What Makes a Good Gymnast?
Mental Toughness.
Weak Minds:
find reasons to fail or slack off during practice.
find excuses or reasons for why they can’t.
succumb to negative peer pressure and self-talk.
Are willing to hold their friends (or themselves) back to stay together.
Tough Minds:
battle through tough times.
block out distractions (including peers).
stay focused on their goal.
realize that true friends will cheer each other on if they excel, even if it means you pass them by.
Work Ethic:
Few have the desire to fully maximize their abilities. Are you one of the few?
There is no secret to success. Just work hard and keep working hard.
Appreciation:
Thankfulness for you what you have, and what others do for you.
Coaches train you, because they love this sport and their athletes. – Do you appreciate it?
Do you say, “thank you” when they correct you?
Do you make changes when they ask you to?
Do you ask honest questions to better understand what they want from you?
Parents bring you because they want you have opportunities and be happy. – Do you appreciate it?
Have you thanked them lately?
Are you making the most of their sacrifices by working hard, doing your best, showing perseverance, & consistently driving to improve?
Perfectionistic
The desire and ability to repeat the training of the skill and drills until they are beautifully done.
Spending countless hours practicing and doing your best to perfect all aspects of your performance.
“Make each day your masterpiece” – Coach John Wooden
What Makes a High-Level Gymnast (ie. Level 10-Elite)?
All of the Above Plus…
Physical Abilities (Raw Talent).
Strength: Gymnasts must harden their bodies to be tougher and stronger than the skills they perform.
Flexibility: Gymnasts must be able to stretch to reach 180o Splits for Leaps, Jumps, and Tumbling.
Quickness: Speed is an important component to Power. The faster a gymnast is, the easier skills become.
What makes a good gymnast is all within the abilities of EVERY athlete. What level a gymnast CAN reach is not within their control, but simply an accident of birth. If you focus on being a good gymnast, you may reach your maximum abilities at Level 4 or Elite. The character and lessons you learn from becoming a good gymnast will help you for a lifetime.
