Interview: Corinne Mayhew (August 2015)
Interview 8: Simon Cooke - BASI Snowboard Trainer & ISTD Snowboard Instructor
1. What have you found to be the most common psychological barriers experienced by your clients?
I've found that people can be scared of many things. Visibility, bad conditions, i.e ice, slush and sometimes even powder if they don't have the skills to be able to ride it properly. Sometimes holding others back in a group freaks people out, but the most common underlying problem that holds most people back is the fear of losing control. When I've questioned clients as to why they are struggling to just 'let go and let it happen' they often answer that they are "afraid of loosing control". I will sometimes ask if they are quite controlling in their own lives and they usually answer yes.
2. Which successful techniques have you used to overcome these barriers?
So, if the issue is the conditions (terrain or weather), there will be a technique more suited to different types of conditions that I can teach them, but tactics can also play a big part in improving performance.
I try to be very careful with the terrain that I pick to ride for the sessions. You can't change the fact that it's icy but there may be better slopes depending on the time of the day, where the sun is for example. I never teach beginners in the morning in spring, as it's just too firm. I will also pick easier slopes than they would be used to riding if the snow itself is tricky. Powder can be fun if you are very selective on where you go. You always want a get out clause i.e the piste could be walked back to. The equipment makes a massive difference as well. A powder board will make it 20 to 30% easier than a regular board, which in turn has a massive psychological knock-on effect.
Some people are conscious of holding others back in a group and can't concentrate on their own performance due to worrying about the others so much. A good instructor will set tasks suitable for different levels within the group, but to be honest if I get clients like that, I'm not afraid to suggest private sessions. They will get a lot more out of them and they will greatly reduce the risk of injuries.
If people are just plain scared of loosing control, I try to rationalise what they are fearful of. They generally have this idea that the board is going to pick up incredible amounts of speed which results in them falling and instantly breaking every bone in their bodies. Of course this isn't true. I point out that falling is part of the learning process and that the falls don't necessarily mean "death". I teach them how to sit down rather than fall, and of course explain how to fall if they have to.
I tell them how few injuries occur in my sessions and I spend a lot of time building a good relationship with them so that they trust what I say. This is done on the piste and on the lifts. At the end of the day I know how to stop them falling/losing control but they have to have enough confidence in me to do what I tell them.
If people are really frightened, which happens a lot, I just try to go very slowly. I never push them too hard. I work on easy pistes which gradually build skills and confidence hand in hand and I always work hands on. Of course this is only possible in private lessons and its for that reason that I never teach beginners, especially nervous ones, in groups. You just can't give the attention necessary to build that confidence which at the end of the day is the most important factor in learning to ride no matter what level you are at.
