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Figure
Skating
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Short & Long Term Planning
Creation of a Career plan Creating a plan is more than just a wish list of goals and objectives. It must have specific objectives and a time line of how and when you project to accomplish each item. It should realistically have backups in case problems are encountered. Anticipation of potential problems is not being negative. The analysis that identifies what might occur allows time to devise a way to prevent or mitigate the problem. This is called a risk assessment analysis in the business world. Planning a Sports Career Approaching a career development plan like any business investment should be objective and not emotionally based. Consider the annual and total costs to fund becoming a test gold medalist versus achieving an international elite skater at the senior level. Most skaters can physically acquire the skills to earn a figure, MITF, and or compulsory dance gold medal. For some there is a mental negativity known as "testing panic" that they must overcome. Achieving a gold medal in free skating favors skaters whose personality is more assertive and have no fear of jumping. Pair skating favors a female skater who is small and compact and has no fear of falling from heights (throw jumps and overhead lifts). Both pair skating and free dancing sometimes requires a willingness for one or both skaters to relocate to form a partnership. A Business Model Every business model contains financial projections for the current year's operation (Revenue and Expense Statement), plus future predictions for five and ten years. Specific assumptions should also be attached to these analysis's. Financial planning allows the organization to structure its debts and cash flow to pay for the business's loans, provide day to day operating capital, and funding to develop future business opportunities necessary to maintain the viability of the business. Few parents have any idea enrolling their child in beginning group classes, may eventually lead to hopes of becoming a national figure skating champion. Most parents will fund lessons, ice time, and equipment as long as a child enjoys skating, practices, and makes progress. Rinks are well aware that having recitals and competitions are valuable in keeping skaters in the sport and pleases parents. The "no test" and lower test events at non qualifying open competitions are very important encouragement events that serve to inspire children and adults to stay involved in the sport of figure skating. The costs are a "slippery slope" as the level of training gradually increases based on expectations that the child excels in the sport. Financial Planning Eventually parents need to consider adopting a financial plan to support and develop the talents of their child. Such a plan should focus on the time, energy, and financial resources needed to encourage an individuals figure skating talents while earning their high school diploma. Unfortunately a figure skater does not have the status of a winner of high school athlete conference or university NCAA recognized sport, except for a few cases of University sponsored Synchronized Skating teams. Skaters and parents should arrange a meeting with their coach to discuss the idea of developing a training plan for the coming competitive season which officially starts on September 2 of each year. Such a plan should include the following development stages:
Alternating Training Leading to Peaking The concept of periodization is a way of alternating or cycling training leading up to peaking for a competition. After the competitive season ends, a secondary plan must be established for the athlete to recover both physically and mentally from the months that lead up to the US national championships and possibility of being selected to represent the USA in Junior and Senior level international competitions. The concepts used to create a successful short term plan can also serve as the basis for developing a plan, which represents a skater's entire competitive future. The athletic community has used Hans Selye’s General adaptation syndrome (GAS) as a model describing biological responses to stress since the 1950s. Each summer an increase in stress levels can be seen in many skaters and their coaches, especially at rinks with a high competitive atmosphere. Part of this stress is caused by coaches establishing extremely high levels of expectations in their skaters as to what skills are necessary to place and move on from the regional to the sectional competition. At sectional competitions the stress levels are ratcheted up even more and continues to build as skaters attempt to establish themselves as a potential winner at Nationals. Stress is a term in psychology that refers to the our body's response to real or imagined emotional or physical situations that trigger high levels of adrenaline production, elevated heart rate, pronounced irritability, muscular tension, lack of concentration, and exhaustion. Financial Stressors Financing a career in figure skating is very expensive and can be extremely stressful for a skater as they become aware of the sacrifices being made by his or her family. To raise financial support from outside of the skater's family requires a detailed analysis of training (ice and coaching fees), housing and meals, traveling, and equipment/costume expenses. Dividing the training into stages, with each having a different and specific focus, can make the process more manageable for the athlete and parents to contemplate.
To rush the training process only
sets up the athlete for acquiring poor technique and/or overuse
injuries.
Some athletes increase their
practice schedule and intensity of your training when their body is not
capable of handling the stress without major setbacks.
It is important for the athlete
to know they have not reached the stage of training to win, but are
still at the Train to compete stage. It is highly desirable to work
with coaches who make sure you learn and build on a solid foundation of
good form, technique, and training plus training strategies that
include the necessary recovery and periodization
phases.
Tudor Bompa is considered the ‘Father of Periodization’. During the 1940s the Russian scientists tried dividing the training year into different training periods. Previously, the conventional training wisdom was to maintain the same constant stresses performing the same workouts week in and week out all year long. In the early 1960s Bompa refined these ideas to create periods of training that were easier to promote rest and to let the body recover to increase strength levels. Periodization involves variables such as:
There are five distinctive phases or stages that an athlete cycles through as part of the training process to achieve the endurance/stamina and consistent performance levels necessary to win competitions.
The intensity
in this
cycle remains low or non-existent, while the frequency may drop, and
the duration of your longer workouts keeps extending itself. The volume
in this cycle starts out low, but will eventually be the highest of
the year as you get closer toward the end of your base phase. Once the
Base Phase is completed and you get closer to your your first open
competition, you are ready to proceed to
next stage - the Building Phase.
Everyone wants
to perform at
their best. It may
seem contradict conventional ideas about training, but cutting back
allows our
body to physically, mentally, and emotionally rest and restore itself.
The volume of practice is reduced, but
the intensity remains
high of a brief duration. Different athletes will find this approach is
a personal choice that suits them. This decision must be one that the
athlete, pair, or team totally supports and embraces. Allowances must
be
factored into winter travel plans
which can experience weather related delays that can cause elevated
stress levels. Competitions that cross time zones can be another
stressor. Training at one altitude and competing at another can also
require acclimation to avoid performance from being affected.
The Rest and
Recovery cycle, for some
athletes, takes from a few
days to a few weeks for the athlete to physically and emotional
recover. For school
children it usually means completing makeup assignments and taking
tests they missed while participating in competitions.
NOTE: As
adults age, the body's ability to quickly recover diminishes.
Skaters, coaches, and parents need to start organizing your plans for the upcoming season. This starts by determining when and where the first competition of the next season will start. Dates varied depending if a Winter Olympics is held in which case all of the qualifying competitions are held earlier. The second
season using
this regime is easier for everyone concerned because they have gained
experience from the previous season, thus making it easier to make
adjustments to
the contents and length of the various phases.
Annual Training Plan or Matrix: The following generic, periodized annual training plan is divided into eight phases with Macro and micro cycles:
Both short and long term plans need to incorporate the major forces which drive a skater's success in figure skating. The 300,000 plus USFS female members, who are under the age of 21, generally began actively skating as preteens enrolled in Kindergarten through eighth grades. A much small proportion of this population began skating as teenagers. School curriculums/schedules are a major influence in determining training schedules of skaters. Increasingly there are families that home school their children which allows these skaters to skate during the day when ice is less crowded. The training plan is a theoretical concept provides a view of the process an elite skater can experience as they strive to acquire the necessary physical skills measured by USFS testing and placements in qualifying competitions. Ideally every skater will have a supporting family of parents and siblings. Children from broken homes, represented by female heads of households exist in figure skating, but frequently experience limited financial resources, with the parent working long hours that make it difficult to get their child to the rink for early morning practices. In addition to transportation problems, single parents may be especially conflicted in efforts to balance skating with an emphasis in acquiring an education in preparation for a non skating career. Define or Changing a Training Plan A coach, skater, and parents can define and/or modify any of a plan's assumptions. A potential champion may not achieve all the goals or ideal qualities. There is the "luck" factor to consider that is involves the minimum quality and quantity of skills necessary to win or place at any given competition without risking a fall. The draw for skating order in the free skating part of the competition can be a factor coaches and skaters consider the possibility of inserting a risky jump element when skating early in the skating order. Another factor beyond the control of the training plan is the annual changing standards, rules, and interpretations made by the ISU that affect elite skaters with relative short notice/ in their careers. Skaters at lower skill levels have more time to adjust their skill training and competitive strategies. Free skating is defined largely by technical development of skater's jumping skills, therefore, the entry and exit points for the stages are defined by skill acquisition. There are other factors such as age, education, emotional, social, and physical developmental stages that are relevant. It is obvious that not all skaters will acquire the ideal skill level throughout their skating career. The interaction of the various training factors can affect the skater's performance outcome. Technical skill development Technical skill development is influenced by chronological age and maturity. What appears to be a promising career of a pre-teen can be derailed by puberty's physical and emotional changes. Age is used to restrict and to qualify skaters wishing to compete in some events. Skaters, parents, and coaches may base their competitive strategy and training schedule to enter a competitive event. Technical progress needs to be an on-going regardless of age. Skaters should become as proficient as possible, as quickly as possible without ignoring major technical and presentation errors. Other qualities, such as life skill development, psychology and physiology, will certainly impact progress at whatever stage of technical development and should be considered but movement through the stages are not defined by them. The recent down turn of today's economy has shown how external factors can quickly intersect with long term plans to pursue skating and educational goals. Relatively few skaters will achieve elite status. It is not necessary to excel in all stages to have a successful and fulfilling skating career. The vast majority of skaters, even though they may have competed and even won, will not ever reach the elite skating level. Skaters may quit at or before the gold test stage for a variety of reasons:
Note: Some skaters
may decide to become coaches in order to pursue testing and
competing when their financial resources are limited. Some skaters who are not elite skaters may become involved in leadership roles in club management and train to become accountants or judges. Elite skaters may become interested in training to become Technical Specialists. Recommended Reading:
Developing
A
Plan for Success
Resources:List of Brian Grasso Articles Flexibility
For Young Athletes - Q & A With Chris Blake
Are there different kinds of Flexibility besides bending over to touch my toes what all young athletes should be doing? There are seven different ways of going about flexibility: The Functional & Athletic Aspects Of Training Figure Skaters Within the sport of figure skating there seems to be a dichotomy in terms of the conditioning efforts prescribed by training experts or professionals. Global Development Vs. Sport Specific Training It's All In The Science No one can learn how to create 6 or 12 month training plans in a day. It takes time and diligent effort to acquire this skill, but your ability to get better over time will have a direct and positive impact on both your young athletes success rate as well as your businesses ability to attract new clients. Flexibility - Are We Hurting Kids? The scope of confusion regarding flexibility can be seen when considering the assessment tools most commonly used to test one’s suppleness. How To Warm-up Your Young Athletes Warming up for sport or activity is, in essence, preparing the body for the task it is about to do. Plan For Success - Youth Training The most common problem facing Trainers & Coaches today with respect to developing young athletes over time is the ability to plan long-term. The following internet
links have been
gleaned from personal communications
combined with information from public institutions and athletic organizations/ associations that have a web presence with information concerning team and individual sports programs: All
materials are copy protected.
The limited use of the materials for education purposes is allowed providing credit is given for the source of the materials.
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