Coaches Conditioning

[MamaOf2Gymnasts]

I would like opinions/insight or online articles regarding conditioning: How much is appropriate and safe to do in one practice session? How much is too much for girls under the age of 12?

Also, any good resources addressing the importance of positive coaching?

Thank you!

 

[MamaOf2Gymnasts]

No responses?

Okay, either this is an uninteresting topic or I didn't ask the question right. I'll be a bit more specific.... is it inappropriate or unsafe, in your opinion, for girls under the age of 12 to condition for three hours straight (an entire practice)? I feel it's better for them to have this same amount of conditioning spread out throughout the week, but I would like to have some feedback from others or good resources to read on this topic.

Thanks anyone who can share some thoughts on this.

 

[gymkat]

Conditioning for 3 hours is not unsafe or inappropriate unless the coaches weren't pacing the kids properly. A speaker at a recent clinic (who is very well-known in the gymnastics world) said that he occasionally does conditioning-only practices (sometimes just one day, sometimes longer).

 

[gymnut1]

I agree with the above. However it probably does depend on the age and level/ commitment of the gymnastic group. I think it is difficult to motivate younger/ lower level gymnasts to condidtion for a whole session. They run the risk of those children not wanting to come on conditioning day. Also like stretching, conditioning will be more effective if repeated more than once a week. Once a while a conditioning session could be very good. I wouldn't want to do it every week.

And it should be done in a positive environment. Strict is OK by me, firm and direct is ok by me. Negative, unkind and mean isn't. Hard to differentiate the two sometimes.

 

[MamaOf2Gymnasts]

Thank you for your feedback. I understand the vital role conditioning plays in any sport, but specifically gymnastics. I am concerned, as you mentioned, that conditioning for an entire practice can fill the girls with a sense of dread rather than excitement over coming to practice. They're pretty young to really understand the importance of it -- they just want to get their hands (or feet) on the equipment.

What would be an example of strict/firm vs. negative/unkind?

Thanks!

 

[MamaOf2Gymnasts]

Who was the speaker you referred to? Would this person have any articles published online?

 

[MamaOf2Gymnasts]

And more specifically, these girls are under the age of 12, all level 4 and 5.

 

[gymcoach34]

I do not see the need or purpose to have Level 4's and 5's have a day of just conditioning. A workout can easily be designed to include conditioning, lots of basics and new skills for this level. I think the coaches are probably just excited and want to have strong kids, which lead to great gymnastics! If this is happening every once in a while, I wouldn't be concerned. If its often, the kids will definitely lose interest and hate it!



I think you already hve an idea of what negative coaching is vs. being strict if you are asking the question. You must have concerns.

 

[MamaOf2Gymnasts]

Okay, so if you had a coach who asked a girl to do a skill 100 times, and at the completion she was told "You did them all wrong. Do them again." would you consider that firm or negative? If this was a girl who regularly slacked, I would say firm... but this girl really doesn't slack. My opinion is that if she was going them wrong, she should have been stopped and corrected in the beginning so that the first 100 would be correct. If she did indeed do the 100 wrong (and I highly doubt the coach watched the entire set), why was she allowed to continue them incorrectly? How did that benefit her? I think it likely had the opposite effect... doing something 100 times wrong probably taught her body to do it wrong.

Opinions?

I just ordered a dvd on positive coaching that I hope will help. Any resources you might recommend would be appreciated.

And any additional thoughts on the conditioning issue are appreciated as well. I agree that the coaches are excited and they definitely are doing what they are doing to help the girls be better, stronger gymnasts. Their hearts are in the right place, no doubt. But if the conditioning is too much, too soon and it kills their love of the sport, then it's not helping them.

Thanks!

 

[coachmolly]

I think the biggest problem would be that the girls, especially in this age group, would lose interest and just not want to go as they can't really see the long term benefits. If it's only happening every once in a while I wouldn't be too concerned, maybe just remind the girls that strength is very important to being a good gymnast and help them know why they are doing so much, otherwise it could be viewed as a type of punishment. There are also ways of making conditioning, especially in large amounts, more enjoyable for younger children like turning things into games or contests or keeping a chart of their progress. It could also be a good opportunity to work in some team unity and team building exercises. But I really think progress needs to be emphasized so they understand the good that can come out of hard work and tough conditioning. I also think it's important for coaches to be encouraging during long and hard conditioning workouts, like gymnut said, firm and strict are fine, but mean or degrading would be inappropriate.
As for positive coaching, IG magazine publishes a snippet from the "Double Goal Coach" book by the Positive Coaching Alliance in each issue of the magazine which often provide some good insights. You can get more information on this group at PCA >> Home

 

[BlairBob]

My friend once told me a story of a gymnast he knew in Japan (where he is from). This gymnast would be told one correction and to work on it 300x. Then he would do so, show the coach and ask what to do next. Often, the coach would say 300x more or pick out another detail to work on.

It's just being firm.

How much is safe to do in one session varies on a few factors. How long has gymnast been training for. A gymnast that has been training for 5 years and another for 2 would probably have different abilities into how much work they could do and how well they could recover even if they were the same age or twins.

 

[gymnut1]

I coach a girl who will do everything the wrong shape unless you stand and correct every single step she takes. She can do it and she knows. I am constantly asking 'how do we stand. how do we hold our arms, how do we start our jump' She just goes ' oh yeah I forgot' It is very frustrating because she knows everything she is doing wrong but doesn't do it. She is just not mature enough yet to do it without someone watching. The problem is she needs 1-1 to do it right but that neglects the other girls in the group and isn't fair. I often make her start things over because otherwise she will not improve but I never do 100 of anything more like 10. Sadly the other girls are progressing much faster and she will be left behind = hopefully it will come later with her.

The point Im trying to make is from a distance looking on can be deceptive. It may look like Im giving her more attention than the others or it may look as though Im picking on her because I am constantly correcting her arms and legs and not the others. Her mum knows because I talk to her often about her focus and listening and remembering. She has the same issues at school.

Have you tried talking to the coach and finding out more from their take.

 

[MamaOf2Gymnasts]

Thanks everyone for your input. I definitely planned to talk to the coach, but before I did, I wanted to get a little feedback from others in the business. I appreciate everyone who took time to comment.

 

[FormFreak]

I do not see the need or purpose to have Level 4's and 5's have a day of just conditioning. A workout can easily be designed to include conditioning, lots of basics and new skills for this level.

I agree with this along with a lot of what others said above. At this level I don't feel there is a need to have full sessions of just conditioning, ESPECIALLY if it is happening regularly. The only way I would see this to be neccessary is if the coach has a group of girls (level 4/5) that don't have the strength to do any of the skills they need as if they were never conditioned in their classes before team. This shouldn't be the case if the gym is ran like a well-oiled machine and the pre-team coaches are conditioning them accordingly. Someone else said that the conditioning should be incorporated into their workouts everyday and I totally agree with this. If the coach is having conditioning sessions every now and then, they should definitely be paced. There is a difference between being tough and being brutal. A child's body can only take but so much.

As for the case u explained where the kid does a skill 100 times and has to repeat it because they did them wrong. That is definitely the coaches fault in my opinion. If you don't correct a kid after several runs of a skill they will think they're doing it right and their body will get used to doing it the wrong way. I don't know what's wrong with the coach in this case if he/she was watching the kid do these skills. If I see one of my kids (even students that aren't) mind doing something incorrectly, I HAVE to correct them. I cringe when I see people doing things over and over the wrong way. I know of some coaches who are just sick of some students after awhile for whatever reason (either because they just don't get it or whatever) and just don't even bother helping them anymore. I know this because some of my coworkers are that way and my coach from way back when actually got like that towards me too. I didn't realize this until after I had quit though.

I suggest talking with the coach to see what their plan is and why they are doing what they're doing. If a parent doesn't understand my method I would prefer to have them ask me why so they understand I'm not just wasting time because "I don't feel like spotting" (I've heard some coworkers say). There should always be a method to their madness.