- Aug 26, 2013
- 332
- 435
Hello fellow coaches,
last year I created a group of 5-7 year olds. I started them from the very beginning and it immediatley clicked. They came in eager to learn, progressed fast and in the process learned how to listen, take corrections and how to behave in a group. They knew how to hollow, to arch, to do a push up position, a landing position... All in all we had a great time.
Fast forward to the beginning of this school year. This group still exsists but I'm suddenly standing in front of 20 kids and it's a disaster. Most have never done any sort of gymnastics and literally can't walk backwards. They cannot do a forward roll, cannot support their own weight and have no body tension whatsoever. So I'm back to the beginning. The kids that were on this group last year are of course starting to get bored. They get distracted as soon as I turn my back on them, start chatting and stop putting effort into what they do. Last years sharp looking pullover is now sloppy and has bent legs. The new kids on the other hand are happily picking up bad habbits, behaviour and form. It's all falling apart and it is very frustrating to see.
How do you deal with big groups like that? Stations are what worked best to keep them all occupied but are mostly done wrong if I'm not standing right next to them.
How do you deal with big diversity in your groups? How do you keep things interesting for the advanced?
And last but not least I'm looking for games and simple exercises to increase coordination and body tension.
Btw, Unfortunatly it is not an option to divide the group. We are lacking coaches and capacities. That's the situation and I have to make the best out of it.
Thank you for your input!
last year I created a group of 5-7 year olds. I started them from the very beginning and it immediatley clicked. They came in eager to learn, progressed fast and in the process learned how to listen, take corrections and how to behave in a group. They knew how to hollow, to arch, to do a push up position, a landing position... All in all we had a great time.
Fast forward to the beginning of this school year. This group still exsists but I'm suddenly standing in front of 20 kids and it's a disaster. Most have never done any sort of gymnastics and literally can't walk backwards. They cannot do a forward roll, cannot support their own weight and have no body tension whatsoever. So I'm back to the beginning. The kids that were on this group last year are of course starting to get bored. They get distracted as soon as I turn my back on them, start chatting and stop putting effort into what they do. Last years sharp looking pullover is now sloppy and has bent legs. The new kids on the other hand are happily picking up bad habbits, behaviour and form. It's all falling apart and it is very frustrating to see.
How do you deal with big groups like that? Stations are what worked best to keep them all occupied but are mostly done wrong if I'm not standing right next to them.
How do you deal with big diversity in your groups? How do you keep things interesting for the advanced?
And last but not least I'm looking for games and simple exercises to increase coordination and body tension.
Btw, Unfortunatly it is not an option to divide the group. We are lacking coaches and capacities. That's the situation and I have to make the best out of it.
Thank you for your input!