Myth #1(Mother Nature killed the sport of ski jumping) Debunked

Myth #2(NCAA killed the sport of ski jumping) Debunked Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Myth #3(The US doesn't have the talent) Debunked Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Mind Of A Ski Jumper Part 1, 2, 3, 4

The Ultimate Coach - Ski Jump Training Device

Jumping Season Digest: (see bottom of this page)

Friday, February 10, 2006

Myth #3 Debunked: Part 1

With the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics upon us I thought I would take a look at another long heard myth in the sport of ski jumping.  This myth isn't about the health and welfare of ski jumping in America but about why the United States just can't seem to win on the World Cup or at the Olympics.
 
I've talked with many of the top kids around the east.  These kids talk all the time about hills that I have never even heard of.  They have competed in World Juniors, US Nationals, etc.  They all tend to agree with the argument "The US doesn't have the talent".  I tend to disagree with this theory.  Over the next two weeks or so I will show why I disagree with the theory and will show ways of helping to eliminate the problems that revolve around the lack of talent here in the states.
 
I recently was listening in on a conversation with the father of a US Ski Team Nordic Combiner.  He was talking about how his son was retiring after not being able to make the Olympic team this winter.  His son is frustrated because he can do real well in practice but he never does any good in the competitions.  When I heard the father telling this story I had to look at myself.  I've been in the same situation for close to twenty years now.  Ever since I swam competitively as a kid and was treated like crap(see Mind Of A Ski Jumper Part 1, link at the top of the page), I have never been able to succeed at any competitive sporting endeavor.  I can get into sports for the fun of it and pick the sport up overnight but if I get into something like ski jumping that is totally about competition, I can't pick the sport up to save my soul.  My mind fights me all the way.  I can jump fine and dandiful during practice but I might as well not show up for the meet.  It's a waste of my time and energy.  Hence why I try my best to avoid jump meets.  I just come out and jump for the fun of it.  My mind knows the environment of the sport and it holds me back as a result.
 
The worst part about this whole saga with this nordic combiner is that he doesn't realize the truth, "You can run, but you can't hide".  Until you face down what is holding you back you will always have it riding on your back.  It could show up in business or relationships, it doesn't have to show in sports.  Any time he faces a competitive environment, of any kind, he will have to deal with this obstacle.  It could come up as any kind of problem from find it hard to pick up another sport, especially if he takes it up from a competitive aspect, to trying to win business contracts, to anything in between.  It may take him quite a while to figure out that is suffering from this problem but he will come around and figure out sooner or later that he is having trouble again.  It will go on like this until he neutralizes the memory/memories that are causing the problem in the first place.
 
There are ways to correct this, and so many other problems just like it.  The technique is quite simple to learn and doesn't take any time to perform, at least not on simple issues.  The more complex the issue the longer it can take to work through the whole issue and finally get your life back under your control.  The remaining posts in this series are going to focus on the technique I have started using to change the way my mind thinks/behaves.  The technique can be used to break bad habits, improve health, increase wealth, and even improve your ski jumping, during practice or during the meets.
 
I originally stumbled into this technique in late January of 2005.  I used it a little during the remaining part of that winter.  I had problems with it due to mind conflicts.  My mind has been fighting to keep me off the 70 and 90 meter jumps for quite a while now.  Anytime I do, or think of doing anything that even remotely threatens the notion of jumping the 90 my mind rebels and makes me start crashing.  My mind thinks that by making me crash that it is protecting me.  How irrational do you want to see the mind get?  Typically, I'll end up crashing down around the transition or just right into the outrun.  As I was originally trying out the technique last winter, Cannonball finally suckered me into putting on a jump suit that another jumper had left behind earlier in the year.  Yes, I would jump the 90 in my ski bibs and jacket, but I highly doubt that anyone would let me do it.  The mind knows this and anytime I go jump the 50 with a jump suit on I'm about guaranteed to crash at least once during the evening and it will always be from the transition on out.  I'm not sure if any of my crashes this winter on the 50 has happened before the transition.
 
Its "simple" mental barriers like these that can stop a ski jumper dead in his tracks from ever being able to improve.  Why do most ski jumpers take a while to learn to move out over the skis, simple, their mind won't let them.  By breaking down these barriers and reprogramming your mind you'll be able to see your improvement pick up and yourself landing at the bottom of the hill in a big fat tele in no time.  It's a matter of learning the techniques that you need to learn to get you up and over the hump that you are currently sitting in.
 
As I mentioned in previous postings to the blog, ski jumping is 100% mental, 0% physical.  If all you training for is strength and technique then you are leaving the most important aspect of ski jumping behind.  Hence, you will never be able to jump at your best unless you spend time training the mind.  You will have to be the one to train the mind, the USSA isn't about to do it for you.  At least that is how I have come to understand it.
 
Come along on this trip through the mind as I explore the true reality, The US DOES have the talent, it just doesn't provide the psychological coaching that is needed to make the current crop of ski jumpers able to compete on the World Cup and Olympic level.
 
I encourage everyone that reads this blog to notify the other jumpers in your area to tune in for the rest of this series.  This can have the biggest positive impact on any jumpers life.
 
Tomorrow I will take a look at the CANI Principle.  This principle is by far the most important thing you need to remember as you jump.
 
The only thing that I ask if you do decide to give this technique a try, let me know how it works for you.  Heck, I may even let some of you write a guest article for the blog about using the technique.  I'm not the person that came up with the technique but I am the one that wants to help out the next generation of ski jumpers.  I may not know jumping technique very well myself as of yet.   I may not be able to coach technique worth a crap either.  I can help out this way, a way that no one else is addressing.  I have used this technique to both break bad habits and stop pain.  I've even seen some decent results so far, with the barriers still in place, while using it with ski jumping.
 
Until next time
Keep the ski tips up,
Crash

1 Comments:

Blogger pete robin said...

i grew up in rumford maine we always had some good jumpers in this area from way back before my time we also had high school teams i had scottys jump in my back yard as a kid as a adult we still had some nice jumps at black mountain a 15 a30 a50 meter hill my 4 sons were the last people to use them as part of the bill koch team in1989at ages 5,7,9,11 we had dan warner as a coach excellent man put a lot of heart in it he now is associated with us olympic team i believe we spent a lot of time packing the hills manually it was a great time that soon ended due to lack of interest i believe now the jumps are all gone and the landing hills are a tubing park it makes me very sad when i think aboutit

4:11 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Winter 2010
DateLeb 25Plymouth 25Leb 50And 38
Dec 121
Jan 056
Jan 063
Feb 024
Feb 032
Feb 046
Feb 073
Mar 063
Totals133102