Fear in adult gymnastics

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dan129834

Gymnast
Hello everyone, im trying to learn backflips currently, and it seams like only fear interferes me. im not in a gym, but we do have equipmen, mats, blocks and also air floor, so we do it safely.
Im trying to get to a higher level as an adult, and my fear is my biggest obtacle again and again, with my back handsprings and now with my backflips. What i want to know is 2 things. First if you have any tips for overcoming fears please?
And most important, does the fear disappear sometime? I mean, if im doing a backflip like X number of times, will the fear disappear?
If you read my earlier posts, im aiming very high, so i really need to get over those fears.
And btw, is it easier to get over fears with more equipment? like spring floor, tumble track and pits?
Thank you very much :)
 
It would be a lot easier to over come the fear if you were working on this skill in a gym with a coach. The coach would give you drills to work on based on your own challenges and help the skill to feel right.

Also the coach will tell you when you are ready to attempt it on your own.

Fear in gymnastics is not bad, it’s good. It is our body communicating with us that for some reason we aren’t ready to throw this skill in our own. Either physically or mentally.

The key to success is to listen To and work with the fear.
 
ok i see. it is important to mention i didnt try it alone, i did it with parkour coach. he did say that physically i can do it. i jump high, straight and not backward, but as soon as i take off the block and try to jump straight to the mat, my body wont move :confused:
well, i guess i'll just have to wait until the gyms will open again.
 
For some people, fears can be overcome with numbers (doing x number of a skill), but this doesn't work for everyone.
Examples: 1. As a kid, I was afraid to go off the high dive (10 feet off the ground) at the pool. Once I went off it, I was good and could go off it repeatedly ... but only for that day. The fear returned every day. On that first day, I must have done 20 dives. When I went back to the pool 2 days later, the fear was back. I TRIED several times that day, but backed out every time. Every so often, I could overcome the fear and do some dives, but the fear was back again and again.
2. My OG was similar to me when it came to her back tuck. She needed a spot on the first one of the day, then she needed the coach to just stand there for a few before she was comfortable enough to do it on her own. Repeat each practice and meet. Well, we had meet where we arrived a little late. She stretched and then joined her team warming up floor. The coach wasn't in position to spot her and she decided to just go for it anyways. She fell, landing on her head (luckily with her hands helping to break the fall). After that fall, she didn't even attempt an unspotted back tuck for over 18 months (and then, it was on the airtrack only). She is not completely over the fear.
3. YG was scared of doing a flyaway. But it wasn't that she was scared of flipping from the bar, lol, she was willing to stand ON a high bar and do front tucks and back tucks off it into a pit. She had seen her sister hit her toes on a flyaway one too many times and was afraid to hit her toes. After she did it multiple times at one practice unspotted, she was fine. She is completely over the fear ... and she helps younger team mates when they have the same fear.

And yes, pits and other equipment can help with fears.
 
wow i see fears are very complicated. i dont know why i have that fear, but i hope i will get over it after some successes. when i did back handsprings, i got over the fear until i had a little shoulder injury. after that i didnt train for 2 weeks, and when i returned to back handsprings, the fear came back. but now i got over it again, and i only get fear on the first attempt of the day. after that, im good. i hope it will be the same with the back tuck. more important, i hope that i wont have problem with my fears on much harder skills, like twists, or elements of high bar.
 
It's normal to be afraid, I often encounter it. But if you do it right, set realistic goals, and take your time, you'll be great. I think that's the way it is in every practice.
 

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