[totallystressed]

My daughter has been doing Trampoline and tumbling for 6 years. About 3 weeks ago she was doing a tumbln pass on the floor and over rotated on a back tuck and landed on her back. Now, not only can't she do a back tuck, but she also has lost all her skills on the trampoline.
She is barely jumping off the bed at all. She will do some skills while being spotted, but they are still very low. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[rudi_in]

Thank you for posting your question to the Ask Me Help Desk.

Your daughter has taken a big hit to her confidence and it is going to take some time to regain that.

It is important that she understand that it is OK to make mistakes.

As it is said -
"The only difference between stepping stones and stumbling blocks is how you use them."

She can eitherbe hurt by this or she can use the experience and learn from it.

Another big key here is to always be aware of the timing difference between tramp and tumbling. Set placement and quickness off the bed or tumble strip are greatly different from one another. This needs to be part of her thinking and visualization skills when transitioning from one event to the other.

Here is an excerpt from an article that I wrote about this topic that may be helpful

Comeback Performance

I do not mean coming back after being off for five years. I mean how do you respond to mistakes and failure? Ultimately, our success often depends on this very thing. We as athletes, coaches, and parents are faced with this everyday. Fall off the beam? Miss the spot? Forget to wash the competition leotard? Some things are more severe than others but everyday we make small mistakes throughout the day. The key to success is in how we deal with these mistakes.

Ever notice how young children learn at exceptionally fast rates? That is because they are not afraid to experience failure or make mistakes. An infant will try to walk and fail numerous times but it has parents who are there to positively encourage them and keep them excited about what they are doing. The infant laughs about it, gets up, and tries again. The child does not care if it falls. It is no big deal. The infant would never have learned to walk if it had never tried. Infants explore and try everything and they learn quickly.

Unfortunately, many parents, coaches, and people in places of influence place too much emphasis on winning and perfection. They punish for making mistakes. As we grow older, we refuse to try some things for fear of failure and what might happen. We won't even try some things because we might not make it. That is sad. That is why adults, then, don't learn things as quickly. They fear the failure.

Ever heard the saying that goes "You fail only when you fail to try."? I believe in that. We need to step out of the box and make a few mistakes. That is how we will learn. ***If you make a mistake, SO WHAT!!, get up and try again. If you sit there and say I will never try that again, you will never learn to do it.

Coaches-- let your athletes know that it is OK to make a mistake and that you will not yell at them for making mistakes. (I do not overlook the fact that there is a difference between making a mistake and being wrong on purpose such as lying.) Encourage them for their efforts and help them to try again and not give up.

Parents-- don't let coaches scare your children away from learning by criticizing mistakes and ridiculing them for failure. Accept nothing less than 110% positivity from the coaches. Help your children to understand that it is OK to make mistakes and that you are proud of them no matter what.

Athletes-- I know you have heard this before... "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." Most of all, don't be afraid to try the first one. NEVER GIVE UP!!

Remember, it is how you deal with mistakes and failure, that is important. Do you get up or give up? I hope you make the right decision.

-Coach rudi_in

Continue to encourage your daughter and be a positive person in her corner. She needs your help gaining her confidence back.

Good luck and let me know how things go.