Fear

[rardjds]

I feel like fear is taking over my gymnastics.
First came floor, where i freaked out about tumbling. That took a while to get over, and it was really frustrating, but i was able to do a roundoff back tuck.
Next came bars. My flyaway. Its a mix of being scared and also falling on almost every handstand (because i can't cast before my flyaway, only handstand...) and therefore not doing a lot of flyaways to boost my confidence.
There is also a BHS on beam that has been giving me trouble. It was a new skill, and for first competition, i was able to get in a FIG hight beam with my coach standing in. I did it fine, but something inside of me screws up if my coach won't stand there.
Acctually, everything seemed to be going well for first qualifier (for provincials.) But shortly after came the break, and i didn't train so much AND my coach was away. Things were going well, and all of a sudden they weren't. now i'm scared of just doing a BHS on FLOOR!!! and roundoff backtuck scared me as well. My coach gets back soon and i feel like she's going to be way disapointed. Also, second qualifier is coming up.
Gymnastics is just getting SO HARD. everythings scarring me and i feel like its not under my control.
i feel like its a massive weight pushing down on me, and really i just want it to stop.
I'm going to quit next year, because its just too hard for me, plus school work. but i still have to get through this year! it has gotten so bad that i have started hoping that i injure myself.
i keep telling myself I CAN DO ANYTHING, and that i'll get over it, just like everything else.
and i know that there's always a thunderstorm before a rainbow and such, but right now it feels like its going to be raining forever.
i also want to talk to my coach about it, because she's really nice and understanding and i know that she could really help. But i'm not that kind of girl... i usually keep emotiosn balled up inside of me until they eventually die down.

so, really, any help? and positive advice or stories about how YOU got over your fear for things? anything to make gymnastics AMAZING again?

thanks.

oh btw i'm level 7 (ontario.)

 

[nicci1999]

Take a step back. Go back to basics and work your way back up again. Unfortunately that is the nature of the beast. By taking things backwards, you will be able to regain control again over what you are doing. And it's not like you're going to actually LOSE your skills, because you already have them. I'm sure you're not the first one your coach has seen go through something like this,and you certainly will not be the last. Talking to your coach is going to be a big help it sounds like, you just need to do it I'm coming back from knee surgery, and did my first front handsprings today, and they were wicked scary. But I didn't do them on the floor, I did them from the tumbletrack into the pit. And I didn't get hurt. And I kept doing them, and am starting to get over the fear that way. Hopefully by doing the same, you will be able to conquer your fears again. Best of luck!

 

[aerialriver]

No sorry no words of advice but what you stated is EXACTLY what I am also going through! I think it is normal, but I have no clue how to stop it or when the breakthrough may happen.

 

[CamSeawind]

There are always things that do that. My friend had a back handspring, back handspring on beam and then she couldn't even do a back handspring on floor. Things like that happen. Work through your fears, then you'll feel extra accomplished; go out and work for what you want don't expect it to land in your lap.

I've ever been able to do a kip-cast-handstand, leaning over the bar terrifies me. But, I've been working extra, super-duper hard on it and POW! And suddenly BOOM! I finally got one.

And as for the school thing, I feel like schools trying to kill me. I've learned to live with 4 or 5 hours of sleep.

AND, as a reply to your rain metaphor, this is the first week that it hasn't rained almost nonstop in a month

 

[GetaGrip]

To start off, I went through this last season. I was also a level 7, and everything terrified me. Its such a scary, awful feeling. I'm so sorry that your dealing with this right now.
But just stop. Stop and think. You CAN do this. You've been working hard for years, you know that. If you didn't you couldn't be a level 7. So many girls call it quits before then but you didn't. You stuck in there and you are that much better and stronger because of it. There are so many people in the world and so many gymnasts but chances are that a lot of people can't do what you do. That's why gymnastics is such a special sport. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But it's not easy. Gymnastics is difficult and time consuming but in the long run the benefits of the sport are amazing. Everyone has their hard moments but only some people stick it through. You've gotten all the way to level 7, you know how fantastic you are at gymnastics. If you think about it, when you first started gymnastics, you couldn't do practically anything that you can do now. You've come too far to just give up now. I almost quit last year, but I didn't and I couldn't be happier with my decision. For me, gymnastics is still about competition and doing well, but now its also about fun. It used to be all about beating every other girl at meets, getting 9.5's, making my coach proud. That stuff still matters to me, but now I also care about having fun. Sometimes I stop and think to myself, "Why am I in gymnastics?". When I really think about it, it's not because I want to go to the Olympics or win 100 gold medals or even become a level 10. I may want those things, but I'm in gymnastics because I love it, and I know that if I go a day without doing a cartwheel I will die.

On the topic of fear, here are some things that I hope can help you out. I had a lot of trouble with the back handspring on the beam. So much that it took me over a year to get it by myself. That was after I had it on the low beam. I used to think, "What if this is the turn that I fall and hurt myself?" Right before I would jump. Sometimes I would. Now, I try to make sure that the last thought in my mind is positive, like, "I know I can do this. I've done it before."
If you are afraid of going when your coach is more then a few feet away try to think about it rationally. You know that your coach isn't spotting you and you know that if you fall your coach can't help you if they are just standing there. However, you also know that you can do your back handspring without your coach touching you or spotting you, so a few more feet won't matter. Just remember, you're doing the skill yourself, if your coach moves a few feet you won't die.

I send you lots of luck and positive thoughts to go towards your next meets. <3