78. 3 Steps to Make Sure You Can Compete in Any Context

Have you ever had your dancers do really well in practice, everything looks fine in the studio, but then when you go to competition and change venues, all of a sudden, the routine is a mess? Some of that can come from getting too stuck in a repetitive rehearsal structure. As coaches and teachers, we can all get in a rut sometimes, we have a similar warmup every day, we do similar drills for turns and jumps. We have a formula for working across-the-floor combos. We work on choreography, run it a few times full out and then rinse and repeat the next day.   There are definitely aspects of having a routine that is comforting, but if you get stuck in a rut, you can actually make it harder for your dancers to compete. There is a concept called practice variability in motor learning that focuses on how we can change up the way we practice a motor skill in order to improve how well we learn that skill and our ability to perform that skill at a competition. So while it is important to change things up sometimes so practice isn’t boring, it’s actually going to help your dancers better learn the skills they're working on and ensure they can perform them when it counts. In this episode, I’ll tell you all about practice variability and 3 ways to use this new knowledge to help your dancers compete in any context. _________ Show Notes and Resources https://chelseapierotti.com/78 _________ Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform! Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Om Podcasten

You train extensively as a dancer, but what about mental training? Have you ever trained your mental skills like confidence, focus, or resilience? When you tune in to Passion for Dance, that mental training is precisely what you get. You can learn from a sport psychology expert who understands the dance industry and can teach you how to elevate your performance and truly thrive on and off stage. Welcome to Passion for Dance, where your host, Dr. Chelsea, will bring the science of sport psychology into the dance studio. Each week, you will learn actionable strategies and new mindsets to build happier, more successful dancers. Dance teaches us to push through the pain to reach our goals, and we are used to criticism, tears, bleeding toes, and sore muscles. But now, psychological research has taught us more about mental health and resilience than ever before, and it's time to change our industry for the better. Being a dancer teaches us critical life skills, but that doesn't mean we have to suffer before we can build ourselves back up. Dance can teach us self-discipline, teamwork, confidence, grit, and resilience without destroying our self-esteem. The path to personal growth is full of joy, self-discovery, and challenging roadblocks, but we don't have to figure it out alone. This podcast is for all of us to connect, learn, and share our passion for dance with the world.