Women L9 Mental Block only when Competing

[lak]

Hi everyone,
Hoping for some advice. DD is a 13yo repeat L9. State champ on bars last season, 5th aa. Went into regionals 2 weeks after state with a mental block and would not do bail. Recovered over the summer. Was doing fabulous bar routines in the gym. Come to first meet: bam. No bail in competition. We're 3 meets into the season and she won't do the bail AT A MEET.
I can only think that she was pretty stressed going into regionals last season because she had a pretty good crack at making it to nationals. But for it to carry over this long is confusing to me. I did ask the coaches in May if they could give her an alternate skill (such as pac salto), but was told no, and that she's too tall. She's 5'3", and I know I've seen girls taller than her perform that skill. Not that it would make a difference, but at least have something to try.
She's pretty upset, and I am seeing that she is starting to shut down. In fact, we're all pretty upset, so it's just been a domino effect....
I have asked if she'd be willing to see a sports psychologist, etc, but she adamantly refuses and says everything is fine.
Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[GYM0M]

Don’t really know much about the requirements for L9, but I’m assuming there must be a high to low bar transition...? Is she competing a routine without the bail or bailing on the bail when competing her routine? No pun intended. Also, is she successfully completing the skill in practice?

 

[lak]

Yes, must have a hi to lo transition. When it comes to competing, she bails on the bail. She was successfully doing the skill in practice. She was completing full routines in practice. But at regionals last year she gave us her first balk ever. & although does it in practice, will not at a meet.

 

[GYM0M]

To me, kinda sounds like a comfort thing. Something minor probably happened at regionals like an unintentional hand slip, something that probably went completely unnoticed bc it wasn’t a ‘big’ deal. She trusts herself and the bars at home. Not so much anywhere else. My DD went through something similar in L8 and wouldn’t do a toe circle for like a month bc her foot skid or something like that. It was a weird block. Now she removes just about all the chalk from the bars just to rechalk it up....makes her feel safer I guess??

 

[duyetanh]

Are the coaches taking her back to drills, even though she is doing it well at practice? This might help. Also, are the coaches having them do "meet ready" routines, meaning meet warmup and show the whole group and get critiqued?
I do not have a level 9, so I can only imagine what she and you all are going through,.....but it's not a pretty picture. I am sorry!

 

[duyetanh]

To me, kinda sounds like a comfort thing. Something minor probably happened at regionals like an unintentional hand slip, something that probably went completely unnoticed bc it wasn’t a ‘big’ deal. She trusts herself and the bars at home. Not so much anywhere else. My DD went through something similar in L8 and wouldn’t do a toe circle for like a month bc her foot skid or something like that. It was a weird block. Now she removes just about all the chalk from the bars just to rechalk it up....makes her feel safer I guess??

They definitely do what we would view as weird things that make them feel comfortable. It's wild.

 

[GYM0M]

They definitely do what we would view as weird things that make them feel comfortable. It's wild.

Right! If I have to watch her kick chalk while waiting to go on beam one more time...... She says she needs it on the top of her foot....FOR WHAT??? Oh well, the ‘ticks’ of gymnasts. And you might not have a L9 (yet ) but that doesn’t mean you don’t have valuable insight! J technically hasn’t made it to L9 either.....

 

[stillhoping]

Could it be a visual thing? Dd had an issue for a while where she felt like she could only do a skill when her coach was standing in a certain place. She didn’t need a spot, but she did feel like she needed him standing there. Once she was able to recognize that this was a little ridiculous, she eventually worked through it. Is it that her coach stays close for practice, but backs away for meets?

 

[coachmolly]

Could it be a visual thing? Dd had an issue for a while where she felt like she could only do a skill when her coach was standing in a certain place. She didn’t need a spot, but she did feel like she needed him standing there. Once she was able to recognize that this was a little ridiculous, she eventually worked through it. Is it that her coach stays close for practice, but backs away for meets?

That was my first reaction as well. I see it more on beam, but it's totally possible on other events. I have kids who will be totally proficient at a skill and suddenly (typically after doing something strange or falling) they come in and are only about to do it on one specific beam. It's beautiful and all is well on that one beam, but take it somewhere else and it's non-existent. Usually I take them backwards and have them work their way up through drills and progressions again as if they don't have the skill at all- once they are back to high beams I make sure they spend time doing the skill on different beams.
That's a little bit harder with bars as some gyms only have 1 "competition" set of bars for team kids. I know at our gym we have 2 sets of UB, but one is older and doesn't go out wide enough for the taller girls, so they are limited to the same set of bars for full routines. But if your gym does have multiple sets, it could be worthwhile to make sure she's doing full routines on both (if she isn't already) in addition to going back and drilling the skill.
I'm sure that has to be terribly frustrating for her!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Time to change to pak or straddle back .... but she will not get that for this year. She obviously has a mental block at meets, which sometimes are unexplainable, but clearly stress related

 

[lak]

Are the coaches taking her back to drills, even though she is doing it well at practice? This might help. Also, are the coaches having them do "meet ready" routines, meaning meet warmup and show the whole group and get critiqued?
I do not have a level 9, so I can only imagine what she and you all are going through,.....but it's not a pretty picture. I am sorry!

Yes, they always do meet ready routines the week of a competition.
After this past weekend at the Twistars meet where she wouldn't throw the bail, she wouldn't do them in practice either. She is now, after talking w/the coach today, going back to basics where they will stack the mats and spot her.

 

[lak]

Could it be a visual thing? Dd had an issue for a while where she felt like she could only do a skill when her coach was standing in a certain place. She didn’t need a spot, but she did feel like she needed him standing there. Once she was able to recognize that this was a little ridiculous, she eventually worked through it. Is it that her coach stays close for practice, but backs away for meets?

She was performing level 10 bails (straight to handstand) at practice before the first meet, with no coach nearby.

 

[lak]

Time to change to pak or straddle back .... but she will not get that for this year. She obviously has a mental block at meets, which sometimes are unexplainable, but clearly stress related

We have decided to not even try to compete bars for the next two meets. Start back at the basics. We're going to AZ in February and I am torn as to whether to let her go or not. On one hand I hate to spend the $ to watch her cry. On the other hand I did purchase the airfare. I also don't want her to think that she's just easing out of bars for good. I want her to know that she will eventually get back. Thoughts on what I should do for the AZ meet?

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

We have decided to not even try to compete bars for the next two meets. Start back at the basics. We're going to AZ in February and I am torn as to whether to let her go or not. On one hand I hate to spend the $ to watch her cry. On the other hand I did purchase the airfare. I also don't want her to think that she's just easing out of bars for good. I want her to know that she will eventually get back. Thoughts on what I should do for the AZ meet?

Maybe compete bars without the bail or another release (taking the lower start value)?

 

[stillhoping]

She was performing level 10 bails (straight to handstand) at practice before the first meet, with no coach nearby.

Is there a difference between a level 10 bail and a level 9 bail? Dd’s gym is requiring her to to her bail hs to hs for level 9.

 

[MBJ974]

Level 9 does not require the bail to go to handstand. However, there is bonus if the bail does go to handstand and another skill is connected to that. For example, at level 9 dd does a bail to handstand and connects it to a toe hand for her bonus.

 

[duyetanh]

Level 9 does not require the bail to go to handstand. However, there is bonus if the bail does go to handstand and another skill is connected to that. For example, at level 9 dd does a bail to handstand and connects it to a toe hand for her bonus.

Thats awesome!