When we learn we change, this goes without saying. Sometimes change is so gradually that we don’t notice it, while other times change is so marked that it completely transforms the way we ski. Even when changing technique old habits, these are not automatically replaced nor do they disappear completely. The new and more efficient habits remain attached to the old ones and, as they become stronger, they prevail feeling our skiing differently.
These characteristics of learning, constant change, and improvement are perhaps what drives skiers to become instructors or coaches, motivated by the potential changes they could generate in learners or athletes.
In order to change, a beginner’s mentality must be maintained. Generally, we do not want to change because we are afraid of losing what we have achieved, losing control to replace old habits, or fear of feeling clumsy.
We resist change because we believe that in our current skiing we find stability but in reality, stability is achieved through change, i.e., maintaining internal balance by dynamically adjusting our physiological and behavioral setpoints in response to evolving environmental demands, rather than rigidly defending fixed points, showing that constant adaptation -change-, not static sameness, creates long-term resilience.
Learning means changing and evolving. We do not change our skiing by listening or talking; we change it when we do something through our body, when we ski differently. It does not mean that our whole way of skiing must be changed. The intelligent thing would be to know how to determine what should be changed, as well as to know how to accept our own imperfections.
To change and learn something better it is necessary to know how to get out of “autopilot mode”. We should find positive arguments to sustain that what we are about to learn is better and that it is for our own benefit, otherwise we will automatically look for justifications against it.
We believe that we are reaching our own way of skiing and resist modifying it, even though our muscles feel tired from “doing” instead of “letting go”. The more we resist modifying our skiing, the more complex it will be for us to release our tensions.
We may become frustrated when we experience a proposed change that we cannot achieve. Our perception of being competent or our self-efficacy suffers and, if this happens, then we react with discouragement. It happens because we have lost the ultimate goal of true learning. Learning means changing our behavior, where “changing” is the process of adapting to new conditions generated by a need. Learning modifies our skiing behavior because we are always changing and adapting to a changing environment.
There is a general tendency that, when technique shows improvement, we stop practicing it believing that ‘the’ change has occurred and that it is not necessary to pay more attention to it. These initial changes must be maintained and reinforced, otherwise they quickly disappear.
The motor learning process refers to the changes that occur through practicing the activity. According to this practice or repetition we, through internal processes, determine our own ability to execute a given motor action. This repetition facilitates the consolidation of the changes in our long-term memory.
We may arrive to some conclusions about this topic:
- When facing new challenges, it is important to keep in mind that achieving a result or a success is always comforting, but the important thing is to enjoy the process.
- To really get into the new activity it is significant to keep curiosity in mind, minimize the fear of ridicule or failure, and not take things or ourselves too seriously.
- Learning is pleasurable when it takes the natural path to improve what we already have, but if we go against our nature or our will, then it will become a loss because we will get in the way of skiing.
- Satisfaction with our own skiing depends on our own learning.
