She's finding the mental part of the training very tough . I like Victoria very much and i do hope it all comes together eventually, which I'm sure it will.

http://www.talktalk.co.uk/news/showb...k-ahead/63326/

She is very open and honest and will not attempt to hide her shortcomings.

I'm worried for her too.

I am really looking forward to Victoria and Brendan dancing ,they are both super competitive and I am sure they will dance fantastically.
I do feel that maybe she needs to lighten up and remember it's an entertainment show.
It isn't a serious dance competition,it is a combination of dance and personality,
People who are too earnest don't win,it is those who the viewers relate to who do well ( eg team Cola)

The period before the first proper programme must always be difficult, I would think a good response from the audience when they actually appear must be a big boost.

Sports people have the advantage of being used to doing daily training and taking instructions from the person training them.

Sports people seem to do very well on this program.
Hope Victoria does too.

The most entertaining bit will probably be after she's given the boot. Find her radio interview, it sounded like she dished the dirt on just about everybody she'd ever been with.

Its normal to struggle mentally. Matt Baker said his brain was fried after the first training session and he was a quick learner who had previous experience of training.

IMO its not your conscious brain that learns to dance. You cant think quickly enough to control all the movements of your body consciously. There's a department in the body where the brain and body look after learning body movement skills and Victoria will just have to do all the boring repetitive stuff and have faith that it will be absorbed. She will be very slow to learn at the start, but as the weeks go on (if she stays in) she will start to learn much faster.

Harry had to go through the same thing last year, but he did have timing, co-ordination and balance naturally, which helped.

That interview had to be right at the start of the training because I've had that issue of the Radio Times since last Wednesday and so it had to be at least 4 or 5 days before that.

She's incredibly competitive but she's used to being the best at something, is it's going to take some time for her to stop beating herself up every time she makes a mistake.

She's not the most naturally talented I don't think, but she'll work harder than any other contestant we've seen on Strictly, so if she can control the nerves she'll be fine for a while.

I really wouldn't worry about her that much. She's one who wears her heart on her sleeve and is open about her emotions, but many of the contestants will be finding the mental part equally tough and fatiguing. I suspect the best person at coping mentally with this will be DVO, since she is used to learning large chunks of choreography.

Brendan sums up the difficulty very well in this good article in the Telegraph, when he compares the one-dimensional skill of winning cycling races with the three-dimensional skill of dancing. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...ng-I-love.html

She's a two time Olympic gold medalist. I wouldn't worry about her lol.

It seems like she's thinking too much. When you're in the middle of a dance and start thinking about what comes next, that's what usually trips you up. Your body remembers better than your brain does most of the time. She might be over-thinking it.

Some people just don't like making mistakes. I know it's all 'Positive Mental Attitude' these days, but it's just a personality type - that sort of self-critical perfectionist tendency. Victoria will have the same approach with her cycling. It's probably not the best approach to be constantly criticising yourself, but a lot of high achievers are like that and it can be hard to change. Often it's what gives you the motivation to succeed.

Though competitive cycling at that level must also become instinctive, you don't have time to stop and analyse every action.

While that may well be true, Victoria is only used to facing the public on a bike and being judged as a cyclist. She is not used to performing as herself; it is far too early for her to be worrying about winning or not, she will more likely be worrying about making a fool of herself. She probably needs a couple of nice dances and some positive feedback before she can lighten up.

As for those who are too earnest not winning, that is only because of the weird attitude of so many Brits! Even the 'Cola guy' admitted he was embarrassed that he won.

I remember Kara saying that because of her dyslexia, she had to get Artem to use sounds to help her remember sequences. If Victoria continues to struggle then maybe Brendan will have to try something similar.

You could be right.

I anticipate Victoria doing quite well. She just vocalizes her thoughts as she tries to learn.

I agree, I'm sure Victoria will soon get into the swing of things once the show starts.

she is a very strong successful athlete who has come through more in her time cycling than she could ever come across in a few weeks on Strictly.

Seriously - people need to wise up she isn't a retiring little flower who needs coddling.

But she pointed out that she did not have to thinik whilst engaged in competitive cycling. What she did then was based on instinct. Here, she actually has to work out what she is doing, which seems initially difficult because she is not used to it. By halfway through the show, she might be able to dance more instinctively. It is a matter of practice.

Victoria does seem vulnerable though.

I was excited about her performance but it wasn't that great as i thought it would be!!

I think it has just been too much for her - a sportswoman catapulted into the limelight. I hope Brendan does a superb ballroom dance with her and restores her self confidence.

Think the woman has issues, to such an extent that it was madness of her to take part. She clearly is very vulnerable, and as soon as she makes a mistake she crumbles and the tears flow. I believe she realises she has made an error of judgement being on the show and should have really taken some time out to relax and reflect on what she wants to do rather than throw herself in to the lions den of uber criticism not only on TV but on the internet. I suspect she will read stuff like this and make things even worse for her, a very sensitive and emotionally charged young lady she is.

One wonders if it is her or her management company? She's done the book and now SCD which anyone can see she is temperamentally not suited too. Oh, and I think she won gold at the Olympics. One wonders why Victoria is so afraid to slow down and just live for a little while. I wish she had the sort of robus outlook that made Rebecca Adlington such a joy.