"Decide that you want it, more than you are afraid of it"

This is for the cheerleaders who are experiencing a mental block. As a former cheerleader, I have had my share of mental blocks. I remember at one point, I was fearless. I would go into the gym and throw tumbling like it was nobody’s business and then one day that all changed. The skills that I once would throw with no problem at all, became something my body couldn’t recognize. I froze coming out of a simple round off or a back handspring while connecting a skill which was extremely frustrating. No matter how many times I have tried to take a deep breath and relax, I couldn’t shake the idea of being scared to throw a skill. What I have learned is that this is a common feeling for many athletes. That sinking feeling you have before you throw a pass appears and you just shut down. I’m here to tell you that that feeling is nothing to be alarmed about. Experiencing a mental block is completely normal. It is your brains way of showing you a survival mechanism. A survival mechanism is turned on when we are trying to achieve something that our brain thinks is dangerous, for example tumbling.

You may be thinking, well this is silly. My brain already knows how to throw a back tuck and this shouldn’t be a problem but your brain knows that any skill like that can lead to a serious injury. Think about the first time that you learned a skill. You were so excited to get a skill that you would practice it non stop without thinking of the consequences. But then you realize that you can actually get hurt from doing this skill, if not performed properly. Our body, believe it or not, has triggers that click on and off to avoid pain and suffering, which can definitely be turned on during tumbling. But that doesn’t mean that you have lost your tumbling. It simply means that you have encountered a mental block. Mental blocks can appear for many reasons. One of the most common reasons is when you progress to fast or the lack of progression in tumbling. In cheerleading in order to learn a new skill, you must perfect the skill that you already have in order to move on. Not accomplishing every step in a skill can create inconsistency in ones tumbling which allows the fear of tumbling to set in.

But mental blocks can be overcome. It is not the end of the world. You just have to take a step back and start from the beginning. Once you feel comfortable to move on, you can! Don’t push yourself, your confidence will come back. Once your brain realizes that you can throw a round off handspring full and feel confident, all those feelings of doubt will disappear. I have been in your shoes, and so have many other athletes before. You cannot let the skill control you, because you are the one that makes that skill happen. Visualize yourself doing it, practice drills, or watch videos of yourself doing it to remind your brain that you are capable of throwing those skills in any location. I will say, there are many techniques to get over a mental block you just have to find the one that works for you.

I was able to overcome one and I know so many others that have as well. I struggled with a mental block for years but the one thing that I never did was give up. My coaches, teammates, peers and family have supported me through it all and that has shaped me into the tumbler that I am today. I progressed way to fast because in a sense I felt the need to have the skills in order to feel superior with others. You don't need to prove to others what you are capable of, because in reality you have to first prove to yourself that you can do it. Everyone on the team has their strengths and weaknesses. Some, can throw round off handspring fulls no problem while others make up for their tumbling in jumps or stunts. I was a great tumbler, I will admit that but my strength as a cheerleader was in my stunting, jumps and how well I performed. Tumbling well shortly came after that. So take your time, do not let others intimidate you or worry about what they think. Because you overcoming a mental block is a big accomplishment. In cheerleading you have three choices; Give up, Give in or Give it your all. You decide which one is worth fighting for.