Bars problem at meets

[RennaDanGym]

My lvl 7 DD has this very wierd problem. She has an amazing bar routine at practice, but when she gets to a meet (only on bars) she gets "tired, and feels like she can't breath, and her chest feels tight." I don't know what is going on. Is it because she is nervous?

This doesn't happen on any other events. She is fine at practice, but when its a meet she can barely get through the warm up, and then when it is her turn to compete she is shaking and does this awful looking routine. I don't know how to help her.

Does anyone have any suggestion? Thanks in advance.

Renna

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

Sounds like anxiety. Maybe deep breathing / yoga type thing or visualization would help. Good Luck.

 

[gym law mom]

I'm not going to play doctor since we're not to discuss medical treatment here, but I would say she is having trouble controlling her nerves. The complaints of trouble breating etc sound pretty typical of someone who is very anxious.

She needs to work with someone who can help her with visualization and relaxtion techniques. You might want to look into some of Doc Ali's articles. You can ask her coaches if any of them is qualified to work with her on this issue and if not, get the names of sports psychologists.

 

[gymdog]

If it's only happening at meets then it seems like the most likely explanation is serious anxiety. Unless she is overexerting herself in the warm-up in order to get a lot of practice in before competing, but it's still a pretty short timeframe so I don't know. That's the only other difference I could think of. I would definitely make sure she has her water bottle available to drink from as that can help. I would probably seek additional resources as well.

 

[NotAMom]

It certainly sounds like anxiety to me.

Is bars her best routine? Is she under pressure to be the one to beat? Or, does she feel this is her routine to shine?

If it's just a bit of nervousness, deep and high volume inhalation could be enough to remedy this. If it's any more than that, it's definitely a good idea to let her doctor figure it out. She might be suffering a panic attack. Those are no fun and it could be a safety issue as skills are only getting tougher from this point forward.

 

[triptwister]

Try this route...she is afraid of something in her bar routine or afraid of the difference between the gym environment and the environment at a meet. This type of mental block is dangerous especially when skills which require a full effort may not receive their due diligence required for success. It could mean a half attempt which is worse than no attempt at certain skills.

Usually this type of anxiety can be overcome with a concerted effort by the coaches to spot the gymnast through several routines in the competition gym before the meet if possible. Or during warm-ups but this may need several meets before the gymnast overcomes their hysteria.

There is also the possibility that she is over training during warm-ups (as gymdog mentioned) and actually feels too tired for the competition. If this is the case then toning down the warm-up is in order.

Bottom line is that both these possibilities need to be explored.

 

[gymnut1]

My dd is the same with beam. Beautiful in the gym, terrified in a meet. She says she feels 'scared to death' when she does it in a meet. Mock meet type setup is fine at practise. It is her best event in the gym and worst in meet. I think the Doc ali type suggestions are worth a try. I will try them too. Good luck to her.

 

[Kiwi]

It sounds like she is hyperventilating due to nerves. The right kind of breathing exercises might help (try 'Breathe to Succeed' by Tania Clifton-Smith). There are physiotherapists who specialise in breathing who could be of some help.

Also relaxation exercises can be very helpful for anxiety. Forward bends are calming to the nervous system, for example in one calming exercise you do a standing forward bend with knees slightly bent and nice slow abdominal breathing and stay there for a minute or so.

 

[RennaDanGym]

Try this route...she is afraid of something in her bar routine or afraid of the difference between the gym environment and the environment at a meet.[QOUTE=triptwister;126325]

I don't believe this is the issue. All of her skills are fairly simple, and she is uptraining on bars. It is one of her better events. The hardest thing in her routine is giants, and she has them beautifully.

Thank you for all the suggestions.... We will see how these work when meet season comes around.

 

[RennaDanGym]

It certainly sounds like anxiety to me.

Is bars her best routine? Is she under pressure to be the one to beat? Or, does she feel this is her routine to shine?

She is very good on bars, but not even close to being the best. She pulls some 9.3's and 9.4's, but some of the other girls on her team get 9.7's and 9.8's.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

It is also possible that she is over-concentrating - i.e., so focused on her bar routine that she forgets to breathe! I'm serious! I know some kids who forget to breathe when they get nervous - it's never happened to me at a meet, but at strength testing in my gym. You could have the coach remind her about breathing deeply and in rhythm before her routine if she appears to be nervous.

P.S. - 9.8?! They must be judging differently where you live! The BEST, naturally talented girls might occasionally get a 9.6 here!

 

[gymnastbeth]

P.S. - 9.8?! They must be judging differently where you live! The BEST, naturally talented girls might occasionally get a 9.6 here!

Haha, that's what I was thinking!

 

[NotAMom]

She is very good on bars, but not even close to being the best. She pulls some 9.3's and 9.4's, but some of the other girls on her team get 9.7's and 9.8's.

Hope you didn't take my questions the wrong way. What I meant to say was that maybe the anxiety is coming from within. She knew she got the stuff and she felt it was time for her to prove it. Or, maybe she felt that if she messed up on bars, she would miss the "only" opportunity (not that they really was the case). If she is pulling a 9.3/9.4 with this less than optimal routine, she must be really good at that event.

 

[RennaDanGym]

If she is pulling a 9.3/9.4 with this less than optimal routine, she must be really good at that event.

She was getting those scores before she started having this problem. Now she gets much lower than that.