During a triple toe loop lesson, World and Olympic coach Kori Ade offers insights that will help coaches and skaters with some of the mental aspects of landing difficult jumps. The skater in the video is not yet consistent with triple toe rotation or landings. There isn’t much in terms of “technical” detail in this lesson other than some timing discussions at the beginning. But there’s a lot of value if you watch and listen carefully in terms of motivation and addressing the mental aspects of the sport.
One of the most common issues for skaters is jumping too close to the wall/barrier. This drives coaches crazy, and it is epidemic at most local rinks. Jumping close to the wall potentially causes problems with jump flow and program choreography. But Kori also notes it’s an issue for building combination jumps. In this case, asking a skater to jump farther from the wall by explaining the need to leave space for the second or third jump of a combination gets immediate skater agreement to the change. By putting it into the context of “we need to plan for your future” Kori is able to get a change. Note also how Kori only asks for moving the jump a couple feet, with the understanding she’ll ask for more later. This makes it more achievable in the skater’s mind, which also increases the odds for making at least some change.
Kori also explains how she approaches planned program elements throughout the season. She puts a lot of emphasis on what elements and skills are consistent, and making “smart choices” to give skaters the best chance for success. Kori notes, “We’re constantly gathering data on consistency to make sure we’re making the smartest choice about what to put in the program for competition.” She says, “It’s points and it’s also confidence.”
There is also a short discussion regarding the skater popping jump attempts. Kori puts it into the context of what the skater is most afraid of, and makes it clear that nothing bad is actually going to happen. She suggests jumping “like a robot” without emotion or expectation. She says, “Do the mechanics of it, don’t do the emotions of it.” Notice the focus on positive feedback and encouragement throughout this video.
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