Fear of Spotting

[AlexsGymmyMom]

My DD has never really liked being spotted doing any skills on the balance beam but now this is carrying over to the bars. The girls were on the strap bar (channel bar) practicing long hang pullovers but Alex just would not go because the coach was there to spot her. She said she would have been able to go if the coach would have let her do it on her own but insisited on spotting. I am sure she was spotting to make sure the girls are using the correct body positions. She just froze up there and then on top of it another teammate told everyone she was a chicken. She came out of practice upset.

Is this a common thing for some girls to be fearful of being spotted? What are some ideas to help her get over this fear?

 

[10.0]

Maybe try and find out what specific things about spotting she does not like. I remember seeing a teammate accidently wack the coach, cutting the corner of her eye with her nail on a back tuck and the coach actually getting really angry with the girl and then being afraid of having a spot for fear of hurting the coach and getting in trouble. I was a kid at the time and still remember that. So if you can figure out why she dislikes it maybe it will be easier to come up with a solution.

 

[gymcoach26]

The most common reasons I see for kids being afraid of spotting...

-They don't trust the coach or think they coach will drop them. This could stem from seeing another person who was being spotted fall or overhearing coach say she is not comfortable spotting certain skills. Kids will pick up on this even if they don't over hear it. Usually they can sense if you are nervous.

- Being scared about hurting the coach as the above poster mentioned.

-Thinking they do not need a spot and that they "have" a skill on their own. This often happens if they are one of the only few being spotted. It could be an embarrassment issue. Or if a gymnast has been practicing the skill on their own previously and now you are trying to correct form, they sometimes take it the wrong way.

 

[CoachGoofy]

I've got some kids who are afraid that we'll both get hurt if I spot them and they mess up. And I've heard some athletes say that a spot gets in their way (whether this is true or not, I dunno, but I've heard it more than once). And I have one who doesn't like being spotted because she likes to feel like she has the option of bailing if something feels off...the idea that a coach might make her body keep going scares her.

 

[KyraGymnast]

Me

I personally don't like getting spotted on skills because i feel like I will get too comfortable with a spot and won't do it by myself.

I guess this doesn't really qualify as a fear and is much better catagorized as a preferance, but that's just my personal experience on spotting.

 

[GetaGrip]

Actually, I really don't like being spotted either. I guess that it stems from the fact that once my coach was spotting my on a back handspring on the beam and I accidentally whacked her arm and just jumped to my face. Since then I've never really wanted/needed a spot on beam or bars.

Fortunately for me, my coaches don't really mind, as every other level 8 on my team absolutely loves spots so they have more time to help them out since I don't want it.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

I have one coach who is an excellent spotter and is always willing to spot you if you need it, or find a drill that works for you. For a long time I had a fear of going backwards, but I learned to want it more than fear it and trust my coach. Bascially you just have to go for the skill and not worry about the spot. She could probably be freaking a little bit because the coach is in "her space" and she feels like it's not safe while she's doing skills.

It will be easier for Alex if she is able to do skills with a spot, especially at higher levels when she is first learning things. She doesn't have to go really hard for the long hang pull-over at first, just go...she should try to focus on her own body and not worry about what the coach is doing.

 

[All Chalked Up]

I don't like having HEAVY spots at all, but I don't mind light spots when I need them. I think gymcoach26 and CoachGoofy have it all summed up for you. As for the girl saying she was a chicken, that's bullying and you and Alex should talk about it with the HC, especially if it's been going on for awhile.