Expert: Pamela Enders - 4/29/2009

Question
Hello, I am on an all-star cheerleading team and I used to be able to do a triple toe back, full, working on a double full, standing tuck, and working on standing fulls and I all of a sudden stopped tumbling. I stopped when i went from the spring floor in all-stars to the hard floor in high school. I have gone to a hypnotists three times. I have very bad anxiety and I take protozoa for it, but I just wont tumble. I want to, but my body just does not let me. I get so stressed out and end up in depression. I have done the whole breathing and visualizing and it still does not help. So what I am asking is there anything I can do to help my tumble block, because I really need it back and it is my favorite thing to do.

Answer
Dear Allison,

Hmmmm…sounds like you’ve tried a lot!  

Frankly, your question raises questions for me and given the complexity of your situation, it’s a bit hard to respond in a written manner without knowing more details .If you want, we could try a phone conversation.  If that appeals to you, let me know and we can set something up.

I’m not sure what you mean when you say you’ve seen a hypnotist 3 times.  Was this a therapist who also is an expert hypnotherapist?  A good one will have done a thorough assessment and then would have worked with you over time to help you resolve your problem.  Quick fixes often do not work especially if you also have general anxiety.

The “breathing and visualization thing” won’t work until you can change the way you are thinking about this situation.  Right now, it sounds like you are spooking yourself – you are talking yourself into being stressed out.  You know, it’s circular: you feel stressed and bad which makes it hard to get yourself in the right kind of focused state needed to tumble well and then you don’t do well so it feeds your anxiety.

You  say, “my body just does not let me” tumble but your body will do what your mind thinks so we would need to work on changing the way you think as a first step.

I’m going to insert (below) an excerpt from my new training program – The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions (see www.confidentcheerleading.com/competitions ).  Although the focus is on competitions, this excerpt is relevant for anyone who wants to get their thinking in shape:

This is really long but try to stay with it, ok? I’ve included some notes to you in the excerpt so look for them! Here it is:

We are always engaging in conversations with ourselves but this process is so automatic that most of the time we aren’t aware of it.  But – these internal conversations have a powerful impact on the way you feel and the way you perform.

Remember - you are what you think – so, if your thoughts are negative, how do you imagine this will affect your performance?  

So where are your thoughts? Are they negative? Are they unrealistically positive or realistically optimistic

In addition to identifying whether your thoughts are negative or positive, it’s good to determine what your time-focus is, meaning, are you thinking of something that happened in the past; are you thinking about something that is going to happen in the future; or are you focused on the present – the here and now? And which is better for your performance?  

Of course – being in the present is preferred.

So I’m recommending that you practice noticing your thoughts and categorizing them in terms of time-focus and positivity.

There are so many ways your thinking can be affected at competitions. You might see another team who really nails a complex routine and get jealous or nervous. You might end up comparing yourself to that team. Or maybe you and your stunting partner aren't getting along lately. Maybe you're feeling under the weather a bit. Maybe you’re worried about something that happened at home last week or a big exam that’s coming up next week. Who knows? But if you're not careful, this line of thinking can undermine your performance. (Allison - in your case, your thoughts are something like this: “I can tumble.” Or “I’ll never be able to do this.”)

What to do? Well, here’s a framework that spells it out for you.  It’s going to sound simple to you but resist the temptation to dismiss it! It really works if you use it, so please take it seriously. (You’ll see worksheets in your workbook which you can print out and use.)

So here goes:

1. Recognize and write down the thoughts you are having.

(Allison – for example = I’ll never be able to tumble again.)

2. Categorize them quickly as either good for you or bad for you or having no effect – neutral.

(It’s bad for you!)

3. Then categorize them in terms of time-focus: past, present, or future.

(You’re predicting the future!)

4. Ask yourself if these thoughts help you to perform better.

(NO!)

5. If not, decide to work on changing the thoughts from negative to positive or neutral and from past or future to the present.
(Remember – you are working along 2 dimensions – time and positivity.)
6. Change time-focus first (this is easier) by telling yourself, I am here now; I am present in the here and now.

(So, instead of saying, I’ll never be able to tumble, say, I am afraid right now that I can’t tumble.)

7. Change the harmful thoughts to another thought using any of the following:
a. simply choose to focus on something positive in the moment (there is almost always a positive aspect to any situation; it’s your job to find it!)
b. ask  yourself if the negative thought you are having represents the truth or is it a distortion
1. if it’s a distortion, change it into a more realistic thought. And you can tell it’s a distortion if you’re using absolute terms like never or always.
2. if the thought reflects reality and is not a distortion, identify the problem and discover a solution.

(So, for you Allison, it might go like this: I cannot predict the future so how do I know that I will never, ever be able to tumble again?  I was able to do this in the past so clearly I have the skills to do it. It’s true that I am having some problems right now but that does not mean that I will always have these problems.   My problem is that my anxiety is interfering with my ability to do what I am able to do. I do have the skills, it’s the anxiety that is disrupting my performance.  Once I can reduce the anxiety, I will be able to perform again.)


If you’re a cheerleader and you had a lousy practice, what is your thinking?  Do you think, “I’ll never get that routine…or I’ll never be as good as someone else?”  

Well, just like the coach, you are engaging in self-defeating thinking and negative predictions that will lead to painful feelings that will lead to poor performance.

But don’t beat up on yourself because you had a negative thought!  Try to assume an objective stance when you look at your thinking.

Simply notice that you are predicting the future and bring yourself into the present.  Acknowledge that your thought was negative and ask yourself how you might be able to change that thought into something that is either positive or neutral…something that can lead to positive action instead of negative paralysis.

So, in this case, you might do something like this:  I recognize my thinking is negative and is harming me.  How can I change it?  My problem in the moment is I’m not getting the routine.  What might be the solution? Do I need to practice more?  Do I need extra support from Coach or the captain?  Should I review some videos?  Do I need to focus differently?

You see?  You have become a problem solver…someone searching for solutions rather than a moper!

So let’s review the framework again:

1. Recognize and write down the thoughts you are having.
2. Categorize them quickly as either good for you or bad for you or having no effect – neutral.
3. Then categorize them in terms of time-focus: past, present, or future.
4. Ask yourself if these thoughts help you to perform better
5. If not, decide to work on changing the thoughts from negative to positive or neutral and from past or future to the present.
(Remember – you are working along 2 dimensions – time and positivity.)
6. Change time-focus first (this is easier) by telling yourself, I am here now; I am present in the here and now.
7. Change the harmful thoughts to another thought using any of the following:
a. simply choose to focus on something positive in the moment (there is almost always a positive aspect to any situation; it’s your job to find it!)
b. ask  yourself if the negative thought you are having represents the truth or is it a distortion
1. if it’s a distortion, change it into a more realistic thought. And you can tell it’s a distortion if you’re using absolute terms like never or always.
2. if the thought reflects reality and is not a distortion, identify the problem and discover a solution.

All of this is part of the mental game of cheerleading and the better you get at this the better you will perform at Nationals or anywhere!


Allison – I think that if you devote some time with this, you will be able to change your thinking and once you change your thinking, your performance will change, too. This is what many elite athletes use to help their performances.  
And remember, if you want to chat, let me know and we’ll work something out, ok?

Good luck!

Pamela