Coaches Coaching when you're injured.

[CoachGoofy]

How do you do it?

Assume you have no choice, either for your own financial reasons or staffing concerns at your facility.

The injury in question is my dominant hand, and I coach compulsories and middle rec (so levels 2-6ish).

As fun as dance days are for everyone, they do need to work on other things-I'm thrilled to death that optional leap passes are going to be easy for them, but there's the here-and-now too. Bar and vault ideas especially appreciated. We have no pit or strap bar at this time.

Thank yooooou.

 

[nevertooold]

Lots would depend upon where you are in your season, how long your hand will be out of use, how good you are with your other hand/arm, and whether you are casted and would injure a child if you had to grab them, etc. I have coached with a broken finger and a broken facial bone. With the facial bone I did very little spotting b/c it was a danger to be hit in the face again before the bones were stable. With the finger I did a lot of spotting with the back of my hand and forearm and my opposite hand.

Bars:
I would think your 4,5,6's would have lots that they can do on their own without spotting. ( I would be happy to give you some ideas if you need them.)

For your 2-3's there are some things you could teach and spot with one hand, pullovers, BHC spotting just the small of the back with your opposite hand (kids who are strong, tight and ready) leg cuts, holding the arm near the shoulder only.

But better yet just set up stations that don't need to be spotted.
--Pullovers or kickovers from a box or mat stack.
--Leg cuts standing on a box.
-- Single leg shoot through standing on a box, and just putting the leg through back and forth
-- single knee hang and swing
-- stem rise from a box
-- stride position push up and hold 3-5 sec. switch hands and hold again
-- front support alternate lifting hands off the bar
-- push-ups or leg lifts with a floor bar
-- tuck or L hangs
-- straddle or pike hangs with feet on bar
-- climb to squat on or straddle on and balance on floor bar or low bar w/ resi/mat stack

Vault
5/6's I would assume are vaulting without you spotting anyway. If you have some that you are worried about, tie a 4in mat to the top of the vault table and/or put a resi behind. Alternatively with your compulsories spend a few weeks on running drills, arm circle drills, board drills, etc. Let me know if you need some.

4's should be vaulting without a spot, you can also do over the resi sideways or add one or two 8inchers either longways ie, level 4, or sideways.

2/3's
-- arm circle to board from a panel mat straight jump to 8in mat
-- jump up to resi (should be able to follow/safety spot with opposite hand)
-- tight body jumps on spring board
-- 3 bounces to squat on or straddle on resi (follow spot or hold arm near shoulder w/ good arm)
-- running drills
-- straight, tuck and straddle jumps from board to 8 in mat w/ a short run

I hope this helps and if you provide more details I may have some other ideas.

 

[fuzi]

My theory on coaching while injured is that I do as little as possible, while still keeping the kids safe.

As the previous poster said, much of it depends on where you are in the season. My last major injury was to my shoulder, but it was during the competitive season, so my gymnasts were doing a lot of routines and perfecting, but not new skills. It ended up not being a big deal. I've coached in a soft cast for 2 separate month long periods. I was able to do stationary spotting relatively well, but I did not attempt to spot traveling skills such as RO BHS to BHS BTs.

nevertooold had tons of good suggestions, but I will add a few more.

For L 2 and 3 bars:
* On floor bar positioned on top of 8" mat, step to straddle on or pike on, fall back to their butt on the mat (dismount drill). Once they have that, have them jump from pushup shape to straddle or pike on and fall back.
* Building on the previous drill, place a large spotting blog with a sting mat or 4" mat over it behind a low bar. Have gymnast stand on mat with hands on bar, jump to pike or straddle on, and swing to their butt on the mat. If they can do this with a tight body and keeping their feet on the bar, I've found they get the full dismount quickly.
* Chin up holds!!!!
* Hollow cast position holds, feet on panel mat, hands on floor bar.
* Casting station with two spotting blocks set up side by side on low bar. Gymnast casts, and opens legs into a small straddle, finishing with one foot on each spotting block. You can correct cast shape this way without having to HOLD them in a cast.

Vault
* Tight body blocking drills. Kick to handstand on springboard, block to flat back on 8" mat.
* Or, kick to handstand on floor, block to flat back going uphill on wedge mat.
* If you have a trampoline, set resi blocks on one side of it at about same height as level 4 vaulting setup. From one side of tramp, bounce, bounce, bounce, handstand flat back on mats. Work on arm circle and heel drive.
* landing drills

Let me know if you want some more ideas or need clarification.

 

[niknak]

You have a lot of good suggestions, but I wanted to let you know I'm in the same boat. Coaching on an ankle fractured in 4 places doing a punch front. Blah.

 

[CoachGoofy]

Ouch =( I just have a dislocated/ligament torn thumb on my dominant side. It has a shiny darth-vadar looking brace because, semi-ex-gymnast that I am, I kept taking the big cast thing off and just taping it so I could at least use my wrist.

We've done umpteen million routines, we have two weeks until state so it's the rec classes that are the challenge.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

 

[CreateMagic]

Ouch =( I just have a dislocated/ligament torn thumb on my dominant side. It has a shiny darth-vadar looking brace because, semi-ex-gymnast that I am, I kept taking the big cast thing off and just taping it so I could at least use my wrist.

We've done umpteen million routines, we have two weeks until state so it's the rec classes that are the challenge.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

I had what sounds like a similar injury...ruptured the UCL in my thumb three weeks before college cheerleading nationals. My ortho wanted surgery immediately (seriously, was looking for openings for the next day in his schedule) but I begged him to let me compete, if possible. I ended up in a brace, from my physical therapist, that was molded to my thumb and heel of my hand and velcro-ed around the back of my hand. My wrist was completely free, and I competed a full routine including all stunting and a standing handspring tuck. Maybe you could see if you could get something to that effect so you can coach?





***a little off topic, but the surgery ended up being much more invasive and a longer recovery period b/c I waited, haha. The things we do for our sports!!