It's really not just about one's ability. There are so many factors that can affect a skater's performance. In addition to ability, they need mental strength, good support team, strong motivation and determination, and confidence. It's unfortunate that some great skaters are not so great competitors, because you need to be both in order to produce satisfactory results.
Why so many headcases in Figure Skating today?
- Thread starter silverlake22
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- Oct 19, 2009
I wish I could know how other skaters train during practice sessions so we could compare results. But this, what Evan does, sounds very important. You can't just fill a practice session with doing jumps or occasionally perform half-hearted run-throughs of a program. I imagine it's critical to regularly do full program run-throughs as if you're at a competition, because getting used to the context of every element and mentally conditioning oneself likely has huge benefits. No wonder; maybe this is Evan's secret to consistent competitive mental strength and nerves.
When I used to have practices and scrimmages in ____________, my mentor always told me to approach each session with enough freedom to experiment and test my own physical/mental boundaries, but also to have enough tension to make it feel like it's the Real Thing so that when a real competition came around, many important aspects would become almost innate; second-nature, subconscious. You can't do that if you mentally conceive of practices and competitions as totally separate and different.
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- Nov 12, 2009
I agree, what Evan does works, and the same can be said for Rachael Flatt. Mirai is also becoming pretty consistent since going to Frank Carroll. I do have hope that inconsistent skaters can learn to become consistent though, because that's what's happened to Miki Ando since her disaster at the last Olympics. She's pretty good at performing well under pressure now. Makes me think it's something that can be learned.
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- Feb 11, 2007
Actually, Ando had more disastrous skating after the Torino Olympics than before. 2005-06 was a bad season for her but that's largely because she completely lacked motivation in skating, Carol Heiss was just too nice to push her, and she had a fractured toe, and it was a very short period of time in her career. She's gone through many adversities after Torino and a lot of her disastrous performances could be attributed to them so I am not saying that more disastrous after Torino means she has become worse in terms of ability to nail her jumps when they count, I just want to say that I don't think she can be brought up as a good illustration of your point because her case is not as straightforward as you make it sound.
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- Nov 12, 2009
Yeah, you're right, but she did win the World Championship in 2007 and has won two GP golds and silver at the GPF this year, so that's pretty good consistency.
This is what I was going to say. The commentators are always saying this about both Evan and Rachael. And with both skaters, consistency and hard work seems to make up for whatever they lack in pure talent. Evan's always saying himself that there is nothing like coming to a competition prepared.... but what does that mean? I also want to know about how others skate, too. Does Alissa not have the patience to really grind through her jumps each competition? Does she do a couple of run throughs with falls and think okay well I'll try tomorrow? Or is it really that she gets to nervous to keep her head together in competitions?
Jeremy - I've got to think that with him it's just nerves. I mean, no naturally inconsistent skater would be able to put two near perfect programs together at nationals like that. I just think he doesn't always approach each competition thinking "I'm the best skater out here dammit."
With Michelle Kwan, the most amazingly consistent skater I have ever seen, I suspect it was both a level of concentration that Frank Carroll helped her achieve and her solid technique that got her through each performance...
With Mirai, I don't want to jinx her but I suspect she has always been the consistent sort and just had a rough year last year in terms of her body and reacted like many 15-year-olds would...Even though her season has been up and down in terms of results she has not once had what you can really call a meltdown...
In fact, from some of Carroll's comments it seems to me that he found a pretty consistent skater who lacked the confidence to believe she could nail her jumps and perform at the same time. So at nationals, it seems he was successful at bringing that out.
Lastly, maybe it's really the consistent skaters who are the rare ones. Michelle, Irina, Kristi Yamaguchi... you can sort of count them on your fingers. Especially as the jumps get harder.
It'd be great if anyone here could shed some insight into the practice habits of the different skaters....
It is consistent and I think part of the problem is perception. Michelle Kwan set a ridiculous standard for consistency that is nearly impossible to match....
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
^^ lots of good points and insight. I think I figured out what the problem with Tomas likely is, judging from these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZMRpnLPPY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGHy1tIVuMg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcTKMHHR04Y
He's silly and laidback by nature but then gets really nervous when he competes, so he's nervous, but not really focused, and that's likely why he pops the jumps. I'm sure getting swine flu this fall didn't help him out this season either, and then I think it turned into a confidence issue when Brezina beat him at nationals and euros and then the Olympics was too nerve wracking. Hope he does better at worlds and gets it together for next season, it seems like a lot of skater's will have a really bad season and it effects their confidence, which is another thing to be said about inconsistency, most can overcome it though. I wonder if Alissa at nationals had bad memories from 2006 nationals when she had such a great shot at the Olympic team and then faltered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZMRpnLPPY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGHy1tIVuMg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcTKMHHR04Y
He's silly and laidback by nature but then gets really nervous when he competes, so he's nervous, but not really focused, and that's likely why he pops the jumps. I'm sure getting swine flu this fall didn't help him out this season either, and then I think it turned into a confidence issue when Brezina beat him at nationals and euros and then the Olympics was too nerve wracking. Hope he does better at worlds and gets it together for next season, it seems like a lot of skater's will have a really bad season and it effects their confidence, which is another thing to be said about inconsistency, most can overcome it though. I wonder if Alissa at nationals had bad memories from 2006 nationals when she had such a great shot at the Olympic team and then faltered.
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- Mar 22, 2004
My theory is that there've always been headcases, but the real bad ones never necessarily got much air time. You had to build u a body of work before you were liable to ever be placed highly. Now, a hot performance or two and you're in the limelight (where you might not belong after all).
Among other things, figures were a great barrier to entry that mostly filtered out the headcases from every getting on tv much less getting into a position that people expected more than they could deliver from them. Even skaters who were good at figures found that part of competition to be really stressful.
It was after all the first olympics without figures that introduced the skating world to the high profile headcase (in the form Laetitia Hubert who by some chance made it into the final LP group only to have one of the most spectacular high profile meltdowns in skating history IINM). Even Ivanova in 1988 didn't fall apart that thoroughly.
Now it's just a much more up and down sport with a lot of competitors who might be wonderful or awful around at any given time.
Also I would suppose that many of the weakest mental games are from the skaters that don't realize such a thing exists and resist seeing sports psychologists (like Czisny IIRC).
Among other things, figures were a great barrier to entry that mostly filtered out the headcases from every getting on tv much less getting into a position that people expected more than they could deliver from them. Even skaters who were good at figures found that part of competition to be really stressful.
It was after all the first olympics without figures that introduced the skating world to the high profile headcase (in the form Laetitia Hubert who by some chance made it into the final LP group only to have one of the most spectacular high profile meltdowns in skating history IINM). Even Ivanova in 1988 didn't fall apart that thoroughly.
Now it's just a much more up and down sport with a lot of competitors who might be wonderful or awful around at any given time.
Also I would suppose that many of the weakest mental games are from the skaters that don't realize such a thing exists and resist seeing sports psychologists (like Czisny IIRC).
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
Carolina's LP at worlds last year has to be up there among the worst meltdowns, but she redeemed herself at Euros last month and I think will do well at the Olympics. I hope this will be the start of a more consistent streak for Caro, I love her skating.
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2009
I've heard and read that Evan is the only one (at least in the mens discipline) that actually does complete run-throughs of his programs in practice whereas everyone else just works on a few particular elements. I am interested in knowing if any other skaters in the other disciplines practices like Evan.
Well, I've heard that too, or at least it's been implied by commentators who say "oh, well he does this every day in practice" and the same about Rachael. But how do we really know the others don't?
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- Nov 12, 2009
I feel like I hear that a lot of skaters do full run throughs of their programs each day in practice, but I guess the meaning of a "full run through" is subjective.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
If ice time were cheaper what I'd do if I were an elite eligible.
After a certain point in the season when the program is roughly complete I'd draw a number each day (1-6) then the next day after warming up off the ice do the warm up time on the ice and then get off the ice to wait my turn according to the number drawn the day before. Then I'd do a competition style run through where I have to get through and finish somehow no matter what goes wrong while the coach judges the program. Then off to the K&C to get the scores and after a brief break back on the ice to work on particular elements or sections of the program (but only one full run through a day).
Probably not very practical but that would reinforce the idea that the full program is something you do once all the way through after having minimal warm up time on the ice and then waiting around some.
After a certain point in the season when the program is roughly complete I'd draw a number each day (1-6) then the next day after warming up off the ice do the warm up time on the ice and then get off the ice to wait my turn according to the number drawn the day before. Then I'd do a competition style run through where I have to get through and finish somehow no matter what goes wrong while the coach judges the program. Then off to the K&C to get the scores and after a brief break back on the ice to work on particular elements or sections of the program (but only one full run through a day).
Probably not very practical but that would reinforce the idea that the full program is something you do once all the way through after having minimal warm up time on the ice and then waiting around some.
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2006
Does or doesn't do run-throughs at practices should not be a part of "headcases". I think the real headcases come from over sensitive nature. It's not always the case, but I think that most headcases are artistic skaters who are sensitive on music and the environment, such as Johnny Weir, Jeremy Abbott, Stephane Lambiel, and Daisuke Takahashi. Some skaters would never learn how to control their own nerves. It's so frustrating to themselves as well as to their fans.
Just curious - why only one run-through? I used to be a dancer, and we would do several run-throughs of each dance during each rehearsal, and work on individual elements as needed. Shouldn't elite skaters be good enough at the individual elements so that they don't need to work just on elements instead of practicing the full program? I can see how jumps might need a little extra attention, but I don't see what they're doing spending all their time on individual steps instead of practicing the whole program.
I'm always shocked when I hear a big deal made over the fact that a skater does full runthroughs. Shouldn't it be expected that they will do the full lp and sp at least a few times each day? I'm surprised that they can perform at all if they don't do full runthroughs every practice session. Especially the top skaters who can easily afford ice time.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I am utterly confident that full run throughs are a key component to the success of a skater - not the only one.
In 1992 and especially 1993, Nancy Kerrigan was not doing full run throughs of her competition routines. She said that she had more fun practicing her Miss Saigon exhibition pieces - especially the duet with Paul Wylie. In 1993, she didn't train enough due to obligations to her sponsors and the added media attention due to being the favorite - thus, bombing at 93 World's which lead to only 2 spots in 1994. After her bad 1993 season, she made training, including full run throughs a priority and that lead to her best competitive season ever.....
Full run throughs help you practice making mistakes, too. You're supposed to just keep on going - not stop and start over again. Thus, giving a better sense of being able to adjust to a mistake vs being used to re-starting. Everyone who practices a routine, whether it be a musical instrument, speech, play, figure skating, etc, benefits by the 'keep it going' and brush it off mentality.
and, as been stated during commentary, muscle memory is enhanced with repetition.
and, of course, it helps build stamina to do multiple run throughs. I think that some skaters will do both run throughs of short and long during practices. or they might do focused skills work and then just do a run through of either short or long before leaving the ice. As the routines become more 'complete', multiple run throughs are done.
I don't think there's a long term consistent skater who hasn't done full run through's.
In 1992 and especially 1993, Nancy Kerrigan was not doing full run throughs of her competition routines. She said that she had more fun practicing her Miss Saigon exhibition pieces - especially the duet with Paul Wylie. In 1993, she didn't train enough due to obligations to her sponsors and the added media attention due to being the favorite - thus, bombing at 93 World's which lead to only 2 spots in 1994. After her bad 1993 season, she made training, including full run throughs a priority and that lead to her best competitive season ever.....
Full run throughs help you practice making mistakes, too. You're supposed to just keep on going - not stop and start over again. Thus, giving a better sense of being able to adjust to a mistake vs being used to re-starting. Everyone who practices a routine, whether it be a musical instrument, speech, play, figure skating, etc, benefits by the 'keep it going' and brush it off mentality.
and, as been stated during commentary, muscle memory is enhanced with repetition.
and, of course, it helps build stamina to do multiple run throughs. I think that some skaters will do both run throughs of short and long during practices. or they might do focused skills work and then just do a run through of either short or long before leaving the ice. As the routines become more 'complete', multiple run throughs are done.
I don't think there's a long term consistent skater who hasn't done full run through's.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
I can understand partial run throughs to clear up some moves not going well, but only early in the season. Best for a skater to develop lung power and do daily full program run throughs at least two months before the event especially with last minute changes. I would even suggest a week of runthroughs in a high altitude area to get those lungs working. I've noticed a number of good skaters who perform triples in the early part of their programs but start to peter-out from midprogram on.
That was my first thought.
For those who think that the proportion of "headcases" has increased, try this:
List 50 or 100 skaters competing in 2010, then put an asterisk next to each one you think qualifies as a headcase. What percentage do you come up with?
List 50 or 100 skaters competing in 2000 and do the same. Do you have enough knowledge of their careers to make determine which ones were or were not headcases?
List 50 or 100 skaters competing in 1990 (last year of figures) and do the same. Can you even name that many skaters from that era without consulting reference lists? Do you know enough about their results, much less their mental and emotional lives or their physical condition at each event, to decide who was or wasn't a headcase?
Also, what qualifies as a headcase? One meltdown? Repeated meltdowns? Occasional brilliance amid otherwise consistent mediocrity? Do you take the skater's physical health into account?
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