WAG Positive Thinking

[Hanada]

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
Anyways, I was wondering how you/your dd get rid of negative thoughts while training? I have a really hard time staying positive at practice, I get really angry at myself and have even driven myself to tears stressing over little things that aren't going perfectly at practice! If you have any strategies or tips on how to re-focus myself I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[All Chalked Up]

I have this issue sometimes too. It helps if you get a drink, take a minute to calm down (clench a fist, slowly count backwards from ten, each time you reach 1 uncurl a finger) & splash cool water on your face in the bathroom.

Then instead of focusing on what you did wrong, focus on things you can do to improve it. I.e not "that sucked" but "next time I'll point my toes, squeeze harder, straighten my knees, etc"

 

[JBS]

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
Anyways, I was wondering how you/your dd get rid of negative thoughts while training? I have a really hard time staying positive at practice, I get really angry at myself and have even driven myself to tears stressing over little things that aren't going perfectly at practice! If you have any strategies or tips on how to re-focus myself I would greatly appreciate it!

Treat each event...or skill...that you are working as a separate workout. If that event or skill didn't go well...move to the next event or skill with a new attitude.

Also...do not work on a single skill for an extended amount of time...especially if it is one that is frustrating you.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yes JBS, like 2 1/2 hours doing giants like in that other post...

 

[gymgurl]

I get pretty worked up when things don't go right as well and some things that help me is count to 10 slowly on your fingers (this distracts the brain and using your fingers redirects it to a different task), breathe in for four, hold for four, out for four and hold out for four - repeat as many times as necessary. Get of the apparatus and stand back for a minute and just think about your breathing and nothing else. Once sufficiently calm go do a skill or a progression that you can do easily to get yourself back in the zone e.g. if working round off flic layouts do a round off flic then do a round off flic sault and once sufficiently back in the zone start working the harder skill again.

Also, what goes on outside gym stays outside gym - gym should be your happy place

 

[catou]

As a gymnast, I really had a hard with that. I was probably the hardest worker, but the slowest learner. I could get so angry when it didn't go well because I was putting so much efforts into it! I'd say after a certain time, my coaches would let me alone, so I would calm down.

With a coach, I try not to let them get to that point. They aren't allowed to say I'm not good, I can't do this. I ask them to reformulate their toughts in a more positive way. For example, if they say: I'll never be able to do my squat on, I'm not good on bars, I prefer them to say: I need some help on my squat on. So they focus on THE skill they have trouble instead of the entire apparatus. And if I see it's not enough, I talk with them about all the improvements they've made since the beginning of the season.

And a bad training is never a bad thing. You'll learn to control yourself better and you still get to train your muscles.

 

[mado4]

It is important that you know how important your mind is in gymnastics. Try this out :

Stand up and look straight ahead. Move your arms up in a 90 degree angle to your body. Put your hands together so the inner side are touching. Thumps up. Now look at your thumps and move your arms as far to the right or left as you can. Still focusing on the thumps. As you have done that move your hand back to the front. Now close your eyes and THINK about it how you do it. But this time in your thoughts you can even go further to the right/left. A lot further ! SEE how you can do it. Now open your eyes and do it again !! Trust me…this is awesome.
After experiences this my gymnasts will close sometimes their eyes and try too SEE how they do it. Feel the motion…
So whenever they get frustrated I tell them: step aside, take a deep breath and see you doing it..and quiet often it really helps…especially for the visual learners…

Hope this made sense …and excuse my expressions..it is not my mother tongue