College Essay On Competitive Gymnastics

A barrier that I have faced that I feel has defined me is a fear-driven loss of skills in the sport of competitive gymnastics. Whether it was a fear of release move on bars, going backward on the beam or the floor, or a new vault or dismount, when my emotions went unchecked in the gym, fear spread through me like wildfire. Often, I couldn’t even clearly articulate why I wouldn’t go for certain skills or what I was even afraid of, and from one skill to another, one event to the next, I became difficult to coach, my progress slowed, and I started to feel like a less accomplished athlete.

In all aspects of life, we will almost inevitably make mistakes. And in all that we do, we learn by making these mistakes and by failing. In most sports, the process of learning can be intimidating and tedious, but it's rather uneventful. You miss a shot or strike out, but it’s not scary per se. In gymnastics, however, making a mistake can have serious consequences and result in a serious injury. In that respect, gymnastics is unique in that there is always the potential for getting hurt. Additionally, as you progress up the levels, the skills get more challenging to perform …show more content…
The first step was acknowledging this fear and working through the negative emotions with a compassionate, forgiving, and understanding coach. We broke skills down into smaller parts so that I could regain a sense of patience with myself, learn to let go of my inner frustrations, build up self-confidence, and exhibit strength and bravery during my practice. I had to learn how to replace negative self-talk with positive self-talk and experiment with a number of different verbal and mental cues to ensure control of my performance. The second step was to practice, practice, practice. Skill comes grinding out hours of repetition. And the third step was to relax and trust in my physical