WAG Coach and Corrections - gymnast not following through - what to do?

[Traci]

If a coach gives a gymnast corrections - and the gymnast doesn't follow through - is this a fault of the gymnast, a fault with the coach - HOW do you fix this?

 

[gymbeam]

Sometimes the kids really don't understand what the coach is saying and they might not even know they didn't really understand correctly. I'd say more communication about exactly what they are asking would be the first step to rule out miscommunication.

Aside from that, it is hard to say without knowing more specifics.

 

[kecks]

also some kids have more natural talent for coordination than others. kids who are less talented in this area very often *can't* make a correction even if they want to and keep trying very har. this is because their bodies in a way are just not doing what their brains tell them to do. probably these kids are not cut out for gymnastics but sometimes lots of reps/different phrasing of the correction, different drills, spotting and the like can make a change for these kids.

 

[ayyyrial]

As a coach and gymnast I've run into a few different scenarios:

-The gymnast doesn't care about making the correction and ignores it (mostly in rec classes)
-The gymnast doesn't understand what the coach means
-The gymnast understands the coach, but can't implement the correction due to lacking body awareness, lacking comfort/experience with the skill, lacking strength/flexibility, dealing with fear associated with the skill, or just fighting the force of habit
-The coach only has one way of giving a correction, so when the gymnast can't implement it, they're stuck (versus other coaches who might offer several different ways to think about a complicated skill, different drills, or different things to focus on when trying to change something about a skill)
-The coach doesn't have a good technical understanding of the skill and is offering the wrong correction or a correction that isn't useful (e.g. saying "straighten your arms when you hit the table" on a FHS vault when the real problem with the vault is that the gymnast is leaning forward on the board, which causes them to come in too low and need to bend their arms)

Often it's a combination. Corrections like "straighten your legs" usually just need a lot of attention and repetition before they become a universal habit. Corrections associated with a more technically complex skill like a punch front are harder to implement. Good gymnasts try their best to implement corrections, and good coaches have a number of ways to approach the same problem if one or another doesn't work. Of course, a sign of aptitude is the ability to quickly and easily implement corrections. It's usually not simply the coach's fault or the gymnast's fault.

 

[Traci]

As a coach and gymnast I've run into a few different scenarios:

-The gymnast doesn't care about making the correction and ignores it (mostly in rec classes) -- she cares - and has told me she sometimes doesn't understand what the coach means. When I told the coach this - he dismissed it.
-The gymnast doesn't understand what the coach means -- ding, ding, ding, - this! Well, according to DD.
-The gymnast understands the coach, but can't implement the correction due to lacking body awareness, lacking comfort/experience with the skill, lacking strength/flexibility, dealing with fear associated with the skill, or just fighting the force of habit
-The coach only has one way of giving a correction, so when the gymnast can't implement it, they're stuck (versus other coaches who might offer several different ways to think about a complicated skill, different drills, or different things to focus on when trying to change something about a skill) - Just from what I've seen - he (the coach) is more verbal than visual... if that makes sense.
-The coach doesn't have a good technical understanding of the skill and is offering the wrong correction or a correction that isn't useful (e.g. saying "straighten your arms when you hit the table" on a FHS vault when the real problem with the vault is that the gymnast is leaning forward on the board, which causes them to come in too low and need to bend their arms) --this could be as he is more of a coach for the men's gymnastics than females... but he is a great coach.

Often it's a combination. Corrections like "straighten your legs" usually just need a lot of attention and repetition before they become a universal habit. Corrections associated with a more technically complex skill like a punch front are harder to implement. Good gymnasts try their best to implement corrections, and good coaches have a number of ways to approach the same problem if one or another doesn't work. Of course, a sign of aptitude is the ability to quickly and easily implement corrections. It's usually not simply the coach's fault or the gymnast's fault.

So - how do we fix this?? lol.

 

[coachmolly]

I try to drill into my kids that if they don't know what I mean- ASK! If I give a correction and they nod their head and go on their merry way and then make the same mistake over and over and then I ask if they understand and they say yes when they really don't, it's so much harder for me to help. Do I need to reword my correction? Do I need to spot them through a certain shape or correction? Do we need to go back to a specific drill? Are they scared of some part of the skill? It's all a guessing game on my part unless they can give me some feedback. But if they say they are confused, or that they're trying and they just can't seem to do it, I have a better understanding of what's going on internally for them.
For the kids who don't let me know they don't understand/are afraid/whatever, we usually eventually get there, but the process goes so much faster when a kid can say, "I don't get it" or just let on that some part of the correction isn't clicking (even if they are little and can't totally tell me exactly what's happening).

 

[Traci]

I try to drill into my kids that if they don't know what I mean- ASK! If I give a correction and they nod their head and go on their merry way and then make the same mistake over and over and then I ask if they understand and they say yes when they really don't, it's so much harder for me to help. Do I need to reword my correction? Do I need to spot them through a certain shape or correction? Do we need to go back to a specific drill? Are they scared of some part of the skill? It's all a guessing game on my part unless they can give me some feedback. But if they say they are confused, or that they're trying and they just can't seem to do it, I have a better understanding of what's going on internally for them.
For the kids who don't let me know they don't understand/are afraid/whatever, we usually eventually get there, but the process goes so much faster when a kid can say, "I don't get it" or just let on that some part of the correction isn't clicking (even if they are little and can't totally tell me exactly what's happening).

Thank you so much - I will talk with DD about being more verbal and TALKING to the coach.....

 

[e'smum]

i have the same issue with my gymmie sometimes. and i know she's not alone as i've had more than one conversation with a parent who has a kiddo saying the same thing...

mine *thinks* she is doing the correction but may not be doing it. she says she "feels" like she is. my kid needs a visual and she isn't getting it sometimes. i know this b/c we did a private at a gym near my parent's house (in another state and it was a "show off" private). the coach there, b/c it was a private and the gym was basically empty, was able to take her to a mirror and show her the correct was to do the skill. that worked very well and dd's score on that event at the next meet reflected it. i have relayed this info to her coaches but i get it's busy and there's a lot of girls in there vs. a private. but i want them to know she's not - not taking the corrections.

i also told her she needs to be more verbal and if they correct her a few times tell them what she told me.

 

[Traci]

i have the same issue with my gymmie sometimes. and i know she's not alone as i've had more than one conversation with a parent who has a kiddo saying the same thing...

mine *thinks* she is doing the correction but may not be doing it. she says she "feels" like she is. my kid needs a visual and she isn't getting it sometimes. i know this b/c we did a private at a gym near my parent's house (in another state and it was a "show off" private). the coach there, b/c it was a private and the gym was basically empty, was able to take her to a mirror and show her the correct was to do the skill. that worked very well and dd's score on that event at the next meet reflected it. i have relayed this info to her coaches but i get it's busy and there's a lot of girls in there vs. a private. but i want them to know she's not - not taking the corrections.

i also told her she needs to be more verbal and if they correct her a few times tell them what she told me.

How old is your DD?

 

[e'smum]

How old is your DD?

she turned 10 in Feb. her issues are on floor and with leaps/jumps. but i sat and watched that private (she was beginning lvl 4) and watched how her leap pass vastly improved with her being shown the correct way to do it in the mirror and she did it several times in front of the mirror watching herself. she was 8 1/2 then. when she could watch herself do it the correct way - it clicked. floor was was one of her best events last year.

this year in lvl 6, she struggled on floor. when i asked about it i was told she didn't take her corrections. i asked her and she said she FELT like she was doing the correction. that's when i told her she needed to let them know that. our gym won't do privates. i was able to get her a clean up with the person who did her floor choreography which did help. but that was strictly the choreo part. but they did a lot of looking in the mirror and it came out cleaner. at states she had her best floor score for the full year and placed.

 

[ayyyrial]

So - how do we fix this?? lol.

It depends on a couple of factors, depending on the gym's coaching set-up and the correction in question.
-Does the gymnast work with other coaches on this issue as well? If so, working with a variety of coaches may help her to get corrections from different points of view, and one of them may work for her.
-Is the gymnast dealing with fear issues or a lack of strength/flexibility? If so, it may just take time and patience and continued effort.
-Is the gymnast having difficulty communicating with the coach? (Sounds like this might be the case.) If so, she can try asking the coach to re-explain what he was telling her. In general I think most coaches would rather have this conversation directly with the gymnast, even if the parent is there to facilitate, since the gymnast knows a lot more about gymnastics and has a relationship with the coach. Not every coach responds well to this kind of inquiry - I've had coaches who don't know how to explain something differently when I ask if there's a different way to approach it.
-Is the correction something small and not very technical, i.e. pointed toes, keeping muscles tight? This just takes frequent reminders and attention - i.e. the gymnast needs to make sure she's paying attention to it during every skill, every event, including conditioning.

 

[eucoach]

Have you talked to the coach and asked him/her what they think? I know you talked to him....but have you asked him specifically what he thinks the issue is?

I agree with all of the above recommendations and explanations.
But I would also try and figure out if she is able to remember corrections from one practice to the next. I have a gymnast who takes ages to understand what a correction means. Once she's figured it out you'd think she'd remember. But no - next practice she has forgotten all about it and you are back to the drawing board. This is incredibly frustrating for the coaches. She's 10 and I feel that's the age when they start to finally take responsibility for their gymnastics (or not). At some point coaches cannot give the same corrections over and over - the gymnast needs to understand that they have to remember and apply certain corrections without being reminded constantly.

 

[Traci]

Have you talked to the coach and asked him/her what they think? I know you talked to him....but have you asked him specifically what he thinks the issue is?

I agree with all of the above recommendations and explanations.
But I would also try and figure out if she is able to remember corrections from one practice to the next. I have a gymnast who takes ages to understand what a correction means. Once she's figured it out you'd think she'd remember. But no - next practice she has forgotten all about it and you are back to the drawing board. This is incredibly frustrating for the coaches. She's 10 and I feel that's the age when they start to finally take responsibility for their gymnastics (or not). At some point coaches cannot give the same corrections over and over - the gymnast needs to understand that they have to remember and apply certain corrections without being reminded constantly.

When we (the coach and I) discussed this, I suggested/questioned if she possibly wasn't understanding what he meant and he said, "No - because after the 5th time she'll get it, perfectly - then the next day back to square one." He is frustrated and she just says she doesn't get it....and when she gets it on the 5th time, it is really luck - she isn't sure WHAT she did. lol.

 

[eucoach]

Uh....that sounds a lot like the gymnast I wrote about.
Since you are willing to help her, I would try the following: Tell her to remember the specific correction(s) and write them down after practice. Make her explain to you what each correction means. Before the next practice, she has to read through them and try to apply them before the coach says something.
Good luck!