Parents Home stretching and conditioning

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gymisforeveryone

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I wanted to ask a question from parents of gymnasts. Are your children given conditioning or stretching home work? How do you handle it? Do you like it or would you like to leave gym in the gym and not worry about it during off days?

During Christmas Holidays my team had almost 3 weeks off (I couldn't coach them because I was out of the town the whole time) and at the end of the last practices the girls (9-10 years old) started to ask for homework, one of them came to me and asked if she could borrow some of my conditioning sheets and then the others started to wonder if they could have one also. I was surprised because I didn't know they were so motivated, I thought they would want to spend the holidays eating chocolate and watching cartoons ;) SO I made them fun home conditioning homework for Holidays and sent it to the parents. We made it a contest : they had to write down the days they did it and the parents had to sign the papers.

After Holidays they gave the sheets back to me and we awarded the hard-working ones. The girls loved it and I loved it too because the two of the three girls were those who never get awards in any other competitions. They really showed me how motivated they are.

Well, now I'm planning on giving the girls another challenge. Their flexibility needs more work so there would definitely be need of some homework in that area also. I'm planning on giving them 1 month long stretching challenge and the ones who do it the most often are given a prize.

My only concern is that some of the parents have commented gym homework in negative way in the past (like a year ago). One of the mums said they have so hectic schedule she doesn't have time to keep on track of any other homework than school work and the weekly activities. I understand that and I said the parents don't have to push their kids to do it - they do it if they have some inner motivation. But I'm still wondering if it was just her or are other parents feeling the same way in general and she was the only one to speak out?

So would you like it if your child came back from the practice with a home conditioning or stretching plan?
 
Our boy have home strength and flexibility sheets that the coach has given them. He asked them to try to do the flex every day and the strength every other. I do not push it as a parent. I might remind my son about it, but really, it is up to him to do it. It can only help.
So, that being said, I do not mind at all. but I am not going to monitor or force the issue. What he does is for him :)
 
I would be great with it! Flexibility is an issue my dd has. We had one great coach give me pointers on how to stretch her at home, which we did. My dd won't allow me to do much with gym but when her coach told her it needed to be done, she allowed me to help her. Now, that coach is gone & nobody seems to care about her flexibility. If any of them would tell her & I what we can do at home, we would do it! It would just have to come from her coach.

So, yes! Definitely! I think they're are going to be parents who complain but I would think most won't.
 
We don't have a specific assignment, but we are encouraged to do splits, etc at home. My coaches don't really like us doing "real" gymnastics not in a gym, but conditioning and flexibility is always encouraged. The coaches ask that parents or older siblings watch the younger or immature girls for safety reasons. I wish my coaches did something similar to what you do!
 
Gym homework is individual at our club. If an athlete has an injury...like when my daughter's hamstring was injured...they may get extra stretching work at home. Beyond that no...gym stays at gym.
 
Personally I like when the coach assigns homework. My daughter came from a USAIGC gym to a USAG gym and was behind in strength. At her old gym they hardly conditioned at all. She was getting stronger with what she was doing in her new classes but was still behind the other kids by far. She was not really getting any new skills because of her strength. Her coach told her to start some conditioning at home and it would help her get skills quicker. She started doing that a month ago and already got a difficult skill that had been eluding her for quite some time. I knew she needed to be stronger but I didn't want to force her to do more on her off days. If I had made her she would have resented it but since the coach told her to do it she took it like the coach wanted to help her.
 
My dd was told (with the rest of the girls in her group) to buy a smallish notebook and take it to gym. The coach collected them all in and wrote around 11 conditioning exercises in them that dd did every day, they used to get homework like this every other week. During the summer they did not get any as they were in the gym more hours and they didn't get that much after the summer holidays.

The gym as closed for Christmas and no homework was given but when they returned they were given their notebooks back (the coach had written their individual grades/levels routines that they were doing, they were told the practice the range and conditioning every day and they were also asked to write out some conditioning exercise that they would like to do as the coach thinks that they need to improve their strength etc. (they are at the gym twice a week), my dd has chosen some exercise and also some bar conditioning exercise as she has a chin up bar at home so she does 10 chin ups, 10 reverse grip chin ups (she is spoiled lightly has she finds the chin up bar hard to hold on to) and 10 leg lifts. Dd does not do any gym home work on gym nights as they do plenty of conditioning then.

My dd has been good with her homework and even after a week (just a few days work) the coach has noticed a difference and has seen she has improved and worked at home and she was praised in front of the group at the end of group meeting they always have.

I am happy for dd to do conditioning at home if that what she wants, she doesn't do it if she is ill or has an injury, dd fell doing a squat on bar last session and I was asked to keep an eye on her and the coach recommended that she rested for a least a day while her back still hurts, dd has started doing her homework again now as she is feeling much better after resting like the coach recommended.
 
This is dd's flexibility and conditioning homework that she made up herself, the coach wants then to try and do exercises that covers all parts of the body as well as strength and flexibility, I think dd has made some good choices considering she is the youngest in the group. What do you all think?

Left leg Splits hold - typically 60-90 seconds
Right leg Splits hold - as above
Box Splits hold - as above
Bridge - 15 seconds
Plank - 60 seconds
Ankle Raises x 100
Press Ups x20
Dish Crunches x30
Buries x20
Pike fold hold - 30-60 seconds

Pull-up Bar
10 chin ups (with a light spot)
10 Reverse Chin ups (with a light spot)
10 Leg lifts

dd can do chin ups on the A bars at gym but finds them harder on the pull-up bar at home due as she keeps slipping (even using the foam grips that are on the bar)
 
Our gym sends home homework in. A calendar but it's very simple. Never takes more than 3 minutes or so. DS(6) chooses to do his splits daily since they hardly ever practice them at gym. I have to help him get his hips square and time him. I don't push the issue though. It's all him. Sometimes he will forget for a week and then he'll get all fired up about it again.
I think at home stretching is wonderful as a coach but as a mom...we barely have time!!!
 
Looks like I am in the minority - I would not be very happy if my DD came home with gym homework, especially if it required some sort of involment on my part. DD has however had individual assignments as needed to work something specific and I am fine with this.
 
No gym homework here either, unless it's really needed. The week before DD scored out of 4, she was struggling a bit remembering the floor routine. Her coach had me video them going through it, and asked DD to review those parts at home. It helped, and she remembered. :)
 
I think it depends on the amount set and the hours the gymnast already does. Anything over 20 minutes in duration for us would be difficult to fit into non-gym nights due to other activities and would also put my DD off starting it if she knew she couldn't finish it. However something that takes less than that she could fit it and would probably do (up to her it is her sport). My DD only does 3 nights at the gym but 2 other days/nights are doing another sport and DS does sports too so she is hanging around waiting for him too so the only homework I push is school. I think gymnasts are intrinsically (?) pleased so most of DDs group would notice if they were falling behind because they were not doing the homework and the others were and would be motivated to do it.
 
We (whole team) have gym homework over the Xmas break.

As Dd is constantly moving she enjoys having a gym focus.

My role is to remind her/ insist she rests one day.:)

If Dds experienced elite track HC thinks conditioning homework is a good idea,then I trust her coaches judgement to know what's needed.

In saying that, Dd is unusual in that our role as parents is pretty much to rein her in, to ensure adequate rest times, rather then having to remind her to condition.
 

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