WAG Coach Spotting - Hindrance or Help

[Becauseisaid]

My daughter has developed fears of back tumbling. Oh yay. Watching her balk on her back walkover on beam I noticed that she can do the skill - easily. However, she is afraid to try it until her coach spots her. After coach spots her the first time, she will do it by herself with no problems. Until she rotates through the skills and comes back to BWO on beam. Then she balks until she's spotted again.

The coach has started using the magical one-finger spot and sometimes doesn't even put a hand out. But the confidence my DD receives just from her coach being there at the start of the skill is all that gets her going. I say that DD is using her coach as her security blanket.

So at what point does spotting become a hindrance and enables or encourages the fear?

 

[happychaos]

This exact thing has happened to my DD a few times. I think it's pretty common. I know many people will disagree with this, but a few times when DD just needed a little something to move past the non-existent spot, I have offered her a bribe. Yes, a bribe. Something simple like telling her that when she gets through an entire beam practice with no spot on the BWO, you will stop for ice cream on the way home. It has worked every time. Obviously this would only apply to skills that DD is totally capable of doing.....

 

[ladybird]

Good question, same issue here, same skill on beam. First, coach spots with a hand on the back, then one finger, then just stands there, then stands a little further away, etc. I think the enabling starts the second the gymmie talks the coach into doing it all over again despite having "successfully" accomplished the skill by themselves. I wish our kids minds didn't control their bodies so much, does that make sense?

 

[gymgymgymnast08]

I competed against one team where the coaches would always spot them in warm ups. The coach would spot a bhs bhs series in warm up but then the kid would do it perfectly by themselves when they had to compete. I can see how people would be against that but it seemed to work for this entire team. They always beat me at beam so I figured it must be a pretty good system of training

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

I'm not against it. The child needs it. At some point, the string has to be cut, but clearly the coach/gymnast will know when the time is right. Who are we to say from the second floor window that today is the day? We may WANT it to be today and think that is SHOULD be today...... But my experience says that when I think that, it is never today

 

[gracyomalley]

DD did beautiful BHS-BHS on beam for 2 years of L7. The first year she did it "on her own" the second coach stood up near the beam - no touch, not too close, etc....It was what she needed. 4th place beam at State championships...

 

[gasrgoose]

My daughter has developed fears of back tumbling. Oh yay. Watching her balk on her back walkover on beam I noticed that she can do the skill - easily. However, she is afraid to try it until her coach spots her. After coach spots her the first time, she will do it by herself with no problems. Until she rotates through the skills and comes back to BWO on beam. Then she balks until she's spotted again.

The coach has started using the magical one-finger spot and sometimes doesn't even put a hand out. But the confidence my DD receives just from her coach being there at the start of the skill is all that gets her going. I say that DD is using her coach as her security blanket.

So at what point does spotting become a hindrance and enables or encourages the fear?

If you are asking out of curiosity, the answer is it's different for each kid.

But I would strongly encourage you to not have a conversation with your daughter about spotting and/or if it is a crutch. Let the coach, who has experience coaching beam, decide when it's necessary and when it's not. And if you don't trust the coach to make the right decision, then you are either an overbearing parent or not at the right gym.

And I don't mean that as an insult, just a reality check. I've been there watching my child and thinking the coach should do something different. Thinking that I would coach that skill differently. BUT, I'm not her coach and i don't see her entire practices and hear what she says to the coaches and see the look in their eye, etc, etc.

You know sometimes you need a crutch to get through a tough time. With good coaching she will get past it. But don't make it a bigger issue than it already has become. If she loves the sport SHE will want to do it without a spot more than YOU want her to do it without a spot.

 

[Becauseisaid]

If you are asking out of curiosity, the answer is it's different for each kid.

Curiosity only. I'm Mom, not coach.

 

[midwestgymcoach]

From a coach perspective (and our beam coach's philosophy), I wouldn't spot at all. Beam, like floor, is the event that can be relatively hands-off for a coach. Outside of correcting body shape, I feel it shouldn't be spotted. I feel when spotting starts happening it becomes a hindrance. You can take the girls back to a line on the floor, floor beam with mats that are flush with the beam, or a high beam with mats or boxes all the way up. Restoring confidence is most important, beam is a confidence event.

 

[Tumbellina82]

I think if there's a plan to move away from spotting by making the spot progressively lighter and gradually moving away then that's fine. The gymnast is learning that they can do the skill and if they have a sense themselves of a progression towards being entirely on their own then that is a good thing. If the same skill and same spot is being done repeatedly then it is different and you risk that the gymnast is learning instead that they need a spot and can't do it on their own. I think it is having that clear sense of progression towards doing it alone that makes the difference.

I can definitely see the argument against spotting at all on beam (except shaping) and I'm really coming to agree with that for learning new skills but for mental blocks I think spotting can be useful provided it is not repeated and open ended.

 

[Quadqueen]

My DD's coaches seem to take midwestgymcoach's approach. There is no spotting on beam. My DD has not had any mental blocks on beam, but I'm pretty sure they would just have the gymnast take it down to a floor line, floor beam, higher beam with mats, etc. - that's how they learn all new skills.

Before she moved to her current gym, she would ask for a spot constantly on BWO and BHS, because her coach there would spot or "just stand there." I saw that old coach at a meet this year, still standing within arm's reach for acro skills when her girls were on beam, with girls who have been working on those skills and/or competing them for 2 years or more. This was every girl - not just one who might have had a mental block. So I see it can become a crutch.

If it works to get over a temporary bump in the road, I see nothing wrong with that.