FOCUS on Gymnastics… It’s a SAFETY issue

FOCUS on Gymnastics… It’s a SAFETY issue!
What lies behind the ability to concentrate?

Focus is the key to success… But there’s more to it than just thinking about the skill or routine to perform. What lies behind the ability to concentrate? Believe it or not, what an athlete does outside of the gym is just as important as what he does in the gym. An athlete’s hydration level, eating habits, sleep quality and medications greatly affect a gymnast’s training as well as her performance in competition.

Dehydration… Did you know that when you are thirsty you are already dehydrated? Gymnasts can experience performance loss of up to 30% when dehydrated. As little as 2% fluid loss will have a negative impact on your athlete’s body, mind, training and performance. Mild dehydration can cause confusion, irritability, constipation, drowsiness, fever, thirst. Symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration include dry and sticky mouth, muscle weakness, joint stiffness, headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, cramps, decreased urination, cold extremities, slow capillary refill, and sunken eyes. With moderate dehydration, your gymnast may experience hot flashes, poor stamina, rapid heart rate, elevated body temperature, and sudden fatigue. Severe dehydration is the loss of 10-15% of body fluids and is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. Signs and symptoms of severe dehydration include extreme thirst, irritability, and confusion, very dry mouth, dry skin and mucous membranes, lack of sweating, little or no urination, any urine produced will be dark yellow, sunken, wrinkled, and dry. skin, palpitations, fever, coma and even death.

Dehydration of any kind will not correct itself. It is imperative that your gymnasts drink enough fluids before, during and after their workout. The good news is that mild to moderate dehydration can usually be reversed by drinking fluids. The bad news is that when your gymnast is moderately dehydrated, she can lose focus. With a loss of concentration, your gymnast will be at risk of injury from an accident. The results can be severe to catastrophic. Some accidents and injuries could be prevented simply by drinking plenty of fluids.

Drinking during training is one thing, but if your gymnast hasn’t had enough fluids during the day, she will enter the gym dehydrated and put herself at risk of serious injury. As coaches, we must encourage our athletes to drink enough fluids before, during and after training. How much fluid should they drink? It is recommended that your gymnast drink 1/2 her body weight in fluid ounces for each day of normal activities. For example, if your gymnast weighs 100 pounds, her hydration goal would be about 50 ounces per day. That is not the same as serious training time. Your gymnast would drink more during intense training. What should your gymnast drink? It is recommended that a sports drink be used for those exercising for more than one hour. Athletes NEED the carbohydrates and electrolytes in these beverages for safe training. Professional athletes use Gatorade for a reason, because it works. Don’t you want to do Gatorade? Use coconut water! Coconut water works great and is healthy.

Nutrition in relation to performance. Without enough carbohydrates, your gymnast will not have the energy to safely perform training or competition. When there are not enough carbohydrates in the diet, energy comes from protein. When your body is forced to use protein for energy, it gets that protein from muscle. When the body is forced to use energy from the muscles on a regular basis, it is difficult to gain or maintain strength and muscle mass. The long-distance runner is an example of someone whose body uses protein for energy. They have very little muscle mass. It is counterproductive for a gymnast to allow the body to use protein (muscle) for energy on a regular basis. Gymnasts need energy to train and strength to perform skills and routines. Lack of energy and strength will greatly affect the gymnast’s ability to concentrate. Lack of focus can result in catastrophic injuries. There isn’t enough space here to fully discuss nutrition, but you can visit Dr. Fred Bisci’s or Dr. Joe Kasper’s websites to learn about nutrition.

And finally, sleep… We all know how difficult it is to function when we are tired, especially if we don’t sleep well for more than one night in a row. How can we expect our gymnasts to perform safely when they don’t sleep well? we can’t Imagine a gymnast learning a new skill or performing an entire routine when she hasn’t had enough sleep. Would you feel comfortable performing a double back when you are chronically tired? It is difficult for your gymnast to concentrate when she is tired and it is extremely dangerous. Your athlete’s ability to focus and react decreases when she doesn’t sleep well. Once again, lack of concentration can lead to an accident, a catastrophic one. Driving tests have shown that people who are tired drive just as poorly as those who are under the influence of alcohol. They cannot react as well as those who are well rested. Did you know that November 2010 was National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week? This is how fatigue affects the ability to focus and react. About one in six fatal car accidents in the US is due to drowsy driving, according to a new study from the Foundation for Traffic Safety. I wonder how many gymnastics accidents are due to the gymnast being tired due to bad sleeping clothes. It is imperative that your gymnast is well rested and able to concentrate.

Keep in mind that when focus is lost, accidents can and will happen. As coaches, we have a responsibility to talk to parents about hydration, nutrition, sleep, and even medication side effects. It seems that many parents do not realize the direct relationship between daily life and performance during training and/or competition.

So I keep saying that FOCUS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS, but more importantly, FOCUS IS THE KEY TO SAFETY. Without proper hydration, nutrition, and sleep, our gymnasts will not be able to focus well, putting them at risk. I think we should call these risk factors (hydration, nutrition and sleep) the SAFETY TRIO. It’s a quick and easy way to remember the phrase I just mentioned. The SAFETY TRIO is as important as all the exercises and conditioning used to prepare our gymnasts for new skills, routines and competitions. Without all of these factors, our athletes may be at risk of injury. Best of luck with your training and always keep safety in mind while training.