there's no crying in gymnastics.. right??

[Patrithang]

Hi so I have this bad habit where i am a major perfectionist and if I don't get something right the first few times, I am at the edge of tears. I am 14 and I can not cry at gymnastics because that would be one of the most embarrassing things ever! i cried a bit yesterday ( in private) because I couldn't get my front tuck on the tumbletrak, plus my family came to watch me for the first time. I use to tell myself whenever I felt like crying, " there is no crying in gymnastics" but it would just make me cry more. So now I just have to focus on something else. =/

What are you tears stories at gym? Close to tears or full out tears?

 

[gymfan4ever95]

The only times i have cried at gymnastics was when twice when i was injured, and maybe once or twice for being frustrated. But i get close to tears alot, like today! I am TERRIFIED of tumbling into the pit. We had to do 50 pushups if we didn't do at least a back tuck, and after like, a million bail-outs, i finally did it. But like, i was sooo close to just breaking down, just because i hate it when coaches get mad or frustrated with me, and i just can't help almost crying! But i just look away for a minute and tell myself, i am 14 and i can't be crying. The only way to fix it for me is just to do the skill that i am getting upset over.

 

[gymgirl_60]

normally,i can stop myself from crying. but if its just one of those days, then sometimes i cant help it. anyway i have had many tears on my backhandspring on beam. some times worse than others. mostly i will cry some when i get very frustrated. if i feel tears coming i will ask to go to the bathroom or lockeroom and just take a minute

 

[Linsul]

I had a coach tell me that skills aren't worth tears. Skills will be yours if you keep at practice, save tears for boys Made sense to me, you learn, practice, and then you achieve and nobody ever gives you a date you'll have 'xxx' skill. It makes sense in a purely logical don't waste time hating the process kind of way.

 

[minfriendz]

I used to cry out of frustration because i would work soo hard to get a skill but it never worked out. I learned very late that you sometimes just have to step back and look at the bigger picture, you've learned soo much from gymnastics. Don't let one bad day ruin everything. and its okay to have fun in gymnastics too, don't always focus on getting better. Focus on enjoying yourself in the gym because you want to learn about the sport, not because you want to have all those flashy tricks or the best routine. Those come with having fun

Don't worry, i think i cried at least twice a week and i was in high school!! (yeah its embarrasing )

 

[ryantroop]

Sometimes, its all about finding the right person to listen. Then, its ok to cry.

Even as a coach, there are times when a kid gets hurt, or you watch one crash ruin a year of training... We feel your frustration and anger and anxiety right along with you - but we keep it in check because we need to keep you safe.

We understand the big ones coming out uncontrollably. Just keep the rest in check like we do, and keep yourself safe.

Ryan

 

[T.Gymnastics]

i only cried twice. once when my coach pulled my leg out so i was all the way out in my straddle split.(which is normally a mountian). and i teared when we had to do this crazy conditioning. one girl almost threw up and another felt like she was gonna pass out.

but i would say that you should just think about something you did well that day instaed of what you didnt do.

 

[T.Gymnastics]

I had a coach tell me that skills aren't worth tears. Skills will be yours if you keep at practice, save tears for boys Made sense to me, you learn, practice, and then you achieve and nobody ever gives you a date you'll have 'xxx' skill. It makes sense in a purely logical don't waste time hating the process kind of way.

wonderful!

 

[tumblerK]

Crying once in a while is okay; we have all been there and felt the frustration and pressure. But if you cry over little things because you are a perfectionist the time you spend crying is time you could be using to get the skill. Crying at practice should be a rarity. Don't let the tears get in the way of your practice.

 

[lifesentencegymmie]

I pretty much only cry at gym when i get hurt...now. But a couple years ago I cried like every day during conditioning...and believe me crying is not as embarassing as it gets! When I hurt my knee this year I screamed and then fell over and literally started chewing on the mat...(and I'm 17!!) I don't even know why!! But that was pretty awkward...one time I read in a magazine that you can stop yourself from crying by squeezing the muscle between your thumb and your index finger, or by sucking on the roof of your mouth...the thumb one actually works!!

 

[NotAMom]

As a dad, if you're young and in the earlier years of competition, I think it's perfectly ok to cry. It's not healthy holding in your feelings. It's only an embarrassment if you think of it as such. It's only natural to react that way. In contrast, if you throw a fit or take your frustration out on yourself or someone else (including your coach), that's an embarrassment no matter who sees it. Of course, I can only speak for my own opinion.

With that said, for many, the need to cry in sport (unless due to physical pain because of an injury) will lessen or diminish in time and in maturity. Just remind yourself that everyone has good days and bad days. Even after a bad event at a meet, nothing should hold you back from throwing super routines in the next rotations. It's all about your attitude. It's all about looking ahead and learning from your mistakes.

Just to share my personal story with you...
My 13yo L7 is not a super athlete (gymnastics and others) but she is good at what she does (with some potentials to make it big -- currently with another sport and previously with gymnastics). She definitely has her share of bad days. Even though she rarely cried at practice/training, she used to pour her eyes out every time she screwed up when things counted at a meet. The higher the expectation the louder and longer the cry, and the more massive the tears. I always felt bad when that happened but I was never embarrassed by her crying. But, one thing I can always count on has been her perseverance. Often she would outperform herself in the next events after mistakes are made. With it comes to crying, it suddenly stopped when she turned about 10 or 11. When she choked at the big events (including missing 1st in a particular state event) she is now ok with the less than favorite outcome and she would head right onto the next event with the best she got. She would even joke about the misfortune or mistake openly afterwards. I, OTOH, still have trouble getting over these incidences.

 

[Kayleigh]

My coach often calls me the most emotional kid she's ever coached. Some times in a good way... others in a bad. I just have this awful habit of over-thinking EVERYTHING... skills, meets, friendships, injuries... etc. And sometimes, that will lead me to tears. My coach says that I feel the need to make "life-changing decisions" without taking the time to think it through... and without truly needing to make said decisions.

I've only ever cried over a meet twice... once a few years ago when I didn't make it to states, and I was one of only 3 that didn't. The other was just a few months ago at my high school states... fell three times on bars and once on beam. Worst meet I have EVER had as a gymnast. So that was upsetting. Even then, though, I waited until I was away from the meet and then I let everything go. Ugh. That was bad.

What it comes down to is that I'm just a very emotional person. I'm trying very very hard to keep it in check, though... and I am getting better at it!

 

[cher062]

Hi so I have this bad habit where i am a major perfectionist and if I don't get something right the first few times, I am at the edge of tears. I am 14 and I can not cry at gymnastics because that would be one of the most embarrassing things ever! i cried a bit yesterday ( in private) because I couldn't get my front tuck on the tumbletrak, plus my family came to watch me for the first time. I use to tell myself whenever I felt like crying, " there is no crying in gymnastics" but it would just make me cry more. So now I just have to focus on something else. =/

What are you tears stories at gym? Close to tears or full out tears?

LOL are you kidding. Heck every girls meet I go to has at least 4 kids with waterworks and there is at least one kid every week at the gym upset with themselves for not getting a move as quickly as they would like.

This sounds sexist but if you have girls (especially the 12 - 15 yo) your going to get water works, moodyness and everything else that goes with the surge of hormones!

 

[lil_gymnast_alanna]

I had a coach tell me that skills aren't worth tears. Skills will be yours if you keep at practice, save tears for boys Made sense to me, you learn, practice, and then you achieve and nobody ever gives you a date you'll have 'xxx' skill. It makes sense in a purely logical don't waste time hating the process kind of way.

Priceless!
But I cry when I cant do things sometimes...ok more than sometimes. about a few times a month
Dont stress too much over a skill you cant to. Gymnastics is ment to be hard and its great whe you finally get a skill that you found really hard.

 

[Patrithang]

but like do you cry infront of everyone? or in private

 

[tkachevbaby]

i cry when i get frustrated, but i go in the bathroom, and on the way there i try to act like nothings wrong. if it's in private and no one knows its alright...kinda. that's good advice about how to not cry too! i'll have to try that. and if i'm in pain there will sometimes be tears but it's not really crying. like what the other girls have said, with conditioning and stretching and stuff.

 

[cathiann]

My DD will cry after gymnastics--and sometimes during--out of frustration with herself. I've learned not to ask her when I pick her up (if we're inside) how the day went if I see a certain look on her face as I know she'll start crying. Her coach says that she'd rather Beth was upset enough to cry than to blow it off and not worry about it, but she should focus that energy more into working her skills too.

 

[gymkat]

I'm a really bad crier in general, but most of this is because of my personality (perfectionist to a destructive extent at times). When I switched gyms, I cried a lot because I couldn't seem to make anything good enough by the new gym's standards. Fortunately, I've grown out of crying about gymnastics because it defines my life much less than it used to.

 

[Lingualatina]

I just about cried my eyes out today, I had a meet and I got two 6.4s and one 7.5. Those are my worst scores ever and they made me really depressed the whole day. It didn't even matter that I have a new personal best floor score. I'm still sad!

 

[gymnastgets10]

I'm not really a crier, even for injuries, but I have cried twice in frustration - once in level 5, when I was messing up my steps for vault for like a month (but I cried when I got home) and once a couple months ago when I couldn't make a giant to save my life, which was really frustrating because I had just gotten my giant consistently (it took me like 7 months!) and then I hurt my ankle and was out 2 months and I was having trouble getting it back. I had made like 20 on Monday and was really happy, but then things went downhill from there, and on Saturday I couldn't make any. I started crying in the gym (which I feel is embarassing, but I know that sometimes you do just have to cry - I have seen a few 9's and 10's in my gym who are usually really mentally tough cry once or twice). My coach was really nice though and asked me how I wanted him to help me and then reminded me that making a giant wasn't really important in life and that there are bigger things than gymnastics, so as long as I knew I was trying my hardest. That helped a lot.

Oops! I forgot one. I did cry after a meet once, it was our intersquad and I felt like I was really ready with all my skills (except my giant...) and realistically thought I could get a 35... I got a 32 (fell on bars and twice on beam) with 3 all-time low scores (including all-around), so that was disappointing.