Top 17 How To Get Over A Mental Block In Cheer Best 131 Answer

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Jump straight up in the air, and do a standing jump full turn, putting your arms in the exact same position you use for the full, and land back on your feet. Finally, don’t forget that Act It Out is a visualization technique at heart, so in your mind you should really see yourself doing the pass.From the students I’ve worked with that have mental blocks, I’ve found it’s easiest to almost start over from scratch. If they crashed from performing a back-handspring, then go back to a backbend kick-over, jumping to a flat back on a crash pad. Use the big blue barrel to have them go over backward again.A true mental block is when you have a skill for a length of time and on multiple surfaces and suddenly you are no longer able to make your body perform the skill. So lets say you have a BHS for 1 year, have competed it, can successfully land it 99/100 times on the trampoline, spring floor, and backyard.

How do you get past mental blocks in cheerleading?

From the students I’ve worked with that have mental blocks, I’ve found it’s easiest to almost start over from scratch. If they crashed from performing a back-handspring, then go back to a backbend kick-over, jumping to a flat back on a crash pad. Use the big blue barrel to have them go over backward again.

What is a mental block in cheer?

A true mental block is when you have a skill for a length of time and on multiple surfaces and suddenly you are no longer able to make your body perform the skill. So lets say you have a BHS for 1 year, have competed it, can successfully land it 99/100 times on the trampoline, spring floor, and backyard.

How do you get out of a mental block?

What causes mental blocks in tumbling?

What are mental blocks in gymnastics? A mental block is a response by your gymnast’s brain that literally freezes her from doing her skill/s. It is a biological response based on the fight-flight-or-freeze response. Her brain is telling her body not to the do the skill and is essentially putting on the brakes.

Is mental block real?

Mental blocks usually occur when we get trapped by our thought processes. We may feel so overwhelmed or anxious about a project’s outcome that we’re unable to do the work required to complete it. You can often recognize a mental block by your mood at work.

How do you get over aerial mental block?

What are examples of mental blocks?

How does it feel to be blocked?

How does it feel when someone blocks you? It’s very hurtful and infuriating when you get blocked, it’s an unfair situation since there’s almost nothing you can do about it. Especially when it happens suddenly, you’d probably be feeling shocked at first, and then perhaps feelings of hurt and anger may kick in.

How do I stop mental gymnastics?

To avoid a case of the mental gymnastics, take small steps each day on your task so you don’t later face an insurmountable workload. You might even find that referring to it as an assignment that’s “200 words each day for 5 days” is easier to digest than a “1000-word assignment.”

Which is harder front or back handspring?

Yes, in most cases a front handspring is harder than a back handspring, however most kids will find a back handspring scarier than a front handspring. Fearful kids may the the front version first. The skills are learned in a different order in Australia.

Is a back handspring hard?

It can be a hard skill to learn because it is unlike any skill a gymnast has learned before. And since a back handspring requires a gymnast to push and jump backwards it can also create mental blocks. While it can be a hard skill to learn, it’s very exciting and fun when you finally master your back handspring.

How do you get over a mental block aerial?

How do you get over a mental block in gymnastics?

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How to get over a Mental Block

How to get over a Mental Block

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Mental Blocks, Part 1 – A Coach’s Perspective – FloCheer

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“Mental block”—the words in cheerleading that are often whispered Unfortunately it’s a common plight Some athletes fall into a black hole of fear because

Lane Petersen former Stephen F Austin cheerleader and tumbling coach with more than 20 years of experience

Terry Escobar cheerleading and gymnastics coach for the last 25 years

Wes Frazier former competitive gymnast and cheerleader current All-Star tumbling coach

Sandra Morgan former gymnast and University of Houston head cheerleader current All-Star cheer coach

Kim Chapman former competitive cheerleader current All-Star cheer coach

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What Is A Mental Block? : Cheer & Gymnastics Edition » Mandy Patterson Coaching

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Mental Blocks In Gymnastics: The Ultimate Guide

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Breaking Through a Mental Block – Tumbl Trak

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• Summary of article content: Articles about Breaking Through a Mental Block – Tumbl Trak Make sure they don’t leave cheer thinking they were a failure. If they do WANT to overcome the Mental Block, then continue to step two. Step two … …
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  There seems to be a lot of discussion going on with Mental Blocks. Some coaches wonder if they are even real or just an imagined phenomenon; how can a kid tumble one day and just forget how to do it the next day. Why do we see Mental Blocks mostly with tumbling? Why won’t they just go for it? They also deliberate if they are real, then who or what is to blame. Is it the coach, the cheerleader, the team, the parent, or is it the training?

  2017-10-11

  There seems to be a lot of discussion going on with Mental Blocks. Some coaches wonder if they are even real or just an imagined phenomenon; how can a kid tumble one day and just forget how to do it the next day. Why do we see Mental Blocks mostly with tumbling? Why won’t they just go for it? They also deliberate if they are real, then who or what is to blame. Is it the coach, the cheerleader, the team, the parent, or is it the training?
  Mental Blocks are a thing, but they are often misunderstood.
  Growing up in gymnastics I remember a few of my teammates having Mental Blocks, we didn’t call them that back then. I watched as they stood in the corner and attempted to make themselves go for a tumbling pass. They would stand and stand and stand. Sometimes they would walk away and then walk back into place and try again. Sometimes they would start to run, and then quickly stop. A few times they got themselves to throw the round off and then they balked on the back handspring and land on their back. They would get up a little embarrassed, but more confused, angry, and mostly frustrated.
  At first the coach (and sometimes even the parents) would yell and threaten to move them down a level. When that didn’t work, they would punish with conditioning. When that didn’t work, they would bribe with ice cream, new leotards, or other rewards. When that didn’t work, they would bargain with them, “Just do one” or “I’ll stand right here and if you need me I promise I will reach in and spot you”. When that didn’t work, they would give up and label the kid as a Mental or Head Case.
  Things aren’t much different today, except there seems to be a Mental Block Epidemic. It seems to be spreading and athletes are scared to “catch” it.
  We all know what happens when someone catches a Mental Block. We see their struggle and frustration. We know that some don’t make it through their block and end their careers on a negative note. Catching a Mental Block seems to be a scary thing and sometimes if the fear of catching it is large enough, they will successfully catch it.
  Mental Blocks are real, but the good news is that it isn’t contagious and you can't catch it.
  I work with many athletes training to overcome their fears. Each athlete is different and we create each approach according to their needs, but here is a systematic process of how we work to break through Mental Blocks.
  Step one-
  It is important to always start by asking the athletes if they WANT to break through. Sometimes an athlete may have a mental block because they don’t want to do cheer anymore and they can’t seem to muster up the mental energy needed to focus on tumbling. When they are stressed, they truly don’t have it within them to fight for something they don’t want.
  If the athlete doesn’t want to overcome their Mental Block, they must know that it will be okay. Take the opportunity to help them understand that cheer is what they do not who they are and they can choose to do anything. They don’t have to cheer. Make sure they don’t leave cheer thinking they were a failure.
  If they do WANT to overcome the Mental Block, then continue to step two.
  Step two-
  Once the athlete decides they WANT to overcome their Mental Block, have them explain why. Do they want to tumble again because they think they should or their parents, coaches, or teammates think they should?
  Breaking thorough is difficult and will be challenging and only an athlete that is doing it for themselves will be able to have long lasting results. Have the athlete create their “why”. This will be their intentional purpose to put the work and effort into the process.
  Step three-
  Find out where their Mental Block began. Then dig deeper and find out why. They don’t need to know the exact moment, but there is a reason when and why it began.

  Did they balk in the middle?
  Did they watch someone else balk?
  Were they scared?
  Was there too much pressure?
  Did they feel they were improving too fast?
  Did things feel “off”?
  Did they start to overthink and worry about it and then it ended up happening?

  Have them describe the situation in as much detail as possible, who was watching, what were they thinking, did they warm up enough, did they feel ready to go, were they scared.
  This step can help them put closure on what happened and how they can protect themselves from doing it in the future.
  If they watched someone balk, what was their first thought? Were they scared? Did they start to worry if they would balk? When they are worried about balking, did they start to have anxiety about not wanted to balk? Did they thought start to grow and grow? Did it grow to the point where they actually thought so much about balking or not balking that they ended up, well balking?
  The same downward spiral can happen with most of their reasons. Whatever the reason, if they started to worry about getting a Mental Block, started to focus on not getting a Mental Block, they probably focused on the Mental Block so deeply therefore fulfilling their fear.
  The next step is to know how their thoughts and focus fed their fear and created their Mental Block. The good news is that we can help them change their thoughts to break through.
  Step four-
  At this point we stop labeling the athlete as having a Mental Block and we explain that this is a challenge. We are going to help them learn the tools they need to overcome and breakthrough this challenge.
  There are basic Mental Training principles that are what we consider tools. These tools are just that, tools. The cheerleader will be able to use these tools to work.
  Basic Mental Training Tools:

  Empowering Self-Talk

  Self-Talk is the thoughts we say to ourselves. If I think to myself that I will never overcome my fear, then I will start to believe that I will never overcome my fears. If I start to believe that I will never overcome my fears, then I will have behaviors consistent to those beliefs.
  My thoughts want to be focused on what I want to do and not what I don’t want to do. We also want our Self-Talk to be believable. If I think I am never going to overcome my fears, changing my Self-Talk to I will overcome my fears today, might not be something I believe. But I do believe that I can keep working until I find a way to overcome my fears and I do believe that I am capable of putting in the work.
  Coaches will also want to make sure they say comments or statements that are focused on effort and work and what they can do.
   

  Focus

  Focus means they are thinking about what they want to do before and during the exact time they are doing it. Many times the cheerleader tumbles in a daydream. They know what they are supposed to do, but they aren’t actively thinking about what they are doing when they are doing it. This is also a reason why they may have fears, may be inconsistent, or don’t go at all.
  What do they want to do? Do they want to tumble, great! Focus on HOW to tumble. HOW to do a round off, HOW to do a back handspring, and HOW to do a tuck.
  Break each skill down to the fundamentals of the technique, feeling, or rhythm of the skill. Have them talk through HOW to do each skill.
  “I take two strong running steps into my hurdle. I lift my arms and reach long into my round off. I kick my leg over my head and snap my feet together and under me. I lift my chest into my back handspring. I push off my legs, look for the floor, and land in a strong handstand shape, where I snap my body into a hollow position, and reach my feet behind me for my punch. I stretch my body and jump high into the air with my arms by my ear and head in. I then lift my hips and pull my knees over my head rotating in a tuck position. I look for the landing, see my feet land on the floor. Land strong with my chest up and arms down by my side.”
  While they are describing in detail HOW they are going to tumble, have them use words that use their senses. What do they hear, see, and feel? The more detailed the thoughts, the more they can be completely engulfed in focus.
  When they are getting ready to tumble, they will use cue words to remind them of HOW they are going to tumble.
  “Reach, snap, head, hips, look, strong.”
  These Cues are reminders of HOW they are going to tumble:
  Reach reminds them to reach in the round off.
  Snap reminds them to snap their feet under them in the back handspring.
  Head reminds them to keep their head in on the set.
  Hips reminds them to lift their hips over their head on the flip.
  Look reminds them to look for their landing.
  Strong reminds them to land in a strong and solid landing position.
  While they are prepping to go and during the tumbling pass, we want them to say these cue words.
   

  Refocusing after Distractions

  Sometimes athletes think they must be 100% focused all the time. That’s a nice thing to think, but as humans, we aren’t going to be 100% of anything all of the time.
  Athletes that think they have to think 100% positive thoughts or they should be 100% focused, feel like they are failing mental training when doubts or worries pop into their minds.
  The truth is that we will be distracted at times and that is normal. It is more important to know how to become aware when they are distracted and learn to bring their focus back on track.
  What are distractions? Distractions are anything that makes them worry, doubt, or adds pressure and stress. distractions can be external such as people walking in their way or internal such as thinking they are going to land on their head.
  If the distraction is external and there is something they can do about it, they should do it. If they are worried someone will walk in their way, have them tell the coach, have a teammate stand and direct traffic away form the floor, or pick a different direction to tumble. Instead of worrying about a problem, teach them to find solutions to their worries.
  If the distraction is internal, acknowledge the distraction and refocus on what they want to do (Empowering Self-Talk) and HOW to do it (Cues).
  Use an anchor statement to stop the thought once they realize they are distracted. The coach can also use anchoring statements for the athlete and their team.
  An anchor statement can stop the cheerleader when they realized they are distracted, such as “Stop, bring it back, keep fighting and working, I am one step closer.”  
  With all of the tools, the first step is to become aware of their current Self-Talk and focus. Keep what works and change what doesn’t work.
  Teaching the basic tools is the first part. There will be reasons why these tools will be difficult to apply. Changing negative Self-Talk into Empowering Self-Talk won't magically make the cheerleader go for it, but it will lead them in the right direction toward breaking through.
   
  Step five-
  Athletes who have heightened anxiety will need to work in an environment that will help them feel comfortable to trust themselves.
  The coach working with these athletes will need to create a non-judgmental and completely loving environment. They will need to talk to the athlete with respect in a non-condescending, sarcastic, or hostile tone.
  In order for the athlete to be vulnerable to accept their fears and work on overcoming them, they will need to completely trust their coach.

  Do drills and explain what the drills work on and why you are having them do them.
  Spot when you say you will, don’t trick the athlete.
  Challenge them, but know when to back off.
  Ask the cheerleader what they need from you.
  Work on a variety of skills to show the athlete they are capable of learning new skills.
  Focus and appreciate little accomplishments.

  What works, try again. What doesn’t work, find out why and either fix it or try a new way. We are teaching them how to learn and solve their own problems. We want to create an environment that allows for them to work without breaking them down.
  Step six-
  The last piece of the puzzle is the athlete must trust themselves. If they trust they will do what they want to do, they will do it.
  Trust will take time, work and patience. They must learn how to trust themselves.

  They will use their Empowering Self-Talk to keep them thinking about what they want.
  They will use their Focus tools to help them intentionally think about HOW to do it.
  They will know when they are distracted and use their Anchor statements to refocus.

  Think of their “Mental Block” as a brick wall. Before, they might have been trying to push it over or knock it down, but they couldn’t budge it. The harder they tried, the stronger the wall felt. Over time, they saw the wall as something that was too big and too hard for them to ever breakthrough.
  And at that point, it was.
  However, they didn’t have tools to use and now they do. The tools they have will help chip away at the wall. Every time they use a tool, the wall becomes weaker.
  If they try to go for it, and they don’t, they will know what didn’t work and with that information they will become more educated and a little piece will be chipped off the wall. Regardless if they do it or not, they are learning. If they make a mistake, they are learning; the more they learn the more they will KNOW how to do their tumbling pass. The more they KNOW the more than can keep what works and adjust what doesn’t work.
  If they KNOW what doesn’t work, they can try a new way until they find a way that does work. When they KNOW what does work, they can work and work until they are able to repeat and become consistent. When they KNOW how to do a skill and they KNOW they can repeat it, they will become more confident in themselves and they will learn how to trust themselves.
  Eventually they will get to a point where the wall is weak enough to breakthrough. But they must work everyday and chip away at it, every day. Some days they will be able to chip away big pieces, other days they will chip away little pieces. But everyday they try will the tools, they will weaken the wall.
  Everything they learn about their fear is power. That power gives them strength that strength is what they need to fight. We want them to learn how to fight for what they want.
  We want to teach our athletes that challenges are not a bad thing. Just because they are faced with a challenge, doesn’t mean they are stuck. A challenge only means they will need to find a way to rise up and overcome.
  When they learn how to solve their own challenges, they will be equipped with the ability to conquer anything they want.
  Mental Blocks are just a challenge. They are just another opportunity to empower our athletes to overcome and breakthrough anything they want.
  Good luck and remember to check out my book, Breaking Through a Mental Block. You can also check out my website https://getpsychedsports.com/. Feel free to email me at [email protected] for any questions or comments.
  Wendy Bruce Martin was a member of the 1992 Olympic team and 5x national team member. She has been involved in gymnastics for 37 years and Cheer for 12 years. She owns, GET PSYCHED Sports, and works with athletes from all over the world on Peak Performance and Mental Training.

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National Cheerleading Competition: Overcoming Tumbling Blocks

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It’s a Defensive Mechanism

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Mental Blocks, Part 1 – A Coach’s Perspective – FloCheer

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“Mental block”—the words in cheerleading that are often whispered Unfortunately it’s a common plight Some athletes fall into a black hole of fear because

Lane Petersen former Stephen F Austin cheerleader and tumbling coach with more than 20 years of experience

Terry Escobar cheerleading and gymnastics coach for the last 25 years

Wes Frazier former competitive gymnast and cheerleader current All-Star tumbling coach

Sandra Morgan former gymnast and University of Houston head cheerleader current All-Star cheer coach

Kim Chapman former competitive cheerleader current All-Star cheer coach

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Help I Can’t Tumble! Working Through the Mental Blocks to Tumbling

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5 Odd Methods To Overcome A Tumbling Mental Block

5 Odd Methods To Overcome A Tumbling Mental Block

Let’s face it, mental blocks are very real and something you may have to deal with at some point in your tumbling career. Personally, I hope you never get them and tumble fearlessly forever.

However, after coaching so many athletes over the years, I’ve come to realize that even the best of the best will experience some type of mental hiccup which will put a damper on their training.

One of the most annoying things about a mental block is that the cause is usually hard to pinpoint – it could because of bailing on a skill, getting hurt, social pressure, competition pressure, or some other stressful experience.

But, there are two things I know for certain when it comes to mental blocks:

They are always triggered by something and are never spontaneous. Even if the trigger is very minor, it’s always there. They can always be overcome as long as you keep an open mind by trying different solutions till something works.

In fact, I think breaking past a mental block is like trying to open an unfamiliar lock while holding a keychain with 50 different keys on it. You know one of them will work, but you’re not sure which one… so the only thing you can do is keep trying until the lock pops open.

Think of each one of these “keys” as a mental-block-busting tool we have at our disposable; tools such as drills, spots from coaches, different training equipment, different facilities and so on. But today, I’m going to reveal five odd and completely out of the box methods that you can add to your “keychain” to help you overcome your mental block.

I’ve used each one of these methods in the past either personally or with my athletes, so I know they work. But the only way you’ll know if it works for you, is to try them out.

Method 1: Osmosis

In the self-development world, there’s a very well known success principal which states that if you want to be rich and successful, you should start hanging around rich and successful people. Sounds weird, but it actually does work – take a struggling business owner, have him hang around a bunch of successful business owners and within a few years, his income will start to catch up to those around him.

How?

Well it’s not magic, or law of attraction, or that his new his new successful friends “make it rain” on his head at every given chance. Instead, the struggling person will start to model those that he deems successful (provided his coachability index is high).

So if they start giving public speeches, he’ll start to give public speeches.

If they build a website, he’ll have a website.

If they start a facebook fan page, he’ll do the same. It’s not copying, it’s modeling; there is a difference.

So how can we use this to help our tumbling?

Let’s say you can do tucks and layouts just fine, but when it comes to twisting, you just can’t seem to do the damn thing. How can you fix this twisting problem?

First, make sure you and your coach have a plan in place with ample drills to get you used to twisting again. Here’s a video is my athlete Holly, showing a good drill for a handspring full.

However, when you walk outside the gym, start watching lots and lots of videos of other people doing the full – specially those that have a similar physical build as yours.

Next, seek out and start hanging around those who can do the full. Ask them questions, help them with anything they need, and just put yourself in an environment where you’re surrounded by those that have what you want.

Sounds oddly simple, and maybe even a bit voodoo, but I can tell you personally that this works wonders!

Every year I go to Woodward, I spend time hanging with world champion calibre tumblers. And every year, I’ve come back a better athlete with new skills, new insights, new drills… new everything! I’m a whole new person. Barriers that I thought I had simply vanish away, and I don’t even know how it happens. It just does.

And when I’m not training, I’m either eating, sleeping or watching videos of tumbling.

But the great thing is that you don’t have to go to Woodward to do this, just surround yourself with success and eventually you’ll have no choice but to live up to the standard set by your environment.

Success does rub off, just don’t demand a deadline for it; let it happen naturally.

Method 2: Act It Out

This is an advanced form of visualization. What you want to do is stand on the floor you’ll be tumbling on, then basically do a “run through” of your tumbling pass that’s as realistic as possible, without actually doing much of the tumbling pass it self.

This allows the neurons in the brain to build up the connections necessary and it trains your motor patterns so that when you finally do decide to do the pass, it’s almost second nature (or unconsciously competent, for those of you that’ve read my earlier work.)

For example, if you were trying to act out a round off > back handspring > full, here’s how it should go down:

Do the round off (be sure that your run takes the same amount of steps that you usually do. No more, no less.) After you land the round off, throw your arms up and arch your back to pretend you just did a handspring, without actually doing it. While moving backwards, throw your arms up again to practice the set for a full. Jump straight up in the air, and do a standing jump full turn, putting your arms in the exact same position you use for the full, and land back on your feet. Finally, don’t forget that Act It Out is a visualization technique at heart, so in your mind you should really see yourself doing the pass. In fact, you should almost feel it.

To someone watching from afar, it might look a little odd. Some might say this is stupid or silly, and that you should “just go for it.”

But don’t let the doubters fool you, because visualization is one of the most powerful tools we have as athletes.

Let me give you an example

Have you heard about the 4 minute mile? Before Roger Bannister came along and completely destroyed people’s expectation of what a human body was capable of, running a mile in four minutes or less was deemed “physically impossible” by doctors, sports specialists and coaches.

Why?

Simply because it had never been done before, and those that tried it previously kept failing. At some point, instead of persevering onwards, every runner simply accepted it as “fact” that the human body just cannot run a mile in under 4 minutes.

Kind of like how many gymnasts and tumblers believed doing a quad twist on sprung floor was completely impossible… until we realized it wasn’t. Oopse.

So how did Roger Bannister do it?

I mean you can’t train to do a mile in under 4 minutes without actually doing it physically. Therefore physical training alone wasn’t going to cut it. However, Roger realized that he can visualize himself running it, and make it so convincing that eventually his body will carry him through.

And so that’s what he did. When his mind believed, his body followed. Always remember this: The only limits that exist in your mind, are the ones you place inside it.

Powerful stuff. And incase you haven’t realized it yet, Act It Out is also a useful tool that can help you develop skills you don’t have yet. For example, if you’re working towards a double twist, act it out and really think about how it would feel to twist for a second time.

“surround yourself with success and eventually, you’ll have no choice but to live up to the standard set by your environment” (Tweet this)

Method 3: Beat Around The Bush

For the younger ones reading this, “beating around the bush” is phrase used to describe someone who avoids coming to the point and delays approaching a subject directly.

So now you might be wondering, “Hey coach, how does avoiding the mental block, actually help me get past my mental block?!”

Well as I stated before, a mental block works in mysterious ways, so taking a break from the skill that’s giving you problems can actually be beneficial. Remember, tumbling can go backwards and forwards. It can be done on a Tumble Trak or Air Track. Finally, skills can be individually worked on a trampoline too; you have tonnes of options.

Allow me to give you a personal example

Once upon a time (when I was a young and foolish), I had a mental block on my double twist. It’s the same block I encountered on my full twist so I decided to use the exact same tactic that worked previously – literally powering through it. I knew my body knew how to full, so I gave myself zero choice while coming out of the back hand spring. I trusted that as soon as I threw the set, my body would know how to double.

However, the same thing didn’t work; I did a one and a half and ate mat. Not just once, but over and over again. Clearly, I needed a different approach.

Due to sheer frustration, I just stopped doing the double and worked on something else that was similar in nature – the Rudy. For those that don’t know, a Rudy is a front layout with a 1.5 twist. The beauty of this skill is that you land facing the way you came, so it can be connected to whips and handsprings.

I didn’t think about this as a “technique” at the time; I just spent a few weeks on the Rudy and my 1.5 twist became so tight and fast that when I finally decided to go back to my double twist, it came back as if I had never lost it. It was literally magic.

You might want to try something similar. And if the skill that’s giving you trouble has no similar substitute, don’t worry, the point is to ENJOY working on something else for a while. As long as you’re doing something that requires you to go upside down, you’re doing it right.

Method 4: Do Something Else You’re Good At

This is a great method to combine with number three. While you’re working other skills, it’s important you do other activities that you’re good at. What this does is boost your confidence.

Why is this important?

Well despite what you may think, confidence, self esteem and generally feeling good about yourself spills over in all other areas of your life, and if your mental block was triggered due to a confidence related issue, this could be the invaluable key that opens the lock.

So tell me, what else are you good at?

Soccer?

Basketball?

Painting?

Knitting?

It doesn’t matter, as long as it makes you feel accomplished and you feel good doing it – that is the key. Don’t do anything that frustrates you, otherwise you’re not doing yourself any favors.

“The only limits that exist in your mind, are the ones you place inside it.” (Tweet this)

Method 5: Just Staaph!

Yup, just stop completely and take a week off. Sometimes stepping away lets your body recover not only physically, but mentally as well. In powerlifting, this method is actually very common; many powerlifters train with extreme intensity while dieting hard to make weight. However, about 5-7 days before the competition, lifters usually stop training and take a chill pill.

Most people think that someone who is going to be lifting hundreds of pounds in front of people should keep training, but that is actually counter productive since it’s not just your muscles that need to recover, but your nervous system and mentality as well.

I personally attained a National Deadlift Record in May 2012 and I took 4 full days off before my meet. I had already made weight so I literally sat on the couch, read books and relaxed. Come competition day, I was so well rested and mentally clear that I crushed it when it counted. Had I been in the gym constantly pounding the weights, I probably would have been too weak to perform at my best.

Sometimes taking a step back is just what you need, so that you can two steps forward later.

Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

I want to hear from you!

I hope you enjoyed these 5 odd methods that I’ve used, but now I want to know if you have any of your own! If you have something to share, or even questions I can help you with, head down into the comment section below, and let me know! Oh and don’t forget, if you found this article useful, please like and share it with your friends – it would mean alot.

Mental Blocks, Part 1

“Mental block”—the words in cheerleading that are often whispered. Unfortunately, it’s a common plight. Some athletes fall into a black hole of fear because of a fall, but sometimes, it just happens. When an athlete falls into a state of tumbling instability, it often recurs throughout their cheerleading career.

There is no universal solution to this problem because every athlete’s situation is different. This is “Mental Blocks, Part 1 – A Coach’s Perspective” on how to help athletes deal with mental blocks. None of these people are sports psychologists, but they all have ample experience with struggling athletes.

Lane Petersen, former Stephen F. Austin cheerleader and tumbling coach with more than 20 years of experience

I’ve worked with quite a few students that have had mental blocks. They typically originate from a crash and/or wipe out. The only way a student gets over a mental block is pushing through it. Depending on the severity of the crash, the healing time varies. More severe crashes typically take longer.

From the students I’ve worked with that have mental blocks, I’ve found it’s easiest to almost start over from scratch. If they crashed from performing a back-handspring, then go back to a backbend kick-over, jumping to a flat back on a crash pad. Use the big blue barrel to have them go over backward again.

In the healing process, there must be a lot of hands-on spotting, and constant reassurance that the crash won’t happen again. I constantly reiterate that their safety is my No. 1 priority.

Overall, a lot of patience is required by the coach. Try to put yourself in your athlete’s shoes and understand what’s going through his or her mind. This promotes a better plan of action that will be much more effective. From the coaching side, it’s important for us to understand that in the student’s mind, whatever a coach says is almost always “easier said than done” in a student’s mind. The student’s focus is clouded with doubt, so help them take one step at a time.

When you work with students that have mental blocks, you’ll get a better feel for how fast the recovery will take.

Terry Escobar, cheerleading and gymnastics coach for the last 25 years

I believe mental blocks start due to various reasons: pressure, fear, or moving an athlete too quickly through a skill. It’s been my experience that repetition on a controlled surface (where an athlete can do the skill independently), works the best. After they regain confidence, they can progress to a harder tumbling surface. They must devote time and hard work to the skill a minimum of three times weekly. I believe that with positive motivation and having athletes go back to the basics, they can overcome mental blocks.

Wes Frazier, former competitive gymnast and cheerleader / current All-Star tumbling coach

Conquering tumbling blocks from my past experience requires a few things:

The athlete needs to have a desire to personally want to get past it.

The athlete needs to work with a coach he or she trusts. The athlete needs to personally know the coach will be there for him or her to make the necessary changes.

There needs to be a “new” surge at getting past this. If it is more of the same, the athlete will reside in the past at every chance. The fear needs to be conquered and that only happens when the desire becomes greater to change . . . this time . . . today . . . right now.

Sandra Morgan, former gymnast and University of Houston head cheerleader / current All-Star cheer coach

I think mental blocks stem from either a hard fall or something much more psychological for a gymnast or cheerleader.

I have seen athletes get them from an unpleasant experience that they have not fully dealt with. I have helped individuals overcome mental blocks that no one can explain. It could be a fear of failure or even anger toward an authority figure that they are now retaliating against subconsciously by not tumbling. It is super complicated, and each case should be handled differently. I’ve found positive encouragement and allowing them to have control is the best remedy. When they are ready to fix the mental block, it will cure itself in a positive environment.

Kim Chapman, former competitive cheerleader / current All-Star cheer coach

What Is A Mental Block? : Cheer & Gymnastics Edition

WHAT MENTAL BLOCKS ARE AND HOW THEY HAPPEN

Are you a cheerleader or gymnast experiencing a mental block in your skills?! You have worked tirelessly to obtain your skills and achieve your performance goals. When a mental block sets in it can be debilitating at the worst of times and frustrating at best.

As a young athlete, I remember working through mental blocks in my tumbling on more than one occasion. I was a perfectionist who had a lot of expectations and low confidence. As an extremely hard worker, I was able to effort my way forward (with considerable expense from my parents) but was never taught mental game skills that would grow my confidence and keep me striving forward. I continued to learn new skills and see the spotlight as a top competitor on my teams, but knew I could have done more.

The worst part was that I felt like no one understood what I was going through. I still remember the feeling I had every time my teammates or coach would tell me to “just throw it”. Worse than that was the pressure of people thinking I was just being lazy or trying to get attention. Unfortunately, many coaches, parents, and athletes do not understand what is happening to an athlete with a mental block. They make assumptions that it is due to a lack of effort or will to complete the skill. Trust me when I tell you that if you have ever experienced a mental block, I completely know how you feel.

SO, WHAT IS A MENTAL BLOCK?

Mental blocks have different meanings to different sports but today I am focusing on mental blocks in cheerleading and gymnastics. A true mental block is when you have a skill for a length of time and on multiple surfaces and suddenly you are no longer able to make your body perform the skill.

So lets say you have a BHS for 1 year, have competed it, can successfully land it 99/100 times on the trampoline, spring floor, and backyard. If you are no longer to successfully attempt the skill, it is likely you have a true block. If you have been working on a new skill for 9 months such as a standing tuck and have not been able to throw it on your own, you technically do not have a true mental block, you are still learning. Fears may still exist but you are not stuck.

The reason I want to clarify this is because the term mental block carries so much weight in the sport. Have you ever introduced yourself to a new coach or your parent is introducing you and without even meaning to, you start talking about the fact that you have a mental block? Or maybe a coach asks you to throw a skill, and your instinct is to respond with, “I have a block, I can’t!” The term carries power so be careful when you use it.

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

Our bodies are pretty amazing. We have a natural response to protect us that arises when our body senses we are in danger. Have you ever been in a situation and suddenly you felt unsafe? What happened? … Your body started reacting with increased heart rate, sweaty palms, tingling in your stomach, etc.. You didn’t need to tell your body that you were in trouble or afraid, it just started reacting. This psychological reaction is referred to as a fight or flight response and it is meant to keep you safe. It tells you get ready to run away or get ready to fight.

With mental blocks, instead of our bodies saying, “you need to get ready to fight or run”, your body says “Freeze! STOP what you are doing now!”. This happens because fears have built up to put you in a mental state where you feel unsafe. Frequently, this happens after a tumbler experiences a fall or they see a teammate fall or become injured. These are common but not the only way that blocks occur.

Sometimes blocks are caused by fears and unnecessary pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect or the best. Do you stress about not having perfect technique? Do you feel pressure of losing our spot if you do not throw the skill perfectly every time? What about fearing that your parents or teammates will be let down if you messed up in competition?

If you really think about it, the cheerleaders/gymnasts that often struggle with blocks are the MOST BEAUTIFUL TUMBLERS! “If they would just throw their backhandspring, they would be in the front of the routine because it is gorgeous! They would have their tuck and make the next level team, and …..”! These pressures and fears can build up to make you feel unsafe, so your body stops performing.

Even though the cause varies for many athletes, the key is to break down the fears and increase confidence and trust.

DID THE ABOVE RESONATE WITH YOU? IF SO, KEEP READING

If you or a loved one has ever experienced a mental block, you know the frustration of trying to force your body to “just do it” only to leave practice disappointed. A mental block is the body’s natural response to fears that have accumulated and must be addressed at the source.

Individual 1-on-1 mental performance coaching addresses mental blocks at the source. It helps the athlete identify and overcome their fears through instruction, assessments, and application. The skills the athlete will learn through mental coaching will increase their confidence and reduce stress at practice and competitions so they can get back to enjoying their sport.

Just think, how amazing will it be when you have a game plan where you can get excited about practice?! You walk in confident, you know what to focus on while you are working on your skills, and you leave feeling accomplished.

Are you ready to learn how? Click here to schedule a no-cost Performance Check Session.

Space is limited so if you are ready to take action and start tackling those blocks and fears, reserve your spot today!

One-on-one mental coaching is the fastest and most effective method to improve your mental game, boost your performance, and make lasting changes.

So you have finished reading the how to get over a mental block in cheer topic article, if you find this article useful, please share it. Thank you very much. See more: what is a tumble block in cheerleading, tumbling mental block psychology, how to get over the mental block of a backflip, what is a tumbling mental block, how to help a child with a mental block, how to get over a mental block aerial, tumbling mental block hypnosis, how to get over mental blocks in gymnastics