Making the Most of Summer Training

The Summer season is upon us and with it comes the excitement of upgrades, new friendships and dreams for the competitive season filling the air. Our girls have been focused, brave and ready to take on new challenges. It is so wonderful to witness each of them settle into their new teams and launch another season. Without the stress of school and homework, our gymnasts have more mental and physical energy to spend in practice. They are able to absorb concepts quicker and they are more willing to try new things. This Summer season is a magical time, and learning how to make the most of it can help our athletes get a jump on the competition. Here are 3 things your gymnast can do to make Summer training the best it can possibly be.

#1 Set 3 Goals for the Summer - Helping our gymnasts gain clarity on what they want to accomplish can be a game changer. It gives them focus and keeps them motivated to do the harder parts of practice like conditioning and being brave.  Having them write those goals down is even  more powerful. Goals that are written down are 87% more likely to be accomplished than goals not written down. So what is the best way to do goal setting with your child? Ask your gymnast this question: “If there was only one thing you could accomplish in the gym this Summer that would make you feel like it was a total success, what would that be?”. They will often ask to have more than one thing, but be firm. Repeat: “If you could only accomplish one thing what would it be?”. Usually the first answer that comes up is the best one for the athlete. If they have 2, allow them the time to think through which one would be the highlight of the Summer. Once they decide, have them write that down. Then ask this question: “If you were able to accomplish one more thing in the gym this Summer, what would it be?”. This opens up the possibility of making room for their other goals, yet allows them clarity on what is most important to them. After they get goal number 2 selected, ask the question one more time. This will result in the creation of 3 anchoring goals for the Summer, along with the added clarity of priority, and will help to inform where their energy can best be focused. 

#2 Set An Intention For Practice Each Day - Setting an intention for each practice is a habit that, once established, will allow for your gymnast to get the most out of their time in the gym. Summer is a great time to set this habit because with school out gymnasts have less demands on their time outside of the gym. These intentions can flow from the goals the gymnast has set in step one, or a point of struggle they are experiencing. By setting their intention, they focus their mind and their energy on a particular action. This allows them to make smart choices about how to use their time during practice. An example of an intention for practice might be: “I will get my assignment done before I talk to my friends at bars today.”.  This gives the gymnast a small actionable item that will help her work towards getting just a little better that day. The compound interest on setting an intention each day means that by the end of the month, the athlete will be closer to her goals and will have demonstrated the ability to put action behind the athlete that she wants to be. 

#3 Take Fueling Before Practice Seriously - Our gymnasts expend a significant amount of energy each practice. They push their bodies to build strength, be flexible and respond quickly. This means that the food they use to fuel their bodies really matters. An athlete who is underfueling is at greater risk for injury, burn out and slower progression. Teaching our athletes how to fuel their body can be complicated, however, the Summer is an easier time to get them in the habit of learning this skill. Ask your gymnast to make a list of foods that bring them energy. Then create a practice day fuel schedule. Use the list of energy adding foods to plan out the snacks or meals they will have before, during and after practice. Planning ahead of time allows your gymnast to think through what their body needs. They are then able to work with you to prepare food that adds energy instead of being reactive and choosing what is readily available. Learning to view food as fuel will allow our athletes to keep their bodies energized and healthy. 

By choosing to goal-set, be intentional and fuel properly, your athlete will be choosing to elevate her practices in ways that will lead to long term success. Making the most of Summer training is an investment your athlete can make that will pay dividends during the competition season.