{"id":15742,"date":"2021-05-10T07:56:52","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T14:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drjimtaylor.com\/4.0\/?p=15742"},"modified":"2025-06-26T12:46:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T12:46:36","slug":"the-covid-19-race-season-is-over-yay-next-season-startsnow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drjimtaylor.com\/4.0\/the-covid-19-race-season-is-over-yay-next-season-startsnow\/","title":{"rendered":"The Covid-19 Race Season is Over (Yay!); Next Season Starts\u2026Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

The once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully!) Covid-19 race season is now over, thankfully. Like all of us, I\u2019m sure you want to just put this past winter in your rearview mirror and never think about it again. But that would be a mistake. Before you file the 2020-21 race season away, you want to act on a famous saying, \u201cThose who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.\u201d In other words, if you don\u2019t reflect back on last season, particularly because it was so challenging, you may miss out on some important lessons that you can use for next season to continue to progress toward your ski racing goals.<\/p>\n

Evaluate This Past Season<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing you want to do is to look back on the recently completed race season and evaluate how it went for you. Here are 10 essential questions to ask yourself (and your coaches):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Did you achieve your goals this past winter? If so, why? If not, why not?<\/li>\n
  2. What lessons did you learn that can help you as you begin the 2021-22 prep period?<\/li>\n
  3. What are your goals for the coming race season?<\/li>\n
  4. What strengths do you bring forward from this past season that will propel into next season?<\/li>\n
  5. What weaknesses have you identified that you need to improve on?<\/li>\n
  6. What has worked for you that you absolutely want to keep doing?<\/li>\n
  7. What hasn\u2019t worked that you want to discard?<\/li>\n
  8. What can you add to your training (physical, technical\/tactical, mental) that has been missing?<\/li>\n
  9. How can you innovate in the different aspects of your training to take your skiing to the next level?<\/li>\n
  10. Finally, and specific to my area of expertise, what mental areas do you need to work on to get to the next level?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    With these questions answered, you can, in collaboration with your coaches, decide what in your training worked and what did not. You can then use this information to create an off-season training program to build on your strengths and alleviate your weaknesses, so you will ski that much faster next season.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s About Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n

    How you ski next season depends on what you do this spring, summer, and fall. The physical conditioning gains you make and the technical, tactical, and mental strength you develop in the off-season will determine how much you improve and whether you reach your competitive goals next winter. There are three areas in which you must focus to maximize your preparation.<\/p>\n

    \"\"First, commit to an intensive physical conditioning program. Ski racing has become a sport of \u201cbeef,\u201d meaning you need muscle, strength, and power (plus, of course, agility and mobility) to ski fast. The only way to develop these areas is with a structured fitness program that will involve weight training, plyometrics, speed work, and stretching.<\/p>\n

    Second, most highly committed ski racers spend at least part of the summer and fall on-snow. Summer and fall skiing is essential for your technical and tactical development because you\u2019re able to focus exclusively on improvements in your skiing fundamentals without the pressures of getting ready for races. It also enables you to test and adapt to new equipment (though my motto is: \u201cIf it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it,\u201d meaning if your equipment works for you, don\u2019t mess with it. Testing distracts you from training and can cause you to question which equipment is best for you).<\/p>\n

    \"Poc\"Finally, and just as importantly, the off-season is the best time to engage in mental training. Just like physical conditioning and technical skills, mental aspects of ski racing (e.g., confidence, intensity, and focus) take time and effort to develop. An organized program of mental training can have huge benefits when you enter the new race season. More on off-season mental training in my next article.<\/p>\n

    Getting Going<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Getting going for next season starts with that first step of deciding how important ski racing is to you. Here are some questions to ask yourself:<\/p>\n