Taking risks is essential for a youth athlete‘s development and success at his or her chosen sport! Doing so will open up new opportunities to greatness! In every sport, there are times when you have to show up and perform under pressure or do something you don’t normally do. This is the time to find your courage. It’s there and you don’t need any special superhero abilities to access it.
Discover How Taking Risks Makes You A Better Youth Sports Athlete by watching the video below.
In this video, Peter Vidmar, the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic History, will give a new meaning to the word “risk” and how it can help your youth athlete reach greater heights at their sports.
Please share your thoughts at the comments box below, we’d love to hear what you have to say!
There is a judging category in gymnastics that we call ROV — Risk, Originality, and Virtuosity. You have to fulfill those categories. As time went on in the society that we live in, even the International Gymnastics Federation, changed the letter “R” to the letter “C,” for courage, because risk sounds dangerous.
Really what I am saying is don’t do dangerous things. I never did. It wasn’t dangerous for me to do a double dose and double back flip off the rings, because I had done all the 95 progressions that lead up that skill.
It’s risky or it’s dangerous or it’s reckless when you’re not ready to do it. You think, “Ah, what the heck! Here I go… I’m going for it!” Well that’s crazy. I never did that in gymnastics.
We have to be careful with the word, risk, and how we use it. To me risk means pushing the envelope.
Risk means pushing your boundaries. How much harder can I work? How much farther can I go? To me, that’s risk.
When it comes to actually performing a skill in my sport, it doesn’t just mean chucking the skill, letting go of the bar, and going for it.
It means doing all the progressions, and it might take a year doing the right progressions before you ever go for that actual skill itself.
I would prepare for the risky skills by making sure I had done all the progressions leading up to it and taking advantage of all the safety devices, whether it’s a spotting belt or landing on a foam pit. All those things, so when the times comes to actually go for it, I am ready.
Then what is risky in other people’s eyes, what is risky in the judge’s eyes, what is risky in another athlete’s eyes, is not risky for me because I can do it. I figured out how to follow the progressions to earn the right to do it without putting myself in jeopardy.
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Peter Vidmar, the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic history, is a leader in the Olympic movement today. He has worked for many years as the gymnastics commentator for CBS Sports and ESPN.
Peter is also a powerful and entertaining speaker at corporate meeting and trade shows. With over 2 decades of experience, he helps people throughout the country realize their full potential with his message of Risk, Originality and Virtuosity.
Click here to get his amazing book.