We continue developing learning inhibitors and promoters.
Exaggerated seriousness is the attitude that takes hold when we believe that we know and that this places us on a special level. It is also the assumption that learning is something ‘serious’ that is not fun. Taking learning seriously can also provide room to laugh at ourselves, which can be of therapeutic benefit. If we assume an exaggeratedly serious attitude when learning, generally do so in order to admit that we do not know and use what we do know as an embellishment to disguise what we do not know.
Triviality manifests itself when we pretend to be serious in learning but fail to achieve it, taking it as a trifle. It is common to see skiers who minimize interest in learning generate ridicule situations and make fun of others. They experience disgust masked by a good-natured attitude that in reality translates as mediocrity.
Denial of authority to another person to teach. To initiate learning, while we must first declare ourselves incompetent in the field, it is imperative to accept the possibility that someone else can teach us and tacitly ‘authorize’ him to do so. To give authority is to give trust by acknowledging that the person chosen knows more than we do. Many times we unconsciously restrict giving power to others to instruct, for example, by permanently questioning the method he uses.
Mistrust, as a reluctant inhibitor, manifests itself by doubting both the instructor or coach but also ouselves as learners. In doing so, energy is wasted in resisting and distrusting the facilitators by questioning the appropriateness of the method they have chosen. We should trust in the ability and experience of the one who teaches, as well as in our own potential to learn.
The lack of conscious presence in the present moment makes learning impossible. Often we are physically present but our mind wanders between the past and the future. To open up learning possibilities it is necessary to be in the here and now moment.
Pride may prevent us from asking for help because it implies the recognition of our own incompetence. We may tend not to depend on others, although alone we will not be able to get very far, so we miss out on learning opportunities. Possessing the ability to ask for help makes us more human and helps us grow.
Anger does not allow logical thinking and reduces outside information. Getting angry because things are not working out does not lead to anything positive. It is advisable to take a break from the activity until it disappears.
Eagerness to learn everything is an impulse seen in the skier who is passionate about learning but as it becomes impossible it is best to take it one step at a time.
The pretension of having answers for everything, instead of using questions that are the ones that clear doubts and clarify the means to achieve learning.
The confusion of knowing how to do with having information. The latter is limited to a cerebral process, while the former concerns a bodily action.
Enclosure in a learning situation, instead of adopting an attitude of growth to open ourselves to opportunities and questioning what we already know.
Diminished self-confidence interferes with the belief in our own learning abilities. At doubting our abilities because we evoke negative past experiences we tend to avoid challenging new situations as soon as the first difficulties arise.
A final inhibitor is falling into the fallacy that all the skiing that we actually perceive is all that exists, and therefore disqualifying other ways of experiencing it because those experiences are not yet within our reach.
Factors that promote learning
Ignorance, or knowing that we do not know, is the first stage that allows the development of learning because it is in this instance that we recognize that it is necessary to learn. In other words, to begin to learn it is necessary to go through the moment of ignorance and accept it as such.
Motivation is the main factor that influences learning since it is our intention to learn or improve our own skiing. If motivation does not exist or is superficial, then we will hardly learn anything.
Hand in hand with motivation is the stimulus or the drive that each possesses when faced with the challenge of learning. This should be intermediate; if it is too low, we will not be able to commit ourselves sufficiently, and if it is too high, it can provoke anxiety interfering in our learning process.
High self-esteem influences ski learning in that it translates as the positive valuation of our own worth and, therefore, of our own efficiency in the execution of the technique adapted to the present environmental context.
Self-confidence is another important factor and refers to the belief in our own ability to learn.
A tolerant and flexible learning environment makes us feel motivated to keep trying.
Sleep favors memory and learning processes, in addition to facilitating the consolidation of acquired concepts. Appropriate sleep collaborates in neuronal plasticity and in the consolidation of procedural memory over motor execution.
We can conclude that, in general, most skiers manifest positively towards learning but many present difficulties in achieving it. The most effective learning promoter is the elimination of inappropriate habits to free the way to incorporate more efficient learning in each situation.
