What Are Nile Wilson’s Top Secrets To Success?

Last weekend I took 8 members of the Flair coaching team to Europe’s Premier Gymnastics Education Event – GymCon 2018, created by Nick Ruddock and one of the amazing speakers was Olympic gymnast Nile Wilson. He revealed the secrets of his success and how his family have helped him achieve his gymnastics dreams…

Attending Nick Ruddock’s event and hearing from all the guest speakers was an invaluable experience. I particularly enjoyed Nile Wilson’s Q & A with Nick as it was a great chance to see everything through Nile’s eyes and from an athlete’s perspective.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview Nile myself. 

WATCH THE VIDEO NOW >> 

                                                                        NILE WILSON’S GYMNASTICS SECRETS


Nile,
(22 years old) revealed that he has always been a dreamer. He didn’t like school and he wasn’t the best in his class but he was obsessed with gymnastics and put all his energy into that. When he was only 10 years old he was with his dad in the garden, he put his handprints into the cement, (just like in Hollywood!) and he wrote next to his handprints, Nile Wilson – Olympic Gymnast, so this is proof that he had big dreams even as a child just waiting to be realised. Whilst he was at school, from the age of 10 to 15 he would train from 5pm until 9pm, 6 days a week which was pretty intense but he knew that this was what was needed if he wanted to achieve his gymnastics goals.
 

Flair CEO Richard Dwyer finds out the secrets of Nile Wilson's successNICK RUDDOCK INTERVIEWS NILE WILSON

Nile’s family boosted his self esteem with their support. They are his biggest fans but they aren’t pushy parents. In fact, his dad didn’t let him win any games or sports as a child so that Nile learnt to deal with failure. The first thing his dad asks after a competition, regardless of whether it is a local club competition or the Olympic Games is “Did you enjoy it?”

Nile says, “It’s great to be comfortable with the knowledge that regardless of any result, your parents are never going to love you any less. The best thing you can do for your child is to make sure they are having fun. Let them know you don’t care if they come first or last. I feel no pressure from my parents, just support.”

Nile’s dad has actually left his job now to become a vlogger with his son! Their channel is called Neil & Nile vlogs. Nile is a hugely successful vlogger and YouTuber and is passionate about getting the message out there that gymnastics is the greatest, coolest sport in the world. His aim is to be a role model and inspire young gymnasts.

Nick Ruddock's GymCon Event                                                                        NICK RUDDOCK’S GYMCON EVENT

Gymnastics Competitions – More important to him than his vlogging and YouTube channel is of course his competitions and routines. Nile absolutely loves what he does and although he’s won so many medals, he’s addicted to growth and loves pushing himself. He believes your attitude towards failure is what pulls you through as you can learn so much through failure. Nile is currently dealing with a neck injury and is not sure if he will be able to take part in the European Championships in August but he realises that he has to put his health before medals and he wants to make sure he is at full strength for the World Championships in October. His big goal this year is to become the World Champion.

Flair CEO Richard Dwyer finds out the secrets of Nile Wilson's successVIP TABLES AT GYMCON

When asked what he would be like if he was a gymnastics coach, Nile answered that he would be happy, enthusiastic and full of energy. He would get to know his gymnasts on a personal level and understand their individuality. He wouldn’t be dictatorial. He said that when he was younger he had a dictatorial coach and that was very much how things were in those days when the gym was a much tougher environment. Now it is a much softer, happier, healthier environment with a more enthusiastic approach. But he warns that you still need to be hungry and work as hard as you possibly can. Nile’s personal coaches are Barry Collie and Dave Murray and he said that they are emotional opposites of each other. When one coach gets completely over excited when Nile lands a new move the other will nonchalantly say “That wasn’t bad!” which helps to keep Nile level headed.

Coach Carole-Angela Orchard & Head Coach of UCLA Valorie Kondos FieldCOACH CAROLE-ANGELA ORCHARD & HEAD COACH OF UCLA VALORIE KONDOS FIELD WATCH NILE

We are currently looking to expand our team of awesome coaching professionals so if you are passionate about the sport of gymnastics and would like to apply to join the Flair family we’d love to hear from you! We have regular team days out where we attend events like GymCon and other fun activities together.  

FIND OUT MORE HERE >> www.GymnasticsJobs.co.uk

Flair CEO Richard Dwyer finds out the secrets of Nile Wilson's successTAKING NOTES AT GYMCON

Nile loves working as part of a team and has mutual respect for all the men on the British team as he knows all their individual stories and has become really close to them all and they are great friends. He feels like they’re brothers as he has known them all since he was about 10 years old. Louis Smith has inspired him with his success inside and outside of the gym and that has encouraged him to build his brand with the vlogging and other ventures. Max Whitlock has inspired Nile with his amazing medal results. Max and Nile are polar opposites with Max needing to be quietly in the zone during competitions whereas Nile is an extrovert. 

When it comes to achieving his goals, what is the secret of his success? Nile loves the competition environment. He relishes the atmosphere and he turns his nerves into excitement. Nile explained that he writes his goals down in detail before an event. For example, this year before the Commonwealth Games, Nile wrote down that he would do his job for the team, which he did by helping the team achieve a gold medal. He wrote that he would nail his High Bar routine, land it and look over at his parents when he had smashed it. He went over this thousands of times in his head imagining the feelings as he landed his gold medal winning routine and looked over to his parents. The key point is emotion – it’s the way it makes you feel when you nail your routine. Nile created his feelings and visualised it again and again and if you watch that High Bar routine you can see him land it and look at his parents just as he had practised in his head.

Flair CEO Richard Dwyer finds out the secrets of Nile Wilson's successNICK RUDDOCK & NILE WILSON

When asked what advice he would give to gymnasts at competitions he said,
“Keep calm. Be the best that you can be and give yourself lots of positive self talk.”

Nile always shouts to himself to boost his confidence just before he starts a routine saying,
“I can do this, I can do this, I can do this”

and I think this really is the most powerful advice that he can give us all. Believing in yourself, being positive and feeling confident is the way to achieve your gymnastics goals.

If you are reading this and you are a gymnastics coach that would like to find out more about future GymCon events then please get in touch
CLICK HERE >> www.nickruddock.com

We are always looking to expand our team of awesome coaching professionals so if you are passionate about the sport of gymnastics and would like to apply to join the Flair family we’d love to hear from you! We have regular team days out where we attend events like GymCon and other fun activities together. 

If you think you have what it takes to join our awesome coaching team and would like to work in a hugely vibrant and high energy environment at one of our gymnastics clubs in Surrey please get in touch.

FIND OUT MORE HERE >> https://ukflair.com/careers/

Since this article was written, Nile Wilson has announced his retirement (January 2021). We wish him all the best!

Richard Circle

Richard
Flair Founder & CEO

P.S. FIND OUT MORE HERE >> https://ukflair.com/careers/

 

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