Continuing the series of articles aimed at helping BASI members to accelerate their progress though the BASI system, this article identifies more major obstacles experienced by course members and presents some solutions. You can use them as your golden opportunities for success.

The previous articles, published in the previous editions of BASI News, presented 7 of these Golden opportunities:

Develop a resourceful body,
Use well tuned, well fitted equipment that leaves you free and agile,
Attend to rest, nutrition and hydration on the course,
Improve your arousal levels for mind, body and spirit,
Overcome denial and welcome change,
Accelerate your learning - behave as though you believe,
Learn how to get out of your own way.

Between them, they covered nineteen specific factors that you can work with, to ensure your own success.

This article deals with the structure of your BASI course, how it is based on the learning process, and how you can work with it for maximum results.

The learning process 

In the last article, it was stated that your performance development depends upon your ability to get out of your own way and work with the learning process.

Your whole BASI course is designed to help you do just that.

The model of physical learning, on which BASI has based it's course structures, was developed by Fitts and Posner. It's a very effective model which, gives us maximum advantage while still keeping things simple. Other, more complex, rnodels broadly agree with Fitts and Posner and reinforce it's key principles.

The model suggests that people go through three specific processes when learning and developing a physical skill. The three phases represent different types of work. The main advantage of using the model is that it allows teachers and learners to identify what needs to be done.

When this is allied to our teaching and learning methods, we also get very clear directions about how to go about it.

Understanding

The first phase is about developing an understanding of the activity. On the BASI Performance Profile Chart, this phase is represented by rating scales 1 and 2, though it's fair to include zero as well.

It's important for teachers and learners to know how the learner feels at each of these stages, as it clarifies the way forward.

Rating scale zero means that the learner is completely unaware of the issue. This is great news, because it means that the subject can be a major opportunity for rapid development. Unfortunately, the denial reflex can kick in here, for reasons discussed in the last article, so learning can be blocked. This is the ego trying to defend it's previous position.

A resistant ego sabotages learning here!

Golden opportunity 8: Get over your denial reflex, something new is good news.

Rating scale 1 means that the learner is getting the idea, though not completely. Keep working to understand. Don't assume that you've understood the whole deal. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There's no such thing as a stupid question.

Golden opportunity 9: There's no such thing as a stupid question. Keep asking.

Rating scale 2 means that the penny has dropped. The learner gets the 'aha!' experience.

So getting from zero to 2 takes quite a bit of self control and a real willingness to discover new ideas and accept change. This is not easy work. It can be frustrating and challenging. You may feel confused and angry. This is the ego feeling wounded or challenged.

Letting go here is an important part of growth.

Golden opportunity 10: Learning can be emotionally challenging. It's a good sign. Work through it!

Beginning the physical learning

The second phase (Fitts and Posner) is about getting physical with the new activity, the practice phase. On the BASI Performance Profile Chart, this phase is represented by rating scales 3 and 4,

Early on in the practice phase, the learner is so busy doing the new stuff that very little attention can be given to noticing the result. The learner needs feedback from the outside to support or adjust what he or she is doing. So this is where teachers and fellow course members can really give the learner a big boost.

Initially, this feedback might be instantaneous, for example supportive comments during the performance. As the learner's experience of the new issue develops a little, this might change to supportive or corrective advice, after the learner has had a moment to reflect and comment on the performance. (The Pause, Ask,Tell feedback model).

It seems obvious, but sometimes, thankfully rarely, learners will stubbornly resist this feedback.

In this phase, you can accelerate your learning by relying on feedback from a trusted source.

Golden opportunity 10: Let the feedback shape your perfomance, in early practice phase.

However, it's important to know that the Fitts and Posner name for the practice phase is the Associative phase. The work here is to explore, through physical experience, the relationships and associations between the elements of the performance, intensities, outcomes, environmental factors etc.

The intention here is not to reproduce a narrowly defined replica of a model performance, especially for open skills such as snowsports. Your body needs to perform lots of different experiments, so that it gets a feel for how things hang together.

"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it", is another way that the ego tries to get in the way of physical learning.
Learners need to map out the variables, physically.

Golden opportunity 11: Experiment. Be patient as you build up physical experience.

Later in the practice phase, the learner still needs to think about the performance, AND can start feeling the results for him/herself.

This is a very important phase that is often mis-understood.
The key issue here is that the learner can feel what is going on and can use this as feedback to shape the performance.

Golden opportunity 12: Feel it for yourself in late practice phase.

Importantly, external feedback at this stage will short circuit your sensitivity and put you back in early practice phase. So your Trainer will be reluctant to give external feedback at this stage.

He or she will help you to do the work of tuning in and becoming a sensitive performer.

Golden opportunity 13: Don't become a feedback junkie.

It's important to get lots of disciplined, varied mileage at this stage, tuning in to specific qualities that your Trainer draws your attention to. This will achieve two very specific results for you.

Firstly, the quality of your performance will soar - accuracy, consistency and sensitivity are developed here. This feels great, you'll start to have even more fun.

Fun becomes a very important feedback process form here on!

Golden opportunity 14: Develop accuracy, consistency, sensitivity and fun!

Secondly, the high mileage in this phase moves your performance to the subconscious, you'll begin to think less, while the performance starts to take care of itself.

Golden opportunity 15: Move it and groove it in late practice phase.

To put this in perspective, hundreds of varied repetitions are required as a minimum, sometimes thousands. There is evidence in the literature showing that grooving and improving techniques continues after millions of repetitions.

In snowsports, our bodies will probably have worn out before this stage, so take care.

But the message is clear

Golden opportunity 16: have a lot of fun doing a lot of skiing or riding, to get through to the next level of performance.

Flowing athletic performance

BASI Rating scale 5 and 6 relate to flowing athletic performance, described by Fitts and Posner as Autonomous.

By this stage the techniques have been understood, shaped by external feedback, then by internal feedback, grooved sensitively with varied, high mileage training and have finally become automatic.

So the emphasis is mainly on skilful application and adapting to the complex demands of the mountain. (BASI Rating scale 5).

Golden opportunity 15: Focus on skilful application. Fit into the situation.

Some performers progress beyond this to creative, even playful performance, literally making solutions up as they go along (BASI Rating scale 6).

Golden opportunity 16: Play with the terrain, be creative.

Training for performers in these phases focuses on challenging the tactical and problem solving skills and moving into more challenging environments.

Often, even more attention to physical preparation is needed to allow the performance to have full expression. For example, lot of BASI hopefuls in the Eurotest lose time in the last quarter of the course, through fatigue.

Golden opportunity 17: Get even fitter, to get the most from your performance.

Summary

This series of articles has presented seventeen golden opportunities which, between them, cover twenty nine specific factors that you can work with, to ensure your own success.

These suggestions are based on how to deal with obstacles or difficulties experienced by actual course members, so check them out for yourself to see what helps you.

Good luck on your next BASI course!

All of the articles in this series can be found at www.britishskischool.com under BASI Member Resources.

Hugh Monney is a BASI trainer and Director of the BASS Network of elite snowsports schools.