When the motivation runs low
Bad days on ITG happen just like good ones. They're extremely frustrating and feel like nothing can be done to turn them around. It's also difficult to determine which of your next sessions is going to be a bad one, because the causes of them can be contradictory in nature.
I usually feel a bad one coming up by the first or second song. I can tell because I feel off during my warmup, or I'm having difficulty keeping up. This is particularly obvious when I compare my performances to past sessions and can plot a graph in my head. If I feel like I'm putting out more energy than normal for a song that would normally feel easier, then I know I'm going to be having a rough time today.
It's frustrating for a number of reasons, most of all because it feels like you're going backwards and not forwards. Songs that were a breeze yesterday suddenly feel impossible today.
It can be due to many reasons:
Pads deteriorated and you can no longer use your normal technique
You have to step larger or harder than usual
You aren't fully recovered
You changed your reading mods
Make the most of it
Bad days can be a blessing in disguise, but not before they're curses upon curses first.
Before you can accept the hand you've been dealt and work with it, you will always go through the waves of self-doubt and anger at your seeming inability to improve. The worst part about it is that it won't get any better. You'll sort of get warmed up and then flail through some stuff you've already passed, getting a score way below anything decent, and then an hour later you'll be tired, annoyed and out of breath and wondering why you even played at all.
However, this is where the true test begins. These days become the ultimate test of your mental strength and resolve. Although you won't be performing at peak ability, you will be within your own mind.
Each song you push through will test your resolve to its limit. The ability to persevere is a test of your mettle and how far you can really push yourself. Every other part of your brain and body is fighting against you, so its like a handicap to make yourself keep playing.
I've learned that how hard you're able to push yourself on these bad days is very telling and will help train how hard you can push yourself on good days.