Most racers and coaches think that, to get the results you want, you need to focus on those results. But, here’s the paradox: Having an outcome focus actually reduces the chances of your achieving the results you want. Here’s why. First, when does the outcome of a ski race occur? After you cross the finish line, of [...]
Mitchell Gunn with permission There are two scenarios on race day that I hear frequently from the racers I work with and the coaches I talk to that are a source of immense frustration, poor skiing, and disappointing results. I’m going to discuss the first scenario in this article and the second scenario [...]
Mitchell Gunn, with permission What do you need to do to be totally prepared to ski your fastest on race day? If you ask the top-ten men and women on the World Cup, you will probably get 20 different answers. But, having asked this question of many world-class ski racers, I have found [...]
Mitchell Gunn, with permission One of the most frequent comments I hear from the racers I work with is: “I had a lousy day of training.” This statement was almost always accompanied by a variety of emotions that are neither pleasant nor helpful including frustration, anger, worry, doubt, and disappointment, and, occasionally, despair. [...]
I've been in the ski racing world since I was six years old. The first 20 years, I was a racer learning the ups and downs of ski racing the hard way, mostly through trial and error, and sometimes painful failure. That, I can say with 20/20 hindsight and absolute certainty, is no way to [...]
Mitchell Gunn by permission In the last article in my series on the gifts that Mikaela Shiffrin gave to ski racers for the holidays, I described how I have seen her evolve from consistent and rock-solid racer (and, of course, incredibly fast) into a risk taker on skis (who is now freakishly fast) [...]
SEMMERING, AUSTRIA - DECEMBER 28: Mikaela Shiffrin of the USA reacts in the finish area after competing in the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Giant Slalom Race in Semmering, Austria, on 28 December 2012 (Photo by Mitchell Gunn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mikaela Shiffrin My first two articles in this three-part [...]
Mitchell Gunn with permission In my last article, I explored the first of three holiday gifts that Mikaela Shiffrin gave to young ski racers for the holidays, namely, the power of disappointment to fuel your ski racing efforts. This article will introduce you to holiday gift #2 from Mikaela, the importance in a [...]
Mitchell Gunn with permission Mikaela Shiffrin is truly a gift that keeps on giving. And during this holiday season, Mikaela (without realizing it) gave ski racers the world over three gifts from her World Cup races in Aspen. Today, I’ll talk about Gift #1: Disappointment. As most of you know, Mikaela was three [...]
Frustration may be your most significant obstacle to achieving your ski racing goals. Every ski racer, from juniors to Olympians, has experienced the feeling of frustration when you’re not able to do something, whether physically (e.g., lift a weight), technically (e.g., maintain a wide enough stance), tactically (e.g., be patient with your line): you feel [...]