Coaches Class Structure

[ivyagogo]

Our gym is solely rec. Most of our classes are one hour with the more advanced classes having an extra 15 minutes. We would like to start adding in more drills and conditioning as our kids advance. Right now, we warm up usually with vault or some trampoline, then we stretch and we move through the events picking out a few skills to work on that day. We try to end with a game if we have time. How do I add in time for conditioning and drills? Any thoughts?

 

[coachmolly]

Do you work in stations on each event? What I try to do is set up 4-6 stations (depending on the event, number of kids, etc.) and make some of them conditioning related to the event. For example, on bars I might have a station for push-ups or holding a good push-up position, holding a chin-up, hanging from the bar and holding their legs up in a tuck or pike, that kind of thing. I try to give them a time to aim for (try to hold this for 10 seconds counting slowly) depending on the level. I also might make a station for drills depending on what skills are being worked on. I'll do similar things on the other events depending on what they are working on. It isn't much, but it does get a little bit of conditioning into their workout and it breaks it up for the kids so they don't do 10-15 minutes of straight conditioning which can be painful for purely recreational level kids.
I also sometimes add a little conditioning into their warm-up. After they run, jump rope, do jumping jacks, whatever to warm-up I might have them do sit-ups with a partner, candle sticks to a big jump, frog jumps, that kind of thing. It's still getting their body warmed-up, but also providing a little bit of conditioning.

 

[gymdog]

Are the kids spending time in lines at the events? You might want to work out a lesson plan with a circuit ahead of time. It's harder if you don't have many bars, for example, but you can still use other things, i.e. block, floor bar, etc.

A typical L2 bar circuit for me would be like - focus: back hip circle
-start with jump ups, try to keep straight arms...surprisingly hard. do 10
-move to other bar, 10 tuck ups (easy leg lifts on low bar)
-move to third station, maybe strength (sit ups, cast position with feet elevated) or p-bars at two different heights (hands on higher, feet/knees on lower) 10 modified pull ups
-another station, if you have another bar, do glide swings or some exercise like that, or use a mat for push ups, sit ups, dips, hollow, whatever you haven't done.

Then the first bar changes each time they come around. ten jump ups - pullover, five casts, roll down - pullover, three casts, back hip circle - add glide swing then BHC - maybe finish with hollow hang (toes up, bar at hips)