When I don’t feel 100 percent on skis...

There are days, even though I feel okay, when I go skiing that I feel I don't ski well, I'm afraid, feel awkward, and just don't perform well. How can we explain this? That’s right, this is what happened to me last Friday, one of these days when everything feels just a little "off," despite feeling okay otherwise.

This phenomenon isn't uncommon, and I think it can be explained it by a combination of factors—both physical and mental. Even if I feel fine, my muscles or motor coordination might need extra time to "wake up." I just don’t feel like entering in sync with what I want to do on my skis and my body struggles to get going effectively. I’m convinced that my performance is intimately linked to my mindset. 

Some tiny distractions, overthinking, or self-doubt (like worrying about falling or failing) will mess up my natural flow. It's almost as if I were skiing from my head, not my whole body! True, there can also be fatigue or stress in play that plays games with my physical coordination without my being conscious of it. Even if I’m not totally exhausted, these factors will interfere with my fluidity on skis. 

On that particular day, the new snow fell perfect, but visibility was kind of lacking, heightening in me a more intense sense of caution. This probably led to a smidgen of hesitation and, in turn, a general feeling of awkwardness. 

While I don’t want to openly admit it, I’m also concerned that my age (77) isn’t helping things either and this might signal at best a plateau or at worst, the beginning of an inexorable decline, telling my body that both intensity and speed might be dialed down to still ski smoothly like a love to. 

When these days happen, I’ll do my best to be kind to myself. I remember to focus on the basics, take it a bit slowly, and let my muscle memory take over. Above all, I do my best not to judge my performance too harshly. Off-days are part of the process in any sport!