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Breeders Cup For Dummies
The Real Scoop On Breeders Cup
The easiest way to describe Breeders Cup is to picture a pyramid. There are two organizations at the top of the Breeders
Cup pyramid. They are the NTRA (National Throroughbred Racing Association) and the...
Jacked Up Baseball Equipment Truths!
Baseball: the great all-American pastime. Few of us can remember a summer from our childhood that did not include throwing a ball around or running the diamond. Today, baseball is all of that and much more. Baseball equipment has become as...
Learn to Ride Faster and Safer With Bike Handling Drills
In my experience most cyclists take handling skills and their bicycles’ in general for granted. Most mechanical break downs can be prevented by properly adjusting, maintaining, and inspecting your bicycle. And a lot of crashes can be avoided by...
Perform Better Golf By Training Your Body
What will it take to get you to perform better golf? I’ll be you’ve tried the gimmicky golf training aids. Did they work? How about equipment? How many drivers do you have in your garage? Am I getting your attention yet? My approach to perform...
The history of swooping
Swooping is a very new form of skydiving, so the history of this sport has to date back to skydiving, itself. Skydiving has roots back to the very first ideas that humanity had regarding flying. It was thought that with a balloon or parachute it...
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Downhill Skiing -- The Mind-Body Connection
Today, you'll be introduced to the three essentials of a proper mind set, namely, motivation, visualization, and focus. Get mentally tough in these areas and your confidence level will soar. In addition, you'll be able to jettison any anxieties you may have about downhill skiing.
The expert skier understands the virtues of building a strong body, but he or she also needs the right mind set for skiing. You need to be well-prepared for the mind games that are associated with skiing in the expert zones where the control of one's mind is often as important as the strength of one's body.
Yes, there is definitely a mind-body connection in downhill skiing! You won't need a treatise on the latest break through in the psychological aspects of fear to conquer steeps, trees, and moguls. The old adage, you have nothing to fear but fear itself, applies to expert skiing as well. The right mind set will serve to get you psyched up, keep your anxieties in check, and let you focus completely on the task at hand.
The Three Essentials of a Proper Mind Set
Motivation, visualization, and focus are three of the essential skills the expert skier needs to master the subconscious mind and become tougher mentally. Let's consider each one of these requirements in turn.
Motivation
Being motivated will put you in control of your thoughts. You need to tell yourself over and over that you're in charge, not the ski hill. This will help you to develop a positive attitude so you can reach your goals for the season.
Visualization
Visualization is another technique that you can use to prepare yourself for that tough mogul run or steep slope. You need to
learn how to visualize or form a mental picture of the complete run before you start. In addition, learning to relax will serve to keep a lid on your anxieties. Ski racers and aerialists often use these methods just before the beginning of a race or competition.
Focus
Focusing allows you to break up the run into smaller tasks so you can zoom in on the next two or three turns. This eliminates the fear of the complete run, and also
serves to keep your head up and eyes looking ahead at the next obstacle in your path.
Summing Up
The lesson entitled The Right Mind Set in the Skills of the Expert Skier expands on the three essentials so you know how, when, and where to apply the techniques. Ski coaches, instructors and sports psychologists all agree that mental conditioning can go a long way toward making you the skier you always dreamed you could be.
If you've read the articles about stretching and exercising you're already aware that you have to train your body to be stronger to handle the rigors of downhill skiing. Now it’s time to train your mind how to keep your anxieties in check.
About The Author
Jim Safianuk is a certified ski instructor and writer of the downhill skiing lessons in the course Skills of the Expert Skier. If you are interested in becoming an expert skier and/or you want to find out when the next article about ski boots will be published, visit this URL: http://www.becomeanexpertskier.com/
Copyright 2005, by JKS Publishing. All Rights Reserved
jims@becomeanexpertskier.com
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