Mental blocks are common in Gymnastics.
Simone’s could not have popped up at a worse time.
The one upside of all this publicity is preventing future injuries.
Every gymnast will remember the time the G.O.A.T. withdrew from the Olympics rather than risk getting lost in the air.
Gaar Adams , for example, trained at the Gym that produced the Hamm brothers:
… I tried to push myself past a “twisties” block at the end of one practice in September 2001.
Lost in the air, I fell on my neck and required spinal surgery, a halo brace and four months in a hospital bed.
A shade away from quadriplegia at the age of 13, my dreams of pursuing collegiate and elite gymnastics were over. …
The twisties: My gymnastics career may not have ended in hospital if I’d had a role model like Simone Biles
I’ve seen over a dozen similar stories recounted over recent days.
Victoria Moors, for example.
If it can happen to Simone, it can happen to anyone.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 