For Younger Athletes
To schedule an appointment for your younger athlete contact one of the following performance specialist.
Michael Heck 626-221-2090 or michaelheck@tinssp.com.
Andrea Estrada 832-289-6423 or andreaestrada@tinssp.com
Galen Andrews 832-683-3354 or galenandrews@tinssp.com
From A Gymnastics Parent
When we brought Haley to the Institute of Sports Performance, she was 7-years-old and coming off of a summer of state testing for USA Gymnastics’ Talent Opportunity Program (TOPs). Her training was rigorous, and her advancement was compounded by a severe year-long mental block on back tumbling. At the time, she was facing an entire fall season of Junior Olympic Level 4 competitions and National TOPs testing. At home, she had become increasingly anxious and was on the verge of leaving the sport. We were in discussions to move Haley out of gymnastics when we found TINSSP.
We noticed an immediate improvement once she started weekly sessions with Michael. She was given a voice to discuss her challenges, and we received ways to support Haley both at home and the gym. In less than four months, Haley went from Level 4 to Level 6 and had a fantastic National TOPs test. She continued to experience small breakthroughs with her mental block. Then, at her first official Level 6 competition she tumbled for the first time in months without a coach next to her on the mat and took home multiple Gold medals, including Gold on the Floor.
Haley is now back to being a happy, fierce, determined 8-year-old who loves her sport again and asks to work on her mental block on a daily basis with the tools she’s has learned at TINSSP. She is more confident during competition on all events, sets individual goals for herself, and has become a supportive teammate to others facing similar issues. It is a continuing journey, but mental training is such a huge part of the overall sports experience and will be something Haley keeps with her for the rest of her life. We are so proud of the work she is doing and so thankful for Michael and TINSSP.
7 things we want you to know:
1 – Every Athlete’s Journey to Success is different
Greatness means many things to many people. It can mean victory. It can mean bravery. It can mean strength and character. It doesn’t have to mean you are the best at something, but when it comes to sports, greatness always comes from joy, commitment and progress.
2 – It’s OK to be great at something, and be humble!
It’s ok to be great and let the world know how great you are. It is also good to be great and not be a show off about it. We help athletes develop character. It makes a huge difference in sports.
3 – Sometimes the sport you love just isn’t fun anymore
If you get hurt, watch a friend get hurt, or mess up during a very important competition, it can make you sad, scared and even make you not like competing for a while. It happens to every athlete sometime. We can help you learn to love your sport again.
4 – Some parents get a little freaked out if you get upset about stuff they think is supposed to make you happy
This fear is totally normal and it usually means they don’t know how to help you. Sometimes they say stuff like “I’m gonna pull you out if you don’t try harder” or “why can’t you just do the skill?” because they don’t know what else to do or say. Parents don’t have the training and experience that we do. We can help.
5 – Even Pro and Olympic Athletes need help getting over mental blocks
Lots of times they need it even more than you do. Especially because it is there job to do good in their sport. Sometime they call people like us before they need help, and they use us as their secret weapon against something getting in their heads. Asking for and getting help doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with you. It means that you are brave and courageous.
6 – You are already enough just as you are
Sports these days can be tough. There is so much focus on doing everything perfect. But you are enough because you are out there trying. And yes, sometimes people and coaches are going to say “you did that wrong” and “that’s not good enough”. Sometimes coaches and parents can be overly critical. We want to teach you how to handle stress and pressure, fear and anxiety. You are so smart that you found us yourself OR someone loves you so much that they actually went looking for us to help you.
7 – We are masters at helping young athletes get better and have fun getting better
You are the reason we are so excited to come to work every day. If you are coming to us, it means someone believes in your talent and skills so much that they want you to have everything that you could ever need to be your best in and away from your sport. We want to be part of your team!