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Unlocking Your Skating Potential Through Visualization · The Nadia Chapman Show

• 0:02
  Hey skaters, skating parents and coaches, welcome back to the Nadia Chapman
• 0:08
  Show, the skater edition.
• 0:10
  Today's episode is a game changer, guys, so make sure you save it and you share it.
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  We're going to be talking about one of the most powerful mindset tools used
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  by top level athletes, Olympians, performers of all sorts, and most skaters
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  aren't using it to full potential.
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  I'm talking about visualization, guys. Yes, mental training and rehearsing in
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  your mind what you want your body to do on the ice.
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  And here's the mind-blowing part.
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  Your brain doesn't know the difference between something that you vividly imagine
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  or something you actually do.
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  And that's not a mindset quote here. That's neuroscience. science.
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  So if you've been struggling with confidence or performance nerve or plateauing
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  practice, this episode is for you. Let's talk about the science.
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  Your brain believes what you imagine.
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  Let's start with what's actually happening in your brain. Studies using MRI
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  scans show that when athletes mentally rehearse an action, like a jump or a routine,
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  or even imagine a fall or an injury, the same neural pathway lights up when
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  they're physically doing it or going through it.
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  Isn't that amazing? Your brain doesn't go, oh no, that's fake, that's imagination.
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  It goes, cool, we're doing this again. Let me lock it in.
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  The muscle memory gets reinforced and the timing gets smoother,
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  the movement becomes more automatic.
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  And the best part of it is that you can do it without being on the ice.
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  Let me break it down for you as a skater.
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  Visualization is not daydreaming. It's focused mental rehearsal.
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  You're not just thinking about your program. You're seeing it.
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  You're feeling it, skating it in your mind.
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  And here's the key. You need to add emotion.
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  The more vivid imagery, the more
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  real it feels, and the more your brain records it as a live experience.
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  This is especially powerful when you're coming back from an injury or struggling
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  with your confidence or even preparing for a competition. You should be doing that.
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  So when should you use visualization?
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  Here's what I tell my clients and my skaters. Before practice,
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  so get mentally in the zone before you step onto the ice.
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  Definitely before competitions. And by the way, it might take you a while to
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  master visualization, but the more you practice, the easier it gets.
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  So before competition, visualize your entire program with clean elements and calm focus.
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  At night, before bed, that's when your brain is more suggestible.
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  Visualize your best version skating with ease
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  with confidence executing every single element
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  clean but also use visualization during
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  recovery so if you're injured or you're resting you can still train mentally
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  and i'm telling you it works but listen this isn't just for big events visualization
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  is also very powerful for small stuff learning a new jump mastering spins,
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  fixing a bad habit, or maybe just improving your expression.
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  Your mind is your most powerful tool and you need to learn to train it just
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  like you train your body on the ice.
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  I want to talk about manifestation. Yes, you heard me right.
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  Manifestation is basically not a voodoo thing or some witchcraft.
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  It's basically what you focus on, you strengthen.
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  Let's talk about the word manifesting. It gets tossed around like it's magic,
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  but let me reframe this for you.
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  Manifestation is repeated focus plus belief plus action.
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  When you keep doing visualization with success, your brain starts to believe it's possible.
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  And then you act like it's possible. And that changes how you train,
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  how you recover, how you respond to setback.
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  You don't become a great skater by accident. You become that great skater in your mind first.
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  Think of your dream performance. See it, feel it, believe it.
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  Then bring that energy to practice and watch what changes.
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  Skaters, here's a truth most people never told you. Champions aren't just better
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  athletes. They're better thinkers.
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  They use mental tools that other people ignore or other people don't know about.
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  So if you're just practicing physically week after week, but doubting yourself
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  in your mind, there's a huge gap here.
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  And visualization closes that gap. It aligns your thoughts with your goals.
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  It trains your confidence. It sharpens your focus. And it creates results before
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  they even show up on the score sheet.
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  Remember, your brain is always listening, always learning. So make sure that
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  it's rehearsing the right story. Do you get me?
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  Before we wrap this up, I want to leave you with some questions,
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  not to overwhelm you, but to help you unlock that next version of yourself on the ice.
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  So if you've been skating on autopilot or stuck in a rut or constantly saying,
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  I can't do this before you even try, this is your moment to shift.
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  Take these questions seriously.
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  Okay. Write them down, sit with them, come back to them before bed or after practice. Here we go.
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  Number one, what do I want to experience on the ice? Mentally,
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  emotionally, and physically.
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  And go ahead and put as many details as possible.
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  Number two, if I could skate with confidence, what would that look like and
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  feel like? See it in your mind.
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  Number three, what am I rehearsing more often? My fear or my future self?
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  Number four, where am I letting doubt get louder than my belief?
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  Number five, what if it does work out? Am I ready to believe that?
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  Hmm, good question. And maybe the most important question of all I should add
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  in there, am I willing to train my mind as hard as I train my body?
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  Because visualization isn't a bonus mindset trick. It's the foundation of who you become.
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  When you close your eyes and you see yourself succeeding, clean landing.
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  Fluid movements, totally calm, you're building belief.
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  You're building a version of yourself who already knows how to handle that pressure,
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  who already knows how to shine, who already knows how to skate like it's done.
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  And that version of you, it's in there right now.
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  It's just waiting for you to call her up. So here's your challenge.
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  For the next seven days, visualize your best skating every single day. Just five minutes.
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  That's it. Put the phone down, close your eyes, and rehearse the greatness you're stepping into.
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  Because the truth is, your brain is always learning.
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  Make sure it's learning something that serves you.
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  Remember this, your body follows your thoughts.
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  So make sure that those thoughts are going somewhere bold, beautiful,
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  and aligned with your goals.
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  You're not waiting to become that skater. You're training to become that skater.
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  As always, thanks for listening, skaters. Now go visualize it,
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  believe it, and skate like it's already yours.