Mental Strength for Gymnastics

Since I have been glued to the television set this week, I thought it fitting and proper to talk about some aspect of the games.  If you know me, you could probably guess that I  would select gymnastics.  I started gymnastics in 5^th grade at Crompond Elementary School in Yorktown, NY.  After years in the sport and three different gymnastics summer camps during high school, I went on to be selected as one of eleven women to make the Cortland State gymnastics team.  After college, I returned to Yorktown to coach my alma mater, the Yorktown High School gymnastics team.  The sport is in my blood, and although I no longer practice the moves, I still remember my routines, and love to watch the sport.

I was an all-around gymnast, but balance beam was my favorite.  When I participated in gymnastics, the beam was not padded.  Other than that, the height and width remain the same.  What I have witnessed during Olympics gymnastics time and time again is that the beam can be the deal breaker.  It is the piece of equipment that is the easiest to fall off; there is no wiggle room for error.  Since the Olympic athletes are all trained and competent, it boils down to their mental state before and during their routines.

I would go through my routine and nail it time after time during practice, and that was all well and good, but the only thing that mattered was how I performed during the meet.  Many times I was very much in control, focused and determined.  But it did not take much to toy with my nerves.  It could have been a warm up where I didn’t hit all my moves well, or it could have been a rushed warm up because our bus was late arriving at the gym for an away meet.  It could have been the pressure of the gymnasts on the other team, or it could have been a day where I didn’t feel as flexible or as strong as usual. Most of the time I was in control of my mind and performed well.  But it is so easy to be off by one inch with the results being catastrophic, and I don’t only mean the points deducted from a fall.  What was scary for me was missing the beam and sustaining a big injury.  Thankfully, my biggest injury was a thigh size bruise…

The U.S. women’s team showed mental strength in London this week.  Yes, of course they had physical strength, but their mental strength was inspiring.  They had the capacity to put a mistake behind them and focus on the present. It is not easy to get back up after a fall and continue with confidence and grace. They showed that they could put disappointment aside and focus on the present and future.

Gymnastics is a very mental sport.  You must have complete confidence in your coach’s ability to teach and spot you through a difficult move and also the ability to execute that move in competition by yourself.  You have to have the mental capacity to remain tight every second of your routine or vault, never letting up; your mind cannot wander for a second.

As I watch the sport of women’s gymnastics grow, I am constantly in awe of how difficult the moves keep getting.  For me, front and back walkovers, one-armed cartwheels and no-arm forward rolls were the big moves with a front flip dismount.  The big big move done in sectionals by a select few was a single back handspring.  We were all in awe of the few girls who attempted to do one.  Now gymnasts do back handsprings on beam as a warm up.

Our mindset can and does affect us in so many ways.  Sports are no different, whether it is in the Olympic gym or a high school gym. This is true of many sports and gymnastics is no exception.

I remember this meet at SUNY Buffalo.  My mindset was on and so was my routine.