Mental Blocks in Cheerleading – Part II
Cheerleaders are not immune to experiencing mental blocks which can interfere with cheerleading performance. In my last post, I responded to a question I saw in the forum on Allaboutcheerleading.com in which a cheerleader asked for help in overcoming her mental block about throwing a full during a practice routine.
I encouraged this cheerleader to become more objective in her assessment and to embrace mistakes as opportunities for learning and not something to be avoided. I then reminded her that she clearly is capable of throwing a full under some circumstances so she needs to determine what factors are interfering with her execution some of the time.
Here is more of what I would say to this cheerleader: Good execution follows good thinking, clear thinking. Emotional upset creates fuzzy thinking so it’s important to step back and assume an objective stance – as if you are evaluating someone else who is seeking your help.
Take a few moments and clear your head. Close your eyes and exhale slowly 3 times. This will calm you down and when you are calmer your thinking will be more focused and clearer.
Now, with your eyes closed, think about the times you really hit it with throwing your full. With your mind’s eye, see yourself executing this move and nailing it. Allow yourself to see yourself doing this successfully over and over. Now, recall how you felt when you threw your full successfully. Notice every detail – how you focused just prior to execution; how you held your head, your arms, your stance; how you moved; how you were breathing; where your focus was – everything!
Next, still with your eyes closed, combine the whole thing – see yourself with your mind’s eye and experience yourself kinesthetically (your felt sense) executing the move over and over. Good.
Now assign a label or cue word or phrase for this successful execution. It can be anything. For example, you could simply call it “success” or “good move.” Once you have your label, visualize and feel the whole successful routine again only this time say your cue word to yourself. Repeat over and over. Each time you do this, you will be creating brain and muscle memory so that the next time you actually throw a full, you will be able to reconnect with this positive experience and success will be more likely!
More on this topic in my next post!
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Tags: cheerleader, cheerleaders, Cheerleading, confidence, focus, mental blocks, Visualization
March 5th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I really like your blog. It really helps me out with a lot of things.
August 14th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
i have cheered for a long time and im having problems throwing some tumbuling what do i do i cant even throw a backhandspring like its in my head and it wont come out i really just want to get over it but its hard my mom tells me just to throw it but she dosnt know how hardit is to just get over it she never cheered and i just cant do it
February 10th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
I have been cheering and tumbleing ever since elementray school i am now a softmore in high school on the varsity cheerleading team trying to get my full back i have NEVER had any problems with any of my tumbleing skills before but my full scares me to death. I have been working on it for over a year now and i have done it a lot by myself but one day i freaked out and fell hurting my back my disk was almost out of place. i had to set out from cheerleading for weeks and i got so scared to do my full again i think i have probley only done it once since then well by myself that is. I go to tumble once a week and as long as the guy is there and just standing there i can do it i have a serious mental block and i have no idea how to fix it they tell me to do it by myself and i freak out and crash. This is a huge problem for me beacuse i am hoping to get a cheerleading sclorship and i need my full for that and to help my team mates out any suggestions on things i could do to make this less scary for me and to help me to be able to do it again?
February 15th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Thanks for writing Amber! I tried sending you a loong email but it bounced back. I’ll insert my email here for you. Warning – it is very long but loaded with good tips!
As you may know, mental blocks are very common especially when there has been a fall. When you hurt yourself, as you did, your body and brain naturally want to protect you from further injury and so at this point, your brain is telling your body to stop (unless you feel safe, as you do with a spotter).
Now I’m going to assume that you have had excellent tumbling training and that your technique is good. If you have any doubts about this, please get the help you need, ok?
So, assuming your technique is good and that you are in tip-top physical shape with a strong core, let’s look at the mental angle.
Warning! This is going to be a looong email so please take your time to read it. Also – there is no quick fix so you have to be serious about applying these techniques, ok?
One more thing – please show this to a coach or a parent.
Here goes:
1. When you tumble successfully there is a good communication between your brain and your body. Every time you execute a skill, you are creating or strengthening what is called a neural pathway in your brain. Over time, these pathways run deep and make it easier to do what you want to do.
If you have been a successful tumbler in the past, the neural pathways are there, you just need to find them again. Perhaps because of your injury, the communication between your brain and body has gone a bit wacky! (Not unusual, just frustrating!) It might be that at this point, when you get ready to tumble, you are telling yourself something like, “I’m going to fall.” Or, “I can’t do it.”
2. It’s possible to spook yourself into believing you cannot do something or that you cannot perform without a spotter. Over time this can coalesce into a belief. If this is the case, the first step is to identify and challenge the belief or the story you have created.
Step back and think about your thoughts. In other words, what are you saying to yourself? It may be you are saying things like: “I’ll never be able to tumble without a spotter,” or – “I’m just not good enough,” or “I’ll never be able to do a full.” It’s important to learn how to “think about the thoughts” that drive behavior.
The brain is literal and so if you are thinking, “I can’t do this,” the brain hears this as an instruction and – you won’t be able to do it! One solution is to send a different message to the brain such as, “I’m working very hard on improving my tumbling and soon I will be able to do it on my own.”
This requires patience and effort but it does work.
So a first step in resolving the fear is cognitive; it’s to identify and change the negative thinking. I must emphasize however that this is not just a matter of saying positive things to replace the negative. You must believe what you are saying and so the negative beliefs, which are distortions, must be challenged. (My blog has a number of articles on this. See http://www.confidentcheerleadingblog.com .)
Another way of handling negative thinking is to replace it with a script or instructions about the skill itself. For example, you can tell yourself, depending on the skill, “stand tall, get focused, arms up, head straight,” and so forth. This way your brain is busy with these instructions and the negativity is pushed out of your head.
3. Next step is to relax. Muscle tension results from negative thinking and muscle tension affects the way the body moves. A quick way to begin to relax is to focus on the breathing. So, try this:
Sit in a nice quiet place and exhale as slowly as possible, letting the breath out through your mouth and taking a breath in through your nose. Focus on the out-breath and be sure to exhale very slowly, letting as much air out as possible. It will then be easy to take in a nice slow in-breath. Repeat this at least 5 times.
4. When thinking about your tumbling fear, rate your anxiety on a scale of 1 – 10, with “1” being no anxiety and “10” being horrendous anxiety. Write this down and keep track of how the rating changes as you begin to resolve your block. The goal is not necessarily to completely eliminate anxiety (a “1”) but to reduce it to a MANAGEABLE LEVEL. (Very important.)
5. Finally, incorporate this breathing technique with one of several special visualizations.
Inside-Out Visualization
1. Find a nice quiet place and while sitting up, close your eyes.
2. Exhale as slowly as you can 3 – 5 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 simple and basic tumbling skill – something you can do with ease.
7. If you feel more than a little anxiety (a rating of more than “4”), stop visualizing this skill and return to your safe place.
8. Stay in your safe place until you feel calm and secure (a rating of “4” or less).
9. Now, once again, see yourself in your practice spot beginning to execute a basic tumbling skill.
10. If your anxiety level is manageable (“4” or less) stay with this scene, focusing on your exhale to keep calm and focused.
11. See yourself executing the skill with grace and ease and “feel” yourself enjoying it; enjoy your success.
12. 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.”
13. Once you have your power label, visualize and feel the whole successful routine again only this time say your cue word to yourself.
14. Repeat over and over. Each time you do this, you will be creating brain and muscle memory.
15 If at any time your anxiety level increases too much (“5” or more), go back to your safe place and repeat the above steps
16. When you can “see” yourself doing a basic tumbling skill without too much anxiety, go on to a more difficult skill.
17. Just like before, if too much anxiety pops up (“5” or more), go back to the previous level or go back to your favorite place to calm down.
18. Repeat this process, each time gradually visualizing yourself executing more difficult skills in a step-wise fashion, pairing the exhale and relaxation with “seeing” yourself doing the skills.
19. Be sure to use your power word or positive trigger with each step you take.
20. Repeat as necessary. Keep repeating this process until the anxiety associated with visualizing tumbling is manageable (“4 or less”).
21. The anxiety may not disappear completely, the goal is MANAGEABLE ANXIETY.
If the problem is fear of tumbling without a spotter, the process is similar. Here is the visualization for this situation:
Visualization – without a spotter
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 full (or any tumbling skill) with your coach or spotter.
7. If you feel more than a little anxiety (more than “4”), stop visualizing this skill and return to your safe place.
8. Stay in your safe place until you feel calm and secure (“4”or less).
9. Now, once again, see yourself in your practice spot beginning to execute a full (or whatever) with your coach or spotter.
10. If your anxiety level is manageable (“4” or less), stay with this scene, focusing on your exhale to keep calm and focused.
11. See yourself executing the skill with grace and ease and “feel” yourself enjoying it; enjoy your success.
12. 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.”
13. Once you have your power label, visualize and feel the whole successful routine again only this time say your cue word to yourself.
14. Repeat over and over. Each time you do this, you will be creating brain and muscle memory.
15. If at any time your anxiety level increases too much (“5” or more), go back to your safe place and repeat the above steps
16. When you can “see” yourself doing a full (or whatever you need a spotter for) with your coach spotting you, without too much anxiety, move the scene to doing it alone.
17. Just like before, if too much anxiety pops up (“5” or more), go back to working with a spotter (in your mind’s eye) or go back to your favorite place to calm down.
18. Repeat this process, each time gradually visualizing yourself executing the full alone, step by step, pairing the exhale and relaxation with “seeing” yourself doing it.
19. Be sure to use your power word or positive trigger with each step you take.
20. Repeat as necessary. Keep repeating this process until the anxiety associated with visualizing doing the full alone is manageable (“4” or less).
21. The anxiety may not disappear completely, the goal is MANAGEABLE ANXIETY.
This visualization accomplishes several things. It helps you ease into the idea of tumbling while minimizing your anxiety and it also engraves the successful execution of the skill 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!
Sometimes it’s hard for you to “see” yourself executing a skill well. No matter how hard you try, you still “see” yourself falling, or stalling, or executing it poorly. If this is the case, try these other approaches.
Outside-In Visualization:
• Choose a power-word or phrase that is associated with being calm, confident, strong, and focused.
• Sit in a quiet place, eyes closed, and notice your breath.
• Exhale slowly several times.
• Use your out-breath to relax, to let go.
• Scan your body with your mind’s eye, noticing any tension and releasing it with your out- breath.
• Resume focus on your out-breath, letting go, relaxing.
• Imagine you see a cheerleader you admire and respect (the ideal person) executing the skill you want to perform well.
• Notice with as much detail as possible how the person looks, moves, sounds.
• Imagine what he or she is thinking and feeling…what it is like to be in that ideal state.
• Now imagine you are having similar feelings and how you would feel like that person.
• And then imagine you are becoming that other person and as you are able to experience these feelings, (ideal state), use your power word or phrase that you can associate with this ideal state.
• Practice this connection several times.
• Later, at the time you want to execute the skill, say your power word to yourself to reconnect with this positive experience.
Interactive Observation
This is similar to the above visualization except instead of visualizing, you are actually observing someone your respect or watching a video of an expert tumbler.
• Choose a word or phrase that is associated with being calm, confident, strong, and focused.
• Observe a video or a cheerleader in real life executing skills in an expert fashion.
• Exhale slowly several times.
• Use your out-breath to relax, to let go.
• Notice with as much detail as possible how the person looks, moves, sounds.
• Imagine what he or she is thinking and feeling…what it is like to be in that ideal state.
• Now imagine you are having similar feelings and how you would feel like that person.
• Once you are able to experience these feelings, (ideal state), use your cue word or phrase that you can associate with this ideal state.
• Practice this connection several times.
6. Now, one last thing; when you next begin to do any tumbling, take a moment to focus, exhale slowly, say your power label to yourself and see yourself executing the skill successfully. Then go ahead!
I realize this is a LOT of information. Take your time and work with your coach on this and over time you should see progress.
Please keep me posted, ok?
Good luck!
April 19th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Thank you so much for all your great advise.
I’m so sorry I had forgot about posting this on here and this was like the perfect day to have seen it to.
I just went to tumble to day my mental block had got worse and now sometimes even when he is there I get pretty scared. Today I was doing okay till he said last time and I just fliped out. And fail a few times.
I left so discouraged and mad at myself. I think your advice is going to help a lot with my problem I will keep you posted.
April 19th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
I am 12 years old and I stared tumbleing when I was 5 years old and one day I was going to do my running tuck and I fell and now I am scared to do it and I was workig on a full until I fellon my running tuck and I have not done my running tuck in forever I’m really wanting to tryout for my middle school cheerleading team I just don’t know how to get over this mental block… Any suggestions?
April 21st, 2011 at 11:42 am
Dear Ravyn, It can be so frustrating to have a block. You are not alone;there are many cheerleaders who go though this and many of them are able to break through the block! I recommend you take some time and look through the many articles on this blog listed under the “mental blocks” category. Also, go to the top of the blog and click on the Mental Blocks tab and read that article and then click on the link that will take you to a nice long article on how to resolve a block. This will contain all the info you need to get you started. Warning! This will take time, patience, and effort on your part but if you are willing to invest the time, you will succeed. Good luck to you!