Production- Article Planning

 Hello Beautiful People! Before I can start writing my article, I have to think about exactly what I'm writing about and how I'm going to go about this. The article is going to be about mental blocks in gymnastics (and other sports of course) and how to get over pre-game nerves. So, I've started planning out what I'm going to include and what points I'm going to make.

I want to start with an introduction about how athletes train their bodies and their minds, and how mental blocks affect athletes of all ages and levels. 

The first thing I'm going to talk about is why people get stressed/nervous, and how it is a normal response. I'm also going to mention how it happens to people in all sports at all levels. 

Next, I will talk about what a mental block actually is; a psychological barrier preventing execution of a known skill. The common symptoms; hesitation or freezing, sudden loss of confidence, fear of injury, physical tension, etc. In gymnastics specifically, they can include fear of backward tumbling, loss of spacial awareness, and overthinking technique. 

I also want to mention how mental blocks are different from injuries or lack of training, so my next paragraph will be why mental blocks happen. I'm also probably going to talk about pre-game nerves and the fight or flight response here. These are my main reasons:

• Pressure/expectation
• Internal pressure to perform well
• External pressure from coaches, parents, teammates, etc. 
• Fear of injury/self-protection
• Brain's natural response to avoid risks
• Hesitation because of past injuries. 
• Overthinking
• Burnout and fatigue
• Mental exhaustion
• Excess training reducing confidence

Lastly, I'm going to talk about strategies to overcome mental blocks and nerves;

• Gradual Skill Rebuilding
• Breaking skills into smaller steps
• Returning to basics
• Using progressions and soft surfaces
• Visualization and Mental Rehearsal
• Imagining successful performance
• Familiarity and confidence
• Breathing and Relaxation Techniques
• Slow breathing to calm the nervous system
• Resetting focus before competition
• Positive Self-Talk
• Replacing negative thoughts
• Building internal confidence
• Trusting Muscle Memory
• Letting the body perform without overthinking
• Re-establishing automatic movement patterns

I'm also going to discuss the roles of coaches, teammates, and parents, who should create a supportive, patient environment and end with a conclusion about how experiencing mental blocks doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. 

I think that's enough for now, and once I start writing, if I have to add other stuff, I will.