Of course there are the other times when the cause and the fix are not clear. As I mentioned yesterday, high stress families, especially families where feelings are not expressed or allowed or where conflict is not addressed in a healthy way, can be breeding grounds for all sorts of medical and psychological symptoms including mental blocks. (And by the way – high stress is a significant factor associated with sport injuries.)  

You will have your own way of working with blocks and it’s good to follow through with what you usually do – especially if you have had success with other cheerleaders.  But if you find the problem is not resolving or if the athlete is especially emotional, then you might want to consider assessing for family stress. So how do you do this?  

 This may not be as hard as you think.  After all, you probably already know something about your cheerleader and you’ve probably met one or both parents. Use what you know already to review the following checklist: 

1. Has the athlete alluded to tension at home?
2. A recent separation or divorce? 
3. A loss of a loved one – including a beloved pet?
4. A parent losing a job?
5. A parent who travels extensively?
6. A recent move?
7. Illness in the family?
8. Illness in the athlete?
9. Problems in school?
10. Relationships problems?
11. Missed practices (more than usual)?
12. Does athlete seem unusually tired and listless?
13. Does athlete seem to have trouble concentrating?
14. Does athlete seem preoccupied?
15. Does athlete seem more emotionally volatile lately?
16. Have you seen any changes in the athlete’s behavior lately?
17. Have you noticed any bruises that may indicate abuse? 

If you answer “yes” to any one of these, it’s worth investigating further with the cheerleader to see if the problem is something he or she is willing to talk about. Sometimes the athlete will feel so relieved to have the opportunity to express pent up feelings that the block will melt away.  

Usually though, your conversation will be a first step in a process that may include some problem-solving with the cheerleader or bringing the parent(s) in for a meeting. It could also result in helping the athlete and/or the family find a good therapist.

It can be helpful to appreciate the psychological complexity of a block and so this article is devoted to exploring the impact of family stress on a cheerleader and how this might result in a block.  When I was in graduate school I had the opportunity to study family therapy.  Unlike individual therapy, working with a family is – just as you might imagine – working with the whole family together in one room at the same time!  And yes, sometimes it could get crowded! 

Well since I’ve been thinking a lot about mental blocks lately, I’ve come to realize that, in some cases, the solution to a block might be family therapy.  Why – you may wonder? 

It is not unusual for a child to develop psychological or medical symptoms when that child lives in a high-stress family.  Now I realize that stress is part of life and that there is no such thing as a stress-less family but it is the way the family deals with the stress that can make all the difference. 

One way to think about it is this: we all have a need to communicate and we are always communicating even if we don’t say a word.  We communicate verbally, that’s true, but we also communicate with our facial expressions, our gestures, our behavior, our attitude and mood, and with our medical and psychological symptoms.  What we cannot express verbally, we do so in other ways. 

If we are lucky, we live in a family where the lines of communication are open and where everyone feels free to verbally express his or her feelings and thoughts in direct and respectful ways.  This includes especially the ability to identify and resolve conflict. 

In families where there are things left unsaid, the feelings get put away but they do not disappear.  Nope – they get expressed in other ways – through acting out (examples include alcohol abuse, taking drugs, misbehaving, failing at school, sexual behavior, and so forth) or through the development of symptoms such as medical problems (tummy aches, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, etc.) or psychological problems such as anxiety, depression or mental blocks! 

You see, these behaviors and symptoms can be (not always) a way of expressing feelings and thoughts that cannot be expressed verbally.  

So what might a child be trying to communicate?  

• I want and need attention or comfort
• I am scared about…my family’s economic situation; marital conflict; pending divorce; recent loss; trouble at school; conflict with friends; and so forth.
• I am angry about…not spending enough time with me; the strict limits you put on me; your not really understanding me; the way you treat me or mom or dad; and so forth. 

Sometimes a child’s symptoms serve to draw attention away from other family problems such as marital conflict, economic worries, or grief.  The child believes, unconsciously, that his/her symptoms will bring mom and together again or will be a distraction from other problems.  

Typically a family will get quite involved with a mental block problem.  A parent may pay for extra coaching or special equipment. There will be extra meetings. The child may become the center of attention in the family. For a while it may seem as if everything revolves around the child with the block. 

Now I am not saying that all of this is bad. Not at all!  It can be complicated to resolve a block and it may require extra time and money and attention. What I am trying to get at is, in some cases, it is the extra time and attention that the athlete is looking for. 

Stay tuned for my next post where I will write about how to determine if a mental block is a symptom of family stress.

P.S. I’ve added a Page on Mental Blocks on this blog…check it out!

The 8^th step from Debbie Love’s terrific Breaking Free (from mental blocks) System is:

Put a box somewhere that you pass frequently. Put paper and pen beside the box. Every time you pass the box you should write something positive about your tumbling and about yourself. This has even improved school work in several cases. 

 If you follow Debbie’s advice, you will eventually be creating a good new habit and that is, replacing negative thinking with positive thinking.  Now, this won’t work if you write something like, “I am the greatest cheerleader that ever lived!” or “I am the best tumbler in the whole world!” 

It’s important to be positive, yes, but you must believe what you write!  (Of course if you truly believe you are the greatest, go ahead and write it down!)  I would suggest that when you write down a positive statement, you also rate it according to how much you believe it. You can simply rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 referring to little or no belief in your statement and 10 referring to absolute belief in your statement. 

This way, you will be honest with yourself and you will also be able to see the positive progress as your rating numbers move up, up, up! 

If you’re thinking that you won’t be able to come up with anything to say, here are some ideas: (Just add the rating number after each statement.)

• I am working hard each day on improving my skills.
• I was really focused and attentive at practice tonight.
• I am following through on what my tumbling coach has suggested.
• I get nice and focused when I am getting ready to tumble. 

Those are some typical things that you can write.  You can also, as Debbie suggested, include things about areas outside of cheerleading such as: “I was good at helping mom after school today,” or “I was nice and patient with my little brother today,” or “I was a good friend today.” 

Try it, you’ll like it! 

It’s competition season!  To help you get that winning edge, check out my training program – The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions! (Look above in “Cheer Tools” for more info.)

 Also – be sure you “like” our Facebook Page about mental blocks – http://www.facebook.com/unlockcheerleadingmentalblocks

Well, by writing things down, you can get them out of your head and onto paper.  And I mean paper, not a computer.  You process things differently when you actually write them down as opposed to typing them.  So,  with that in mind, take a look at Debbie’s Step #7.  The 7^th step in Debbie Love’s Breaking Free from mental blocks system is: 

 Journaling: You should get a notebook and record your goals (1 or 2 weeks at a time) and a plan on how to reach these goals. In addition to your goals, you should keep a record of your conditioning and daily thoughts. Depending on how severe the block is you could even set a daily goal. Make all goals reasonable, such as: Perform a skill 3 times without stopping.

 There are lots of ways to set goals.  One way is called the SMART system.  SMART is an acronym which stands for:

• S = Specific – the more precise you are the better!
• M = Measurable – make sure you can readily assess how you are progressing!
• A = Acceptable/Adjustable – this is your goal so you should want it!  And no need to be rigid; if it turns out that it isn’t right for you, Adjust it!
• R = Realistic –  This one is obvious.
• T = Time-phased – work out what you want to accomplish over a specific period of time. 

Debbie advises to create a plan to accompany each goal.  The goal is the hope or wish and the plan is the how. So, if your goal is to be able to execute a back hand spring without a spotter, your plan should include the details of how you will accomplish that.  You might write something like, “Exercise and condition 3 times a week; visualize successful BHS 10 times each night; meet with tumbling coach 2 times a week; and so forth. Get the idea? 

So, go out and buy a nice new notebook and start writing!

Getting ready for competitions?  Try my comprehensive training program – The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions.  Get that winning edge and learn secrets used by Olympic athletes!

The 6^th step in Debbie Love’s wonderful Breaking Free from mental blocks system is:  

Visualize 10-20 times a night the skills you are blocking on before falling asleep using the words from your scripting. Do this each night.

 If you’re wondering how this helps, wonder no more!  You see, your brain does not know the difference between imagining something and actually experiencing it.  It’s all the same to the brain. 

This means that each time you “see” something with your mind’s eye you are creating and/or strengthening neural pathways in your brain.  Of course this means that if you are “seeing” yourself performing poorly, you are training yourself to perform poorly. The reverse is true – “see” yourself performing well and you will be training yourself to perform well. 

Debbie is telling you to use visualization to improve your performance and this is entirely possible if you do it well. 

Here is one of many formats that I recommend: (I have incorporated Debbie’s idea of using a script.) 

• Choose a word or phrase that you associate with performing at your best (power word/phrase)
• 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.
• With your mind’s eye, see yourself see yourself at the gym where you practice
• Now see yourself as calm, confident, strong, focused  
• Use your power word to reinforce that experience
• Now see yourself and feel yourself executing the skill you need to perform
• As you do this, use your script to direct your focus on the execution of the skill (for example, “sit, swing arms, jump up and back, stretch shoulders, etc.)
• Repeat your power word
• Now repeat the visualization and use your power word to strengthen the connection

 When you actually go to the gym, use your power word to re-connect to this positive experience. 

Remember, each time you do this you will be training your brain and body to perform in the way you want!  Now – that’s power!

Join the conversation on our new Facebook Page – Unlock Cheerleading Mental Blocks!  Go to http://www.facebook.com/unlockcheerleadingmentalblocks

Here is step #5 in Debbie’s Breaking Free from mental blocks system: 

You need to do 10-20 repetitions of every skill you are blocking on three times a week. Stopping is not allowed. Complete each series whether connected or not. Otherwise, you will train yourself to stop. Make sure technique is good on each skill. You may spot, or if the athlete will do the skill somewhere by herself with good technique, that is fine also.

This requires careful coordination and cooperation between the cheerleader and the coach.  Coach needs to help the cheerleader learn and “feel” the correct technique and the athlete needs to execute appropriately. You do not want to execute with incorrect technique otherwise you will be reinforcing that! 

Just as in Debbie’s Step #2, where she indicates how important it is for you to learn the difference between a tense and a relaxed body, here it is essential that you learn to distinguish between good and not-good technique. 

Repetition helps with this.  Also, I would suggest that you take a very brief moment just prior to executing your skill and exhale (to remind yourself to relax), then “see” with your mind’s eye the skill you are about to do and as you are doing it, really note how it feels. 

There is a neuro-physiological reason why repetition is so critical to perfecting performance.  Repetition builds a substance called myelin which insulates the wiring in your brain.  The more myelin there is, the faster and more powerful is the connection in your brain and the better you will perform.  (I will be addressing this more fully in future posts.) 

It’s competition season!!  Don’t lose out – check out my comprehensive step-by-step mental skills training program to maximize your success in cheerleading competitions. 

This 2-CD program plus 40-page Action Guide provide you with everything you need to break through barriers, immediately improve concentration, eliminate distractions, and transform your performance.

Do these sound familiar?  Well, guess what – your brain perceives such statements as instructions!  Therefore it’s critical that you be careful about what you are telling yourself.  

Debbie Love understands this and so in her 4^th step, she advises cheerleaders to create a script to tell help you stay on track and focus on what is important – your skills! 

Here is Debbie’s 4^th step in her Breaking Free System:  Script each skill or series of skills using short action verbs to tell your body what to do. This trains your mind to focus on the skills, not on your fears. 

When you are anxious your attention is likely going to be turned inward; it narrows and moves inward.  Now under certain conditions, this can work well for you.  An example might be when you are memorizing a song or studying for a test.  It is appropriate then for your attention to narrow and move internally.  But, if this happens while you are trying to tumble, you will have problems because when you tumble your attention should be narrow and external, not internal. 

Debbie understands this and so she advises that you focus your attention outward, on the skills and not on your internal anxiety and negative conversation.  To help you redirect your focus, create a simple script or a set of instructions that directs you to execute each part of the skill you wan to master. Words such as bend knees, sit,, swing arms, jump, etc will help you to zero in on the task at hand.  While your brain and body are busy with this, you won’t have time to worry!

Please ”like” our Facebook Page – Unlock Cheerleading Mental Blocks!  Go to http://www.facebook.com/unlockcheerleadingmentalblocks

Debbie has definite ideas about physical conditioning.  She says, “If you fail to include a conditioning segment into your program you are asking for mediocre performance by your athletes.”  Can’t get much clearer than that!!

Debbie is referring to much more than a few laps around the gym.  She recommends a systematic approach that targets key muscle groups that are responsible for consistent, safe, and powerful tumbling.  

This should be a complete fitness program for all areas of the body and should include Cardio/Plyometric, Balance/Stability, Upper Body, Lower Body, and Core exercises.  Be sure you see Debbie’s blog for details on this. 

Of course Debbie’s program makes sense.  A typical sequence of events for mental blocks in cheerleading can look like this: the cheerleader, although fast, light, and flexible, lacks muscle strength and conditioning and so her tumbling becomes inconsistent.  The inconsistency leads her to doubt herself and soon she cannot or will not tumble at all.   

Help your athletes avoid this by incorporating a conditioning program such as Debbie recommends. 

From a mental game perspective, I also recommend that any exercise/conditioning program include attention to focus.  I have seen some teams go through the motions instead of being focused on the exercises.  Remember, each time your athletes focus on being focused they are training their bodies and brains to be focused!  

Not only that, sport psychology research shows that athletes who visualize themselves gaining muscle strength while they perform their exercises actually gain more strength than those who do not! Please do not underestimate the power of focus and visualization. 

So, try this before each exercise: 

• Exhale slowly 2 – 3 times and say to yourself, “with each out-breath I am getting more and more focused.”
• Then as you exercise “see” yourself with your mind’s eye and “feel” yourself gaining strength and stability.
• You can say to yourself, “with each step I take (or rep or whatever is entailed) I feel myself getting stronger and stronger.”
• Pause between reps to exhale and re-focus, repeating the steps above. 

Please feel free to ask questions and offer comments!  I look forward to hearing from my readers! 

And don’t forget to “like” the Facebook Page Debbie Love and I created. Go to http://www.facebook.com/unlockcheerleadingmentalblocks

Today I will focus on her second step which is: 

 2) Remove all negative input and learn to understand the difference between tense and relaxed tone in your body. You may need to develop a ritual to do before your skills. Practice a relaxation technique by tightening and releasing each body part. If you have a block, it is likely that you are tense when you try to tumble and a tense body is not a flexible one so this will contribute to your tumbling woes.  Also, you may actually be disconnected to your body, in part because you see your body as the enemy! 

Debbie is encouraging you to make friends with your body and to re-connect with it in a positive way. She recommends that you develop a ritual to perform before you execute your skills and this is excellent advice! 

Here are some simple, easy-to-do techniques you may want to use: 

Mental Body Scan 

• Close your eyes and exhale slowly, very slowly until you release all your breath
• Repeat at least 3 to 5 times (remember – s-l-o-w-l-y!)
• (By exhaling slowly and fully, you will be better able to take in nice deep breaths)
• Now, with your mind’s eye, “see” your body and begin to scan, starting from the top of your head and slowly moving all the way down to the tips of your toes.
• If you notice any tension anywhere, release it with your out-breath.
• So…the top of your head, your eyes, your cheeks, jaw and mouth
• Now the back of your head, the back of your neck, your upper back, middle back, lower back and seat
• Back up to your throat, your clavicle, upper chest, rib cage, sternum, tummy and waist
• Now up to your shoulders, upper arms, elbows, fore-arms, wrists, hands and fingers
• Down to your upper legs, knees, shins and calves, ankles, soles of your feet, tops of your feet and your toes
• Simply notice if you are holding any tension and release it, let it go with your out-breath

 Debbie suggests another technique known as Progressive Muscle Relaxation.  For this, you can start off as you did above but instead of just “seeing” and noticing tension, induce tension by systematically tensing each part of your body and then releasing it. 

So it would go like this: 

• Starting with your head, lift up your eyebrows and notice the muscles in your forehead tensing.  Hold it and then release.  Notice the difference between tension and relaxation.
• Now scrunch up your eyes by closing them really tightly.  Note the tension and release.
• Next, purse your lips hard and notice the tension.  Hold and release.
• Proceed in the same manner with the rest of your body. 

Go through each section in this way, tensing, holding, and then releasing.  The point is to become familiar with how your body feels when tense and when relaxed.  Notice the difference and learn what to do to relax your body. 

 If you really practice either or both of these techniques you will become more positively connected with your body and you will be able to quickly detect when and where you are holding muscle tension. 

Eventually you can do a quickie version of these methods by simply exhaling slowly and quickly doing a mental body scan, asking yourself, where am I holding tension and then releasing it with your out-breath.

When you’re on Facebook, be sure you visit our Page all about mental blocks – http://www.facebook.com/unlockcheerleadingmentalblocks

And if you’re getting ready for competition season, take a peek at my training program – The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions!  (See Cheer Tools on top.)