The Sports Diamond™: What it is. How it works.

I use the Sports Diamond™ as much more than a model. It can be a checklist, a filing system, a road map, a platform, or a set of lenses.

The point of it is simply that there are many elements of skiing, and this is a good way of organizing them so that we can access and address them as they are needed.

The other point is that many athletes fail because they get stuck on one track and don’t know how to get off. They don’t know how to get off because they don’t see another track. The Sports Diamond™ is a menu of other tracks to move to.

The way it works is that you switch tracks—with frequency and agility. If something is working, keep working with it. But don’t work with it to long—at the expense of other elements—or the one you’re working on will surely fail.

Examples:

1. If I have anxiety, and I’m learning to deal with it this is a good thing. But if I don’t then move on to other elements, the anxiety becomes amplified and it overwhelms all the other stuff. It’s okay to stay in the Will corner if it’s a good place for you, but it won’t be a good place unless you let it be informed and supported by the other resources.
2. If I’m learning all the cool moves, this is good. It changes everything an helps me ski better. But if I just keep working on the technique, it becomes boring, confusing, and it’s application becomes narrow (say, I only ski groomed slopes or only one kind of turn, and don’t challenge myself anyfurther.) Technique needs Purpose, feel (Touch), and Commitment (Will) to be effective and efficient.