Stories of Overcoming Fear

Just curious is folks were interested in sharing stories about getting through fear of a particular skill (either a new skill or after a mishap). What was it that finally did it? Proper spotting progressions? Just sheer repetition and numbers? Not over thinking?

I don't have any success stories of my own yet, but hopefully will soon (I'm looking at you back handspring).

I was dead scared of doing back dismounts on parallel bars, when I was a kid. I was even crying, sometimes. My coach wouldn't want to just keep spotting me until I feel comfortable, and always wanted to step away and let me do it myself, cause I didn't need his help. Finally, he saw that I was just too scared, stayed there spotting me. At first, he kept using both hands. Then, he only left a hand behind my shoulder, then he slightly touched it only. Then he didn't touch me at all. But I was still scared, and wouldn't do it if he wasn't just beside, just in case. So he stayed there. Then stepped back bit by bit. He had to go to the same process for a few trainings, until I felt ready to just do it by myself right away.

When the day came to do it by myself, I was really scared. So I betted 5 dollars with an other guy that I would do it by myself. He accepted, and since I didn't want to lose my bet, went for it right away, without any help.

I kept practicing my back dismounts a lot. Piled up mats higher than the bars. Did double and an half (landing on the back) back pike on mats almost a foot higher than the bars. I ended up doing a triple back dismount on the parallel bars.

Some years ago I was doing all the progression stuff for back handspring. After some weeks I started doing them myself without help. My coach thought the form was awful and tied my legs. The second time I tried I fell on my neck and heard a bad sound. Actually it was like a chiropratic manipulation and cured some problem I had but it was one of the scariest thing ever for me.

I didnt learn back handspring since that day, all the progress being vanished by that event...I should practice back to the start!

What I learned is: fear always come first, correct form is important but not at the risk of the practicioner.

Ha ha, it makes me think of what my coach once did to me for the stutz, on parallel bars! I hard a hard time keeping my legs together. Always had like 10-20 cm between them during the stutz, so at first, they make me hold a wrist band between my ankles. But it was always ending up flying away.

So, coach got mad. Told me to go get tape. I was like: "No, no! Please, give me an other chance! No tape!" But he told me: "GO GRAB SOME TAPE!" So I went to grab some tape. He told me to sit point my feet and hold my legs together. Then, he taped my ankles together really tight, and told me to put on some chalk, and then go and do a stutz. All the other guys around me were: "Damn, he's gonna die!" So, I went on the parallel bars hopping. My heart was beating really fast, and I was scared like hell. And you know what? I didn't bail! I landed with my hands uneven, and caught the bar with my finger tips on my right hand, but didn't bailed. I had to do it like 5 times. That was terrifying.

And I don't think your coach should've tied your legs for doing floor, it's just a good plan to make you step on your toes and knock your malleoli together. Plus, there's so many other ways to correct a back handspring!

Otherwise, my coach's trick was scary as hell, but it worked. I had much better stutz after that. And nightmares, lol.

You guys have some scary coaches. I learned how to fall. I spent a while learning how to bail out of a skill and not get hurt. Now, I am not afraid because I know that worse come to worse, I will make the situation safe.