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

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Also, yes I know you have some teenaged gymnastics experience but home tumbling could also be teaching her technique that is counterproductive to what the coaching staff is teaching her.

This creates issues in her tumbling that may need to be fixed, which may lead her to block further.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Also, staying IN the tumbling section has the potential to make it worse.

There is some relief in not having to throw it at a comp.

Consider what would happen to her confidence should she happen to bail/fall AT THE COMP IN FRONT OF EVERYONE while also being the reason for a deduction.

 

[Aunie]

Also, staying IN the tumbling section has the potential to make it worse.

There is some relief in not having to throw it at a comp.

Consider what would happen to her confidence should she happen to bail/fall AT THE COMP IN FRONT OF EVERYONE while also being the reason for a deduction.

I agree! However, her coaches have yet to tell her to duck down, so she takes that as them expecting her to do it.

 

[Twinklestars]

I agree! However, her coaches have yet to tell her to duck down, so she takes that as them expecting her to do it.

So, how did this weekend go?

 

[LeahsGirls]

My cp progressed very quickly as well. We roll with the rule "mental blocks don't exist" (don't flame please it's just our Moto not something you'll see me preach) I can see how it could happen bc as skills get harder and take longer to acquire they might get frustrated and get into their head.

Good luck!

 

[Aunie]

My cp progressed very quickly as well. We roll with the rule "mental blocks don't exist" (don't flame please it's just our Moto not something you'll see me preach) I can see how it could happen bc as skills get harder and take longer to acquire they might get frustrated and get into their head.

Good luck!

Yeah...I hate to use the word mental block, as I think just using that word makes it worse, however hers was due to a combination of a very scary neck fall and learning too quickly, so I do believe in her case that this is a block in the truest form. We did not even know what a mental was when it happened....that's how new we were to cheer.

 

[Aunie]

So, how did this weekend go?

She chose to duck, and learned some very important things in the process. First off, her team got first place (yay!!), so she finally realizes that her team's success does not rely on her tumbling. 2nd, she learned that myself, her teammates, and her coaches were still very proud of her performance, even as a nugget during tumbling. This was a big thing because she was putting a lot of pressure on herself worrying that we would all be disappointed in her.

 

[SL&AM]

I appreciate the fact that you know how to spot, but honestly I wouldn't spot even when asked. I have a CP who puts undue stress on herself so I've been in your shoes more times than I like to think about and not just in cheer, but in all aspects of her life. She's a few years younger than your CP. I would keep home a tumble free zone; she can do it if she wants to by herself, but the second you start spotting you become a coach not a mom. I'd wear the mom hat and let her work through her block with her coaches only. I'm glad her competition went well.

 

[Aunie]

I appreciate the fact that you know how to spot, but honestly I wouldn't spot even when asked. I have a CP who puts undue stress on herself so I've been in your shoes more times than I like to think about and not just in cheer, but in all aspects of her life. She's a few years younger than your CP. I would keep home a tumble free zone; she can do it if she wants to by herself, but the second you start spotting you become a coach not a mom. I'd wear the mom hat and let her work through her block with her coaches only. I'm glad her competition went well.

Yeah...I am staying out of it completely. I think nuggeting in the comp really relieved a lot of pressure because she was tumbling on the trampoline today for the first time in a month....she was even doing layouts and half twists.

 

[SarahS]

Yeah...I am staying out of it completely. I think nuggeting in the comp really relieved a lot of pressure because she was tumbling on the trampoline today for the first time in a month....she was even doing layouts and half twists.

If she really wants to do something at home, have her ask the coaches what kinds of conditioning they recommend for her to do to get stronger/faster/improve her body shapes (as in hollow body position, etc, not like how "in shape" she is or looks). Natural tumblers tend to get skills quickly because they just have an innate kinesthetic understanding of how to do the skills, but often cannot keep up the high pace of learning due to their bodies not being properly conditioned for higher level skills, or even maintaining their lower level skills for an extended period of time.

 

[Official OWECheer]

If she really wants to do something at home, have her ask the coaches what kinds of conditioning they recommend for her to do to get stronger/faster/improve her body shapes (as in hollow body position, etc, not like how "in shape" she is or looks). Natural tumblers tend to get skills quickly because they just have an innate kinesthetic understanding of how to do the skills, but often cannot keep up the high pace of learning due to their bodies not being properly conditioned for higher level skills, or even maintaining their lower level skills for an extended period of time.

Definitely. I need to add that I find it interesting (and disappointing) that much of the time in cheer, we don't see beginners in tumbling being taught all of the important body positions (pike, straight, hollow, tuck, and I think I'm forgetting some). Those are seen as fundamental in power tumbling and gymnastics.

It really frustrated me because there are so many kids who think that they're bad at tumbling, or that it is harder than it really is because they aren't being taught correctly.

We could be teaching so much more beautiful tumbling.

 

[AnaMackenzie]

When You get a mental block no one can fix it but you. You should take the pressure of her to attempt tumbling again.

 

[Aunie]

When You get a mental block no one can fix it but you. You should take the pressure of her to attempt tumbling again.

We aren't getting involved at all. Just letting her it out for herself. She was tumbling on her trampoline this morning, and uses a pillow to help her feel safe. Funny thing is that the pillow is beside her so she is doing her tumbling completely on the tramp, however having it beside her makes her feel safe. Mental blocks are so strange......
The only thing she us doing away from practice is she is attending group tumbling classes at a nearby gymnastics gym. She started last week and loved it because it was just fun. No pressure. The gymnastics coach even convinced her to try a standing tuck on the spring floor with him shadow spotting( no touching), and she easily landed 2 in a row. She also did several handsprings by herself on the spring floor, but had to have a crash mat beside....again, like pillow, offers no real safety value because it was beside her, not under her, but something I am learning is that mental blocks bring out a lot of irrational tendencies. The funniest thing about the gymnastics gym was that she was the only one that could do a standing tuck in a group full of gymnasts, but could not do a straddle roll to save her life!

 

[Aunie]

Forgot to mention that the gymnastics coach told me that he feels that her mental block is not all that bad at all. He says most kids that he sees with a block will not do the skill ANYWHERE, and often not even with a spot. He says it is just a matter of time with her and it is probably taking longer because of her age rather than the degree of seriousness of the block.

 

[tumbleyoda]

Forgot to mention that the gymnastics coach told me that he feels that her mental block is not all that bad at all. He says most kids that he sees with a block will not do the skill ANYWHERE, and often not even with a spot. He says it is just a matter of time with her and it is probably taking longer because of her age rather than the degree of seriousness of the block.

Agree 100 percent. I have seen more other kids, parents and even coaches talk the athlete into mental block behavior simply because they were trying to find a quick answer to what was wrong. In my experience 90 percent of the problems brought to me as a mental block was not a true mental block in that they could not do a skill set, or series of skills in the same family at all.