Expert: Pamela Enders - 4/16/2009

Question
hi, my name is lindsey and i have done competition cheerleading for about 4 or 5 years total. i havent cheered since high school and that has been 2 years. i recently found out about an open cheer team that is 18 and up so im excited to death but im nervous about tumbling. out of all the years i cheered i never got passed backhand springs. i get very nervous when i am asked to do anything more without a spot because i am scared. my instructors get mad because they know i can do it but i just cant follow through when i try and throw it. i want desperately to be able to do the tasks and to get better but i dont know how to man up and just do it when other people belive in me but i dont believe in myself. this team trys out in september and it is level 1-5 depending on how tryouts go so i have 5 months to get better and i am afraid this wont happen and i wont make the team, i would be very dissappointed in myself if i dident. as far as stunts i can base anywhere and do anything that i am taught and dancing and cheering are no problem...its just the tumbling block...please just some quick relaxation techniques or coping strategies will be helpful..thank you

Answer
Dear Lindsey,

Thanks for writing!

How wonderful that you found a cheer team that you can tryout for!  And good for you for planning ahead.  Five months is a good amount of time to eliminate your block.
Mental blocks are common but they can be managed if not completely eliminated if you are willing to be patient and take some time to work on it.  
This response is fairly long and detailed and requires you to follow certain steps. If you are willing to dedicate about 30 minutes a few times a week over the next few months, your overall performance should improve and you should be able to decrease or eliminate your tumbling fear. Some anxiety is not uncommon and if it’s at a manageable level, you’ll be fine.  It’s when anxiety becomes overwhelming that it is a problem.
Are you willing to make a commitment to work on this? If yes, read on!
First – I’d like you to notice how you are thinking about your situation.  At this point, your negative thoughts are undermining your performance. I invite you to take a step back and be more objective.  Look at your predicament as if it’s happening to someone else.  A little distance and objectivity can help you get a grip on the problem.
The good news is that your problem has a solution!   
To assist you in managing your nervousness, try this: Slow down your breathing by exhaling slowly – as slowly as possible three times. Exhale through your mouth and inhale through your nose.  Ready?  Go ahead and do it…take your time. Now do it again!  (I told you this required patience.)  With each out-breath, tell yourself that you are relaxing more and more.
Whenever you feel worried or anxious, slow down your breathing by doing this. When we are anxious we don’t think clearly and right now you need to think clearly, right?
As I mentioned earlier, I think you are spooking yourself into believing that you cannot do different tumbling moves. You are training your brain to accept this belief and – this is really important – the body does what the brain thinks! So if your brain accepts the belief that you cannot do something, your body responds as if that were true!
To fix this, we need to retrain your brain, right?  So instead of telling yourself  that you’ll never be able to tumble without a spot or you’ll never be able to do an advanced tumbling move, tell yourself, “I am working on correcting my problem. Each day I will build my confidence more and more.”
The other way to retrain your brain is through a special kind of visualization that is outlined below:
1.   Find a nice quiet place and while sitting up, close your eyes.
2.   Exhale as slowly as you can 3 – 4 times.
3.   Say to yourself, “With each out-breath, I am relaxing more and more.”
4.   Once relaxed, see yourself, with your mind’s eye, in a safe place, a place you feel ultra comfortable, secure and happy.
5.   Really enjoy being in your special safe place as you continue to focus on your out-breath.
6.   Now, shift your focus and see yourself in your cheerleading practice spot, beginning to do a tumbling move you know you do well.
7.   See yourself executing the move with grace and ease and “feel” yourself enjoying it; enjoy your success.
8.   Now assign a power label or cue word for this successful execution. It can be anything.  For example, you could simply call it “success” or “good move.”
9.   Once you have your power label, visualize and feel the whole successful routine again only this time say your cue word to yourself.
10. Repeat over and over.  Each time you do this, you will be creating brain and muscle memory.  
11 Now, see yourself in your practice spot only this time, you are planning to do a more advanced tumbling move.  
12.  See yourself getting ready to do this.
13 .If you feel any anxiety during this phase, stop visualizing the move and return to your favorite safe place or to the easier tumbling move.
14. Stay in your safe place or with your easier tumbling move until you feel relaxed.
15.   Once relaxed, return to visualizing the advanced tumbling move and repeat your cue word to yourself again.
16.   Keep repeating this process until the anxiety associated with visualizing the advanced move is manageable.
17.   Do not expect the anxiety to disappear completely at first, the goal is MANAGEABLE ANXIETY.
18.   Once you can, in your mind’s eye, execute the advanced tumbling move, repeat over and over using your power label.


This visualization accomplishes several things.  It helps you ease into the idea of an advanced tumbling move while minimizing your anxiety and it also engraves the successful execution of the move in your brain.  You will be training your brain to feel and think in the way you want.  You will also be learning how to control your thoughts and feelings rather than have them control you!

Now, one last thing; when you next begin to do any tumbling move, take a moment to focus, exhale slowly, say your power label to yourself and see yourself executing the move successfully. Then go ahead!  So the routine is: pause, exhale, “see” and “feel” and then do.

I assume you will be working with a coach on this, right?  By the way, it certainly isn’t helpful for a coach to get mad at you.  I would stay away from coaches like that.  A coach is supposed to be helpful and patient.  

If you have any questions about my response or need clarification, please write again.  You might also want to check out my blog at http://www.confidentcheerleadingblog.com
The blog has lots of tips and info on the mental game of cheerleading.

I know this has been a long response but I wanted to be thorough.  Change takes time and effort but the effort is worth it!

Good luck to you!

Pamela