Flyaway Mental Block

[flipandfly]

Please give ideas - I am a training five and have all my skills for level five except my flyaway which I just can't get myself to follow through on. I had it a year ago, but lost it, and have a fear of letting go for no reason. I have a month to get it back and am very stressed - and don't want to compete level four for the third time. Please if you can help I would GREATLY appreciate it. [emoji173]️

 

[flipandfly]

Also everyone says just do it but that doesn't work on me.

 

[Splat]

I would say have a coach spot you through it. At my gym the girls that are scared to let go the coach will spot them then if she since that they won't let go she will hold the girl up till she lets of and then help her do the tuck.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Flyaways are scary as all hell.

..... sorry, wish I had some silver bullet trick to make yourself go for it, but I don't. All I can offer is sympathy

 

[.Emmy.]

Hi flipandfly,

As a gymnast I have been through it all, including this fear.
A lot of people are saying that you should get spot, and don't get me wrong... great thinking, but eventually you will need to do them on your own.
So first of all, you didn't really give me much about why you are afraid.. I am going to assume it could be the fear of landing wrong, or hitting toes on bar.
1. Keep your shoulders open. Closing your shoulders can cause you to get close to the bar, and if you keep your arms by your ears, there is no way you can hit the bar!
2. Look for your toes. Basically, look for a spot on the wall, and when your toes hit that spot, let go. Keep this consistent, and eventually your muscles will just know when to let go.
One more method I have... this method is actually to help you mentally. Gymnastics can be tough, and is hard mentally. Think of your flyaway this way..
There is a brick wall, that represents your fear. Right now your wall is stacked all the way up. Every time you go for a flyaway, you knock one brick down. If you balk, (don't let go / refuse to throw) you build up another brick. Eventually you won't be afraid of flyaway, as long as you break down that wall.
You aren't alone on this fear, and remembering that other people go through mental blocks / fears helps me remember to stay strong.
Go for the gold! Best of luck.

 

[flipandfly]

Hi flipandfly,

As a gymnast I have been through it all, including this fear.
A lot of people are saying that you should get spot, and don't get me wrong... great thinking, but eventually you will need to do them on your own.
So first of all, you didn't really give me much about why you are afraid.. I am going to assume it could be the fear of landing wrong, or hitting toes on bar.
1. Keep your shoulders open. Closing your shoulders can cause you to get close to the bar, and if you keep your arms by your ears, there is no way you can hit the bar!
2. Look for your toes. Basically, look for a spot on the wall, and when your toes hit that spot, let go. Keep this consistent, and eventually your muscles will just know when to let go.
One more method I have... this method is actually to help you mentally. Gymnastics can be tough, and is hard mentally. Think of your flyaway this way..
There is a brick wall, that represents your fear. Right now your wall is stacked all the way up. Every time you go for a flyaway, you knock one brick down. If you balk, (don't let go / refuse to throw) you build up another brick. Eventually you won't be afraid of flyaway, as long as you break down that wall.
You aren't alone on this fear, and remembering that other people go through mental blocks / fears helps me remember to stay strong.
Go for the gold! Best of luck.

Emmy,
This means so much to me. I appreciate the time you took to write this response. This thread is a little old, and I have another thread like this in the WAG area, as I was new to the chalk bucket and accidentally put the topic in the wrong area. After several months of the block, I am finally over it. I plan to compete the flyaway for the first time this weekend, after several meets with scratches on the skill. Aiming my toes at a place on the ceiling (I have a high swing) and letting go then really helped me. I started and ended the process without spots. I think your response will be super helpful to other gymnasts who might struggle with the flyaway in the future and search CB for advice, so I hope this thread will be there for them.
Thank you : )