V.I.C Dolls in the gym and now at your own home!

You may have heard that sports performance is only 10% physical and 90% mental.  I believe that this holds true for tumbling as well.  The mental side of tumbling includes fear management, knowledge and understanding of how to move the body, confidence, motivation, and more.  Most tumblers only spend a few hours a week in the gym physically practicing their skills and even less time working on the mental side. 

With a V.I.C doll, or Visual Image Coaching doll, athletes can practice their tumbling at home, in the car, in the gym, or anywhere!  V.I.C dolls are small, inexpensive, and portable!  V.I.C dolls bend at every joint that the body does.  Athletes can put their doll into certain shapes or body positions to help visualize and understand how the body moves.   Athletes can use the doll to break down a skill step by step.  This process helps the athlete understand how the body moves, what positions are utilized in each skill, and more.   I utilize these dolls every day when I instruct tumbling.  Many athletes are visual learners.  Instead of me telling them that they are bending their knees, I can show them what their skill looks like step by step and show them where they are bending their knees and what that does to the body shape. If athletes have their own personal V.I.C doll at home, they would be able to practice skills and strengthen their understanding and knowledge of the skill.  There have been studies that prove that visualization can actually enhance performance to nearly the same extent as physical practice. 

I also think it is important for an athlete to name his or her V.I.C doll.  I would recommend writing the name on the doll so it does not get mixed up with another athlete’s or with the dolls at the gym.  The individual doll is supposed to represent the individual athlete.  That doll is supposed to be able to do anything.  If Tori can only do a back tuck, her doll Vicky represents the tumbler that she strives to be, and Vicky can do anything, even a triple back tuck!  This trick will aid in fear management and motivation!  It will allow an athlete to experiment with new skills and begin to understand tumbling that they cannot physically do yet. Plus, it is very fun!

V.I.C dolls can be ordered online or are available through Cheer Essentials in Hanover!  Please email AskHeatherCF@Yahoo.com for more information!  Get yours today!