Can Learning Skills Too Fast Put You At Risk For Mental Blocks?

[cupieqt]

She will do her BHS and tucks on my bed (thank god for cathedral ceilings!), so I am trying to see it as a positive sign that she will at least tumble backward on some surfaces.....in addition, oddly enough, she did throw her standing handspring and walkover handspring at her first comp a couple of weeks ago, which shocked her coach and I, but went back to being scared the next day. Adrenaline is a funny thing......

Those are great signs. She's working through it. She will get over it if she's doing it again without a spot, the surface is just a variable.


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[cupieqt]

I actually stopped the privates for now because they seemed to cause her more anxiety. I wish now that her coach had considered working on front tumbling with her for a while as an alternative. She is dying to get her punch front, but nobody has ever tried to teach it to her. Maybe a new front skill would give her the confidence boost she needs? She started landing aerials recently and that boosted her confidence a bit. Unfortunately, there is no place for aerials in a level 2 cheer routine....

My girl with the specialty pass? She's level 2. But she can do aerial Chasse aerial, punch front front roll, front walk over front handspring and she's working front layouts. She won't perform most of those in her level 2 routine but when she's ready for L3 she's got lots of special skills we can use. And she's gaining L4 as we speak.

Front tumbling is actually more difficult than back. It's a blind landing so most kids struggle with front passes because the timing is harder to perfect.

ETA: I forgot to add that I think you did the right thing. Watch her anxiety levels. She's going to put a lot of pressure on herself so you're right to redirect. Especially if she's young.


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[Keep_Believing]

My youngest CP has a full, but can't land a front punch step out! That is a really tough skill for her.

 

[Aunie]

Gosh, I wish there was more focus on front skills In cheer. So much importance is placed on back skills, but she shows signs of possibly being really good at front tumbling too, and lord knows she wants to learn it! She is obsessed with the idea of learning punch fronts.
I am really looking forward to Xmas break. I am hoping that a vacation away from the gym and Xmas to look forward to will give her brain a chance to calm down and depressurize..

 

[cupieqt]

My youngest CP has a full, but can't land a front punch step out! That is a really tough skill for her.

The timing takes so long to perfect. I've got amazing tumblers that are still working that. And the strain on the knees....Oy! We stay on soft landing surfaces for a long time with those. The time needed to learn these is a big reason we don't see many gyms focus on more front tumbling. Cheer is a sport of impatience.


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^When actively cheering, I had back tumbling skills up to a full/double.

But if you really wanted to see me eat mat, all you had to ask me to do was punch front.

 

[cupieqt]

^^^When actively cheering, I had back tumbling skills up to a full/double.

But if you really wanted to see me eat mat, all you had to ask me to do was punch front.

Word. So many struggles on that landing. I'm fascinated with it though!


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[Cheer Dad]

@cupieqt has the right info, but then again most of us wish more coaches were like her so it's not surprising her approach.

Since cp seems to have some interest in teaching herself again have you considered just dropping her off at open gyms, if a possibility for you, to just watch? I have found those to be very low pressure to do anything and sometimes just watching the other kids fooling around can help kids try more stuff.

I know your child is young so maybe not possible for you.



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[Aunie]

Actually, I do drop her off at open gym when she wants to go, which is often. She enjoys it because it usually is not busy and her friends from her team also go. I don't stay because I find that my presence seems to create more pressure for her. She has always been a child that worries about pleasing me way too much....not just in cheer, but in school as well. I do not stay at practices either anymore.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

The timing takes so long to perfect. I've got amazing tumblers that are still working that. And the strain on the knees....Oy! We stay on soft landing surfaces for a long time with those. The time needed to learn these is a big reason we don't see many gyms focus on more front tumbling. Cheer is a sport of impatience.


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Front skills also require a lot more strength/conditioning to perform (you need extremely strong legs and a strong core to get your whole body around forward, but w/ back tumbling a good natural block and set (which many girls are just born with) and the right timing is enough to get over). I think cheer gyms don't focus on front tumbling as much because their athletes don't put in enough hours of conditioning to do it well - and it isn't rewarded on the score sheet enough to make the time investment worth it. There are far less mental blocks when it comes to front tumbling though.

 

[dawgshow]

CP loves front tumbling! She's finally able to do back tumbling but would be thrilled if she could do nothing but front tumbling.


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[TheVipersMom]

Yes I think kids who learn fast are more susceptible to blocks.

My kid is 10. We have went through 2 blocks.

One after she got her tuck and she began working layouts. She wouldn't even do a bhs. This one was because of a fall.

And a block the week of summit. She had her full and was working doubles and only on a level 3 team. She said halfway through practice one day she said she had time to think (she wasn't in stunts) and the team was working on stunts so she said she was just thinking in the downtime what if I can't tumble anymore? She said the next full out she couldn't throw her pass.

I will say this was right after worlds and all the injuries that she seemed to be fascinated of watching the videos all weekend before she went to practice. So that's my own theory but who knows what triggered it.
Maybe pressure about tryouts the week we came back for summit. She was finally old enough for level 5 and she was dying to be on that team and had all the standing and running Tumbling she needed to be on it. Maybe pressure for the summit, and maybe a little of her injury fascination. But I tell u that block was the hardest. Complete regression on everything.

Our gym was still allowed her to go to level 5 tryouts. Two weeks prior to tryouts (a week before the block) they had a pre tryout clinic and they would kind of tell everyone where to tryout. At the pre tryout clinic she threw a punch front step out thru to full and a standing bhs full. So that's why they let her go to 5 but needless to say she didn't make level 5. She was on a j3 last year and was put on a y3 this year. She was so devastated but still thankful. We actually thought she would be put on y2 or j2 since she didn't have a tuck anymore. And our gym doesn't really allow non tumblers on a team without good reason so we were thankful.

I find that not caring is the best. I stopped letting her go to open gym because she said she hated it. She said she thinks people would make fun of her attempting tucks or getting spotted on them because she was working on doubles to now working tucks. Although it wasn't true this was very much in her head that kids were making fun of her. And we haven't done privates in years because of the money so I basically took her out of everything but practice. She didn't need to learn level 3 tumbling, she already had it but she just had to find her confidence again. Slowly but surely she would come home and say I threw my tuck today with coach standing there. He said my tuck is the highest on the team and he could sit under it. Then she came home and said she was doing round off tucks, then a week or so later she was doing bhs tucks, then front walkover thru to tucks. You could tell her excitement grew just a little each week. I would just say great job. I really wanted to say ok go get spotted on your full again but I didn't. I just let her know I was genuinely proud of her level 3 tumbling. I didn't care if she ever thru her full again that at least she has this and it's an awesome skill that is good enough! Good enough for me, good enough no matter what- and honestly telling her that and myself that. I really started to believe it. I honestly didn't care about the other tumbling. Seeing her overcome something so scary to her was already a great accomplishment I couldn't ask for more.

Then 1 day after 2 months off of tumbling class or open gym she asked if we could both stay for open gym so she could show me her tumbling (our practices are closed so I hadn't seen it) and she was so excited. Then after that I allowed her just to do only her 1 tumbling class again per request and didn't even go to most of them. A few weeks later my best friend and daughter both text me videos as I'm eating with my dad that she was throwing her full again with no one in sight! This was another very proud moment but the first thing she said was are you proud of me?? I was always proud but she had to ask me if it made me proud. Like she kind of looks for my approval to know if she is doing a great job. So it really hit me that I always needed to let her know I was proud of her. But not say ok great you got your full now go do this, or do this a little better. Just to say great job and let her figure it out on her own.

After that moment she started weekly picking up her new skills and she has everything she lost and a few new ones.

So trust that your daughter will get there. I know it feels like it's taking forever and I know it's so hard watching your daughter be upset over something but just support her and don't push. I actually think you are doing a great job from what all you have said (better than me for sure) so just know she will get it!! We are here for you in the mean time but I find when I can forget about it completely she seems to find it on her own time!!

Sending good vibes your way!!


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[Aunie]

Yes I think kids who learn fast are more susceptible to blocks.

My kid is 10. We have went through 2 blocks.

One after she got her tuck and she began working layouts. She wouldn't even do a bhs. This one was because of a fall.

And a block the week of summit. She had her full and was working doubles and only on a level 3 team. She said halfway through practice one day she said she had time to think (she wasn't in stunts) and the team was working on stunts so she said she was just thinking in the downtime what if I can't tumble anymore? She said the next full out she couldn't throw her pass.

I will say this was right after worlds and all the injuries that she seemed to be fascinated of watching the videos all weekend before she went to practice. So that's my own theory but who knows what triggered it.
Maybe pressure about tryouts the week we came back for summit. She was finally old enough for level 5 and she was dying to be on that team and had all the standing and running Tumbling she needed to be on it. Maybe pressure for the summit, and maybe a little of her injury fascination. But I tell u that block was the hardest. Complete regression on everything.

Our gym was still allowed her to go to level 5 tryouts. Two weeks prior to tryouts (a week before the block) they had a pre tryout clinic and they would kind of tell everyone where to tryout. At the pre tryout clinic she threw a punch front step out thru to full and a standing bhs full. So that's why they let her go to 5 but needless to say she didn't make level 5. She was on a j3 last year and was put on a y3 this year. She was so devastated but still thankful. We actually thought she would be put on y2 or j2 since she didn't have a tuck anymore. And our gym doesn't really allow non tumblers on a team without good reason so we were thankful.

I find that not caring is the best. I stopped letting her go to open gym because she said she hated it. She said she thinks people would make fun of her attempting tucks or getting spotted on them because she was working on doubles to now working tucks. Although it wasn't true this was very much in her head that kids were making fun of her. And we haven't done privates in years because of the money so I basically took her out of everything but practice. She didn't need to learn level 3 tumbling, she already had it but she just had to find her confidence again. Slowly but surely she would come home and say I threw my tuck today with coach standing there. He said my tuck is the highest on the team and he could sit under it. Then she came home and said she was doing round off tucks, then a week or so later she was doing bhs tucks, then front walkover thru to tucks. You could tell her excitement grew just a little each week. I would just say great job. I really wanted to say ok go get spotted on your full again but I didn't. I just let her know I was genuinely proud of her level 3 tumbling. I didn't care if she ever thru her full again that at least she has this and it's an awesome skill that is good enough! Good enough for me, good enough no matter what- and honestly telling her that and myself that. I really started to believe it. I honestly didn't care about the other tumbling. Seeing her overcome something so scary to her was already a great accomplishment I couldn't ask for more.

Then 1 day after 2 months off of tumbling class or open gym she asked if we could both stay for open gym so she could show me her tumbling (our practices are closed so I hadn't seen it) and she was so excited. Then after that I allowed her just to do only her 1 tumbling class again per request and didn't even go to most of them. A few weeks later my best friend and daughter both text me videos as I'm eating with my dad that she was throwing her full again with no one in sight! This was another very proud moment but the first thing she said was are you proud of me?? I was always proud but she had to ask me if it made me proud. Like she kind of looks for my approval to know if she is doing a great job. So it really hit me that I always needed to let her know I was proud of her. But not say ok great you got your full now go do this, or do this a little better. Just to say great job and let her figure it out on her own.

After that moment she started weekly picking up her new skills and she has everything she lost and a few new ones.

So trust that your daughter will get there. I know it feels like it's taking forever and I know it's so hard watching your daughter be upset over something but just support her and don't push. I actually think you are doing a great job from what all you have said (better than me for sure) so just know she will get it!! We are here for you in the mean time but I find when I can forget about it completely she seems to find it on her own time!!

Sending good vibes your way!!


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Thanks Your post gave me tons of hope for her. How lond did your CP's block last?

 

[dawgshow]

Trust me, the best thing you can do is to ignore the block. Don't even think about it. I handled CP's first block very badly and it lasted forever. This last one I ignored and, while it lasted quite awhile, she overcame it much quicker than the first and is now able to recognize a bad day for what it is---just a day, not a cheer career.

 

[omgitssydthekid]

From a coaching perspective, we're had kids who have had blocks that last a couple of weeks and then there are some that are years long. If I'm working with an athlete that is having an issue with a mental block, usually we'll work on something else. Like if they're struggling on running tumbling, we'll work on standing tumbling or front tumbling or something of the like.

We've also had kids that are "serial blockers" so to speak. Those are the kids that get blocks frequently, but they also tend to overcome them quicker.

We've had athletes lose all their running tumbling but still be able to throw all their standing tumbling, and we've had kids with solid level 4 skills lose everything for no reason. And by everything I'm including backwalkovers.

I know that no matter how frustrating it is for me as a coach to watch them struggle, the athlete is 100x more frustrated and upset. And I know everyone has already said this, but it really is best to just let her do her thing and avoid talking about it unless she brings it up. It sounds like you're doing awesome, and she sounds like a good kid so just give her time.


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