Readers Respond: Getting Past a Gymnastics Mental Block

Responses: 11

By Amy Van Deusen, About.com Guide

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Almost all gymnasts get mental blocks from time to time on skills. How have you gotten over the fear? Share Your Advice

This may not help too much but just remember you are young and have a very strong body and any old person would switch bodies in a blink of an eye. So do gymnastics while you still can.
—Guest Former Gymnast

My trick is to tell myself that I'm confident in this skill. Your body doesn't know whether you're lying to it or not! Just tell yourself, "I am totally confident and I rock." It really helps!
—Guest Daria

It can be hard to get over it sometimes. But just count to three and don't think at all! Have your brain empty and go on three. It helps me all the time with standing back handsprings!
—Guest Lindsey

I play intense music in my head and try to time the move as the tempo builds or at a turning point where the music really blasts and feels intense. I usually play "Molossus" by Hanz Zimmer in my head and it gets me excited enough to overcome the fear. I'll start out on one knee with my fist in the ground like I'm some sort of hero, and I imagine just that -- that I'm some sort of hero.
—Guest Guest

I get these mental blocks quite frequently and I know it's tough. It helps me to get a spot from my coach. I also do drills that make me feel comfortable with the feel of the skill again. If you are on beam you can stack mats as high as the beam and slowly pull them out one by one until you don't have any more mats. Sometimes you have to stop thinking and let your body just do what it already knows how to do. But just remember you can do it if you think positively and keep working on it until you get your tricks back consistently.
—Guest Bridget

I used to get scared before getting ready to do any standing or running tumbling without a spot, but then I just imagined that my coach was there and did it. It always works.
—Guest Ashlynn

I know it's is very hard to overcome a block because I've had it happen to me. I just forget about it and try not to think about it as much so it doesn't scare me! A really good tip that worked and helped me is that before you go for the move(s), count to 3 and just go for it without thinking. Trust me it really works!
—Guest helpful

If you've done the skill before then try remembering all the times you've made it and have done it perfectly. If it's your first time, think about all the gymnasts you have seen already do it and have no problem. If they can do it, why can't you? Another thing that might help is saying words. For example, if you're nervous about doing a flyaway (something simple) think something like stretch, tap, release, round, stick. Or whatever works for you. Hope this helped.
—Guest

Springboard and platform divers have this same problem. Coaches will use phrases to help them overcome the mental block such as: "Feel the fear and do the dive anyway". "Think about what to do right and not what could go wrong". "Think about how good you will feel after you overcome this challenge instead of how bad you will feel if it goes wrong again". "Keep dwelling on the positive and not let the negative talk gremlins take over your brain". "Use 'Stupid Smarts' - turn your brain off and let your body do the dive".
—dastrapp

A story that might help gymnasts with mental blocks: Chellsie Memmel was once so scared of learning her blind change she tried to quit gymnastics. Her mother told her she could definitely quit if she wanted to...after she learned her blind change. Turns out, after learning it, Chellsie didn't really want to quit. Just know you can get through it!
—Guest Nicole

Visualization has really helped me. I just keep doing it over and over again in my head and eventually, your mind remembers that you CAN do it.
—Guest JackieW

Amy Van Deusen
Gymnastics Guide

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