Do your actions reflect your goals?
Athlete: 'Hey Rob! I'm getting my tuck this year.'
Me:
Sound familiar? Because I'm getting deja vu. I can't tell you how many times I've heard athletes say things like this at my gym, or the gyms I visit. I'm here for the energy BUT I often hear the same athletes saying 'by Christmas' or 'by comp' forever and forever till eternity.
Learning a skill, like a tuck, is more than just a declaration of intent. It's a commitment- to yourself, your coach, your teammates, and the people who are invested in you.
DON'T Tell yourself, 'I'm getting my tuck this year.'
DO ask yourself, 'How am I going to get my tuck/ this year?'
DO YOUR ACTIONS REFLECT YOUR GOALS? |
If this is not the case, then you will FAIL- and not the good kind!
It's true, there's good and bad types of failure. The bad kind is where you are a passive in your progression or fail to take it seriously; you end a cycle in the same position you started. The good kind of failure is where you've been proactive in your journey and are able to reflect on the obstacles that have blocked you on your way, coming out the other side with a better understanding of what else you're going to have to do to succeed.
Failing through trial and error for later success > failing by doing nothing and achieving nothing.
So, what can you do to be proactive in your progression and give yourself the best chance of success?
Train Shapes
Shapes are the jigsaw pieces for all tumbles. For example, a BHS is made up of:
athletic position
arch
handstand
hollow
athletic/ landing position
There's a lot to do to execute the perfect BHS.
DON'T sleep on the basics
DO condition these shapes. Practice by holding them for ten seconds x3 reps then increase the time. Your muscle memory will improve and you'll notice the progressions. This way your body will recognise every aspect of a skill as your perform it.
Download my Key Tumble Shapes poster to help you practice. You can download it below! |
Break the Skill Down.
Your muscle memory can only do so much. Let's take a RO BHS Tuck. This pass can be really hard to learn if your only focus is the tuck at the end. You must make sure that every skill gets the respect it deserves. Many athletes have come to me for 1-2-1's on this pass and have had to work on their entrance skills instead because they're distracted from the whole of the skill.
For example, the RO entry requires:
a long lunge
chest over knee
eyes spotting leading foot
arms by the ears
and that's just the entrance! If these details are off the rest of the skill/ pass will be affected.
DON'T focus on the end product
DO give each skill, and its components, the attention they require
Below is a video I did during a practice edit for Vidzing- more news on this later- the quality of the video isn't amazing BUT in it, you can see where some of the elements for the entry skills have been neglected, which ultimately impacts the execution of the tuck at the end.
Fuel Yourself
How serious are you about progressing and is this matched by the way you fuel yourself for practices?
I've taught a lot of clinics and 1-2-1's over the years. Yet, I'm still bewildered every time an athlete rolls up with a Red Bull, or fast food. This does not scream, 'I'm a serious athlete who takes my progression seriously.'
What we consume is our fuel, that's why you always here people say 'you are what you eat.' Fast food and highly caffeinated energy drinks are designed to peak your energy, not sustain it. What goes up must comes down... normally in the form of an energy crash. Why do that to yourself?
How are you eating and drinking during the day, or the night before, a training session to ensure you're arriving at practice ready to perform at a peak you can sustain?
DON'T Consume food and drink that will only provide short term energy peaks- like Red Bull and fast food.
DO Consume food and drink that will keep you hydrated and will release energy over time, like bananas and isotonic drinks/ gels.
Visualisation and Positive Self-Talk
You're in the moment. You're about to perform a RO BHS Tuck. You're Ready! Then, then... then what should creep into your thoughts?
'I can't do it.'
'What if I fall?'
'I'm scared.'
'This might hurt.'
Cards on the table, you might fall and it might hurt BUT this can also be true of any skill, performed at any time, regardless of whether it is new or old to you.
Instead, imagine performing the skill without fault, perfect execution. the full shebang! The brain is very good at copying what it sees. Then talk yourself through the skill:
'I'm going to push my feet out long from the BHS so they're behind me. This will help me set high and to lift my hips, which will give me the point of rotation I want.'
DON'T talk yourself out of achieving something new- this WILL set you back in your journey
DO tell yourself WHAT you're going to do and HOW you're going to do it.
A great account for this type of approach is Jeff Benson, owner of @mindbodycheer. He's definitely worth your time and has a fantastic book on blocks and performance coaching too! He's right, you know. Promise yourself great things, match your actions to them, and you will succeed. It's all mindset!
Break During Break
Breaks are for rest and refocusing- maybe with a touch of dynamic stretching chucked in. Breaks are NOT for doom scrolling or continuing an argument you were having on Snap.
DON'T put your energy into something that pulls you away from your main goal
DO rehydrate, visualise, practice key shapes or talk yourself through a skill. ALL ELSE IS NOISE!
ANYTHING THAT PULLS YOU FROM YOUR MAIN GOAL WILL MAKE THE JOURNEY LONGER! |
What now?
If you've got this far, thank you! It shows you're serious about yourself as an athlete and the time you invest in your goals.
Remember: tumbling is hard, especially because we live in a world where everything is so readily available. We've all watched videos online, wishing it was us who can 1 1/2 step out though to dub. What these videos often don't show, is the hundreds of hours that athlete had to put in to achieve these incredible feats.
So, be patient and trust the process!
Still not sure what to do? try this!
Bear Drylls 2 Week Challenge |
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Newsletter: things you found helpful and things you think I missed. Also, if you try any of my suggestions, let me know how you do! It's an honour to be part of your journey.
Good Luck!
Liked what you read, you can access my blog page here!
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