Can We Redefine "Fail" and "Fear"?

Patience, and a Bit of Amateur Psychology

Coaching tumbling isn’t just about movement — it’s about mindset.

Today’s session was a reminder that most challenges don’t come from technique… they come from what’s happening between the ears.

Here’s what we ran into:

Fear of going backwards

Fear of the new — or of looking silly trying it

Wanting to move on before the last skill’s really there

Frustration when the body can’t yet do what the mind wants

Athletes who’ve had an easy ride so far, now hitting their first real wall

The grind of breaking old habits before new ones can stick

It’s all part of the mental game — and honestly, that’s the part that keeps things interesting.

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The Mental Game

The technical side? That’s my comfort zone.

The psychology? Still learning.

Good learning is usually slow learning. Nobody wants it to take ages — but that’s how mastery works.

Every attempt counts. Each one gets you closer to that moment when it stops being an “attempt” and becomes the skill.

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Fear or Just Inexperience?

Sometimes fear isn’t fear at all — it’s just unfamiliar territory.

When your body’s never done something before, it feels weird. The goal is to make that weirdness familiar.

One of my favourite back handspring drills: dropping backwards off a block, through handstand, into front support. Every piece of it is something the athlete already knows. When you stitch those familiar parts together, the “big scary skill” doesn’t feel so big.

And there’s zero pressure. All I ask is for athletes to step outside their comfort zone a little — even an inch. Inch by inch, confidence grows.

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Breaking Habits and Building Connections

Then there’s the hard stuff: breaking habits that still work.

Those are the toughest to change because they don’t feel wrong. But if we want real progress — safer, cleaner, more powerful — sometimes we have to slow things down and rebuild the connection between brain and body.

Not optional. Just necessary.

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When Nothing Seems to Work

Some days, it feels like nothing clicks. No progress. No lightbulb moments. Just… stuck.

That’s the test. Because the moment you start thinking, “Maybe this won’t happen,” giving up starts to look like an option — and it never should be.

Progress isn’t a straight line. Sometimes it dips, loops, or even slides backward. Still counts. Every “fail” is just a rep, a data point, one more step toward figuring it out.

Some athletes need a few tries. Others need thousands. My job is to keep it interesting until that click finally comes.

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Takeaway

Fear, frustration, slow progress — they’re not setbacks.

They’re proof you’re learning something worth mastering.

Thanks for reading! Till next time.