In this week’s sports psychology podcast, mental game of sports expert, Dr. Patrick Cohn and Olympian Wendy Bruce-Martin talk about the challenges of perfectionism in gymnastics. Dr. Cohn and Wendy discuss how perfectionism can be an asset but also an issue in gymnastics. Scoring in gymnastics is based on a perfect skill pushing gymnasts to a perfectionist mindset.
“I always say that being a perfectionist is a really stressful place to live. You are so hard on yourself all the time, you always put these high expectations and standards on yourself. You’re always disappointing yourself because somehow you always make mistakes,” says Wendy Bruce-Martin.
Learn more about how perfectionism can help or hinder a competitive gymnast by listening to this week’s sport psychology podcast.
Play the audio podcast below (you can also download below):
To watch this full discussion about perfectionism and gymnastics, visit our new gymnastics psychology tips!
- Download the Sports Psychology Podcast #141 (right click and “save as” to your computer)
- Subscribe to The Sports Psychology podcast via iTunes.
- If you perform well in practice but find yourself under-performing in competition, you can benefit from sports psychology for gymnastics. Do you or your athletes struggle with performing up to your potential in competition?
- Get our free report, “6 Perfectionist Mindsets That Sabotage Success in Gymnastics” and discover:
- How your mind can be your best or worst asset in competition.
- If perfectionism is holding you back from reaching your peak.
- The top 6 perfectionist mindsets that sabotage success.
- How to use perfectionism to your advantage, not to your demise!