Some cheerleaders are so engaged in negative thinking that their performance suffers.  

Does this sound like you? 

You tell yourself:

• “I’ll never stick that skill.”
• “I’m not going to do it.”
• “I’m just not good enough.”

 If so, read on!  (more…)

Yesterday I wrote about how some cheerleaders over-react to a bad practice.  Let’s take that a bit further today. 

I invite you to think about how you assess a bad day or good day.  Do you tend to allow a rough practice ruin your whole day or even your week?  Do you float on cloud 9 if you have a great practice? What is the conversation you have with yourself about this?  (more…)

Many athletes use hypnosis to improve their performance so why not cheerleaders?  Remember, a hypnotic state is a naturally occurring state – one we all have experienced whenever we are completely absorbed in some activity or thought process.  So, why not harness the power of what you already do and use it to work on your cheerleading performance?  (more…)

If you’ve seen a nightclub or stage hypnotist, you might think that a hypnotist can take control of your mind and make you do things that you would rather forget!    Well, that is not true.  You cannot be hypnotized unless you want to and you can’t be made to do anything that is normally objectionable to you. 

You night think that if you are hypnotized, you might reveal something that you would rather not.  This is also not true! (more…)

This site is filled with articles about the mental game of cheerleading.  As a mental game coach, I know that you can improve your performance through mental training techniques such as identifying and changing negative thinking; setting appropriate goals; arousal control; focusing and calming strategies; and imagery and visualization.  It makes sense that I would also advocate another mental approach and that is hypnosis.  (more…)

At a recent cheerleading coaches event, I posed the following question: What percentage of athletic success do you think can be attributed to physical/technical attributes and how much to mental/emotional factors?  (more…)

Here’s a thought provoking quote for you: “If you demand perfection of yourself you’ll seldom achieve it.  Fear of making a mistake is the biggest cause of making one.  Instead of pushing for perfection, relax and pursue excellence.”   (more…)

It’s not unusual for some cheerleaders to wrestle with negative thoughts that can undermine performance.  This is a topic I’ve written about many times before.  Here is another way to manage and transform negative thinking. 

Tip # 1 – Change a thought into a feeling.  This is the reverse of what is usually suggested.  Like many psychologists, I have told you that the way you feel is dependent on the way you think so if you don’t like what you are feeling change the thought! 

This is still true but here I am suggesting that when you are thinking something negative such as, “I am no good at tumbling,” change it to: “I feel like I am no good at tumbling.” By doing this you can give yourself room to step back and see that this does not necessarily represent the truth…it is a feeling, not a fact. 

So, try to get into the habit of identifying your negative thoughts and changing them from “I think” or “I am” into “I feel that…” 

Tip #2 – Add a “but” to your feeling statement.  When you say the word “but” as in, “I really like cheerleading but it’s a lot of work,” the “but” negates what came before it; it calls into question the truth of the first part of the sentence. 

You can use this to your advantage.  For example, you can say, “I feel like I’m no good at tumbling but I am working hard each day to get better.”  The “but” in this case weakens the first part of the statement. 

These may seem like small things but language can exert a powerful influence on how our brains and bodies work.  Try it and let me know how it works for you! 

By the way – it’s competition season!  Are you interested in gaining a competitive edge?  Check out my training program – The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Training for Competitions.  I will give a free consultation to anyone who purchases a program. Get yours now!

Part of any mental game approach is the ability to reframe obstacles into opportunities.  Instead of dwelling on what’s wrong, a mentally tough person will determine what the solution is to the problem and then take action to resolve it. 

This was true for Lawrence “Herkie” Herkimer, known as the father of modern cheerleading.  Herkie had a stuttering problem when he was young.  Now some kids who stutter hide in embarrassment.  Not Herkie!  Instead of focusing on a weakness, he discovered and nurtured his strengths.  

Herkie decided to master acrobatic skills which led him to his high school’s cheerleading squad where he discovered that he didn’t stutter when he spoke in rhymes. 

Of course, Herkie didn’t stop there!  He went on to cheer at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and eventually founded the National Cheerleading Association (NCA). 

It’s interesting to think what might have happened (or – what might not have happened!) if Lawrence Herkimer had allowed his stuttering to silence him. 

How about you?  What kinds of challenges might you be allowing to stop you?  Take your inspiration from Herkie – find your strengths and talents and build on them!

Cheerleading is a complex sport requiring physical dexterity, athletic competence, and superb mental skills.  It isn’t unusual for a cheerleader to experience a mental block about a particular stunt or routine. 

This is Part III in my response to a cheerleader’s plea for help in eliminating a mental block. 

You are right in calling your problem a “mental block.”  Your biggest problem is the way you are thinking about your routine.  You’ve got it in your head that you cannot do something and your body is complying. 

I’ve said it before and I will repeat it many times on this blog site: Your body does what your mind thinks.  So, let’s change the way you think! 

First, write down the story you are creating about the situation.  In your case, it may be – “I’ll never be able to throw a full except when I do it alone.”  

Is this thought helpful or harmful to you?  Is it positive or negative? We can see it doesn’t help you and it’s negative. 

And now ask where your time focus is.  Well, it is in the future since you are predicting what will happen. Your job then is to first change that negative thought to a neutral or a positive one and then to move your time focus to the present – to the here and now. 

You can do this by challenging the veracity of your thoughts. Is it true that you will NEVER be able to throw a full except when you are alone?  How can you be so sure?  Are you always right in predicting the future?  Become like a detective, searching for the truth. 

To revise your thinking, you might say, “Well, it is true that I am having a hard time throwing a full NOW when I’m with others but that doesn’t mean that will always be true.” 

 What do you think needs to happen for you to be able to throw a full during the group routine?  We know you are capable of executing the move under some conditions. This mode of thinking shifts your perspective from that of a helpless victim to a problem solver. 

What might be contributing to this problem?  List all possible causes.  My guess is it’s a focus problem.  Your focus is on what others are doing or you are afraid you will bump into someone but whatever it is, your focus is not where it should be – if it were, you would be able to execute your move! 

So, where should your focus be?  Exactly where it is when you do it alone!

So what do you need to do to improve your focus?  First thing is to calm down.  As I’ve said before, anxiety leads to fuzzy focus.  And what’s a quick way to calm down? Exhale slowly several times.  Then say, “focus” to yourself.  The only thing you need to focus on is executing your move cleanly. 

So, by identifying how and what you are thinking, you can uncover any distortions in your thinking. You can challenge your thinking and become detective-like in figuring out what the problem is and then you can generate some solutions. 

For you (as it usually is) the issue is focus!  Please re-read these 3 posts and take a peek at past ones for other helpful hints. 

Good luck to you! 

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