and whoever says that gymnastics is not dysfunctional has no clue...the above is so common it's hard to know where to start.
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About LinkBacksI have this huge mental block with connecting my giant to my layout flyaway.
So, i am a level six. My season just ended and i am training seven now. I have had my giant for a while and it is pretty decent. I also have a layout flywaway from a small cast or tap swings, onto a regular mat.
I first started working the connection without any problems, doing cast layout flywaways with a higher and higher cast, etc. i have always had a crappy sense of when to let go for flyaways. Anyways, i was doing alright with the cast flywaways, justa tad nervous, but when i finally did it from a handstand, i hit my shins on the bar pretty hard and landedheadfirst in the pit with my feet above my head, spraining my back. Ever since, i have had this crazy fear of layout flyaways, mainly of hitting my feet on the bar. I always let go really early, and when i manage not to, my legs automatically bend a bit. My coach has been having me do baby giant miss my hips to the flyaway, getting closer to giant each time. That in itself scares the living daylights out of me, and it takes a lot of willpower to let go of the bar and leep my legs straight.
My coach is always yelling at me, giving me deadlines to throw stuff (this isnt my only block), and threatening to force my hands off the bar, etc. She once didnt let me leave practice until i threw it. She also does a lot of pressure sets, where you do your routine or a skill with the whole group watching, or makes it so everyone has to condition if someone falls, things like that. On top of that, i am training with the new level eights, whoare all exponentially better than me. They arent mean, and they have been getting more friendly, but they dont talk to me much. They are all around my age, i am fourteen, but they have all been doing gymnastics for years longer than me ( i started at 11). All this pressure makes it so much harder to 'just throw it', and my coach always acts as if i am going to have to compete it tomorrow. I think they are thinking about having me skip seven, because i have quite a few of the skills, just not on beam and bars. She doesnt give me very many options to get over my block, no relearning the skill to get my timing right. I really want to get over this fear, i try hard every single practice. I am just getting really frustrated with my coach. She wont listen when i try to tell her all the pressure is making it worse, she just tells me 'just throw it then'. So, how can i get better timing on my flyaway, and how can i get over my fear while dealing with my coach? Thanks!
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and whoever says that gymnastics is not dysfunctional has no clue...
Tell your parents how you feel - even by showing them what you wrote above.
I'm going to confess now that there have been times where I as a coach have become frustrated with a gymnast because they 'wouldn't' or 'couldn't' go for something. Sometimes we just need a reality check and that usually comes in the form of a worried parent coming to speak to me saying how their child is worrying themselves sick over a skill in a sport which is supposed to be fun!
I've learned over the years that if the gymnast won't go for a skill, there is no point forcing it. There are usually alternative skills to work on, or drills to go back to. (perhaps your parents could say something like this)
I think sometimes we coaches feel that if a gymnast doesn't achieve their skills we have failed and in the process of getting frustrated with ourselves we make our gymnasts stress out!
So yes, in short, ask your parents to have a word, perhaps with the head coach or owner rather than your coach if that would make you feel uncomfortable and see where that takes you!
you could also perhaps watch some videos of gymnasts doing the giant - layout flyaway well and then visualise yourself doing it.
Hope something helps!
First, welcome to CB.
In situations like yours, it's natural for the coach to become frustrated. But, patience and empathy is the key. You are only uptraining to L7 so there is still time. Even if you're competing at that level, you still can work that skill in during the season. She needs to realize all gymnasts progress at their own pace and it's not the same all the time even with the same gymnast. When it comes to fear, your coach is an idiot to think that "Just Do It" will cure all mental blocks. She needs to put herself in a place where she herself is petrified. I can guaranty you that she can find at least one.
As for your mental block, I have a short story... My daughter about 2 years ago back about the same age as you went through pretty much everything to the letter (she is going through another one with the beam right now). She also had been doing her giants and LO FA when she was L6. In short of really hitting the low bar (instead, she was told by a teammate that she almost did), she all of a sudden had the accident in her head and stopped doing giants for the better part of one summer. When she finally got it back and started competing at L7, she couldn't overcome her fear to flyaway out of the giants. In fact, even releasing from a cast HS was an issue. The coaches worked with her. At her first L7 competition she went with the extra tap. Then after she received the "unnecessary" deduction (at the time they didn't know there was a deduction), she was determined to take the tap out. One or two meets later, the tap was gone and she was finally throwing layout flying away directly from her giants.
Of course, I'm not saying this and the same timeline will work for you. In fact, you might have already overcome your mental block by the time you read this. The point is: you just need to be patient with your goals. Otherwise, you will need a trigger for things to change overnight. Make sure you and your coach are on the same page. Involve your parents (hopefully they can understand).
You're not alone.... Dd is working through this right now. She was having a lit of fears going from giant to flyaway. The coaches worked with her by gradually increasing her cast to a cast hs before doing a tuck flyaway (she did layout all last season but from a smaller cast). Once she was comfortable with this, she did giants with the coach stopping her at the too so she didn't feel out of control. Then she would finish with het tuck. After about 3 practice of this, she was doing the giant tuck flyaway on her own... She has been doing it for a couple weeks now. Well, she decided to progress to layout and hit her shins. Thankfully she landed in the pit fine but it has has her afraid of trying it again. She has gone back to doing giant tucks for now.
Try talking with your coach about breaking the skill down a little further.
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If your coach won't coach her style and communication with you i am sorry to say this will only continue. I would advice you tell your parents about as you have explained it here in your post. And just get them to communicate to the coach that her approach is not effective and if she would try to give you just time to get get comfortable and if she can spot you for ' X ' weeks/trainings/months in a row, and then your goal is to do it by yourself after. (you decide the time period, but give yourself a deadline, and get you coach to follow through with the plan. That way you take responsibility for your skill, and the coach is there to assist your objective as you feel you need them to (in this case spotting would be best if coach is competent spotter)
Alternatively if the coach is suborn in her ways, and does not change her approach, you need to develop a timing. To do so while doing giants try and count how long it takes HS you say 0, as you start to fall in a controlled even count, start counting until you hit HS again. Develop this timing (it will take a bit of practice... i suggest you master it in stap bar, and than a few times on real bar and you should be fairly consistent.
Assuming back giant (going counter clockwise) and the bar is the center of a giant clock face. At 12.00 O'clock you in Handstand, at 9 O'clock you are horizontal with the High bar and parallel to the ground. 6 O'clock you are in hang, 3 you are horizontal with the bar.
Assuming you are tapping into candle stick and once comfortable with counting in your giants you need to figure out at what time you release, you should try to release just a little before 3 O'clock. In you head you need to trust your counting to be consistent, because if you realize what releasing to soon feels like compare to what it should feel like you will be able to develop a consistent release point.
This is basically what i am talking about
Toe Circle Drills - Kellie Mizoguchi - YouTube but with giant flyaway.
Hope this helps
Thanks everybody
update: the summer is almost over and it's gotten worse. I can barely do it from a cast anymore, and not layed outI have gotten over everything else i was scared of, and am looking good for level 8 in everything but the flyaway. I moved to a different gym for the summer, and I have a week and a half until I have to go back to my usual gym and face my coach. So yeah, kinda sucks. I will probably end up in prep op this season unless I can miraculously get the flyaway in the next week. It will really be a miracle if I do, since the coach at this new gym makes us condition the whole practice half the time and never really spots on bars. I'll do my best!
Great news! I think i finally figured it out. I just got back from practice. Today I tried just doing a giant, then swinging through. When i pike alot on the way down, I end up in the perfect spot to let go for a flyaway! Its kind of funny how I wasted all that time trying to get a cast flyaway and all that when I should have just tried it from the giant. I am so happy
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