Goal Setting with Mike Hafer

Learn what PSIA-AASI National Team member Mike Hafer is working on this season.

Instructors and athletes at the top of their craft know there’s always room for professional development. They’re also adept at formulating a strategy to successfully reach their goals.

This series of stories focuses on how team members set goals and build plans to achieve their goals. Learn from PSIA Alpine Team member Mike Hafer.

Mike’s Goals for the Season

Goals: My primary focus is to create more patience at the top of the turn so I can effectively work the ski in the shaping phase. In addition, I’m focused on creating more touch in my skiing. These two goals tend to go hand in hand. The reasoning for these goals is to achieve a more precise turn in a variety of conditions. It will also allow me the opportunity to match more turn sizes and shapes for better demonstrations.

My Goal Plan: I am focused on skiing a variety of turn sizes with a slower rate and lower intensity at initiation. As the season progresses, the plan is to take this idea and experience different turn shapes and then into a variety of conditions. From past experiences, this will be my season long focus.

Resources to Use: I enjoy watching World Cup ski racing for a visual for the rate and intensity in these movement patterns which I am trying to achieve. I am lucky to have access to alumni team members and examiners to give me feedback. Last and definitely not least, I use video for feedback. As challenging as it is for me to watch video of myself, it is the most direct feedback!

How You can Use this Plan: Sometimes I believe our developmental plans can be too broad. It takes many turns to develop an autonomous movement pattern. It takes creativity to stay focused on a narrower approach. That is why I add in turn size, shape, conditions and terrain to the developmental plan as the season progresses. This keeps me focused on one thing until I feel that I own it. As always, keep it fun by mixing it up!