You just made two very good points.........In one post!!......With so few words!! I'm not sure if that sort of concise brevity is allowed when making two points. Oh well.......
I agree partialy with each point. The process is important, but I feel it's value is to get kids to the point where they are ready to use their self confidence to realize their ability to learn a particular move.
If the process for a double back on floor is to refine the round-off back handspring to the point of consistently providing the energy needed for height and rotation, coupled with specific strength exercises to prepare for impact loads, and plenty of tumbles into the pit etc.......a gymnast may feel a logical confidence such as you describe. Would it be fair call this "I do, therefore I am" confidence.
My problem with the "I do" confidence is that it has to be backed up by a "I am,therefore I do" sense of confidence. This sort of confidence is a combination of knowing what you want, what you've done to prepare, and a resolve to finish the skill as trained....with no second thoughts during the attempt. These confidence tools are best carried by the kid who considers the emotional and physical cost of paying for the double back, who then insist on receiving the goods they've paid for, as the gymnastics store has been known to drive a hard bargain.
So sure, there needs to be a "process component" in building confidence, and I've seen that one component work, but only in a limited way. Things get alot better when the process component is combined with the mental/emotional/esteem/resolve components. If you favor or a few while avoiding the others, you end up with an imbalance of sorts.
I don't know if a mental mess is a bad thing to go through. If your talking about inconsolable fear, that's a bad mess that should be avoided. If your talking about the abject dismay a child may have over not "getting" a skill, you're cheating the child out of their emotions, and depriving them of a learning moment that can provide the confidence you hore for your child to have.
Some kids are slow to understand their training, sacrifice, and desire are investments in themselves, and they will not be cheated out of their just reward. It takes some time to gather enough hard won successes, so I'd say let the kid get bummed, and when she does you can tell her that she is the one who has to get herself over the hump. If it's important enough to her, and she works with a competent, caring coach, she'll get herself there pretty much on her own. You can help by reminding her of the rewarding boost in satisfaction she's gotten from every past sucess, and that she was the primary contributor at every milestone she"s put in the rear view mirror.
