How to get rid of "Mental Blocks"
Gymnastics, cheerleading and tumbling requires a great amount of not only physical pushing but also mental pushing. As a ex-cheerleader i have come across times when i all of as sudden create this fear of throwing my skill in tumbling passes and standing tumbling. Hopefully writing my experience and ways I've learned how to overcome it will help you do the same.
First your mind set has a great impact on how you perform and practice. Athletes and performers need to believe that talent and skills are not just inborn but instead developed with a positive attitude focus and hard work.If athletes believe that a talents just comes to a person this automatically limits this person belief in self and his/her abilities.
Setting goals will help in achieve a strong base of skills. For example, your back handspring isn't perfect but instead of moving on and trying new things, you'll focus a bit more on those back handsprings. You will start to create a "perfection before progression" mindset.This means you will focus and perfect you skill before moving on. What this does is it helps deduce the stress of learning the next skill and still remembering how to accomplish another.
When performing there are a few thing to think about. Always have fun with it know that you enjoy what you do and take it all in once you go on floor.remember all the positive things about yourself never think negative. Create goals to meet that you can push at this competition instead of the last.
A performer or athlete with a developing mindset thinks:
1.I will Embrace challenges
2.Pushes and succeeds through setbacks
3.Believes that effort is important
4.Uses all criticism and feed back positively
5.Is inspired by and learns from others success
Attending workshops and open gyms with benefit in many ways. In Cheer tumbling, a service provided by Gymnastics Elite, I believe is not as structured as a class which can be stressful. So in turn, the child is having fun and attempting the skills she/he wouldn't normally do.
