I think most people would agree that building a strong gymnastics mindset is important to achieve high levels of sustained success. That if you want to be a strong resilient competitor the mental game is critical especially in a sport like gymnastics. Here is the interesting part when people mention “gymnastics mindset” my follow up question is well whats your definition of mindset…
Again, I know you’re thinking here we go again Ryan and your obsession with words, but it’s the truth we can not just throw around minds and expect any type of meaningful change.
So back to gymnastics mindset… I like to define Mindset = how you think and perceive yourself, others and the world around you.
I love this definition because it aligns with one of our core principles and that is identity and that if you wanna grow your mindset and performance you must upgrade your perception of yourself…
And perception is one of these really cool things because you can change your perception without having to change the facts!
I start with this because I want to make sure you have context and a backstory to why we created The Elite Operator Academy. It took years of tweaks and refinement to make sure it was easy to understand and actionable for gymnasts to expand their mindset and performance!
Elite Operator Academy
From a 30,000 foot view our goal is to shift gymnasts out of the world of chaos and into the world of certainty! Gymnasts want to be able to enter into the competition and know with certainty they are going to perform at their highest level!
Yet when we begin conversions about their current gymnastics mindset we hear things like this:
- Overthinking routines and feeling overwhelmed
- Performing differently in practice vs meets
- Fear of Failure and Self-Doubt
- Dealing with Stress and Anxiety
- Comparisons and Perfectionism
- Pressure to Perform in All Areas of Life
- Lack of Emotional Support
- Identity Tied to Athletic Performance
- Unrealized Potential
Well no wonder it’s like playing russian roulette if they are going to perform at their best. It’s hard to feel certain when all these thoughts and feelings are rushing through your brain and body!
So we began a journey to make sure gymnasts were equipped with the best tools to reach their goals and concepts that were not just based in theory. That’s why when we built the academy we sat down with people elite in their fields like Army Ranger qualified individuals to make sure it was similar to how they trained their gymnastics mindset.
And when your gymnastics mindset shifts to certainty, decisions become faster, confidence becomes natural and performance is consistent!
So let’s break down the four pillars of The Elite Operator Academy…
The Four Pillars of Gymnastics Mindset
1. Equip
Build the identity and mindset necessary for high performance. Success leaves clues and we have studied what those clues are to model. Building the inner tools.
- Understanding the 2 Worlds
- Identity development
- Performance psychology
- Define Words
2. Prepare
Preparation leads to execution. Elite operators know that oftentimes anxiety comes from a lack of preparation.
- Build intentional routines
- Create your 2 identities 1.0 vs 2.0
- Visualize success
- Understanding your state and stories
3. Execute
Execution is where preparation meets performance. We work to get to the point where you get addicted to the preparation because you execute at such a high level.
- The Success Cycle
- Applying Confidence
- The 5 levels of momentum
- Perform when it matters most more than once
4. Conquer
Conquering is about sustained success. It’s not being a one hit wonder. It allows you to create success on demand and fuel you to live in the world of certainty each day.
- Perform consistently over time
- Raise the standard of those around them
- Continue evolving as athletes and individuals
- Lead their teams
Here is a 10 Minute Overview of our entire Elite Operator Academy System. The first couple minutes is Ryan setting the stage and then the last 8+ minutes I draw the visuals on the whiteboard!
The Gymnastics Mindset Sets The Stage For Your Future
I can not say it enough that we teach from principles and principles do not change! Strategy and tactics can change but principles do not!
The number of times gymnasts have sent me screenshots or text messages from things they are studying or reading and saying Ryan this is like what you taught me…
I’m like, crazy right because it’s principle based! You can find it in other personal development books and even in the Bible! It’s principles! So why does this matter…
Well because it’s taught from principles our academy is set up that they can use this for the rest of their life. Not only will the growth of their gymnastics mindset help them get recruited and improve their performance now…
It’s going to help them apply for a job. Starting their business or attracting the relationship they have dreamed of!
And again this is not hocus pocus talk. All of these things have happened while working with gymnasts across the country and building their gymnastics mindset.
At the time of writing this one week ago a former NCAA gymnast texted me that what we talked about for 2 years helped her land her dream job.
She went in for a 3.5 hour interview and she talked about many of the topics we discussed for years and she said they were blown away with her understanding of identity and how to develop it!
In addition to all the performance records that have been broken is insane!
That is why we built the Elite Operator Academy! If you want find out more contact Ryan Romano at ryan@extremeproducers.com
Additional Resources:
Follow Gymnastics Plus on Social Media:
https://www.youtube.com/@Gymnastics-Plus
https://www.instagram.com/thegymnasticsplus
Check out our Podcast with hundreds of NCAA Gymnasts and coaches:
https://gymnasticsplus.org/blog-plus/
