Parents How to know when a mental block is not going to go away.

[Cksplawn]

Hi gymnastics family! I have a broken hearted level 7 gymnast who was at the top of her game and then suddenly struggled to go backwards on her series on beam then it spread to tumbling which was her strong skill. Then to flipping fault. She has been fighting through it and managing it since May but it’s so discouraged and scared that she wants to be done. She’s embarrassed to go to gym and doesn’t understand why this is happening. How long do you let them wait it out? I’m so scared I’m going to damage her mentally and to be honest I’m sad to let go of her doing gymnastics as well.

 

[NutterButter]

How old is she? Recent growth spurt? How supportive are her coaches and what is their recommendation for working through the block (ie do they support her going back to basics and building up again or is she having to stand on a beam and just go for the skills that are no longer there?)

My daughter dealt with blocks her entire time in the sport. Mostly it was limited to just one skill on one event but the few times it spread to other events like you describe there were bigger problems going on which needed to be addressed before her brain moved on from the block.

 

[Cksplawn]

How old is she? Recent growth spurt? How supportive are her coaches and what is their recommendation for working through the block (ie do they support her going back to basics and building up again or is she having to stand on a beam and just go for the skills that are no longer there?)

My daughter dealt with blocks her entire time in the sport. Mostly it was limited to just one skill on one event but the few times it spread to other events like you describe there were bigger problems going on which needed to be addressed before her brain moved on from the block.

She is 12 and her coach is just lovely with her. It’s like my daughter won’t accept going back to basics as she is embarrassed and is just trying to force her way out of this. How did your daughter handle always fighting a block?

 

[kecks]

Try explaining to her that it is like an injury. If she broke her leg and needed surgery she would not be embarassed to work on learning to walk again, to jog again and after a while jump and sprint again... It is the same with an injured brain which is another way of saying "I am experiencing a mental block". She needs to do rehab for her brain so to speak which means teaching the brain the skills once again like her coaches are trying to do. An injury can and will happen to anyone in gymnastics given enough time in the sport and the same is true for mental injuries. I would also be honest with her and tell her that the block is rather unlikely to just go home all on its own. She has to work for it which means doing what the coaches tell her to do to deal with the mental block embarassment or whatnot.

 

[NutterButter]

Yeah, forcing herself out of it isn’t going to work. Your DD needs to understand that blocks are a normal part of the sport. Sooner or later all gymnasts will experience it to some degree but my guess is that your DD hasn’t seen too much of her teammates dealing with blocks since she is only L7. My DD had blocks starting in Xcel Silver but it wasn’t until she was in L8 that her teammates started experiencing them.

It was hard and so many times I would think “this is it, this is what makes her quit” only for her to push past it. At the end of the day she wanted to stay in the sport. I finally had her work with a sports psychologist her senior year of high school and it was very helpful. I wish I had done that when she was in middle school. Big regret of mine now, lol but really I thought sports psych were for athletes going elite or NCAA. If you have the means to enlist a psych, I totally suggest that.

Anyways, sounds like your DD has a supportive coach. Maybe the 3 of your can have a meeting where you come up with a plan. These worked best when my DD had a plan with small and attainable steps and where she felt like she had control - in coming up with the plan and in execution of the plan. I’m sure this has been done already in some form but maybe just a goal that for one week your DD is just going to do BHS on the floor (or whatever is appropriate for where she is currently).

 

[supernicegymmom]

That sounds really hard, my eldest daughter had a mental block back when she was in Xcel Bronze for her handstand on beam and backhand spring on floor. She powered through though and continued to work hard and eventually she got both skills back! However later in her gymnastics career she had a terrible (7 month) mental block with her backhandspring on beam. We talked to a sports phycologist and she finally got over her mental block. I would recommend a sports psychologist if the block is really bad

 

[RTT2]

She might not like it, but going back to basics on those skills and working up as if it were an entirely new skill might be really helpful. My daughter suggested starting those skills over, figuring out what caused the issue- was there a scary fall or was there some weakness in the foundation of the skill that could be corrected and then moved past? On vault, would she consider doing a tsuk rather than yurchenko if going backwards is bothering her?

 

[Cksplawn]

She might not like it, but going back to basics on those skills and working up as if it were an entirely new skill might be really helpful. My daughter suggested starting those skills over, figuring out what caused the issue- was there a scary fall or was there some weakness in the foundation of the skill that could be corrected and then moved past? On vault, would she consider doing a tsuk rather than yurchenko if going backwards is bothering her?

It was weird, she can’t point it back to anything. She just said it feels different and like even when she thinks she can go back her body doesn’t let her. She has beautiful form so no issue there but I agree she has to lay down her pride and get back to basics for awhile. If we get closer to season and still struggle I will ask about the tsuk. She wants to call it quits but I feel like she should wait a few months.

 

[raenndrops]

It was weird, she can’t point it back to anything. She just said it feels different and like even when she thinks she can go back her body doesn’t let her. She has beautiful form so no issue there but I agree she has to lay down her pride and get back to basics for awhile. If we get closer to season and still struggle I will ask about the tsuk. She wants to call it quits but I feel like she should wait a few months.

She really should take the coach advice and go back to basics. Let her know that even elites work basics! She needs to work her way back up to the skills.
My OG developed a mental block on her back tuck on floor, her BWO on beam, and her flyaway all in the same season. This was after being able to do a BWO-BWO on beam over the summer (I even got video of it). She finished out the season and decided to keep going, hoping to have everything back for the new season.
She decided to "retire" at the end of August because she was still blocked on all 3 skills. However, she missed it so much. HC said she could come back and even compete a level down, but she didn't want that. She said she would rather compete her level, but with downgraded skills.
After the first meet of the season, we realized she had another option - Xcel (the year, pre-Nationalization, when each region had their own rules for each level). She came back as an Xcel Gold. Our team had 2 other Golds ... one had been dealing with mental blocks and had "retired," and the other one was 14 years old and 5'8" tall.
The 3 of them made a great team.
It took OG 18 months (from the start of it) to get over the block on her back tuck. She went back to basics - basically starting over. Once she finally had it on air track, it still took her a few months to do it on the floor without a spot.
She was able to get her BWO up to the low beam with a spot in 9 months. She started with a line on the floor, then floor beam, then low beam with stacked panel mats. After 9 months, she was almost ready to do it on low beam without a spot, but she developed back issues and had to stop working them.
She never did get over her block on the flyaway, but could work around it.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Your child could be an excellent role model for others, demonstrating that it's okay to step back. However It sounds like it would be hard to convince her.

Clearly she is not in the right headspace. To protect her self-esteem, would it be possible to have a few private lessons where she can take the necessary steps back without other eyes around?

 

[pt coach]

As others have suggested, going back to basics can really help! I like to couple that with working different skills (i.e. skills that do not involve the block) which serves the purpose of (1) giving the gymnast an alternative to compete while they are working through a block and (2) giving them something new to work on can make gymnastics fun again, which keeps them engaged in the sport while they work through the block. I handle this on beam for example by giving them an assignment that involves basics and then I will tell them it is time to give their brain a break and do something fun. For a backward block, I have them focus on front walkovers, front handsprings, round offs (aerials etc depending on level) and then combine those skills into series or bonus combinations. Sometimes when they can take a productive break from the skills that are causing stress, they find that they can make progress when they go back to those skills. Or, alternatively, some gymnasts discover that they have a knack for forward or sideways skills and find ways to meet requirements using those skills.

 

[Cksplawn]

Thank you all so much for your grace and wisdom! It does really help the heart. Her coach is having her come in everyday 15 minutes early to be alone with her and work the blocks without the others there. Coach setting us up with sports psychologist and just trying to tell her to take a break and work other things.

 

[Scream4IceCream]

Your daughter’s situation sounds very similar to a close friend of my DD. This gymnast is also a talented dancer and she’s decided to forego this competition season and reduce her hours at the gym in favor of dance. She is still going to work out with the team about 10-12 hours a week and plans to compete 7 next year. She and the coaches felt that a reduced schedule, not competing, and spending some time at dance would take the pressure off and hopefully give her a chance to get past the block.

Good luck to your daughter. These situations are so hard.