Parents DDs mental block Came back, but kudos to her coaches

[SignHere]

My DD ( just turned 11 Level 7 ) struggled last year with a mental block on her backwards tumbling. After doing her Rao BHS BLO in competition for several months, she couldn't do it. She said it just didn't feel " right".

This lasted 7 months. Through a hypnotherapist, Doc Ali tapes, her coaches ( they blamed me), and it spread to beam and bars. Really bad. She started having nightmares. I took her to a therapist for generalized anxiety. Finally, after talking to the therapist a bunch of times, she started tumbling backwards and the therapist told me I should move her to a different gym.

We found a new gym which she loves. She's been super happy. But, about 2 weeks ago, she started balking on her backwards tumbling again. However, she told me ( I don't watch practice) that her coach put her on the tumble track and started working drills with her.

Last night, I picked up a very happy little girl. She was tumbling backwards again for the second practice in a row.

I feel like writing a thank you card to her coach!

 

[profmom]

Congratulations to her and you! You're probably not quite at the end of this road, but a little come and go on this is certainly a lot happier than weeks and then months of complete blockage, especially with coaches who treat it as a crisis! Glad the new gym is handling it so much better.

 

[SignHere]

especially with coaches who treat it as a crisis! .

Exactly. It almost makes me want to cry, when I think about the old gym, sending her across the floor to balk, probably thousands of times, and then major festivities if she did it once. It was like it was the most important thing in the world. And then the coach would tell me not to ask her how gym practice was going bc that would put too much stress on her?

New gym, if she balks once on the floor, they send her over to tumble track or tumbling into pit, etc. Very low key - just " we don't want you to get hurt, which can happen if you balk". Then they work drills. No cheering if she does it, just corrections. It's so, no drama, no tears, it's amazing.

She does mention to me she balks occasionally. Then this 2 week stress occurred. But I'm so happy with these new coaches.

 

[Seeker]

Sound like a much better environment for her. Glad she has a good support system now'

 

[htimcj]

It sounds like a much better place for her to be. I hope her tumbling comes back for good soon!

 

[munchkin3]

Dd new gym, NEVER gets mad at fears.....they don't even blink an eye and just move back a step calmly, reassuringly and the block eventually passes. No drama, no nothing.....just very matter of fact.....
The kids learn that by this method there is no drama, and just determination and hard working through the fear with some time.

 

[SignHere]

Munchkin3, I wish I could triple like your post!

Hopefully, DD will get to the point, where she isn't having the blocks at all. But as I told her a week ago, she got through it last time. I HOPE it won't take as long as it did last summer, but I KNOW that eventually, she will move past it. She did it before, so I had absolute certainty that she would do it again. ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY.

 

[sce]

I feel like writing a thank you card to her coach!

You should. Not nec. because she is tumbling again, but because they treated her with the proper kindness and support when she was struggling. I doubt coaches get much positive feedback.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

I feel like writing a thank you card to her coach!

You should. Not nec. because she is tumbling again, but because they treated her with the proper kindness and support when she was struggling. I doubt coaches get much positive feedback.

I think writing a small thank you note will go a long way! Coaches don't usually get a lot of feedback either!

 

[lovemygymnast]

That is awesome that her new coaches handled it this way. My dd started balking on jump to high bar. Had competed it for over a year, done it with l4 skills for another 9 months and suddenly, she would just stand there on low bar staring at high bar. Her coach kept trying to help, then just decided she'd set the bar close together until she was comfortable again. Completely didn't discuss it much with her. This week, it came back, all by herself she started jumping to high bar at the setting she & the other girls have been. She was ecstatic! I was too! Her coach just looked at her & went on about her way with the other girls. Later she came to me & said how excited she was & that she hadn't suggested it, but she just started doing it! It's things like this that make me grateful for the coaches we have.

From what you've said, I guess it was much the same way. A thank you note would be awesome!! I'm sure they would love it!! They have a tough job and probably don't receive half of the gratitude they deserve!

 

[SignHere]

Thanks, CB'ers , for your feedback. I don't know DDs coaches too well, as she has been at this new gym for less than a year. I'm just so appreciative of how they have been coaching her.

They really seem to want to help her be as successful as she can be.

I'd like to express my appreciation without being too extreme, if you know what I mean?

 

[profmom]

If they are the kind of coaches you can catch for two minutes, just say how much you appreciate it -- she's struggled like this before but you really appreciate the way they've handled this. (DH and I both independently did this with my DD's bars coach recently, and while the poor guy was embarrassed, I think he appreciated it.)