Snowboarding Mindset – Positivity and Relaxation Versus Negativity and Anxiety
Most techniques (including my previous article on Stance) all sound good in theory, but like most things they are much easier said than done or felt.
This is often to do with your state of mind. I always say that snowboarding is 80% psychological, and 20% physical skill. This is why most kids pick up snowboarding faster than adults. In other words, beginner's luck is simply a blatant lack of fear, with little or no comprehension of what could go wrong.
To illustrate my point, have you ever gotten the hang of something, only to screw it right up when you try to show somebody?
This is usually because when trying to show someone else, the fear of screwing it up clouds your mind and you lose focus. In other words, even though you don't want to screw up, this is what you are focused on and visualising failure will usually cause failure to manifest.
Basically, you can know exactly HOW to do something, both theoretically and physically, but if you have fear and/or pressure clouding your mind you are making it much harder than it ought to be.
All of this relates to all aspects of snowboarding very directly (along with most areas of life), particularly when you're a beginner and this is why I put special emphasis on a student's state of mind in a snowboard lesson and why I am writing this article now.
The stance requirements outlined here are nothing like the instinctive reactions brought on when fear takes over.
This is often true of most things in life. Panic, fear or worry very rarely save lives. They almost always makes things worse or harder to deal with.
Freaking Out – some ways in which being scared makes snowboarding harder.
Here are some examples of ways that freaking out will ruin your snowboarding technique.
Many people when they pick up too much speed will immediately shift all their weight to their back foot (losing control of the nose) and continue picking up speed in a straight line till they hit something or fall to one side.
People often lean right over (folded at the waist) so that their hands and point of view are both closer to the ground. This makes them feel safer because they feel closer to the ground so that when they fall, they do not fall very far. However, they will most likely fall regularly because they have thrown their whole stance out the window and they'll look like a idiot in the meantime.
Think Happy Thoughts – realistic but positive thoughts will keep your brain out of your way.
If you stay calm, relaxed and positive, your mind is free to make your body move in the ways you visualised just seconds earlier. It is important then, to give yourself EVERY opportunity to stay calm, relaxed and positive. Choosing the right slope to try learn on (where you can't obtain panic inducing speed and where there is preferably a nice flat run out ) can make a huge difference to fear levels. So too can taking deep breaths and thinking calming thoughts before trying a new technique or a high risk trick on a jump or a rail.
If you are old enough, ONE beer can even make all the psychological difference you need to try something as physically dangerous as snowboarding can be, without the catastrophic freak outs.
Our physical abilities are almost always waiting for psychological permission before actually being put to good use. Don't set harsh limitations for yourself, and never be afraid to try something you know for a fact can be done.
Basically you need confidence to get good at snowboarding, but you need to get good at snowboarding in order to become confident. Somehow, you need to trick yourself into being confident so that your snowboarding can then improve and justify your confidence.
Hoping or waiting for fear to leave you alone is not enough. Take control of your mindset.
Alistair Mahoney - null
Join the Conversation