It’s amazing how little we know about arguably the greatest gymnast in the history of the sport.
Here’s easily the best documentary I’ve seen vis-a-vis getting some insight into the mind of Kohei Uchimura.
Features his final competition as a University gymnast, in the months after the Tokyo World Championships.
The meet where he competed triple twisting Yurchenko.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (25min)
Of course that’s a quad twisting double, not a Miller.
One of his teammates calls him “shy”. That’s not it.
But he’s very introspective. Calm. Focused. Self-motivated. Big on mental imagery.
Sorry Mom. Koehi doesn’t like vegetables. 🙂
Brett linked to a related article – How Can I Help My Child Develop Mental Toughness?
James E. Loehr believes that there are a constellation of mental skills, all of which are learned, that are characteristic of mentally tough competitors. They are:
Self-motivation and self-direction
Positive but realistic
Being in control of emotions
Calm and relaxed under fire
Highly energetic and ready for action
Determined
Mentally alert and focused
Self-confident
Fully responsible
Sounds like Uchimura, to me.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 