Parents Level 3 robhs lost skill

[Gym_ Dad_72]

Daughter is 10 y/o level 3. She has always been strong on tumbling. Was one of the first on her team to master robhs. Been doing this skill for a year. Has even done robhs back tuck on floor. A couple of months ago, she started having issues. She slowly started to balk after ro. She would get the skill about 50% of the time. Now she fully stops after ro and then does standing bhs. She has managed to perform the skill correctly at meets. We have one meet left this weekendand then state the very next weekend. I am not very confident she will perform skill w/o balking as she has totally lost skill. Won't even do it on tumbletrak. We can't get any privates right now. Gym installed new spring floor and possibly stiffness of new floor contributed to her issues early this season. She is not moving fast enough or high enough in rebound to do it. Possible fear. She says her mind stops her from going for it. Worried that she wont transition to level 4, it won't come back ever or even the beginning of the end. Plus I don't want her getting hurt. She is doing really well on the other 3 events and placing top 5. Very strong on bars and vault. Just looking for any advice. It is almost like she needs to start from the beginning again with this skill. I have tried backing off showing my concern and trying to be positive.

 

[NutterButter]

I have tried backing off showing my concern and trying to be positive.

I'm sorry this is happening to your DD. Lost skills, fears and blocks are not fun. Some kids are simply prone to more fears and those fears often get in the way of doing skills - even skills that they've had for YEARS. Sometimes the block is due to a recent growth spurt where their body just doesn't feel right and/or slightly changes their center of gravity and this can then mess with the more mental aspect. She WILL get the skill back. And your right - often the best strategy a coach can offer is taking the athlete back to the beginning!

I highlighted the above because that is the best you can do right now for her. It's a tricky balance of showing support for your DD but not dwelling on it.

Also, fears and blocks don't discriminate between the best and worst in a group.

My DD is a cautious athlete. I thought her career was over when she competed Xcel Silver and lost her cartwheel for the entire season. Googling it was actually how I found chalkbucket. Fear has been part of my DD's journey the entire time but she's now a L9 and has figured out how to get through those trying periods when she's stuck in her head or when her body grew so much in a short amount of time that she had to relearn some skills.

 

[Ginger]

My DD was 11 yr old L5 when she lost her back tumbling in the middle of the season. She survived the rest of the season, had her coach standing on floor during her final pass (not sure but I think it is allowed and no deduction as long as the coach doesn't touch the athlete - she just needed him there as a mental support). But the bad news is, the block lasted more than one year. All the time, she was doing it only with 'spot' - meaning, with a coach standing on floor (she actually didn't need a spot, just the 'mental support' as mentioned above). She got it back just before the start of her L6 season and is OK now.
Search for 'vestibular' here on Chalkbucket (the search box in upper right corner).

Edit to add - she had problem with her back tuck. She did RO BHS, then stopped (unless her coach was standing there).

 

[Deleted member 18037]

As a parent the best thing to do is to just assure her it will come back. And keep backing off.

You can not control when it will come back. And as nutterbutter mentions, you sometimes need to move backwards to move forwards. This is a mental injury that will take time to heal. Assure her it will heal.

If she broke her foot it wouldn’t occur to you to think it won’t heal. This is the same. And you wouldn’t think you could somehow speed up the process. It will heal. It will come back.

 

[meganliz77]

To the OP - I am sorry your daughter is dealing with this. With all due respect to those that tell you undoubtedly she will get the skill back or that it will for sure get better, I am sorry - but no, that is not always the case. There is a lot of great advice already posted to this thread-- @NutterButter provided some great insight.

My DD has struggled with backwards fears starting about 2 - 3years ago ( I am starting to lose track of time). She is/was a talented gymnast. Always had great form and strong skills - she was a kid that stood out. However, seemingly out of nowhere she began to struggle with her RO-BHS. We did everything 'by the book' and some days were good and others were really bad. Her backwards fears spilled over to her BWO on beam, and eventually interfered with her giants on bars - they also started to interfere with her flipping vaults. My DD worked, and worked, and worked at dealing with these fears/blocks whatever you want to call them. She would do them perfectly one attempt, and the next time would be gone. Last season and the season prior, she competed well all season, but right before states things fell apart yet again. Even with cobbled up routines last year as a 10 year old Level 7, she qualified for regionals and placed there with the same cobbled up routines. She worked all summer - frustration, frustration, small success, frustration. My daughter competed one early season meet this year as a level 8 and then made a decision I truly never thought she would. She decided to walk away from the sport. She had grown tired of the constant battle between her body and her mind. She was exhausted and wanted so badly to experience success again.

I don't tell you this to scare you.... I hope your daughter is able to overcome this block in its entirety and work through it. This could be her simply growing and she will readjust well. But my DD's tale is one of gentle caution... we were on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with my daughter after doing everything 'right' and then again struggling one year later. These things take time, and for some, like my daughter, they are never able to overcome them. Things can go well for awhile and then boom - back to square one. I am so proud of the efforts that my daughter made time and time again and I truly don't feel like she gave up; it's just that there comes a point when you know you have battled enough.

I will add - that a good coach will pull the skill if there is concern for balking. It's unsafe and when you have a kid who is clearly a thinker - overthinking in this sport is problematic - and those who are not consistently throwing a skill should not be doing it at a meet. I would have a chat with the coach to see where things are at. Good luck to you and your DD!! Keep us posted as to how things are progressing for her!

 

[Gym_ Dad_72]

An update. Still need advice. Midway through last season of Level 3, my daughter lost her ROBHS. She was still able to do the RO and then pause before the BHS, but by the very end of the season she lost the BHS too. Then, lost all backward tumbling last spring. She finally admitted she was scared. But she also said she felt dizzy. Possibly just her mind keeping her from doing it. She is training level 4 now and still will not do any backwards tumbling without a spot. And even with a spot, it takes her a few tries before she will gather up the courage to go for it. I seriously doubt this block will go way before the season starts and she will probably have to scratch floor. Sad as tumbling has been her strength since she started this sport and to have lost these skills out of thin air when she was doing them perfectly. Bars replaced her tumbling as her thing last season. She is strong and that helps. Just wondering if she is ever going to feel comfortable going backwards again. She wont do it on the trampoline, tumbletrack or pit either. wont do anything backwards period. With this coming up on a year since this started, I am starting to lose confidence this will ever come back. We do not have the option of excel at our gym. At this point, we are not throwing in the towel. Not sure what to do though.

 

[amiandjim]

No read advice except to hang in there and keep supporting her! My daughter was almost the last on her level 3 team to get her bhs, was the very last level 4 to get her round off 2 bhs, and again was the very last to get her round-off bhs backtuck. She has always had backward “hesitations” but just keeps pushing through and manages to have successful seasons even when she is the last to get a skill.

 

[Rockygym]

This is my daughter as well. Very strong tumbler, quick to get skills and then 2 seasons ago out of the blue she all of a sudden couldn’t go backwards. She was about 10 at the time. She describes it as a “wall” and that is juts doesn’t feel right. It started with floor then spread to beam and bars. She has finally made some progress this summer and started going backwards again. What helped? Ultimately I think it was time and removing all stress related to the skill (so yes she scratched floor and bars in several meets and her coach was able to us alternative skills to meet requirements since she was an optional), taking it back to basics and a coach that believed in her and remained positive and encouraging through it all.

 

[Flyaway]

I'm sorry. I have BTDT as a parent. Two things helped my dd: time with accompanied pressure off (spent a season competing xcel and switching all tumbling to forward) and talking to a sports psychologist. It's not an easy road I know. Heartbreaking as a parent because there's not really anything you can do but support and wait.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

16 Ways To Overcome Psychological (Mental) Block In Gymnastics - Allgymnasts.com

Virtually 70% of high level gymnasts have experienced psychological blocking. Psychological blocking which is also commonly called mental block is the

allgymnasts.com

This is a really good article about mental blocks!