Skeleton sledding isn’t just one of the oldest winter sports; it’s also one of the most dangerous ones! You need to really give your all to the sport if you wish to excel in it.
Having dedicated the last couple of years of my life to skeleton sledding, I encourage ambitious and enthusiastic athletes to try their hand at it. Here are a few tips for beginners that’ll help them succeed.
Time Your Training
The thing about skeleton sledding is, you need to have access to a proper track in order to train and practice. These aren’t always easy to come by. In fact, there are currently about 16 tracks available across the world where you can fully practice for the upcoming season.
You’ll have to do your research and book a track in advance if you’re serious about skeleton. Get in touch with the track managers directly so that you can work out a schedule. Make sure you do this before the sledding season begins!
Focus On Your Physical Fitness
Just how it is with any other sport you try your hand at, you can’t afford to skimp out on your overall physical fitness. And just how each sport has its own specific areas of focus when it comes to building your physical fitness, so does skeleton sledding.
Take it from someone who spends a good amount of time prepping their body for the sport: the last thing you want to do is dive into skeleton sledding without paying attention to your physical health. This will help you avoid sustaining injuries that may even put you out of the game altogether. Work on building lean muscle, meeting the required weight requirements, and of course, your reaction time. This will help you respond better once you start practicing.
Pay Attention to Your Posing Technique
When I first started training for the sport, I’d spend week after week just trying to familiarize myself with the sled and the posing techniques involved. It took me a long time to finally get the hang of it and only then could I proceed with the sport.
Many aspiring skeleton athletes overlook this aspect of their initial training, thanks to their passion blended with their impatience. Not only is this unwise, but it can also prove to be dangerous. After all, the sport requires that you lie down flat on your stomach, with your head faced forward and tilted upward and your toes slightly raised. Now this may seem to be a pretty simple posture, but trust me, it’s not—especially if you have to hold the position for more than a few minutes.
Mastering this posing technique will take you a while. You need to take this step by step instead of shushing through it. Spend the first couple of weeks focusing on this aspect of your training alone and familiarizing yourself with the sled you’ll be operating. It’ll be worth it!
Pursuing ambitious goals such as skeleton sledding doesn’t come easy, but hey, if you don’t put in the effort, you won’t succeed! It took me years of training to get where I am and become the first black male Skeleton athlete from Africa to compete in the Olympics.
Follow my 2022 Olympics journey here.