Fear of going backwards

[elitegymnast]

I have a massive fear of going backwards, I'm fine with forwards. My coach who is HC isn't sure how to help me. I can't move up until I can get my backwalkovers! Any advice? Thanks

 

[gymgirlcarrie98]

You aren't the only one I'm fine with forward skills but after backwalkovers everything else is scary. I've been working on back handsprings for a year and still can't get it. I wish there was a way to get more confident

 

[pamred4]

When someone is spotting you look at your hands he whole way so you can actually see the floor... That's what helped me

 

[kholla]

Do you know where the fear came from? Did you have a fall or injury doing a backward skill at any point, or that you can't see where you or going, or something else? If you can identify the cause of the fear, it might help to overcome it.

 

[elitegymnast]

Do you know where the fear came from? Did you have a fall or injury doing a backward skill at any point, or that you can't see where you or going, or something else? If you can identify the cause of the fear, it might help to overcome it.

No I'm not sure, I've never been injured by going backwards. The only serious injury was In my shoulder when I jumped to high bar

 

[tegan_tegan]

What I do is always before a big skill I go 123,123 really faster then a slow 123 but I usually do this in dance before the skill on beam this helps me or saying something in my head like look at hands or kick hard usually helps me too

 

[MissLisa]

I went through a stage where I became so incredibly afraid of doing backwards skills, on floor, beam, bars and vault. I would just baulk all the time. The strangest thing was that I'd been competing them for years and could twist and all but for some reason a back handspring became a massive road block. At the time I had a lot of anxiety/ performance anxiety which looking back as an adult definitely contributed to it all. I think that finding ways to cope and deal with the anxiety and fear definitely helps. I wish as a young gymnast I was given more coping skills and strategies (that's a whole other story!).

Now as an ex-gymnast who coaches (and has done sport psych at uni), I find it is a fairly common problem (more so in first learning the skills though). I have been able to help a few gymnasts through this and now they like backwards skills better than forward (you can spot the floor!). My first strategy is to become really comfortable doing all the drills for the skill and perform the skill spotted progressing to unspotted. Another really good strategy that I implement and get my gymnasts to implement is the ability to take a few deep breaths before doing a skill, visualise yourself performing the skill in your head then switch the brain off and let your body do the skill based on your visualisation. Most the time the body does know how to do the skill and our heads and over thinking just get in the way of the motor processes.

The last thing I would do is to never beat yourself up about not being able to complete a skill. I was the queen of doing that as a child (and an adult) but all it does is cause pressure, frustration and more anxiety which none of is conducive to being able to overcome the fear. Know that you can do it. Trust your body and trust yourself. It's also ok to take a step back and build back up to the skill.

Good luck with the learning of these skills and overcoming that fear. Know that it is possible but it takes time.