Subject: Gymnastics or not?

Sex: female
Age: 13
Gymnastics Level: non-competitive

I am 13 years old and I used to do gymnastics when i was about 11. I stopped doing gymnastics because the season was over and they close for the summer. It was a really fun experience but now I wouldn’t be able to go back because it’s only up to 12 years old. I fell off of the beam when i was in gymnastics there, since then i’ve been afraid to do a cartwheel on the beam because i’m afraid i will fall off. I don’t really trust any other places to go to, I tried about 3 places but they can’t seem to work, should i just stop?

Well, the two choices would be – try to convince your old gym to let you continue there past age 12 or go to another gym. Unless it is a school program, I have never heard of a gym stopping gymnasts from coming to their gym and paying them. So, I would suggest you go to them and ask them if they can help you out, even if it is just for awhile while you get back your confidence.

You need to understand that when it comes to feelings of fear and lack of trust that such feelings are not real. They have no basis in reality and you need to give other programs a real chance. What you will find when you try a cartwheel or one of the new gyms is that your fears were way out of proportion and actually doing a cartwheel or going to a new gym is not something you need to fear or distrust.

You really need to read my article on fear. It is about fear on bars, but the same principles apply to beam. It lists all the many ways you can attack your fears and anxieties about gymnastics.

We do have other more powerful ways to overcome fear, but the article fully explains all of the things you can do yourself to get over your fear. You should definitely give yourself the opportunity to get back to the fun of gymnastics and not let your fears control your life, especially at such a young age.

Have Your Own Questions?
Ask The Coach
If you have questions relating to gymnastics, we will do our best to provide you with answers to the best of our ability.