Mental Gymnastics

“We teach our gymnasts to go through a thought routine before and during the time they are competing on an apparatus.  It allows them to focus on what they need to do to succeed while they block out their fears and competing thoughts.”

- Megan Marsden

Mental Gymnastics

I’ve been attending University of Utah Gymnastics for many years.  I watch not only because I’m amazed at the feats performed but also because Utah Gymnastics has unsurpassed success.  In fact, it is the most successful gymnastics program in NCAA history.  It’s a pleasure just to be associated with such an amazing group of people and I’ve learned a lot as a result of their hard work and exceptional performance.

Two meets ago, just before a meet, there was an instructional presentation called “Gymnastics 101” by Megan Marsden, Co-Head Coach.  During this presentation Megan said, “We teach our gymnasts to go through a thought routine before and during the time they are competing on an apparatus.  It allows them to focus on what they need to do to succeed while they block out their fears and competing thoughts.”

Over the weeks that have followed, I’ve thought about her coaching time and again.  And then, I made it a personal practice to make a special note of individual and team mental dynamics during competitions.  What I’ve seen has been truly instructive.

Women’s Gymnastics Teams compete on four different apparatus during a meet.  At home meets Utah’s “Red Rocks” begin each meet on the vault.  Then they progress to the bars, beam and finish on the floor.  It’s been interesting for me to watch the face of participants to see how their hopes rise and fall with each competitor.  The teams experience high and low points during each rotation and they react individually and as a team based on each performance.  I see it on during the entire meet, but at Utah it’s most pronounced on the final rotation.

As it happens, one of Utah’s best events is the floor exercise.  I’ve also noticed that most teams, including Utah, often struggle most with the beam.  So, when at the Huntsman Center, the home team is finishing on one of their best events and the visiting team is finishing on one of their most challenging events.  This dynamic has made the final rotation of home meets the most revealing when it comes to mental gymnastics.

At the beginning of this final rotation both teams gather together to rally their physical and mental strength to give this finale their best effort.  And, the Red Rocks go through a special routine to prepare.  They call it “The Utes Rock the House.”

The Gymnasts gather at the center of the floor, bend over, link arms and then chant an upbeat script to focus on creating a great performance.  The fans, always at least 13,000 in attendance, also join in and call out the words with their team.  It’s a momentum changing experience for everyone in the arena!

I know it’s a game changer because I’ve watched the faces on the other team.  They do their best to focus on their coming routine and have to start just after the crowd electrifies the entire stadium. 

The first competitor walks to the beam, takes a big gulp and begins.  She tries hard to focus, but in more heads than not, the roaring of the crowd’s cheering demands her attention and her performance often suffers as a result.

When the Utah competitor comes to the floor to begin, the crowd erupts once again and I watch as the electricity jolts the gymnast into concentrated focus and confidence.  With each pass cheers lift the tumbling to exceptional heights and emboldens the heart of the heroine.  All eyes are yearning for her success.  All minds are creating an iron will to win.  All eyes?  Well, all eyes except mine.

My eyes are on the visiting team, their faces and their body language.  As jubilant noise increases, their countenances fade and it continues routine after routine until about the third beam competitor.  It is almost always then that I see victory to be sure for the home team.  The visitors are no longer able to compete mentally.  Their smiles have vanished.  Their faces are darkened with gloom.  Their shoulders are hunched in submission.

So it is with you and me.  We all face tough challenges where we feel as if we’re competing on the visiting floor.  It happened to me this week when a friend walked toward me at a conference and said that one of my competitors had gotten his business.  He didn’t even give me an invitation to compete!

It was at that moment when the voice of Megan Marsden came clearly into my mind and said, “We teach our gymnasts to go through a thought routine before and during the time they are competing . . ..”  I had to take some time to get my mind right, to go through some mental gymnastics.  It was then that the noise of the crowd filled my mind and I felt the air rush into my lungs.  I began to go through my mental routine and tumbled on to personal victory!

You can “rock the house” too if you’ll let Megan’s words coach you to victory.  Give mental gymnastics a try.  You’ll be glad you did!