WAG Attn: IWC re: Good coaching

[LizzieLac]

I may have written in a post or two that some coaches need to evolve. I say that because too often we overlook the constructive energy in front of us by setting too rigid a path for the kids. That doesn't mean the kids can ignore their coaches, but rather that we coaches should not ignore the fact that many of the kids we work with can contribute in planning what comes next.....and apply themselve with greater enthusiasm and energy because of it. So as a coach, I feel the kids get the most out of the sport when they're allowed to invest a little of themselves into their training.

I'll give you a loose definition of "wanting it".......Being interested in how she can affect her own dreams and goals. Wanting to spend a little extra time outside of the gym on things like flexibility, balance, and posture. Being attentive in the gym to the point they don't notice anything but the coach when getting corrected. Working so hard that parents in the viewing area wonder if she's working off some misdeed.....but are puzzled because there's a slight smile from her when she's done. There are other more subtle things, but the ones I've listed are the major ones that should be present, at least to some degree with-in the parameters of the ideal child contributor.

YES!! I think this is where parents get frustrated. When I read many of the posts on this board and see what goes on at some gyms I am familiar with, it seems solely the coaches decision on many things. I know they are following their approach to coaching, but sometimes a kid needs something a little different. Is the coach aable and willing to modify his/her approach? More often it seems the answer is no. Example: a child who could score well and place regularly at level 6, has the skills to put together level 7 routines but scores would be noticeably lower than at level 6. I can't tell you how many times we read things on this board, hear from other parents and gymnasts, that the coach made the decision which route to take, rather than involving the gymnast. I know it may be an oversimplified example, but the point is one child might do better staying at the lower level for a number of reasons like confidence or age, where another needs that challenge of the harder level for her confidence or interest and the weaker scores are irrelevant to her.

I just really wish there was more consistent integration of the coach, athlete, and parent in making these decisions. And, if I am wrong and this DOES happen all the time out there, please correct me.

I'm intriqued that you (cbone) phrased the question in a way that involves all of the players in a way that recognizes their potential to make a contribution, because that's exactly the way it should be.....in an ideal situation. So what's "ideal"? ....and can "ideal" exist in reality? I'm going to go out on a limb and desribe in approximate terms the qualities I feel moves each of the three, closest to ideal.

That was actually my question.

 

[Seeker]

This is how it is at our gym, but I have gotten the feeling it is rare. I am very grateful to be where we are though! My daughter started gymnastics later than normal (at 7) and she's now a just turned 9yr old Lvl 6. If we were at a big gym that required a full year at each level (or sometimes 2 at level 4!) that would not be good for her. Before gymnastics, she did ballet and was quite good at it. She performed in a mixed-professional production of The Nutcracker for two years and she has a lot of natural talent in both ballet and gymnastics. She'd be very bored if she wasn't able to up-train and had a coach that didn't allow her to progress at a slightly faster pace. She has done well so she is ready/capable of competing at the levels she's been at. I think her progression will normalize over time, but I'm glad she was allowed to speed up her compulsory work.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

YES!! I think this is where parents get frustrated. When I read many of the posts on this board and see what goes on at some gyms I am familiar with, it seems solely the coaches decision on many things. I know they are following their approach to coaching, but sometimes a kid needs something a little different. Is the coach aable and willing to modify his/her approach? More often it seems the answer is no. Example: a child who could score well and place regularly at level 6, has the skills to put together level 7 routines but scores would be noticeably lower than at level 6. I can't tell you how many times we read things on this board, hear from other parents and gymnasts, that the coach made the decision which route to take, rather than involving the gymnast. I know it may be an oversimplified example, but the point is one child might do better staying at the lower level for a number of reasons like confidence or age, where another needs that challenge of the harder level for her confidence or interest and the weaker scores are irrelevant to her.

I just really wish there was more consistent integration of the coach, athlete, and parent in making these decisions. And, if I am wrong and this DOES happen all the time out there, please correct me.

I'm intriqued that you (cbone) phrased the question in a way that involves all of the players in a way that recognizes their potential to make a contribution, because that's exactly the way it should be.....in an ideal situation. So what's "ideal"? ....and can "ideal" exist in reality? I'm going to go out on a limb and desribe in approximate terms the qualities I feel moves each of the three, closest to ideal.

That was actually my question.

having a parent involved/integrated in to the decisions that must be made by coaches would be a recipe for disaster for that kid. but maybe you meant something else.

 

[cbone]

I'm intriqued that you (cbone) phrased the question in a way that involves all of the players in a way that recognizes their potential to make a contribution, because that's exactly the way it should be.....in an ideal situation.

I'll give you my point of view on why I view it the way I do and why I framed my question like I did. I am an extremely involved father. I sit and talk with my kids about their lives daily. I KNOW them. With all due respect to the coaching establishment, there is often an arrogance that has been built up. The mindset of "I am a gymnastics coach; I know what is best; I make the decisions; you cannot question me!" is prevalent in the sport and is utter rubbish. (I suspect that this has been built up as a defense mechanism because overbearing, bullying parents have ruined it for everyone, but the reasons for the mindset don't change the fact that it's there.)

I defer always to our coaches in matters of gymnastics, but when it comes to knowing my child I don't defer to anyone outside of my family. A coach will never know my child as well as I do. I have been so lucky because our coaches "get it". There has never been a moment where I have questioned the coaches' judgment with respect to my child.

My daughter sprained her finger severely last year. It got to the point where she was crying at practice and felt she couldn't do bars. She said she tried to be tough, but it was too much. We took her to the doctor. Her doctor said no bars for two months (that was the only routine where it bothered her). We told the coach what the doctor said and that we intended to follow the doctor's advice. The coach agreed and my daughter did extra conditioning during bar time.

I will confess that I was initially upset with our decision. My daughter had been cleared to start bars again two days before her very first competition. The coach felt (and we agreed) that she ought to scratch bars. It turns out that she took first on everything else and would have needed a 6.1 on bars to have won all-around at that meet. I wanted so badly for her to win and it was ultimately my decision that cost her her first victory (what a difference a year makes; I'd take a new skill over a medal any day now). She continued to struggle with bars the rest of the season, slowly improving until state where she finally put it together and took second. Bars has become a strength for her. That experience taught me to be more patient and to make decisions that are best for the long term. I've seen that working together to make decisions for the good of the gymnast works when everyone (the gymnast included) is involved and respectful toward one another.

 

[LizzieLac]

having a parent involved/integrated in to the decisions that must be made by coaches would be a recipe for disaster for that kid. but maybe you meant something else.

Depends on what you think are only the coach's decision to make. I don't question coaching that happens in the gym during the workout, but beyond that, like cbone said, parents know their children better than anyone. And, I would be a bad parent if I left the coach to make all decisions for my child. Period.

 

[iwannacoach]

I was wondering all day if it's possible for parents and coaches be "the ideal" to one another. Well, maybe so and maybe not, because it all comes down to perspective and preference. I think it would be fairly easy to gather up a group of thirty parents, and ask them to describe the "ideal coach", but to limit their description to five qualities. Upon reviewing these thirty descriptions, I'd wouldn't be surprized to find more than 10 distinct qualities listed among them. In other words there are simply too many differing preferences to allow an individual coach to appeal to each parent equally.

So what should a coach do about it.....wear a revolving hat that switches to appeal to whichever parent they encounter. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that I will coach according to my values with a little wiggle to one side or the other, because I have to be able to invest myself into the process of coaching to be of any value to the kids that depend on me to follow through for them. So just as a child needs to feel able to express their feelings about "what's next" and know they can be involved in parts of the conversation, I feel I need the same, and that my experience will be given the respect it deserves.

Does this mean I have the final say about how training is conducted. I'd normally say absolutely and definitely, but hope that the child and parent would realize these decisions are made with consideration to their input....rather than inspite of, nor to comply with their input. To frame it up the best I can, when it comes to the over all gymnastics picture, I'm far more qualified to make these decisions than either the gymnast or the parent.

So where do parents fit in....do I expect them to turn their child over to me for the next 10ish years and leave every decision to me, not by any stretch of the imagination. I'll get back to that in my next post, but first I want to add a little more about my opinion of what should be the coaches role.

As I wrote that coach "bit" there was some internal conflict based upon my early years as a coach. I guess you could say I was pretty over the top for a while, and the decisions I made during the "over the top" years were based on getting as many kids possible to go beyond....like to infinity and beyond. I doubt that mind set was helpful to more than half the kids, and in wondering how many other young "hotshot" coaches are going through that stage, it's not surprising parents "look both ways" when falling in line behind the coach. That's not to say you shouldn't trust seasoned professional coaches, but rather that you should....if you're lucky enough to find one.

I'll post this much now, and hope the parents can bear the suspense while I get ready to juxtapose the parent's role with that of the coach's.