What Are ‘The Twisties’? Causes and How To Cope

If you followed the Olympics in recent years, you probably heard an odd new term
tossed around between gravity-defying vaults and floor routines: “the twisties.”
It sounds like a funky dance move, but gymnasts will tell you it’s anything but fun.
The twisties are a scary, sudden loss of air awareness that can turn a skill an athlete
has done thousands of times into a dangerous gamble.

The phenomenon made headlines when Simone Biles stepped back from several events at the
Tokyo Games to protect her safety and mental health. Since then, sports psychologists,
coaches, and gymnasts have been talking more openly about what the twisties are, what
causes them, and how to work through them safely.

Whether you’re an athlete, a coach, a parent, or just a curious fan, understanding the
twisties helps you see why “just push through it” is not only unhelpful, but potentially
dangerous. Let’s break it all down in plain language.

What Are “The Twisties” in Gymnastics?

In simple terms, the twisties are a sudden mental block that causes a gymnast
to lose their sense of where their body is in the air. The Cleveland Clinic
describes them as a brain–body disconnect in which the usual automatic
movements stop flowing, and the gymnast can’t reliably tell how they’re rotating or
where the ground is.

Gymnasts often say it feels like their body and brain are no longer on the same team.
They may:

• Get “lost” mid-skill and not know how many twists they’ve done.
• Open up early or late and come down in unsafe positions.
• Feel like they’re watching their body move without being fully in control.

Importantly, the twisties usually show up in skills an athlete has already mastered.
We’re not talking about a beginner trying something brand new; this is more like your
brain suddenly forgetting how to type your own password after years of using it,
except your whole body is flying through the air while it happens.

How the Brain–Body Disconnect Happens

Advanced gymnastics relies heavily on muscle memory and
proprioception (your brain’s ability to track where your body is in
space). Over years of training, a gymnast’s brain builds automatic programs for
tumbling and twisting skills. During a routine, the brain sends instructions, the body
responds, and constant feedback from joints, muscles, and the inner ear keeps
everything coordinated.

With the twisties, that automatic program suddenly glitches. Sports psychologists
describe it as a disruption in the feedback loop: the brain no longer correctly matches
what it expects the body to do with what the body is actually doing. That mismatch leads
to confusion and panic in mid-air.

Why the Twisties Are So Dangerous

When you’re flipping and twisting multiple times over a four-inch beam or a hard
competition floor, knowing where the ground is isn’t optional it’s
literally the difference between landing safely and serious injury. That’s why the
twisties are considered a high-risk situation, not just a “bad day” in the gym.

If a gymnast gets lost in the air, they may:

• Undertwist or overtwist and land crooked.
• Open up too early and land short on their neck, back, or knees.
• Forget part of the skill and bail out in an uncontrolled way.

Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from several events was widely supported by medical
professionals and fellow athletes, precisely because trying to “tough it out” with the
twisties can lead to catastrophic falls.

What Causes the Twisties?

Experts don’t point to a single cause. Instead, they see the twisties as a type of
mental block that usually comes from a mix of psychological stress, physical factors,
and training circumstances.

1. High Pressure and Performance Stress

Big competitions, heightened expectations, and intense media scrutiny can all crank up
an athlete’s stress levels. Over time, this pressure can overload the brain, making it
harder to run those normally automatic movement patterns smoothly.

Perfectionism which is extremely common in gymnastics can add fuel to the fire.
When an athlete feels they have zero room for error, even a small wobble can trigger
anxiety and doubt, which in turn can disrupt coordination.

2. Fear After a Fall or Near Miss

Many gymnasts trace their twisties back to a specific incident: a scary fall, a rough
landing, or even watching a teammate get hurt. The brain learns quickly from danger.
If it decides a certain skill is unsafe, it may “throw up a wall” by blocking normal
automatic execution.

3. Changes in Technique, Equipment, or Body

Sometimes the twisties show up after a coach tweaks a technique, the gymnast upgrades a
skill, or their body changes due to growth, strength training, or injury. That can
create just enough mismatch between “new” and “old” movement patterns that the brain
loses confidence and starts second-guessing mid-air.

4. Fatigue and Burnout

Sleep deprivation, overtraining, and emotional burnout can all make it harder for the
brain to process complex movements. When your nervous system is running on fumes,
precise spatial awareness is one of the first things to suffer not ideal when you’re
flipping toward a beam.

“Isn’t It Just Being Scared?”

Fear is definitely part of the picture, but the twisties aren’t just ordinary nerves.
Lots of athletes feel anxious and still perform their skills correctly. With the
twisties, the athlete literally can’t make their body do what it’s supposed to, even if
they want to and even if they’ve done it perfectly for years. That’s why sports
psychologists frame it as a specific type of mental block, not simple stage fright.

Who Gets the Twisties?

The term “twisties” is most common in artistic gymnastics, but
athletes in other sports experience similar issues:

• Trampolinists and divers talk about losing air awareness mid-skill.
• Cheerleaders and tumblers describe freezing during twisting passes.
• Baseball pitchers and golfers use the term “yips” for a related
  loss of automatic control.

Recreational gymnasts and young athletes can get the twisties too. It’s not a sign of
weakness or lack of talent if anything, it often shows up in highly skilled, highly
committed athletes who are pushing big skills under big pressure.

Signs You Might Be Dealing With the Twisties

Every gymnast describes the twisties a little differently, but common signs include:

• Feeling “lost in the air” on skills you normally hit.
• Suddenly balking, stopping, or bailing out halfway through a skill.
• Twisting the wrong direction or wrong number of times.
• Thinking too much about each step of the skill instead of letting it flow.
• Feeling a rush of panic just as you hurdle, block, or take off.

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone many elite gymnasts, including
Simone Biles, have talked openly about experiencing the twisties more than once in
their careers.

How to Cope With the Twisties in the Moment

1. Put Safety First (Yes, That May Mean Stopping)

If you feel lost or panicked mid-skill, the top priority is your safety.
That may mean:

• Stopping twisting skills immediately.
• Using the foam pit or soft surfaces only.
• Letting your coach know what’s happening, even if that feels embarrassing.

Medical and sports psychology experts strongly support athletes stepping back when
they’re dealing with the twisties. No medal, score, or social media comment is worth
risking a life-altering injury.

2. Take a Step (or Several Steps) Back in Difficulty

Instead of forcing the full skill, most coaches recommend regressing to
simpler versions:

• Doing the layout without the twist.
• Practicing only the takeoff or the landing.
• Using drills on trampolines, tumble tracks, or into pits.

One sports psychology approach is to build a “ladder” of skills, starting with whatever
feels safe and slowly adding pieces back once the brain regains trust in the movement.
Each rung on the ladder is a small, achievable win.

3. Reset Your Nervous System

When your brain is on high alert, your body floods with stress hormones. To calm that
response in the moment, techniques like:

• Slow, deep belly breathing.
• Grounding exercises (feeling your feet on the floor, noticing five things you can see).
• Short breaks away from the equipment.

can help turn the alarm down a notch. This doesn’t “cure” the twisties, but it can
stop them from escalating during a single practice or competition.

Long-Term Strategies to Overcome the Twisties

1. Work With a Supportive Coaching Team

How coaches respond makes a huge difference. Studies of performance blocks in gymnastics
show that athletes do better when coaches:

• Take the block seriously instead of mocking or minimizing it.
• Collaborate on safer training plans and progressions.
• Allow time and flexibility instead of demanding instant “fixes.”

An athlete who feels believed and supported is more likely to stay engaged, communicate
openly, and eventually get back to their skills.

2. Use Sports Psychology Tools

Sports psychologists and mental performance coaches use several techniques to help
athletes work through the twisties and other mental blocks:

• Imagery and visualization: repeatedly “performing” the skill
  perfectly in the mind, paired with calmer breathing and positive emotions.
• Graded exposure: slowly reintroducing pieces of the skill in a
  structured way, with clear stop points and safety measures.
• Reframing thoughts: challenging perfectionistic or catastrophic
  thinking (“If I mess up once, I’m a failure”) and replacing it with more realistic
  beliefs.
• Self-compassion: treating yourself like you would treat a teammate
  going through the same thing with kindness, not cruelty.

3. Address Life Stress and Burnout Outside the Gym

The twisties don’t exist in a vacuum. Life stress, trauma, and chronic pressure can all
affect how your brain functions under load. Simone Biles’ story sparked a global
conversation about how mental health, trauma, and stress can show up as very physical
symptoms in elite sports.

Therapy, adequate sleep, better recovery habits, and boundaries around training and
competition can all reduce overall stress on the nervous system, making it easier to
retrain complicated skills safely.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Twisties

Are the Twisties Permanent?

For most athletes, no. The twisties are usually temporary, although
they can last days, weeks, or even months. Simone Biles has experienced them at
multiple points in her career including before the 2016 Rio Games and again at the
Tokyo Olympics and still returned to top form, winning multiple gold medals and
continuing to compete.

Can You Prevent the Twisties?

There’s no guaranteed way to prevent them, but you can reduce risk by:

• Building skills step-by-step with solid progressions.
• Allowing enough time for upgrades instead of rushing before big meets.
• Maintaining open communication between athletes, coaches, and parents.
• Addressing anxiety and mental health early, not just when crisis hits.

Is It Safe to Compete With the Twisties?

In general, no. Because the twisties involve a loss of air awareness,
attempting high-level twisting skills in competition can significantly increase the
risk of serious injury. Most medical and mental health professionals agree that
stepping back until the block improves is the safest option, even if that means
scratching from events or entire meets.

Real-World Experiences: What the Twisties Feel Like

Reading the definition is one thing; living through the twisties is another. Athletes
who’ve shared their stories describe a mix of confusion, fear, and frustration.

Imagine a 16-year-old gymnast preparing for the biggest meet of her life. She’s nailed
her full-twisting layout on floor every day for months. One afternoon, she runs, hurdles,
takes off and midway through the flip, she suddenly doesn’t know where she is. She
guesses, opens up, and barely manages to land on her feet. Her coach is startled; she’s
terrified.

The next turn, she can’t make herself go. Every time she starts the run, her brain hits
the brakes. She tries again the following day, this time on a softer surface, but the
same thing happens: a flash of panic, a sense of being lost, and a hard stop. Her body
that once moved on autopilot now feels like it’s running software full of bugs.

Another athlete a college gymnast has twisties on vault. She used to block and flip
without thinking; now, mid-salto, she suddenly can’t tell if she’s over- or under-rotating.
She lands short, scares herself, and spends the next practice frozen at the table. Her
teammates encourage her, but she feels ashamed, convinced she’s “being weak.”

Over time, with a supportive coach and sports psychologist, both athletes slowly rebuild:

• They drop back to basics timers, layouts without twists, drills in the pit.
• They practice imagery every night, visualizing safe, confident landings.
• They learn to name their fear instead of pretending it’s not there.
• They use small, measurable goals (one safe drill, one successful progression) instead
  of obsessing over the full skill.

Progress isn’t linear. Some days, everything feels great; other days, the twisties come
roaring back. But with time, consistency, and a lot of patience, the brain starts to
trust again. The nervous system recalibrates, and those automatic patterns slowly come
back online.

Athletes who’ve worked through the twisties often say they come out the other side with:

• A deeper respect for their own limits and safety.
• A stronger voice in communicating with coaches and parents.
• A more balanced perspective on winning, losing, and mental health.

Many also become quiet advocates in the gym the teammate who says, “Hey, it’s okay to
stop if you don’t feel safe” or “You’re not broken; you’re human.” Their experience
becomes part of a culture shift where mental blocks are treated as real, valid, and
workable challenges, not character flaws.

The Bottom Line

The twisties are much more than a viral buzzword. They’re a real, high-stakes mental
block that can put gymnasts at genuine risk if ignored. At the same time, they’re also
something many athletes can work through with time, safety, and support.

If you or someone you love is dealing with the twisties, remember:

• It’s not your fault, and it’s not a sign of weakness.
• Stepping back from skills or competition can be the bravest, safest move.
• Help is available from coaches, mental performance experts, therapists, and teammates.

Brains are remarkably adaptable. With patience, smart training, and a culture that values
safety over medals, athletes can regain their air awareness and keep doing what they love
flying, flipping, and yes, even twisting on their own terms.