What’s a pre-meet routine?
A pre-meet routine is a set of actions {that a} gymnast does earlier than she will get to competitors. She will do this stuff the evening earlier than her meet or the morning of her meet. And she or he would possibly even do sure issues within the week main as much as her gymnastics meet.
The purpose of a pre-meet routine is for a gymnast to assist calm her nerves and get her to really feel mentally (and bodily) ready to compete.
Ideally this pre-meet routine may also assist her in controlling her focus throughout her meet and performing her expertise constantly. If she will be able to do sure “prep-work,” it may well typically make competing simpler as a result of her thoughts is prepared and in the suitable mode to do effectively.
The purpose with a pre-meet routine, nevertheless, is NOT to be locked into an rigid routine that appears like a superstition. In case your gymnast MUST placed on her garments in the identical precise manner or MUST watch the identical precise video or else she appears like one thing dangerous will occur, that is a superstition.
Superstitions are primarily based on luck and are not useful for a gymnast. In reality, they are often associated to OCD tendencies and different anxiety-provoking behaviors. Superstitions put the locus of management exterior of your gymnast which may trigger her to be extra nervous.
Setting The Stage For A Pre-Meet Routine
There is not any one technique to create a pre-meet routine. Each gymnast can have her personal pre-meet routine that works for her. And what works for one gymnast may not work for one more. So it is necessary that your gymnast take a while to determine what issues are useful for her earlier than she competes at a gymnastics meet and what issues usually are not so useful.
A method to do that is in your gymnast to recollect again to a meet that she did very well on. She would possibly even take into consideration a couple of completely different ones the place she felt like she was profitable.
What did these meets all have in widespread?
What did she do within the week main as much as her meet? Was it a irritating week or every week wherein she felt assured and relaxed? Did she practice laborious that week? Did she get loads of relaxation? Did she really feel ready? Was she excited for her meet?
Your gymnast should take time to actually mirror on these questions. She would possibly even shut her eyes and picture herself again in these moments main as much as her meet.
Different issues she would possibly take into consideration are what kind of meals she ate the morning earlier than she competed and even the evening earlier than her competitors? Did these meals assist her have power or did she really feel sluggish?
She may also keep in mind what her power degree was like proper earlier than she competed. Was she actually excited and overvalued or was she extra mellow and calm? Which psychological state appeared to contribute to her doing effectively?
She will additionally suppose again to her ideas. Was she operating via her routines in her thoughts or was she making an attempt to clear her thoughts and have or not it’s clean?
All of that is worthwhile data for her in understanding what circumstances she competes finest in. Previous successes present clues and can assist her perceive what her ultimate psychological state is.
How To Create a Gymnastics Pre-Meet Routine
As soon as she has her ultimate psychological state discovered, she will be able to then work on creating her pre-meet routine.
First, she would possibly take into consideration her ultimate psychological state and take into consideration issues she will be able to do to assist her recreate that.
If she competes finest when she feels calm, how can she recreate a sense of calm earlier than and through her meet? Does she must do deep respiration workout routines or a relaxing imagery train? Does she must take heed to enjoyable music?
If she competes finest when she does not really feel strain, how can she recreate that feeling once more? She would possibly write down all of the pressures she’s feeling after which rip them as much as launch a few of these pressures. Or she may think herself in a bubble wherein no exterior pressures can get in. She would possibly focus her thoughts on the technical issues she must do as a substitute of letting it wander to all of the expectations and pressures she’s feeling.
As for her physique, does she get actually tense when she’s nervous? If that’s the case, what can she do to loosen it up? Can she do further stretching or an extended warmup earlier than the meet begins? Can she shake out her muscle groups to get the nervous power out?
These items can assist her create a pre-meet routine that may get her into the absolute best bodily and psychological state.
Beneath are some concepts for issues to incorporate in a pre-meet routine. Your gymnast can use these to brainstorm her personal routine.
A pre-meet routine can consist of some issues:
-Consuming an applicable meal that leaves your gymnast satiated and stuffed with power
-Enjoying music that will get your gymnast in her ultimate competitors state
-Training imagery to get your gymnast to see herself performing her expertise with ease and confidence
-Saying completely different phrases or mantras to get her pumped up or calmed down
-Taking deep breaths to get her mind to again off the hazard response
Beginning the evening earlier than competitors, your gymnast can do some issues that can assist her compete higher the subsequent day.
These would possibly embrace:
-Watching her previous profitable routines
-Taking a look at her Imaginative and prescient Board and imagining herself having success
-Doing a psychological run via of all of her competitors routines
-Journaling out her nervous or damaging emotions to get them out of her head and onto paper
-Going to sleep at an honest time so she will be able to get a very good evening of relaxation
-Watching her favourite film to place her in a contented temper
The morning of her meet, your gymnast would possibly:
-Eat a nutritious breakfast that she is aware of will not trouble her abdomen
-Do her hair in a sure manner (braids, bun, and many others)
-Placed on make-up, if that is one thing she does
-Lay out her competitors leotard and warmups
-Dress
-Pack her meet bag
On the automobile experience to the meet she would possibly:
-Shut her eyes and run via her routines mentally
-Say affirmations or mantras
-Hearken to upbeat music
-Clear her thoughts and take a look at not to consider something
-Discuss one thing unrelated to gymnastics
Once more, there isn’t any fallacious or proper pre-meet routine. It is simply necessary that your gymnast discover what works and does this constantly earlier than every meet.
As soon as she’s determined what to incorporate on this pre-meet routine, she will be able to then create a guidelines. A guidelines is a enjoyable manner for a gymnast to remain centered on what she must do, whereas additionally feeling profitable on the similar time! Plus, she will not must do an excessive amount of pondering earlier than her meet as a result of it is going to all be written down for her.
Finally this pre-meet routine will grow to be second nature and he or she’ll simply do it naturally earlier than her meets.
However within the meantime, it is good to have a plan for how one can strategy the times and hours main as much as her meet.
Needless to say this pre-meet routine could must be tweaked if she competes within the night or has to journey to a meet. However the primary premise is similar – your gymnast ought to do sure issues that get her mentally and bodily able to compete her finest.
Do you’ve a pre-meet routine you do earlier than your meets? If that’s the case, share it with us within the feedback under!
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When you or your gymnast wants help, along with the assets under I additionally supply one-on-one teaching periods by way of Zoom.
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