All-Star Advice Needed: Help

[fancygirl#1]

I desparately need advice from an athlete that have experienced a mental block; a coach that have dealt with a serious mental block of an athlete; or a parent that have helped their child through a block. Here is the situation: Right before tryouts my daughter experienced a serious mental block. Although, I felt she should take some time off she was able to convince me that she could get over it because she could not see herself sit the season out (she's been cheering for a looooong time). Well, I enrolled her in privates and we went everyday for weeks leading up to tryouts. Needless to say, she went to tryouts and was able to throw the skills needed to make level 5. During the first couple of practices, I noticed that she was starting to do strange things. Complaining about the mat and stopping in her tumbling. As the coaches seem to become frustrated over time and the pain of witnessing her stress in regards to tumbling; my daughter and I decided that she needed to sit out and focus on tumbling in order to build her confidence back up. She have been tumbling for the last 4 months and more consistently lately. In addition, she was able to master her hand, hand full which she did not have at tryouts. She was so excited and decided that she was ready to cheer again. She went to tryout for a team and needless to say she was not able to throw the skills! Which brings me to my question? What are your suggestions and what advice would you give in dealing with this issue? Is this the end of her cheering or do we keep trying?

*We have read Debbie Love

 

[BuegeSmalls]

What was the skill that she had a mental block on to start with? I wouldn't quit. Maybe she was just really nervous about the tryouts so she was afraid to throw the skills. Try doing a private lesson with the coach of whatever team she is on/wants to be on. That way they can see what she can do and that she wants to do it, maye they can help her work through it. If anything maybe take a break for the rest of this season and keep tumbling and wait to tryout again until next season.

 

[fancygirl#1]

What was the skill that she had a mental block on to start with? I wouldn't quit. Maybe she was just really nervous about the tryouts so she was afraid to throw the skills. Try doing a private lesson with the coach of whatever team she is on/wants to be on. That way they can see what she can do and that she wants to do it, maye they can help her work through it. If anything maybe take a break for the rest of this season and keep tumbling and wait to tryout again until next season.

She was to throw; jumps to tuck, hand hand full and running full which she was consistently throwing 2 days prior. The coach(s) of the team does not teach privates but privates are available with others in the gym. She have/had a block on back no hand tumbling. She works very well with an instructor at a gymnatics center near my home.

 

[tumbleyoda]

It is very difficult to say because there are so many things that can happen that are the catalyst for a mental block as you say. I personally don't like that word usage because simply saying affirms something is mental that is stopping an athlete when it may not always be mental. Words have power so when you keep saying you have a mental block - well there you go. Growth spurts are a major ignored reason for tumbling challenges. The center of gravity shifts in the athlete and all of a sudden stuff feels weird. Injuries of course play a part - both real and imagined. The pressure to be on a certain team, or stay on the team, being around certain athletes or pressure from well meaning parents can do it as well.

The only thing I know to do is to evaluate each child on a case by case basis, make what they are struggling with fun with drills and lots of positive reinforcement and work thru it. Every athlete is different so they must be treated as such. One thing I am doing this session is having a special enrollment class for those that are struggling. You often see the athlete break down in class or team not just because they are struggling but because they are embarrassed. I wanted an opportunity to remove that stressor and put them in a different environment for awhile. It allows them to not feel like all the attention is on them thereby putting more pressure on them, while giving them the extra attention from the coaches they need to to try to work thru the area of struggle. They are no longer holding anybody back by not going, or forcing them to condition if they do not throw their pass. Working thru the challenge is just as important as getting it back. Then if they want to do privates they can. It allows even the parents who can't afford privates and won't accept us giving it to them for free anopportunity to help their athlete.

 

[BuegeSmalls]

She was to throw; jumps to tuck, hand hand full and running full which she was consistently throwing 2 days prior. The coach(s) of the team does not teach privates but privates are available with others in the gym. She have/had a block on back no hand tumbling. She works very well with an instructor at a gymnatics center near my home.

Hmmm.. When she did tryout for the team was she able to warm up her tumbling before she had to do the tryout? If she did then maybe she slightly hurt herself during the warm up, which made her afraid to throw it later? When I got my mental block it was because I did a tuck, not sure what happened during the tuck, but I ended up on my back on the floor which made me afraid to do it again because I didn't want that to happen. I think the reason she didn't throw it at the tryout was because there was so much pressure, she is able to throw it at the privates because it is a more relaxed enviorment. When I had my mental block I couldn't throw the skills if someone told me to, I had to be the one choosing to want to do the skill. I know my main problem was that I wasn't confident. Maybe that has something to do with it too.

 

[JulieP]

I desparately need advice from an athlete that have experienced a mental block; a coach that have dealt with a serious mental block of an athlete; or a parent that have helped their child through a block. Here is the situation: Right before tryouts my daughter experienced a serious mental block. Although, I felt she should take some time off she was able to convince me that she could get over it because she could not see herself sit the season out (she's been cheering for a looooong time). Well, I enrolled her in privates and we went everyday for weeks leading up to tryouts. Needless to say, she went to tryouts and was able to throw the skills needed to make level 5. During the first couple of practices, I noticed that she was starting to do strange things. Complaining about the mat and stopping in her tumbling. As the coaches seem to become frustrated over time and the pain of witnessing her stress in regards to tumbling; my daughter and I decided that she needed to sit out and focus on tumbling in order to build her confidence back up. She have been tumbling for the last 4 months and more consistently lately. In addition, she was able to master her hand, hand full which she did not have at tryouts. She was so excited and decided that she was ready to cheer again. She went to tryout for a team and needless to say she was not able to throw the skills! Which brings me to my question? What are your suggestions and what advice would you give in dealing with this issue? Is this the end of her cheering or do we keep trying?

*We have read Debbie Love

Not to be rude, but I see that you have followed through with reading the Debbie Love stuff but have you followed through with the "Breaking Free" system? My athletes that have used it have all had success with it.