Does your gymmie perform better for certain coaches?

[skfleming255]

My dd has two coaches that she really performs and executes skills very well for. She makes sure her toes are pointed, legs are perfectly straight, arms are well placed, etc...

I guess they bring out the best in her. With other coaches, she really becomes somewhat careless. I guess the 2 coaches expect more, so she gives more.

How about your gymmies?

 

[Granny Smith]

Yes, definitely. Dd performs well for all coaches, but you can easily tell when the HC is watching because dd perks up a little more and is very tight.

Sometimes, I wish the HC was always watching!

 

[gymjourneymom]

I most certainly see DD perform better for certain coaches. DD has had issues with fear all along....there's been something at every level that she's been afraid to do(she's a level 7 now). But DD is very talented & could easily do the skill if she would just go for it. So far she has eventully worked through every fear(much to my amazement) & has master some to become state champ a couple of times. But it is very stressful on the coaches trying make her feel confident enough to go for a skill. Some have more patience than others (& more training in sports psychology). Some have given up on her & she knows it. It is always the patient coaches that she will go for it with. They also tend to give her more positive reinforcement & helpful corrections. Some coaches she just doesn't trust to spot her, so she just won't go for a skill for them. There have been times when the HC finally just stepped in & said "Do it" & she did, but that doesn't work for her all the time. So we all just keep plugging along This year it's the beam series that's got her. But I don't worry about it....I knew she'll amaze me again. It may take her a while, but I know she'll go for it(with help for her supportive coaches!) They are our "beam, bars, floor, vault fairies".

 

[bogwoppit]

Yes and it drives me nuts. Youngest was with a coach last year that expected perfection and rewarded it, this year the coach does not pull her up on skills, bent knees, ugly feet, not finishing etc. I pointed it out to DD, she doesn't care, so I have decided that I don't either. She will get reminded at her first meet by the judge!

It may also be that she won't get put up to the level she wants as even though she has all the skills she is just not showing them off as well as we all know she can.

She needs a tough coach as she is a tough cookie, but hey you have to live and learn too.

 

[UnoMas]

YES she has one coach that is very mellow and laid back and she totally slacks when she is with him...which stinks because he is her coach 2 days a week in this particular level. Every week when she has the head coach, she learns a new skill or really improves on something. The other two days, she does too much messing around in my opinion.

It IS all about expectations...what the coaches expect, they will get!!! I am hoping we get the "crabby coaches"in the next level!

 

[all-aroundgirl]

Defenitly. But it can backfire too. If the coach is too tough and "crabby" your darling daughters may continue to slack. We have that happen with several girls at our gym who think "coach is too tough" and too prove a point slack off just to get on the coaches nerves. Weird, huh? But when it comes down to the first competition and the judges do their "judging" your darling daughters will see "hm...maybe I shouldn't slack...". At least that's what you hope they'll think!

 

[I-Heart-Beam]

Yup, and the scary thing is you don't realise it.

My coach is the HC anyway so she runs a pretty tight ship but when you get a junior coach you find yourself not pointing toes etc.

It doesn't help I know most of the junior coaches personally and I like a wee gab now and again.

 

[Linsul]

Defenitly. But it can backfire too. If the coach is too tough and "crabby" your darling daughters may continue to slack. We have that happen with several girls at our gym who think "coach is too tough" and too prove a point slack off just to get on the coaches nerves. Weird, huh? But when it comes down to the first competition and the judges do their "judging" your darling daughters will see "hm...maybe I shouldn't slack...". At least that's what you hope they'll think!

I think the coaches that are bringing out the best in DD's everywhere are the ones who have high standards, clear and consistent expectations, acknowledgment and rewarding of effort, in addition to providing a sure path to meeting the expectation through hard work. I don't disagree with you at all, I just think they are 2 different types of coaches. I'm sure a coach who is crabby, inconsistent with expectations, or has high expectations without providing a clear path to achieving their standard, can and would frustrate gymnasts to the point of purposely slacking. The worst in my opinion is failed consistency. If pleasing a coach is a guessing game, the natural reaction is frustration, and that comes out in ways like what you mentioned above.

*Edit* As tough and mature as they seem in the sport, they are still children and don't always have super sophisticated coping mechanisms for frustration. That comes later in life...when you get a desk job and have a slacker for a boss lol!

 

[all-aroundgirl]

I think the coaches that are bringing out the best in DD's everywhere are the ones who have high standards, clear and consistent expectations, acknowledgment and rewarding of effort, in addition to providing a sure path to meeting the expectation through hard work. I don't disagree with you at all, I just think they are 2 different types of coaches. I'm sure a coach who is crabby, inconsistent with expectations, or has high expectations without providing a clear path to achieving their standard, can and would frustrate gymnasts to the point of purposely slacking. The worst in my opinion is failed consistency. If pleasing a coach is a guessing game, the natural reaction is frustration, and that comes out in ways like what you mentioned above.

*Edit* As tough and mature as they seem in the sport, they are still children and don't always have super sophisticated coping mechanisms for frustration. That comes later in life...when you get a desk job and have a slacker for a boss lol!

It seems like you were argeeing not disagreeing. Correct me if I'm wrong! But anyways they are still kids and well...kids will be kids!

 

[Linsul]

It seems like you were argeeing not disagreeing. Correct me if I'm wrong! But anyways they are still kids and well...kids will be kids!

For sure we agree! I was merely trying to distinguish between the 2 types of coaches. Just in case it came out wrong I didn't want you to think I was disagreeing since I quoted you.

 

[grey09]

Yes! Different coaches have different expectations...even if you arent thinking about it it is easy to slip into "going through the motions" with certain coaches. I like it when I get a coach that has high expectations!
It's never good though when the coaches you arent working as hard for notice! Even if you are working hard...
When I was younger I used to try extra hard whenever my dad was there watching me bc he didn't get to see me very often. This definitely didn't go over well with my coach! But really what can you expect..

I just moved and have a whole new set of coaches to figure out now! This should be interesting....

 

[TuesdayPillow]

It sometimes bothers me when I see my gymnasts under-performing for my assistant coach. I have tried to get her to be pickier and she seems to do well with that though.

In some cases, you can be a coach with very high and consistent expectations and be positive and critical at the same time, and you just need a different VOICE (as in another coach or judge) to get that kid to make the correction you've been trying to hammer into them for months. It's weird, but if it works I say why not?

 

[vmom]

Linsul, can you send that memo to all the coaches in the sport? Your post was very insightful. As you can see by the many thanks you recieved, you have an attitude that many gymnasts and parents appreciate!

 

[GymmomOR1127]

Definitely! There are some coaches that my dd seems to just "go through the motions" with. It is hard to watch, because you know what they can do, and you would just think they would do it that way all the time! Her prior coach had a great personality and was very funny, but was also very intense. When you were at gym, you were there for one reason only. Her coach now is not quite so intense, and I think is actually a better coach, but it doesn't seem to bother him if the girls are goofing off. My dd still does well at meets, so maybe I am the only one that this bothers!!!

 

[Linsul]

Linsul, can you send that memo to all the coaches in the sport? Your post was very insightful. As you can see by the many thanks you recieved, you have an attitude that many gymnasts and parents appreciate!

Thanks I suppose an email would be a lot easier than telling every coach to go out and have a baby girl! My arrival at that mentality didn't happen until I had mine. When I first started coaching it was all about being certified to the fullest, and planning on teaching the best gymnastics possible. Enthusiasm of youth I suppose? Combined with a little bit of blissful ignorance possibly lol? Then I had my girl, and the way I felt about her probably colored my mentality a little bit too much on the super supportive feel-good side, aka drop in expectation.

Then I learned what it is to get tested by a toddler, that you can love them to death and still have high standards. That and the value of every dollar I spend on her extra-curricular activities; I realized that I myself am looking for someone with standards. Having her self-esteem about the sport come from personal pride in accomplishment started to matter a lot more than 100% entertainment or supervised play. What she considers a 'bad day' because she was only allowed to jump in the pit twice since they had stuff to work on is an opportunity to learn her skills and how to handle frustration, not a 'mean coach'.

Don't get me wrong, I still like to be certified to the fullest and learn from other coaches. Plus have random silly moments. Having a daughter of my own to succeed and mess up with has definitely influenced my coaching though. She's the 'keep me on my toes' real life cert lol, both the subject and the teacher. I'm sure there are coaches who think like I do that didn't have to have kids though. Maybe I'm just so hard headed that thats what it took lol!

 

[gymnut1]

bent knees, ugly feet, not finishing etc. I pointed it out to DD, she doesn't care, so I have decided that I don't either. She will get reminded at her first meet by the judge!

This made me laugh - it is what I should do. Im always nagging about knees and feet - it's like talking to a brick wall! Next time Im tempted I will think of this and keep my mouth shut!

Personally I feel that when you challenge a child with high expectations you need to balance it with praise and encouragement otherwise you hammer them into the ground. For me it is all about respect.