Unfortunately there isn’t a “one size fits alls all” answer to this question. Gymnastics is very hard and very scary. As odd as it may sound, one of my favourite things about this sport is that it never gets easier and it never gets less scary. As soon as one skill is easy or not scary, there is a harder and scarier skill that will replace it. The beauty of it is that you get stronger and braver as you work through each challenge. So while those skills become harder and scarier, you become better at working through the difficulty and the fear.
We take our hits, our lumps, our failures and we realise that we are becoming stronger, braver, and better. If we are too afraid to try then we are too afraid to succeed.
The final straw for a lot gymnasts is going to be that skill that just goes beyond what they are willing to try. Is the skill that you are doing the skill that you want that final straw to be? If it is then maybe you’ve hit your limit. It’s a personal sport and there is no shame in bowing out when you know there is no more that you can do.
But if it isn’t… talk to your coaches, think about why you are afraid, and understand that this isn’t a sport where you have to worry about if you get hurt but when you get hurt. Because you will get hurt. No matter how safe or prepared you are, you will get hurt.
