Parents Coaching at the lower levels to produce future level 10s

[ChalkFullOfLove]

I just read a comment in an old Chalk Bucket thread that said that lower levels are coached differently when the long-term goal is to produce level 10s. I'm super curious about what the main differences are. For example, are more training hours (let's say above 12 per week) necessary at the lower levels when the goal is level 10? Do the coaches devote more time on skill progression throughout each season vs. just focusing on perfecting routines for the current level? If so, is less importance placed on scores at the lower levels? Are the drills different? etc. Thank you!

 

[Tmacs]

When my daughter started in L2, we had an ex-Olympian coach who was a stickler for form. All the levels had the same drills and basics and they spent a lot of time correcting round offs at the upper levels. She was lucky to start with that program and get the basics right from the beginning. It's really made a difference as she trains 9/10. Our gym is small, so there are not a lot of level 9/10s but way more than we used to have because of her program and emphasis on slow and steady progression.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Depends on what you mean by "lower levels."

Rec is rec; no matter what the long-term goal, the priority is to make it fun enough for them to fall in love with the sport. Decent form and technique are nice to have, but they're not a priority for a kid who is just starting; if they're going to reach high levels, they have to love the sport enough to stick with it.

Low competitive levels (ie up through about level 8), basics basics basics. Actual scores at these levels are unimportant; strong basics do tend to correlate to decent scores, but I'm not gonna sweat a few tenths here and there on compulsory choreography and such; the stuff that they'll actually use at upper levels must be perfect, the stuff that is specific to compulsory routines is less important.