Insanity: is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. (Albert Einstein)
Are you frustrated with not hitting the broom consistently? Do you struggle with balance on the ice? Do you wish you could have more weight control, or be able to generate more accurate hit weight? How long have you been struggling? What have you done to improve your performance? If you’re one of those people who show up to the rink game after game, draw after draw, season after season, and have stopped seeing an improvement, but you haven’t sought out any coaching, or put any effort in to improve,why not?
I’m not here to shame you, I’m generally curious & want to help!
What's holding you back? Is it time? Resources? Maybe you don't have any coaches who can coordinate with your schedule? Maybe you didn't even think about adjusting your delivery and this is an eye-opening post to read?Wherever you are on the spectrum —whether you have access to regular coaching, or live out in the boonies and learned how to curl through youtube and google —performing a Deliver Audit by yourself, or with the help of a coach can bring so much awareness to what you do well, what you struggle with and what steps you can take to improve your performance. The following post outlines why it is so important for you to analyze your performance and delivery now (in March/April) so that you can step back on the ice in the fall even stronger & ready to kick butt! Over the past 6 years of coaching, I’ve asked hundreds of curlers what their main struggle is in improving their performance, and these are the top 5 common responses: Can you relate to any of them?
- You struggle with technique in some way and that affects performance;,
- You struggle with maintaining motivation to ‘do the things’ and staying accountable to the promises you make (when it comes to practices, training, and overall wellness);,
- You struggle because you lack the resources -time, money, equipment, knowledge;,
- You struggle with mental toughness in some capacity;,
- You don’t know what to do for curling specific training (&/or even why it’s important).
The struggle isn’t just in knowing what is causing you to miss the broom or overthrow that rock,
but also in how to fix the issue in a simple and timely manner.
Coaching can be hard to coordinate; your ice time, your availabilities and the availability of the coach might not align. But I come bearing good news! A lot of the time what we struggle with on the ice can be corrected with a reminder of proper set-up and timing. The hard part comes when you need to set aside the time to practice, and knowing exactly how to make those adjustments (that’s where myself or your coach comes in). “But Steph!! –what if what I need to do to correct my delivery, my body won’t do?”!! You might catch yourself thinking,“I’m not flexible enough”,
“I’m not strong enough in the hips or ankles”,
or, “I don’t know how to activate the right muscles at the right time!”
You’re right, every body is different (we are athletes not machines) and sometimes what you’re struggling with on the ice, can’t just be talked into reality, but can be improved with some off-ice exercises and stretches. Believe it or not, this can be the perfect time of year for you to assess your performance for gaps in ability and consistency. Yes, if you’ve got any major competitions left before the season ends, don’t go reinventing the wheel. But if you’ve got the time and the practice ice, then this can be the perfect time to make small adjustments to the efficiency and accuracy of your delivery so that you can: a) hit the ice in September better than last year, b) and, use the off-season to improve any metrics in your strength, flexibility or overall wellness that might be holding you back from reaching your fullest potential.So, what exactly is a Delivery Audit, and why do you need one?If you’re struggling with anything in your delivery such as:
- balance (this can affect anything from accuracy, to weight control, to comfort & confidence in your slide),
- strength for hit weights or sweeping,
- injury prevention and management,
- or cardio for rebounding between shots and full season endurance.
With a Delivery Audit,you send me:
- videos of your delivery from multiple angles (read ‘how to’),
- with a main focus in mind (what are you struggling with?),
- a full assessment of your set-up and timing,
- thoughts on why you might be struggling with your specific problem,
- a detailed explanation of how to remediate your problem,
- and a list of off-ice exercises and on-ice drills tailored to your specific needs.
If you have an issue with your delivery or sweeping technique that your current coaching staff can’t seem to help you with shoot me an email at steph@empoweredperformance.ca.
Work Hard -- Hurry Hard -- Play HardCoach Steph
