I hear this lots from the gymnasts I work with…
Whether or not it is the excessive beam that is over within the nook or the set of bars that’s additional slippery or the common flooring, there’s simply that one piece of kit the place your gymnast can not seem to do her talent. But, she does it superbly in every single place else.
It is a case of specializing in the uncontrollables.
This month within the Stick It Woman Academy we’re speaking about letting go of the uncontrollables and one of many issues we’re discussing is tools that we do not like.
As background info, I train my gymnasts that there are issues they CAN management of their gymnastics expertise and issues they’ve NO management over.
For instance, some issues gymnasts can management embody their effort, their perspective, their preparation, listening to their coaches, specializing in their expertise, and being form.
However, some issues gymnasts don’t have any management over embody what their coaches or teammates say and suppose and do, the judges and the way they rating, their rivals, the group or sounds round them, and the tools.
Gear falls into the class of issues they don’t have any management over.
That is very true after they compete at meets in gyms the place the tools feels totally different than what they’re used to. Generally the beams are extra slippery or really feel tougher, the springboard won’t be as springy, the ground could be additional springy or onerous, and the bars won’t bend or may bend an excessive amount of. Mainly all of it feels totally different.
When gymnasts get centered on the sensation of the tools, they lose sight of the issues they CAN management. And this places their mind right into a state of panic. Everyone knows panic shouldn’t be an efficient state to be in if you wish to do good gymnastics, so this panic begins a downward spiral and makes them not go for his or her expertise after which concern the piece of kit the place they cannot go for it.
So what can your gymnast do if she’s petrified of a chunk of kit?
The reply, after all, is to deal with what she will be able to management.
Nevertheless it’s not as reduce and dry at first.
As a result of her mind has developed these fears round this piece of kit, your gymnast will possible go into panic mode every time she will get on or makes use of that tools.
For instance, if doing her again walkover on the final excessive beam (or any excessive beam generally) brings her concern, it will be onerous for her to simply rise up there and go for her talent.
So this course of could take a while.
The method of working by this concern appears like this:
1. She works on low beam and focuses on saying phrases that assist her go for her again walkover. These could possibly be psychological cues like “stretch, arms, foot, foot, squeeze” or just saying “back-walk-over” as she does it.
2. She repeats this time and again till it’s engrained in her thoughts and seems like second nature.
3. As she does this she feels the beam underneath her ft and remembers that sensation. She feels what it is wish to seize the beam together with her arms and take a look at her arms as she’s doing her again walkover. She spots the top of the beam as she finishes and remembers that feeling. In different phrases, she will get into her physique as a lot as potential.
4. She heads to the piece of kit that she does not like and makes an attempt it there with no matter “security” mechanism she wants in place – mats stacked, a spot from coach, and many others. As she’s making an attempt it there she brings her focus away from how unusual this beam feels and again to what she centered on throughout her profitable makes an attempt on the low beam. Can she really feel the beam underneath her ft? Is she saying her psychological cues? Is she centered on what she CAN management.
5. Rinse and repeat.
If she notices she begins to panic when she will get on that piece of kit, her first response ought to all the time be to deal with slowing down her respiratory by taking large breaths. This shuts down her fight-or-flight response and can assist her mind cease panicking.
She will then consciously say to herself “I can not management how this beam feels however I CAN deal with my psychological cues.” That little little bit of consciousness that she’s centered on one thing she will be able to’t management and is bringing it again to what she will be able to management can assist her mind really feel safer in that second.
As you may think about, this takes time. Your gymnast has programmed her mind to concern this piece of kit and to deal with the uncontrollables. She now has to discover ways to carry her consideration again to what she will be able to management as she makes an attempt her talent.
The underside line is that there’ll all the time be tools that does not really feel good to your gymnast. That is completely regular and an enormous a part of being a gymnast who competes at totally different gyms and on totally different tools. Your gymnast has to carry her focus away from the tools and again to what she has management over. The extra she does this, the much less her mind will go into panic mode and will likely be extra prepared to let her go for her talent on that piece of kit.
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In case you or your gymnast wants help, along with the sources beneath I additionally provide one-on-one teaching periods through Zoom.
Useful Hyperlinks:
