4 Ways To Help Develop Your Child’s Confidence as a Gymnast
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Gymnastics. A sport that pushes athletes to their limits each day. Whether it be while learning a new skill or working on perfecting a routine to make it competition ready, gymnastics can take a toll on a gymnast’s confidence if things are not going how she wants it.
It is easy to lose confidence as a gymnast. As the parent or guardian of a gymnast, you can help reboost that confidence! By helping develop a strong confidence in your gymnast, you are also helping your gymnast build a strong foundation of confidence in their everyday lives.
Here are 4 ways that you can help develop your child’s confidence as a gymnast:
- Don’t Compare Your Gymnast to Other Gymnasts on Her Team - It is easy to bring comparisons into discussions when talking to your child. Remember to keep in mind that gymnasts learn and master the sport at different times. While one gymnast may learn a skill in 3 practices, it may take your gymnast a few more practices to get it as well. Do not compare the two gymnasts. Instead, encourage your gymnast to keep practicing and learn the skill in their own time - not to hold herself up to the standard of a different person.
- Encourage Setting Small Goals - While seeing the big picture is fun and exciting sometimes it is hard to get there. Help your gymnast set small goals that take steps to reaching the final step. Being able to check off goals will help boost your gymnast’s confidence in reaching her bigger goal.
- Turn Your Gymnast’s Negative Self-Talk into Positive Encouragement - As humans, we are known for having negative self-talk about ourselves in our everyday lives. Young children are no different. When a young gymnast is stuck on a new skill or feeling down about practice, they may start having a negative outlook on themselves in the sport. If you hear or notice this behavior, take a moment to turn it into positive encouragement for your gymnast. Let them know that YOU believe in them, that YOU know they can do anything they set their mind to!
- Focus on How Far They Have Come - If your gymnast is being tough on themselves for not gaining a skill as quickly as they would have liked, remind them of how far they have come - whether it be from the beginning of their gymnastics career or from the beginning of learning this skill. Being able to see from the beginning where she started to where she is can show her the progress she’s already made!
There you have it! If your gymnast loves the sport, encourage them to keep going, keep trying, and keep their confidence levels up! It is known to be one of the hardest sports, but that does not mean your gymnast can’t do it. We know they can!
At Destira, our gymnastics leotards are designed with care to help give young gymnasts an extra boost of confidence when they walk into the gym. Shop our best-selling leotards to help empower your gymnast each practice.
