Simone Biles is known around the world as a world class gymnast and perhaps the most successful athlete the world has ever seen. But she didn’t get there by pure skill, she got there by prioritizing her mental health.
In her outstanding career, Biles has won seven Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals; more than any other professional athlete in the world. On top of that, she has five different gymnast techniques named after her.
What is not widely known is Biles’ mental approach to competitions. Her philosophies came out at the Tokyo Olympics when Biles suffered from a mental block called ‘twisties’. ‘Twisties’ is a mental block in gymnastics where an athlete loses themselves in the air. They are spinning, yet don’t know how to get down. This is obviously a very dangerous issue to have no matter what skill level the gymnast is.
Kennedy Scott, a gymnast for 12 years at Spectrum and Triad gymnastics, understands first hand the severity of ‘twisties.’ “It gets extremely scary and completing the skill becomes very stressful. There is this fear that takes place and it becomes associated with that particular skill… It is a vertigo-like condition that makes it so much more dangerous to try and complete a skill,” said Scott.
Perhaps most important to Biles’ success is the way she approaches her emotions before competition. She frequently uses eight exercises that calm her down and allow her to perform her best. A few of them include breathing, positive self talk, listening to music and forgetting about superstitions.
Coping strategies like these aren’t limited to professionals though.
Senior football star Austin Bullock, recently has had to deal with incredible amounts of pressure. Bullock is PV’s all star kicker and has gained much popularity from fans and colleges. The pressure of performing at every game and practice has become overwhelming, but Bullock deals with it with class.
“I definitely have a routine going into games, what’s helped me honestly has been listening to classical songs before games while warming up. Pretty bizarre, but it has honestly allowed me to get my mindset right before every game.” said Bullock.
All athletes deal with mental battles day in and day out. Using techniques to help relieve stress, pressure or nerves provides a healthy coping mechanism for athletes. Looking at professionals like Biles can give athletes needed encouragement.
In more recent years, Biles has demonstrated her dedication to her mental health by knowingly taking a fault during her first pass of vault in the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
“I do admire [Biles’] ability to take that deduction, I would have done the same thing. I have had many injuries in gymnastics and my safety was always prioritized before a score,” said Scott.
As Biles continues to extend her dominant career, she has taken great strides as an advocate for athlete’s mental health. Athletes all over the world can look to her for support whether that be her actions on the competition floor or what she says outside of it.
