Whenever we watch gymnasts on TV competing for fame and glory, we immediately see the body and the well-defined musculature that can only come from months or even years of hard, dedicated practice and training. We see athletes devoted to their craft and dedicated to perfecting their skills even more; regardless of the hard work and personal sacrifice it may take, just to capture fame and glory for their school or even for their country.



But do we ever think about the equipment that these athletes use for their practice, and even during competition? Nine times out of ten, we don't. That's because we almost don't consider the equipment as necessary and as important as the other rudiments of training that any athlete undergoes, most especially that of the gymnast.

But consider this for a moment: The gymnast – or any other athlete, for that matter – needs to have the highest level of confidence in the equipment that he uses, whether it's a simple floor mat or the horizontal bars. Without that confidence, practice will not make perfect. In fact, I truly believe that any serious-minded athlete, whether amateur or professional, will not be able to hone his skills and talent to the maximum point of perfection if he has the slightest hesitation in his coach, in his abilities, and in his equipment.

If you're still not convinced, try putting yourself in the gymnast's shoes. You are required to run forward as fast as you can, then at the exact right moment, you must place your hand on the vault, push your whole body up into the air, do a somersault or two, and then try to make a soft, balanced landing as perfectly as possible. All this in just under a minute. Sounds reasonable? But what last week, during practice, you nearly broke your wrists while trying to vault up, because the support bars were rickety and swaying back and forth during your fast approach. How can you be sure now that the vault in the stadium is solidly anchored?

As any experienced coach will tell you, an athlete must truly believe in his heart and mind that he is absolutely capable of executing a maneuver flawlessly and smoothly, and that even the slightest bit of hesitation can be the big difference between a win and a loss. You don't have to be a gymnast to realize that you're not entirely confident of going on a lengthy road trip if your mountain bike's gears are a little loose, or that the brakes keep slipping on your motorcycle.

If we are to be confident about our performance, we need to be certain that the equipment and the tools we use will function correctly and not break down in a critical moment. Just ask any airplane pilot. They check and double-check each and every piece of equipment before flights. It's routine for them, because the lives of each passenger on their flight depend not only on their training, but on the dependability of the plane and the flight equipment itself.

If you're involved in sports training and development, you need to make sure that your athletes are protected and able to perform efficiently each and every time. That's why you need to make sure that you use only the best equipment available. Having high quality equipment results in more confidence and better performance, not only in sports, but in life as well.