A score is not an instruction
A small wobble can feel very loud when you are the one on the apparatus. You may start wondering what the judge saw, whether your coach noticed or what it means for your score. Meanwhile, a familiar part of the routine is coming next. It needs the attention that has drifted toward those questions.
Dr. Brown’s gymnastics material invites athletes to notice their thoughts and feelings, make room for what is present and ask what matters now. The useful shift is from judging the whole routine to attending to the task you can safely carry out.
Choose the cue in training
The best time to find that reminder is in training, where there is room to talk it through. Ask your coach for a short cue connected to a movement or preparation you already know. You should understand what it means in your body, rather than have to translate a new instruction in competition.
The cue should also fit the moment. There may be time for a breath and a reminder before beginning a routine. During a sequence, there may only be time for the practiced action itself. A mental routine should support the physical routine, not interrupt it.
A glimpse of next-skill attention
Picture a familiar practice sequence at the level your coach has approved. A small mistake happens, and the thought “Now the whole routine is ruined” appears. Rather than answering that prediction, you identify the next familiar action and bring back the cue you have rehearsed.
The useful part of this example is where your attention goes next. The mistake happened, and you can learn from it afterward. In the moment, the familiar cue offers a way back to the routine. Later, tell your coach whether it was clear enough to use or whether you needed something simpler.
Safety is part of a useful response
A safe response sometimes means stopping. If you feel pain, disorientation or a loss of control, tell your coach. Returning to the next skill only makes sense when it is safe and appropriate for you.
That applies to mental rehearsal, too. Stay with familiar, coached skills. Confidence grows a different way from pressure to attempt something you have not learned. You deserve to ask questions and say when you need help.
Build the skill beyond one routine
At the end of practice, look for one moment when you returned to the task. It may have been small. Perhaps you remembered your cue after a distraction, or told your coach that the words were too complicated. Both give you something useful to build on.
Reset offers guided mental practice for young athletes and athletes of all ages. The app gives you a place to learn about attention and rehearse your response, with your coach helping you bring it into the gym. You are learning how to meet the next moment, one familiar skill at a time.