Behavioral modification is used as a method to change our skiing behavior, being fundamental for the improvement in terms of adaptation to the environment and the development of our potential.
Skiing is an activity in continuous movement in which it is easy to dream of changes. There are skiers who idealize a global improvement of their own skiing and those who would simply like to change certain aspects. Change is difficult but not impossible. To achieve it, obstacles must be overcome, but there is always resistance that gets in the way. It may seem to be a lack of will but it is something more complex. Many skiers do not overcome even the preliminary attempts at the progress they seek, some experience a certain fear of failure, perfectionists’ skiers set very high goals for themselves, and others blame external conditions. In reality, the most influential aspect of any behavioral modification is constant commitment.
Everything in life changes: the future becomes the present, the present becomes the past. Change has its risks but if we don’t change we take the risk of not growing. It is only when we experience a crisis that the will to change appears which allows us to modify our skiing by moving from incompetence to skillfulness. Our skiing changes when we change.
It is true that, just as in life, the only permanent aspect in the dynamics of skiing is change. We are not the same skier as the day before, nor are the environmental conditions. Now, why is it so difficult to effect behavioral change? If it is positively accepted, why does it produce apprehension? Why do we tend to cling to the known and the familiar, the identifiable and the recognizable?
Facing change often generates the fear of the unknown, of not being able to, of making a mistake, of disappointing others or ourselves by not getting what we are looking for. There is a fear of deconfiguring the learned technique by trying promising new ways. Since the uncertainty of what is to come generates insecurity, which in turn produces anxiety, we prefer to remain in the known and the controllable. But if we reflect on it, our desire is always oriented towards the unrealized best, which is an incongruity: we want to experience the desired best but at the same time we offer resistance.
If we find that the skiing itself becomes annoying, then we have three possible choices: accept it, change it, or stop skiing. If we have been putting up with conflict skiing long enough, then any action we take is better than none. If we remain stuck we learn nothing; if we do something, even if it is wrong, at least we can learn from the mistakes we made.
One observable aspect is that, because of the demand to modify a motor behavior, it is changed in the wrong way. This rapid transformation may initially be experienced as significant but usually does not last long since it risks dying out if it is not consolidated, or if the environmental conditions change. Once we stop consciously practicing what we wish to modify, we lose track of how to return to proper execution: it is as if we need a mental ‘map’. The ski lesson aims to facilitate this technical-tactical map, a schema formed on the basis of key words and memories that we can take as references.
Committing to change the way of skiing, of facing a given situation or environmental condition takes time. As is well known, skiing time is limited, so this the most common excuse to avoid committing to our own improvement. Another reasoning that prevents starting on the path of behavioral modification is to rely on the fact that if it was tried once and did not work, why should it work now? This is the typical argument of those who choose to enjoy the moment without thinking about the possible consequences of tomorrow’s skiing.
When we hesitate to achieve behavior modification it is because the goal intimidates, not the means to reach it. If we believe that the means used to modify skiing are difficult, we are mistaken. The means are there to facilitate and guarantee the achievement of the goal but we should always bear in mind that to expose ourselves to change is risking making mistakes and not achieving the proposed objectives.
However, the main function of our brain is to maintain homeostasis and the survival of the organism. Faced with a situation of change, if our brain would have an inner dialogue it would be: “why should I do something different if I can survive with what I am doing”. The same could be said of us: “why am I going to change the way I ski if with what I know I can go down everywhere”.
This conformist self-dialogue leads to inaction and frustration while an energizing and optimistic one leads to proactivity. Following this reasoning, not everyone is prone to change. In fact, we do not resist change per se but rather we resist being changed. There are times that we do not feel motivated or do not need to change our skiing style and bet on permanence but even deciding not to change, we and the environment do: the environmental conditions are not the same, over time the patterns of technique are modified, and our body gradually changes with age.
Change generates discomfort in our relative stability to then regain it. This initial discomfort is one of the reasons why we resist any change. But when we are already going through change, it is comforting to look at what we have changed and learned rather than just seeing what we have yet to go through. It doesn’t matter how small or large our progress is. What matters is the benefit obtained from it and to achieve it, it is essential that the motivational force comes from within us and not so much from the outside (friends, family, instructors, or coaches).
Change begins with the evaluation of the viability of the desired modification, therefore, it must be determined in relation to our own skiing reality. The strategies to be applied are, first, a resistant discipline to overcome procrastination; then to establish execution and reorganization times by removing distractions and confronting tedious aspects and, finally, to control impulses tending to immediate satisfaction.
Four phases are observed prior to the initiation of change:
- In the dissatisfaction and hesitation phase we know we are in a state of nonconformity then doubts interfere with decision making.
- In the second phase we begin to glimpse the possibilities of modification by evaluating the advantages and disadvantages.
- The third phase refers to our decision to modify the current behavior and to set the course to follow.
- In the last phase, we adapt to the new procedure.
One of the main benefits experienced when making behavioral changes is personal growth through learning better behavior.
Other benefits are:
- Renewal: when deciding to change we feel renewed even if we remain the same.
- New results: by modifying technical patterns new results are achieved.
- Learning: change makes new experiences possible.
- Overcoming: facing our fears expands our limits.
