Nothing is extra irritating than watching your gymnast hit routine after routine in apply after which as her meet approaches, she loses her abilities. Or maybe she will be able to do her abilities in apply however then will get to her meet and completely freezes up and might’t do her abilities.
Currently that is one thing I have been listening to quite a bit from dad and mom. They’ve seen that their gymnast can do her abilities completely in apply however then within the days main as much as her meet she begins to lose her abilities.
Coaches get annoyed! Dad and mom get annoyed! Gymnasts are annoyed!
It is a actually powerful scenario as a result of issues could be going very well. After which out of nowhere (or what looks as if it), your gymnast buckles underneath the stress and might’t do what she’s able to.
Why does your gymnast lose abilities proper earlier than her meet or at her competitors?
It is baffling when your gymnast is constantly hitting abilities after which begins to lose them, with no time to spare earlier than her meet!
If it begins to occur within the week main as much as her meet, your gymnast won’t have the time to attempt to get her ability again as a result of coaches are busy watching routines and never working abilities.
Or if it occurs in warmup at a meet, your gymnast might need to scratch her routine with none prior warning which could be a actually devastating scenario.
Here is why this could be taking place to your gymnast…
Much like what occurs throughout a psychological block, your gymnast’s mind is perceiving stress. Any time your gymnast’s mind perceives stress, it interprets that as hazard. Hazard then units off her fight-flight-or-freeze response which leads to her mind shutting down her abilities.
What makes this irritating is that the majority gymnasts aren’t conscious of the ideas they’re having which can be inflicting their brains to sense hazard.
These could be issues like:
- I’ve to hit a superb routine at my meet this week
- I’ve to get a excessive rating as a result of I am good at this occasion and I am anticipated to maintain scoring excessive
- I would like to put within the high 3
- My coach expects me to place up a superb routine
- My staff wants me to attain excessive
- I’ve to show that I can compete this stage
- I’ve to show to my previous health club that the swap I made was the proper choice
After all there are different ideas that may additionally contribute to your gymnast feeling stress. Each gymnast is totally different and feels issues in a different way however these are some examples that I’ve heard from the gymnasts I’ve labored with.
So what are you able to do in case your gymnast retains shedding her abilities proper earlier than her meets?
Within the second that it occurs, there’s not a lot to be performed. Her mind is at risk mode and is doing what it thinks it must do with a view to keep protected. There’s not a lot that may immediately reverse this response for her. Deep respiration and letting her mind know it is not in any hazard is the very best factor she will be able to attempt.
However more often than not you simply have to hold on for the bumpy journey and get via it for that meet.
Afterwards, although, it is necessary that your gymnast be taught to determine the issues that could be inflicting her to enter this hazard response.
If she will be able to determine these ideas, she will be able to then work to vary her ideas to make her mind really feel safer.
How does she try this?
Effectively, when your gymnast begins to consider her meet and will get nervous, she’s probably centered on issues she will be able to’t management.
For instance, she could be excited about getting a sure rating, putting within the high 3, hitting a clear routine, or making her coach blissful. For those who discover, these are all final result objectives. They rely upon the end result or results of what occurs at her meet.
Consequence objectives are scary to your gymnast’s mind as a result of her mind is aware of it could possibly’t management an final result or what occurs. And when she’s so centered on getting a specific final result, it causes her mind to really feel uneasy concerning the scenario.
Which means her mind will sense “hazard” and do issues like shut down her abilities and even trigger her to bail out of abilities akin to when she begins falling on abilities she will be able to simply do.
One solution to fight that is on your gymnast to give attention to the controllables.
Controllables seek advice from the issues which can be underneath your gymnast’s management. These are issues like whether or not she says her key phrases, how arduous she tries, what she chooses to give attention to, her perspective or temper on the meet, or whether or not she does her pre-meet routines or focuses on calming her nerves.
When she goes right into a meet pondering “I’ll give attention to my type” or “I’ll give attention to saying my key phrases throughout my routine” or “I’ll give attention to exploding off the board” or “I’ll give attention to recognizing the beam” these are all issues that she has management over. If she units objectives which can be inside her management, her mind is blissful. A cheerful mind would not shut down abilities; it permits her to compete effectively.
The opposite factor that tends to occur is that when a gymnast has a troublesome meet and might’t go for her abilities or falls quite a bit, she typically carries worries of repeating these errors at her subsequent meet. So it begins a cycle of fear that escalates earlier than her subsequent meet and makes it even more durable for her to do effectively.
Once more, your gymnast should discover ways to give attention to the issues she will be able to management and set objectives for herself that do not give attention to the end result, however the course of.
Going again to a number of the authentic ideas which may shut your gymnast’s abilities down, she should discover ways to modify these ideas to be issues that assist her give attention to her controllables.
Listed below are some examples of how she will be able to take these authentic stress ideas and make them really feel higher to her mind:
- I’ve to hit a superb routine at my meet this week–> I am unable to management the end result however I can give attention to my type which can assist me have a superb routine.
- I’ve to get a excessive rating as a result of I am good at this occasion and I am anticipated to maintain scoring excessive–> I am unable to management what rating I get however I can management how arduous I attempt. The great rating will come if I give attention to my corrections.
- I would like to put within the high 3–> I am unable to management how good my competitors is however I can management the place I put my consideration. I can fake I am in a bubble and give attention to doing what I must with a view to hit my routines.
- My coach expects me to place up a superb routine–> I am unable to management what my coach thinks. Plus, if I attempt my hardest, I do know my coach shall be comfortable with no matter occurs ultimately.
- My staff wants me to attain excessive–> I am unable to management my rating however I’ll go on the market and provides all of it I’ve acquired. My staff shall be happy with me it doesn’t matter what.
- I’ve to show that I can compete this stage–> I am unable to management what different folks consider me. However I am happy with how far I’ve come and I do know I’ll hold getting higher.
- I’ve to show to my previous health club that the swap I made was the proper choice–> My previous health club might by no means assume my choice to change was proper. However that is not what issues. I do know I am in the proper place and I can be ok with that.
For those who discover, in each case the brand new thought is targeted on issues she has management over as a substitute of worrying concerning the final result or what different folks assume.
When your gymnast can acknowledge that her nerves and emotions of stress are coming from ideas which can be outcome-based, she will be able to then discover new ideas which can be course of based mostly and put her in management.
Hopefully this weblog gave you an concept of what could be taking place to your gymnast if she retains shedding her abilities proper earlier than her meets. You may perceive how stress prompts her mind’s hazard response and makes her mind wish to take issues into its personal arms by shutting her abilities down.
By understanding her pressures after which working to make them really feel extra controllable, your gymnast can slowly get to the purpose the place meet stress would not get to her as a lot. It undoubtedly takes time and is a course of to get your gymnast to acknowledge her ideas and alter them round. However it’s well worth the effort!
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For those who or your gymnast wants assist, along with the sources under I additionally provide one-on-one teaching periods by way of Zoom.
Useful Hyperlinks:
- Free Downloads: Get free gymnastics downloads to assist your gymnast work on her psychological abilities in gymnastics.
- Stick It Lady Academy: Enroll your gymnast in my membership group the place she will be able to be taught totally different psychological coaching methods and get on a weekly LIVE name with myself and different aggressive gymnasts.
- Free Fb Group for Mothers of Gymnasts: Be part of this group to speak with different gymnastics mothers and get ideas for how one can assist your gymnast navigate via the psychological ups and downs of gymnastics
