COACHES’ CORNER Off to a Good End


How Back Chaining Can Improve Performance by Lynn Loar, Ph.D., LCSW


W


E HAVE ALL watched talented skaters with countless hours of training behind them get rattled


after they have fallen on the first or second jump in their programs. Occasionally, the fall really hurt and that compromised the remainder of the skater’s performance.


Far more often though, the skater


was overwhelmed by the consequences of the missed jump — a place on the podium perhaps — and could not focus


on the rest of the performance effectively enough to salvage the remaining 75 to 90 percent of the program. Where did all the disciplined preparation go? Why, when skaters fall routinely in practice, is the fall on a jump the skater has fallen on often so disconcerting that recovery is not possible? Sure, there is despair at the lost opportunity for stellar scores — but only one point is deducted for the fall, and the skaters know this. Tere is


With back-chained programs, skaters go from weakness to strength, to the always completed ending. Their attention span and stamina have been trained to the duration of the full program.


immediate deflation that saps energy and enthusiasm, and a temporary unsteadiness that follows a bad fall. But there is something else at work here, namely a flaw in training, and happily a flaw that coaches can readily correct. Tis technique will not prevent the first fall but will definitely help the skater regroup quickly and deliver an otherwise reliable and polished performance.


WHAT GOES WRONG: FORWARD CHAINING


When we listen to music, watch a movie or attend a play, we start at the beginning and go to the end. Tat’s fine for the listener and the observer, but not for the performer. Te performance is linear,


UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL EVENTS


PSA Seminar Super Site - Missouri July 21-22, 2018


PSA Seminar Super Site - Michigan September 22-23, 2018 Register at skatepsa.com


Presented by


PROFESSIONAL SKATERS ASSOCIATION 28 FAL L 2 018


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