Mental Block Please Help Asap!!

[blondegymnastxo]

Does anyone have any advice on getting rid of mental blocks on vault. I have level 8 states April 13 and i can't get myself to get over the table. I'm supposed do do a tsuke but i cant get get myself to go. So if ANYONE has advice please reply ASAP!!!!!

[SquirrelLadyMir]

I've got the same problem, but not just on tsukes.... I've started giving myself 3 chances and if I don't throw it on the 3rd try, I'm done. I also just tell myself I can do it and recite the first verse in my sig. It always helps.
Good luck!

[blondegymnastxo]

Kk thanks i will try, and good luck to you too!!!

[hammy]

Do you know why this mental block came about? Did you crash on it or have a bad day one day? Chances are, being that you've probably done it a lot, something just happened and now your mind is working over time. Try figuring out what it is that caused you to get this mental block; then, that should help you overcome it.

Also, try baby steps to getting over. Do you stop halfway down the runway, or do you run to the board? If you make it to the board, then force yourself to do a straight jump onto the table. Then, make yourself do a half on timer. Then, make yourself flip. Sometimes you've just gotta go back to the beginning as a way of reminding your brain that you're capable of doing it.

[united team girl]

I know that i read this one poem once and it was so good. it was that poem on here called the beast. At the end, the optionals tell themselfs SET GO. I tell myself that on everything and it totally works. I also give myself a certain amount of time to. I know it works for me. U should try it.

[GymnastRaeRae87]

Mental blocks are such a pain in the deriere. Try to forget about why you have the mental block that helps. Also just try to picture yourself doing the skill perfectly. Try to just have fun and don't worry. I know its' hard but just try your hardest.

[Metgrrl]

Mental blocks were one of the things that held me back in gymnastics. Now, I'm 26, and still get them! It's normal. The root of it is just over thinking it. You worry about everything, and let the nerves take control. I recently just started gymnastics, after a 10+ year break, and when I start feeling a block come on, I just go. And I'm fine! I know it sounds like the easy way out, but if you do it on a skill with a coach, and realize you can do it, it gets easier and easier to get over the blocks. I hope this helps!

[whipback]

Use mental imagery. You imagine yourself in the gym, performing the vault just like if you were a spectator watching you vault. Make sure if you imagine yourself doing it wrong you redo it and try as hard as you can to do it perfect. Do this in the shower, before you go to bed, and after you wake up. You will imagine yourself doing it so many times your brain will have taught your body to do it.

You can also make it easier by taking it step by step. I am sure you can do a roundoff on the floor so you can skip that. But do a roundoff entry on a box that isn't far from the ground. Then get it higher and higher and higher until you can do it on the vault table.

And do very easy vaults like squat ons and jump up on the table and do a back tuck off. Things like that. But make sure you run full speed on the easy vaults because it will only help.

[Aussie_coach]

First step is to do a mental check, mental blocks are often caused by having the wrong thoughts. What do you think to yourself just before you start to run for the vault. Often I'm willing to bet that you think "I'm not going to make it over the table again". If you think this it will happen, your body is conditioned to do what your mind tells it and if your mind tells it to pull out it will. Try reprogramming your thoughts before you do your vault and say to yourself "i'm going to make it over" or have some other thoughs about the vault like "Run hard, strong block".

Try visualisation, picture yourself doing the vault perfectly just before you do it, while you are waiting to have another go keep working on picturing the vault.

Go back to basics, go back to the drills you did to learn the vault in the first place. Try just doing timers and doing a half on and just going over the vault table without a sault. Then stand on the table and do a sault off the table. Try doing it with a spot, try drills into the pit. Try anything you did o get the vault in the first place.

Have a back up vault available. What our higher level girls do is have a second easier vault (like a handspring) which is their back up vault. It means they will get a much lower start value and a much lower score but they are pretty much 100% garenteed to get over the table and at least they are gerenteed they wont get a zero. Having a back up vault will help you relax in training and you wont have to stress so much about not getting your vault, this in itself should help you over come the block.