Photo: Front Row Cheer Photos
Having the confidence to tumble is one of the biggest challenges for cheerleaders.
The first step in getting over this is to identify why you’re lacking confidence. More often than not, it’s due to fear. Fear of doing it on the floor or without a spot, fear of not landing properly or fear of getting injured.
This fear usually stems from uncertainty. You feel like you don’t have 100% control over every single little movement, thought & body position that needs to occur throughout the skill. If you’re unsure of even one of those things, or one component has been inconsistent in the past, you’re likely to be afraid because you think that one area is going to affect the overall result.
There’s one main fix for all this – repetition!!!️
As boring as it may be, repeating the skill over & over thousands of times is going to build confidence. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing reps on the trampoline, down a cheese mat, onto a crash mat or directly on the floor. Do as many as possible with the best possible technique every time. Each time you’re at open gym, do 50-100 reps of the skill you’re working on. Soon, it’ll become second nature and your fear will decrease.
Other ways to build confidence include:
VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES
Imagining doing a perfect skill/pass in your mind, seeing and feeling every detail as if it were real.
AFFIRMATIONS
Think, write or say out loud affirmations for confidence and courage. Do this often enough and you’ll become exactly what the affirmations state.
VIDEO RECORDINGS
Watch videos of yourself doing the skill. It may look better than it feels and will give you some assurance you’re doing it correctly.
EXTERNAL SUPPORT
Have coaches, teammates, friends or parents cheer you on and get you excited.
STRENGTH & FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
As always, you pretty much can’t go wrong with conditioning or stretching more often. If done properly, this training will support your tumbling technique, body awareness, body control and spatial awareness. As each of those things improve, it will be easier on your mind and body to tumble.
Recent Comments