As many gymnasts prepare to begin their aggressive seasons, there’s one factor I hear quite a lot of from dad and mom and coaches alike. “She’s doing nice. But when solely she had extra confidence…”
Whereas it is true that confidence is one thing all of us may use somewhat extra of, confidence is not nearly feeling good about your self.
For gymnasts, it is actually the glue that holds them collectively. It provides them the flexibility to shine on the meet ground and to point out as much as competitors as the most effective model of themselves.
So how can coaches assist gymnasts construct confidence main into gymnastics meet season?
Listed below are 3 ideas.
1. Ensure your gymnasts are placing within the numbers.
This goes with out saying however when gymnasts are getting ready for meet season, they should put in as many numbers as potential so that they have one thing stable to show their readiness. One of many largest sources of confidence comes from repeated demonstration of skill.
The extra prepared a gymnast feels, the upper her confidence. In distinction, if a gymnast is worried that she is not prepared for meet season or hasn’t had sufficient time to place collectively her full routines, she is going to probably be missing confidence when the massive day comes.
Phrases like “belief your coaching” should be plausible to ensure that your gymnasts to muster braveness from them. If they have been coaching arduous and placing in numerous routines, then they will really belief their coaching when the time comes.
Now clearly there is a effective line between doing numerous numbers and never desirous to burn out a gymnast earlier than competitions season even begins. So numbers may embody doing dance run throughs whereas imagining their ability passes. The purpose is in your gymnasts to know their routines in and out and to have the endurance and psychological stamina to get by way of them constantly.
In case you have gymnasts who’re recovering from harm or struggling by way of psychological blocks, imagery is a good way to get them feeling extra ready. Assign them psychological routines as a part of their apply or homework.
One other nice method to get gymnasts to really feel extra ready with out placing in precise numbers is to have them create a highlights reel.
A highlights reel is a set of assorted movies by way of the years of assured routines. Encourage your gymnasts to splice collectively their greatest routines and to look at this highlights reel daily.
Among the finest builders of confidence is previous success. In case your gymnasts have had profitable meet seasons up to now and/or finished actually nice routines, this can provide them a lift of confidence. The extra they will watch themselves doing these routines, the higher they’re going to really feel main into a brand new meet season. The purpose, then, is to get them to “see” as many profitable routines as potential.
2. Create competitors like eventualities as typically as potential.
One of many largest issues that gymnasts must do to organize for competitors season is get themselves into a contest mindset mode.
Gymnastics is a sport the place a lot of coaching is completed in apply mode. Summer time, pre-season, post-season…these all span months and months. Competitors season itself is just a handful of meets over a comparatively quick span of time. To compound this, precise competitions compose a really small proportion of precise time in a gymnast’s profession.
Subsequently it’s normal for gymnasts to enter competitors season nonetheless in apply mode.
A apply mindset is one in every of perfecting abilities, attempting issues time and again, and choosing abilities aside or breaking them down till they get them proper which is not potential throughout competitors.
A contest mindset, however, is one in every of trusting your coaching, going with the move, and hitting on command.
Gymnasts who do not make the swap from a apply mindset to a contest mindset might discover themselves unprepared for competitors season. After they should do single routines at meets, they typically cannot put up their greatest effort as a result of they have not educated their physique and thoughts to hit for these single routines.
Coaches can create competitors environments within the health club as typically as potential main as much as competitors season. Nonetheless, please be aware, this doesn’t imply rising the strain they’re already feeling as meet season approaches. It merely means getting them into new habits of performing routines with much less prep as they’ll do in competitors.
This may imply:
- Having gymnasts apply their competitors warmups after which do one single routine in entrance of their teammates to simulate a contest setting.
- Narrowing down to 1 single correction as an alternative of giving gymnasts a laundry record of corrections to make. In any case, in competitors it is about having the ability to do your greatest with what you might have in that second. Should you’re getting very choosy as a coach, then your gymnasts will proceed to remain in a apply mindset mode.
- Encouraging gymnasts to maintain going by way of their routines once they make errors. For instance, if a gymnast is working her bar routine and falls, as an alternative of letting her repeat the start once more, have her choose up from the place she fell and end her routine.
With that mentioned, there may be one main exception to the concepts above. If a gymnast is struggling by way of a psychological block, do NOT take away spots or mats to prep her for competitors. Whereas many coaches suppose they should get their gymnasts used to what the aggressive surroundings shall be like, when gymnasts have psychological blocks their brains are in fight-flight-or-freeze mode.
These gymnasts completely NEED to proceed to construct belief with their mind and their physique. This may increasingly require mats and spots main as much as precise competitors (and presumably spots throughout competitors as nicely). It is at all times higher to have these gymnasts take the deduction for being noticed than to push them too quickly to strive abilities solo that their brains are saying no to.
These gymnasts may even take the deduction for not doing a ability if they are not able to compete it. If worse involves worst, then scratching an occasion is an choice. However permit these gymnasts to proceed to get what they want throughout apply to maintain constructing confidence by way of their psychological block.
3. Encourage your gymnasts to make use of psychological choreography constantly.
If you have not already, assist your gymnasts create psychological choreography for every of their routines. Psychological choreography is a means of protecting your gymnasts’ minds targeted throughout their routines so it prevents the self doubt and detrimental ideas from creeping in.
Psychological choreography is when your gymnasts suppose/say one phrase for each aspect or ability of their routine. This may be one thing so simple as naming the ability they’re doing (again walkover) or saying a phrase to remind them of what they should do (block, push).
In obligatory ranges, coaches can create psychological choreography for every of the routines and educate it to all of the gymnasts to be taught. You may even apply it as a gaggle out loud so that they get it down.
In optionally available ranges, your gymnasts can create their very own psychological choreography that goes with their routines.
The purpose is in your gymnasts to memorize these phrases and to say them each single time they apply their routines. This could apply even throughout dance run-throughs or imagery.
The extra they will do that constantly, the extra ready they’ll really feel come competitors. After they rise up to compete, they will merely remind themselves to say their phrases after which their brains take over robotically throughout their routines.
Backside line, confidence is constructed by way of previous successes (highlights reel), feeling ready (placing within the numbers), and protecting the detrimental/doubt ideas out (psychological choreography).
Making that swap from apply mindset mode to competitors mindset mode can also be essential to your gymnasts’ success this season. Ensure, as a coach, you might be creating conditions that really feel extra like competitors within the health club by having gymnasts undergo their competitors warmups and routines and having them observe by way of with abilities even once they make errors.
Nonetheless, one massive caveat, is that you do not want so as to add to the strain gymnasts are already feeling as meet season approaches. Countdowns to competitors may be eradicated. They trigger extra nerves than essential in lots of gymnasts. Consistently holding the truth that meet season is coming over your gymnasts’ heads can also be not essential. By following the guidelines above you may assist your gymnasts make the shift to competitors mode with as little stress as potential.
—–
Should you or your gymnast wants assist, along with the sources under I additionally supply one-on-one teaching periods by way of Zoom.
Useful Hyperlinks:
