A
Anonymous (f9ab)
I am looking for general info on other optionals teams in terms of how they operate/function and within what "rules". For context, my daughter recently switched gyms and has an xcel background. Her team is levels 7 and 8, about 20 girls with 3 coaches.
Practice is very structured with an hour of conditioning each time and then rotation through 3 events. Each girl receives a customized practice whiteboard that outlines what they need to do, how many, etc and the skills get more challenging as they progress - 5 skills for each event and the 5th one is the big upgrade. Some girls don't get through all 5 each time. There are also lots of drills and stations so there is not a second of down time apart from a 15-minute snack. There are several different gamifications built in to the training so it always feels different and fun. My daughter has thrived in this atmosphere and we've been happy with the change...until lately.
Suddenly, the coaches have become incredibly strict about everything and have been kicking girls out of practice for what feels like very punitive reasons - taking too long in the bathroom, miscounting steps on a floor pass so running it out vs. throwing it, "not trying hard enough", getting to practice late (which is their ride, not them!) etc.
Is this normal? Is this how a typical optionals coaching group ensures they only have the most focused of athletes? My daughter has big dreams but also still likes to enjoy practice and this has sucked a lot of the enjoyment out for her. She's a rule follower and worried about getting in trouble constantly now! While her background is xcel, her former gym used it in place of compulsory so it wasn't like xcel was the more low key route, it was the only route. So I am just not sure what to think of this new gym and their culture. Would appreciate any insight from those with lots of experience with optionals teams!
Practice is very structured with an hour of conditioning each time and then rotation through 3 events. Each girl receives a customized practice whiteboard that outlines what they need to do, how many, etc and the skills get more challenging as they progress - 5 skills for each event and the 5th one is the big upgrade. Some girls don't get through all 5 each time. There are also lots of drills and stations so there is not a second of down time apart from a 15-minute snack. There are several different gamifications built in to the training so it always feels different and fun. My daughter has thrived in this atmosphere and we've been happy with the change...until lately.
Suddenly, the coaches have become incredibly strict about everything and have been kicking girls out of practice for what feels like very punitive reasons - taking too long in the bathroom, miscounting steps on a floor pass so running it out vs. throwing it, "not trying hard enough", getting to practice late (which is their ride, not them!) etc.
Is this normal? Is this how a typical optionals coaching group ensures they only have the most focused of athletes? My daughter has big dreams but also still likes to enjoy practice and this has sucked a lot of the enjoyment out for her. She's a rule follower and worried about getting in trouble constantly now! While her background is xcel, her former gym used it in place of compulsory so it wasn't like xcel was the more low key route, it was the only route. So I am just not sure what to think of this new gym and their culture. Would appreciate any insight from those with lots of experience with optionals teams!
