Coaches Sore Coaches

[gymnastike30]

Any other coaches out there who are constantly sore? There isn't a day that goes by (besides holidays) that I'm not sore from spotting my girls!!

 

[Gymsanity]

What!! Are you telling me there are coaches out there that aren't sore, battered, and bruised everyday of their careers?? Not real coaches if you ask me!

 

[gymnastike30]

Exactly!! There is a coach at the gym I work for that sits and barks orders. No spotting at all! It really irritates me. I'm drenched in sweat struggling and he's drinking his Dr. Pepper.

 

[gymcoach4]

We don't do a lot of spotting at our gym...or course there are things that need spot..but we're not constantly throwing kids around. I coach vault and the kids progress as they are ready - I spot a lot of "super womans" for level 2, but then once they figure out the run, punch, tight body, they do handsprings on low mats and as they gain power I slowly raise...just like table vault. Flipping vaults are started on the wedge into the pit...progressions on low mats (round off reboud up..round off back tuck...etc). Before they flip, the girls need to vault up onto stack mats so they have the block (so I don't have to worry about throwing them!)..then they go into the pit..onto 1 mat..2 mats..etc. Our beam coach very rarely spots anything. The bar and floor coaches are stuck with the most spotting Dont get me wrong..I spot as needed, but for the most part I don't have too much of a need to - if girls flipping yurchenkos can't make it up to higher mats behind the table, they're certainly not ready to flip - and I'm not about to throw them thru it when they can't block appropriately! I do get a workout moving vault settings all over the place though. In fairness I did get a battle wound spotting a girl on a backhandspring at open gym a few weeks ago...got cracked right in the head. ouch!

 

[&bs]

Shoulders every day - kip cast handstand clear hip handstand x a million.

 

[gymdog]

Nope. Occasionally my arm hurts from spotting a cast handstands on the same side so I just switch for the smaller girls. If you're really sore everyday then I would be concerned because if YOU get injured then it's going to be worse than finding half non spotting drills and spotting 50% less. Non spotting drills are really in the kids best interest because finding a drill allows them to figure out and learn how to orient their body in space rather than orient their body due to proprioceptive feedback from being spotted. Spotting plays a huge role in developing technique, but I don't think it should be to the point of injury or even soreness, at that point I would recommend trying a new way of spotting or double spotting.

 

[JBS]

Any other coaches out there who are constantly sore?

Sore...haha...I'm in my prime.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

+1 to gymdog's post. Less spotting is more is a healthy axiom to follow.

I thought we all ache.

Above said, some skills need spotting for safety and others for technique. Spotting is valuable. The art is how much and when, IMO. On the safety I think of UB releases, giant swings and hechts. Until they rock, they get spotted. I get aches on these when the athletes do unexpected things. I am glad that I can keep them safe, ache as a result and reflect that I need to better teach them mentally andf physically. Technique - neural muscular memory occurs with correctly executed reps. To speed learning along we spot when the athlete needs reminders, is developing timing of even when they are developing strength.

Now to aches: yup hips hurt from activities and standing on the carpet over cement floor all hours of the day and night, yup hands ache from repeated use, yup skin gets dry in cooler weather, yup old ankle & knee surgeries ache when weather changes(like today), upper shoulders ache from repeated in-bar skills the day before (this should end according to my Workout Planner in a few weeks - but valuable at the moment), my cheeck bone aches from Open Gym spotting rookie backhand springs, and my ribs ache from hitting the BB today when safety spotting a salto series that went unexpectantly to the left. Just aches - no blood gushing, no broken bones so I can continue Tuesday. Home a bit ago, so that means very shortly a stretch, short run on the treadmill, a bit of stationary bike, small bit to eat and then finally sleep. Morning some more late sleep(until at least 8:00am), and indicated by today some anti-inflamatories, a stretch, a swim and then to the gym. Aches - yes.

Coaches lives are the best I remind myself! BTW, I suffer a delusionary state of fatigue by this time of the evening.

Empathizing aches this evening. Best to all coaches, SBG -

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i'm a mess most of the time. this old body...

 

[gymjunkie]

Any other coaches out there who are constantly sore? There isn't a day that goes by (besides holidays) that I'm not sore from spotting my girls!!

Sore? No. Hurting from spotting-induced tendonitis all over my body? Yes. Coaching is a marathon, not a sprint, so save your body if you intend to do this long-term. Don't spot everything, don't spot when you are hurt, switch sides and do as much pre-hab/re-hab as you can sneak in.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

pre-hab and re-hab are are scared to death to get anywhere near me!

 

[aerialriver]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! Everyday I look in the mirror and am like where did that bruise come from????

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Gymnastics + Bars = beat up coach.

 

[coachkazoo]

I am sore all the time too...but I think its age for me....40.... But if you are a hands-on kind of coach - you are getting a work out no matter how big or small the kids are...For me, its shoulders, neck, upper back. If you're a hands off coach, well, then it is kind of like sitting on a couch drinking Dr. Pepper...and you won't be sore. Lol.