joni1 started this discussion ·
Hi everyone. Was wondering for those of you who have competed or planning on competing, do you practice at all the day or two before your competition? I usually need to rest my muscles 2 days prior to a showcase but I heard its still good to run thru your routine a couple of times the day before the comp. What do you suggest?
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Kira ·
I often train hard - 2/3 times a week - then the last week I 'calm' it down a bit and my last practice is usually 2 days before the comp. I never practice the day before because 1) if something goes wrong in the practice it will be too late to do anything about it and will just cause extra stress when I should be mentally preparing myself and 2) my mind & muscles should know every movement of the routine and should rest and prepare. natasha wang's tips for training is a little too much for me but may be helpful for you - "Don't make the mistake of thinking it's best to take the last few days off before a competition to 'rest' your body. Yes, take it easier - no more marathon 12-hour training sessions - but remember to run your routine at least twice per day in the days leading up to the comp so the movement is fresh in your muscle memory. It's also important that you focus during these training sessions. Instead of spending 2 hours mucking around on the pole before you run your routine, thus wasting what valuable remaining energy you have, once you arrive at the studio, do a proper warm up, put on your music, turn on your video camera, and GO! Refine the passes and tricks AFTER you've done your run-throughs and can evaluate your performance on camera." whereas felix cane's approach is a bit more like how I train - ": Same sort of thing again really, an hour a day training for myself, then 2 hours teaching so it was a lot, I trained very hard leading up to the competition BUT then 3 weeks before the competition it would slowly taper down, then 3 days before the competition I trained very lightly, the day before the comp I won't touch the pole because if you train for at least 2 months before a competition your body and your brain will know what to do when you're on there, but if you tire it out, it won't work out so well."
stylynzy ·
I'm with Natasha Wangss advice. I conserve my energy completely for the routine. I need to run through it so it's fresh in my mind. If not I will forget it.