In 2003 I went skate skiing for the first time. I bought a pair of skis about a year later, and have been doing it ever since.

After 7 years of skiing, I would like to think that I’m halfway decent at it.

Then, two weeks ago I took a lesson at the Nordic Center. It pretty much turned my technique upside down, shook it like a kid with a piggy bank, and completely threw me for a loop.

Seems as though I’ve developed some habits that, although they were working for me, are really bad for efficiency and speed.

I spent last tuesday at the nordic center chasing people around that I usually ski with. I felt completely off balance, out of sync, and very frustrated.

It’s a feeling I haven’t had in a while.

Maybe it’s a feeling I haven’t ever had.

There are many times when I’ve picked up something new and had to gain the necessary skillset from a blank slate. There is a certain expectation that I’ll be bad at whatever I’m picking up, and over time, will become better. I did this with snowboarding, tele-skiing, mountain biking, unicycling, and a host of other things that I’m halfway decent at now.

Skate skiing is different. I thought I had become somewhat proficient. I thought I had built a solid base of technique.

I was wrong.

……and now I’m having to unlearn the bad habits that I’ve developed. Last Tuesday I was frustrated. Tonight I went back out there and concentrated on nothing but technique for a good hour-and-a-half. I was still very frustrated, because I’m deep enough into ‘relearning’ that I can’t even go back to the ‘old way’ now and take a break. Nothing feels right anymore.

Although, after an hour and a half of struggling. I feel as thought I’m starting to pick it up (again).

But I feel like I’ve taken 10 steps back to take that one forward tonight.

Maybe it’s good?

I hope so.

As I was driving back home from the nordic center, I reflected a bit on my situation. Although it’s frustrating right now, I feel like in the end it will pay off. Building the solid base of technique will then allow me to build the strength and refine the technique to become much more proficient than I was before. (at least that’s the theory…)

As I was thinking about how this chain of events came about and what led me to this frustration and struggle, I started to wonder if there are other things that I’m currently doing that I should take a look at the ‘basics’ on.

As a rational person, and one who believes you can never actually achieve ‘perfection’ at anything, I strongly believe the answer is ‘yes’.

Maybe I’ll take another tele lesson this year…….

I’ve also always wanted to take a freeride lesson on the mountain bike….

Or maybe even go to a downhill clinic…..

Or maybe a freestyle skiing camp…..

I can’t say that I’ll actually do any of these things, and I don’t know how much this is really going to ‘change my life’. But, I do feel like being humble in your abilities and being able to really give yourself an honest evaluation of skills every now and again is essential.

I guess that even if the lesson did nothing but shake up my technique, it was worth it.