Now, before the skater can perform on the last level, there is one more important ingredient to the success of performance skills. This ingredient is environment. It is truly the psychological make-up of your skater that is going to perform on the very last level. This explains why, on the outside of the pyramid blocks I have drawn, the success of the instructor and the success of the student when combined, will make a successful learning environment. These theories won’t become known, or stamped in the students mind. We have to learn that enthusiasm is one of the major centers of focus. how many times have you heard a skater say, “I’m just really bored on these figures.” Well, have we made them enthusiastic by maybe doing an extra exercise to create a greater knowledge, or perhaps by creating another figure for them to work on? To me, as you can see, the challenges of the field of figures are endless, and that’s what makes it exciting for me, and not a defeating thing. Are we just pounding away, saying “NO, that’s wrong …. NO, that’s wrong”. Or have we done something to inspire them? I think our attitude with them is mirrored in their attitude toward us.
So, only by a combination of both sides of our pyramid will we have a successful working environment and success of performance of skill.