“I Know I am Difficult to Coach” and Nine Other Things that Fearful Gymnasts Want to Their Coaches to Know

I know that I am difficult to coach. My fear makes it hard to coach me, I understand this. It makes my progress slower. It makes you feel like a less effective coach. It makes me feel like a less accomplished athlete.
I worry that you don’t like me. I know that my fear is annoying to you. To my parents. To my other teammates. And to me. And I worry that it is not just my fear that is annoying you all, but it is me that is annoying you. So, in addition to trying to cope with my fear, I am also worried that you don’t like me and don’t want to coach me.
Being fearful is different than being stubborn. The outcome might be the same: not going for a new skill or not completing an assignment. But the source is different. If I were simply being…