerves!  

Just my thoughts.

Answer 4

Keep yourself moving, try to stay calm and confident. Throwing up does help with the nerves, but I don't recommend it. Maybe you should have a week off or something, that's quite a bit of training, if you stuff up alot, then give it a rest, have a bit of a break, train lightly the week before the competition, go on for your warm up at the comp, and before you skate just believe that you can do it. Remember that you're sktaing for yourself. Sipping water can help, but I dont know what else I can really say.

Answer 5

Well just think, its not like the prize is money, and the people in the audience wont make fun of you if you mess up, most of them probably cant even skate! Thats what I think. Also before competing listen to calming music, and relax every night for 1 week before your comp, and that will help to.

I used to be just like you, but then i started doing that ^ and im fine w/ comps now!!!

Answer 6

just remind yourself why you skate. remember that even if you skate badly, nothing bad will happen. there are always going to be more competitions. sometimes it helps to just practice the elements in your program and not the whole program for a little while, if practicing the whole thing aggravates your nerves. by two weeks before the comp. it should be pretty much perfected anyways. a sports psychologist might help though. there are also some sports psychology books out there. they have ads for them in the back of Skating magazine sometimes. good luck!

Answer 7

Well I was really nervous for my first competition, but it was fine after that. I just typically forget about it, just check my calendar once in a while to see where I'm at and stuff. Just think of the exciting parts! New dress, make up, etc. :)  

Answer 8

I haven't competed yet, but this is what other skaters tell me.

Don't think about it, just do it

Focus on what you have to get done

Remind yourself you know what you are doing

Focus on having fun, not being nervous (i know that's hard sometimes)

Don't stress out: you could imagine you are in a "bubble" as in Ice Princess

Be prepared

Play calming music

Have supporters, your friends and parents

Everyone gets nervous once in a while, skating or not skating.

Good Luck!