1. Take A Break

Yup, that’s right. Stop the skill completely for a week or two. In certain cases, it is best to hit the “pause” button and give yourself a rest. If you are having trouble with a skill, sometimes the best answer is to take a time-out. As cheerleaders, we are constantly practicing, competing, jumping, tumbling, stunting, and conditioning. Our bodies need time to recover, and letting your muscles (and brain!) relax can actually help you gain the skills needed when you return. Give yourself a breather, and when you come back, you will be refreshed, stronger and sharper!

2. Work on something else.

Let’s say your full downs are giving you trouble. You can’t seem to ever make it all the way around, no matter how many times you try. Sometimes the answer is to work on something else for a while! If you are getting frustrated about those full downs, start to work on a new skill you are excited about. Similarly to the first tip, sometimes walking away for a week can be the best “cure.” Getting frustrated only makes it worse, and you become upset and disappointed in yourself. So stop doing the full downs, and work on your full ups or your tick tocks. You will regain your confidence and sometimes, that is all you need to master a skill!

3. Faithfully do your drills.

No one is ever “too good” for drills! My coach would drill my roundoffs constantly when I was working on fulls. I didn’t understand why, and finally asked her. I was told that the roundoff is the root of your running tumbling, and in many cases, the roundoff is the problem, not the airborne skill. She also told me that many Olympic gymnasts would train just roundoffs for an hour every day! And how right she was. Drills literally are meant to drill a specific motion into your muscle memory. Doing a drill over and over allows your muscles to remember a particular movement, which is how we put together tumbling skills. Going back to the foundation of your tumbling is always a great way to get out of a slump.

4. Go back to the easiest version of the skill.

In many cases, switching surfaces can help you out. If you are having a hard time throwing a skill on a spring floor, go back to a tumble tramp or an air floor. Anywhere where you feel overly comfortable doing the skill is a great place to train. Use that comfort zone to build up your confidence and muscle memory again. Then, slowly work yourself up to doing it on a more difficult surface again. This is not taking a step back! You will know when you are ready to progress.

the above was taken from an article from www.insidecheerleading.com