Not sure what you mean but gymnastics that worries me does not continue. Safety is the number one priority. I never let a kid compete unless they are consistent and if they are consistent but freaking out in a warm up I pull them in most circumstances involving bars and vault or tumbling because of safety. For example I've had kids not jump to the high bar in warm ups. No big deal but my policy is if you don't warm the whole routine up you can't compete. It isn't safe to go on the high bar for the first time doing the full routine when you didn't warm it up. Basically, I need to see at least adequate gymnastics in the warm up for a kid to compete. Something like falling back on a squat on then redoing it is fine - who cares. But not able to do it, scary, balking, whatever worries me because just doing it under pressure is not a safe way to do it.
I agree. It's
very important for coaches to understand that skills that cannot be performed safely should never be competed. It's simply not worth it for the kid to get injured. I think this problem shows up the most in later levels in the form of terrifying giants in Level 7, and heart-stopping Tsukaharas and Yurchenkos in Level 8. It's far better to take the long, gradual approach to teaching and learning difficult skills, than trying to rush the process just for the sake of having them in competitions.
I never said they were my girls specifically, they were just some that I've observed at meets. I've seen other girls do scary things in warm-ups, things that made me say, "that girl is definitely not capable or ready to compete that!" However, I was shown otherwise on a couple of occasions, so I've learned not to make assumptions. I can definitely agree with your view on requiring good warm-ups. I definitely see the value in it, and it's a huge reason why warm-ups exist in the first place. However, I will not scratch a kid based solely on the fact that she might be messing up the fist few times. In my opinion, the warm-up period before each event is not nearly enough time anyway, especially for certain girls. In practices every day I notice that some of my girls are able to do their assigned skill proficiently after only a few tries, whereas others can take about ten or more attempts before getting into a groove and remembering most corrections. Then there's the fact that the adrenaline of a performance atmosphere can really do wonders. I experienced this myself at every parkour and tricking performance I've ever done. I am not usually one to get warmed up quickly during training, but when I have that nervous excitement in me, I get springs in my legs and everything is super high and powerful. I've noticed this in some of my own girls, too. There are those whose performance does not change much between meets and practices, and then there are the girls that know how to use their excitement to improve their performance.
And just to clarify, I would never have a girl compete something dangerous, or something she's clearly not ready for. I just wouldn't take her competitive opportunity away from her if she isn't an "instant competitor," or perhaps takes a few tries to get up to speed. If there is even the slightest doubt, I am there for potential safety spots in case, too. This all goes back to the quote I put in my previous post; you just never know.
