Expert: Kelly Fitzpatrick - 5/22/2006

Question
hi i dont know if you can help with my mental block but im desperate so im tryin anythin, no offense. i have been a cheerleader since i was 5 i am now 13. i have been a rele good tumbler. tumbling was always MY thing. and then this year my team went ot nationals. and when i went to tumble i fell. right on the mat. i was so embarressed. i feel like it was my fault my team didnt win because we are national champs and not winning made it feel like it was my fault. everyone kept telling me it wasnt adn my team mates were juss amazin. that happened in march adn it is now almost june. adn i have yet to tumble. i can do a standin tuck because i find those rele easy with my mental block. i was workin fulls and was rele close to getting it and now im back to workin standing handdsprings because im afraid. i feel like im holding my team back and i hate it. please give me help on how to get over my tumbling block. this has taken a toll on my life. my grades are slipping and my social life is going away because all i an ever think about is tu,bling. and ten i get ot the gym adn  i dont. please hurry with the response before my coach kicks me off the team or my mom takes me out.

Answer
Hi Lily,

I'm so sorry to hear about your fall. What skill were you performing when it happened? Anyways, I've had the same thing to me happen where I was scared to do just about any running tumbling. Standing tucks and backhandsprings were always easier to do with a mental block because there's no speed behind them. The only way to get rid of a mental block is to start slow. (This is how I got rid of mine a few years ago.) Start your running tumbling with only a roundoff entry (ex- round off tuck, round off layout, roundoff full). This will make you have less of a mental block simply because you only have to think about two skills instead of three or more. Also I would not advice getting a spot on the skills that you know you have without a spot. This will only make your mental block greater, because you will become too dependant on the spotter. If you are still scared to try three or more skilled tumbling passes (ex-Roundoff backhandspring tuck), Then start on the trampoline or if you have it, the tumble trak (aka-rod floor). Once you have mastered your old tricks there, it should make the transition to the floor easy. And last but not least- Remember, your mind has very little to do with the skills you have already mastered. Believe it or not, Your body knows how to do each trick that you have already learned without you even thinking about it. If you are still scared after all of this, you can try what I do whenever I have a mental block. If I am standing in my corner of the floor, preparing to complete a very difficult pass, I will run in place for a few seconds and then immediatly after I stop, I will complete my tumbling pass. The running in place before running into your tumbling pass usually serves as a great way to clear your mind of any fears that you may have. Give it a try! I wish you the best of luck. Let me know how everything works out.

Kelly