Better in meets than in practice or vice-versa?

[MaryA]

My DD can come through in meets, often pulling off skills that are "iffy" in practice. Last year, at level 5, it seemed like she hardly ever made her squat-on in practice, yet she never missed it in a meet. However, her best gym friend is the opposite... looks much better in practice than in a meet. And worse yet, in a high pressure situation, she is more likely to have some pretty impressive falls... peeling off high bar, etc. And if there's additional pressure on top of "regular" meet stress, like this is her last chance to qualify for States or whatever, it gets even worse. This is definitely intenernal pressure... there is little-to-no performance pressure put on her by either parents or coach, precisely because they know any pressure is likely to make things worse, not better.

So, I guess my question to parents is this... which is your child? Does (s)he do better under the pressure of a meet, or in a more relaxed practice environment? And, for parents, coaches, gymnasts, etc. if you DO have a child who choaks under pressure, especially to the point where she frequently hurts herself in meets, is there anything you can DO about it? It's hard for ME to see this child go through this meet after meet, especially knowing what she's capable of in the gym. I can only imagine what it's like for her and for her parents! The child loves gymnastics and is very driven. I can't see her agreeing to move "down" to a non-competitive rec group at the gym.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Honestly--I'm not sure! I hardly ever go watch practice, so not sure how she is doing there--plus she hasn't been doing much lately anyway because she sprained or broke her ankle several weeks ago (was in a cast--possible salter 1 break--the ortho isn't positive, but he treated it conservatively). In the past, she's been about the same at practice and meets. She puts pressure on herself--stressing herself out if things start to not go so well. She's been doing Doc Ali webcamp since last spring, so I'm hoping it'll have positive results for meets this year--it's been going better at practices!

 

[KarenUK]

My dd definitely lifts her game in competition. She has taken part in dancing competitions since she was a little thing, never with stellar success, always one point below the medals, she is not enough of a 'performer' to place any higher. However, compared to many of the gymnasts at the club, she is definitely a performer when it comes to gym - her dance quality is better and she will always pull it out on the day - especially on vault which she's particularly shaky at in practice. I think the experience of having done the dance - that one opportunity to get it right and dealing with the nerves/adrenaline, stands her in good stead for the gym competitions.

 

[coachmolly]

I was much the same as your DD's friend as a gymnast- very driven, dedicated, and intense and put a lot of unnecessary pressure and stress on myself at meets leading to some pretty crummy performances- especially on beam. My coaches tried mock-meet set ups where they got my teammates to watch my routines so I would have to perform under some pressure, required 3 hit routines in a row, one gave me a poem to read to try to calm myself down, talking with me to clarify expectations and try to reassure me that I just needed to believe in myself and focus on improvements rather than scores, placements, and those kinds of things out of my control and it really didn't do a whole heck of a lot. My freshman year of HS my coach had me compete with my HS team to get additional meet experience in a more laid back atmosphere and it did help slightly, but that was very short lived.
I was also a very high anxiety child outside of the gym and visited a psychologist for other anxiety-related issues. I think it would have been interesting to see how working through a Doc Ali type program would have worked for me. I also think some of the issue could have stemmed from the fact that at one gym I was trying to prove myself to HC who did NOT want me in his training group, and at the next gym I was playing a serious game of catch up with kids who had been there all along and were far ahead of me in just about every way. HC at the first gym I mentioned really did a great job of destroying me mentally.
I think for kids dealing with lots of stress created by themselves need coaches who are really patient and understanding, taking time to work with these athletes and help them understand themselves and work to create reachable and meaningful goals. I also think it's important for coaches of these children to understand, and help the child understand, that these mistakes in competition don't define them nor do they make the coach think any less of them as a person, working to pick out the successes at each meet no matter how small.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Don't know yet how things will go with The Fellows. First competition is about a month out. But, I haven't really noticed any difference in her performance when they have done their shows for the parents so far. Competition is a whole different story though. I worry most about her getting lost in the details. She gets so concerned with getting every body position perfect that she will blow a skill not to compromise it.

I have thought to try to explain the different levels of deductions to her, not to emphasize the score at all, but just to show her that if your arms are a little bent on your mill circle, that is just a small deduction. But, that if you don't make it around because you are stuck on keeping your arms perfectly straight, that is a much bigger deduction. I feel like understanding this would help relieve a little of the pressure for her, but don't want to put any score pressure on by saying the wrong thing. Eck!

Anyhoo, I would think with the girl who is "panicking" to the point of hurting herself during meets, the best thing to do would be for them to try to create big pressure situations during practice. Like having all the high level gymnasts come over and cheer at her while she is doing her routines while the music is playing really loud in the background and three coaches standing there giving her a "score" or something. I would think that desensitization would be the way to go with this, but I'm not a coach so I really don't know anything

 

[vagymmomma]

Interesting question, but I don't think there's a simple response (and I've watched very little practices this year, so I'm speaking from a career perspective). DD's definitely way more nervous on beam in meets than in practice (her coach has told me she does way better in practice). However, I think she really steps it up on floor in meets (she doesn't like the dance aspect so she's pretty sloppy in practice). I think some girls love the performance aspect of the sport, but my DD definitely is not one of those. However, she's very competitive and steps it up when needed. So she's all over the place!

Thankfully, DD doesn't have any extreme reactions like you're referencing. We have several girls who every year tend to have mental blocks at one point or another during the season, and it is quite painful at times to watch. I worry that one year they will reach the brink and quit. It's especially hard when you know they can do the skill (because they have for months), and just won't try. I doubt there is a one-size fits all solution.

 

[gymmomof1]

Another parent and I just had this conversation with a coach. For my Dd she can be spectacular in practice or when they do scored routines in practice however meets are a different thing for her. She is very mental and if she has one event on her mind it shows regardless of the event she is currently doing. For example when she was a L 4 during a sectional she was so worried about beam she did the fish pose during her floor routine . The other Dd is compete opposite she can do poorly in practice and come meet time is hitting every routine. She is also not phased by much. I think it just depends on personality as well as skill ability.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

I know a few kids who take rescue remedy and they certainly seem more relaxed, and less shaky by comparison. One parent commented to me how her daughter was not so visibly nervous. It could well be a placebo effect, I don't really mind, if they think they will be better off with that 'yucky stuff' they generally will do better.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Hmmm, I use rescue remedy and I know it works for me. Hadn't thought about it for meets. Worth a shot.

 

[pinklemonadeliz]

My dd is definitely a meet performer - she tends to be distracted by everything going on at practices and appears to me to be "goofing off" but she seems to shine come meet day so maybe she's just absorbing and not really goofing

 

[sportyspice]

My DD is the gymnast who trains beautifully, gains skills easily and generally works hard in practice. Competition is another story - very inconsistent. Fortunately DD has had a coach for the last 5 years who believes that with maturity she will start to compete better and the most important thing is she is obtaining skills and improving in practice.

In the lower levels, where skill difficulty is not very high, DDs team mates who trained poorly in the gym would be able to pull it together for competition but when skills such as BWO on beam and clear hip circle on bars were introduced, they soon discovered that work needed to be put in at training to get results.

 

[jago]

What is rescue remedy???

 

[thnkGd4kds]

OMGosh, my daughter is experiencing pre-competition jitters right now, and I never even thought of using Rescue Remedy (a homeopathic stress and anxiety reliever)! I use homeopathy, too (palm slapping forehead). Thanks so much, Pineapple Lump!

Doc Ali is a fantastic resource. I can't recommend her enough to all gymmies. DD also uses her and her materials, and she helps a lot!

 

[LizzieLac]

My DD is a hard-worker in practice, never skimps on conditioning and takes practice pretty seriously. While I know she has been nervous before meets and occasionally has an "off routine" as a result, she generally brings her A game to meets.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

I can make 5-in-a-row beam routines in practice, or maybe fall once on a couple, but put me in the meet and I'll lose my connection credit and fall twice. One thing that really helps me is high, high numbers. I'll be way more confident in competition if I've made that beam routine 100 times since the last meet - and being confident in your head is half the battle. Unfortunately that doesn't really help my back. Or I've been making my handstands on bars all week in practice, and at the meet my casts are to 45.

I used to take an SSRI for anxiety/mood disorders. I think it did help with nervousness in meets (though beam is always iffy), but not a whole lot. It also had other side effects like weight gain which aren't great for a gymnast. By the way, I think coachmolly's response is right on. She always has some insight.

 

[Clover]

My dd is definitely a meet performer - she tends to be distracted by everything going on at practices and appears to me to be "goofing off" but she seems to shine come meet day so maybe she's just absorbing and not really goofing

This is exactly my daughter as well. She seems to play around a lot at practice, but tends to perform at meets.

 

[cher062]

My dd always does better in front of the judges. Even the practice turns at the meet look iffy but when its her turn she always does well. Now if she isn't feeling well with a cold or something she might not do as well.

 

[aakmlee]

My daughter definately does better at practice. I think she lacks confidence at meets and has scored low in the past which does not help. I have seen her do a beautiful beam and bar routine at practice and mess up on the simplies things at meets. She puts way too much pressure on herself. I will look into rescue remedy and see if it will help.

 

[NGL780309]

I think my DD may be too young to tell. She's only competed one season and she's pretty much exactly like she is in practice and maybe a little bit sharper just because she's focusing, but I think it's because she really has no clue. I had a conversation with her coaches and they were commenting that with her they expect to see exactly what she normally does because meets are just another day in the gym for her and they love that about her. Then one of them said the awareness of competing and getting nervous usually starts at a little bit older age. I'm hoping that it's just her personality and she will be a great competitor. In practice she tends to fall a bit more if she's just a little off on something, but at meets if she has a small wobble she generally will fight very hard to not fall.

I also think that if they really have the skills mastered, it's much easier to go into the meet and just do your job and not be nervous. It's really hard to have normal meet nerves in addition to nerves about making skills that you don't really have down yet.

 

[VaultDiva]

Remember... Pressure is what turns coal into DIAMONDS!