Coaches Help! Boys classes, and special needs classes?

[aileenmaryf]

At my gym, I currently coach two classes that are giving me trouble: Boys only, and "Adapted" gymnastics (for kids with special needs)
1. Boys only
The boys class I coach is for boys only (technically ages 4-6yrs but there is one 3 yr. old). We have a fairly small program which is expanding and so we recently added this boys class. However, we have almost no boys equipment. We have all 4 girls events(vault, uneven bars, beam, and floor) so two boys events are covered and then we also have some rings that are hooked onto the bars and slide off to the side. This is about as far as our equipment for boys goes. There is no real criteria for what we supposed to teach them except for one sheet of paper that someone gave me with "suggested skills for boys" but due to lack of equipment, half of them are not even possible. I have tried treating it like one of the classes we offer for all ages 4-6 year olds, but either things are WAY too easy or WAY to hard for them, and also they always end up either doing their station way too fast and not really caring about learning or they end up not even doing what they are supposed to on a station. I have tried both having them go in a circuit or staying on their stations neither of which have really worked. Anyone have any ideas???
2. Adapted gymnastics
This class is for children with special needs. It is one hour with 4 kids (their disabilities range from down syndrome to autism, to developmental delays, and I even have one girl who you would probably not even think she had special needs (I think she has ADHD and no sense of body awareness I think). Anyways, this class I just feel that I am doing the same things over and over again and I always end up wasting time at the end because I get through everything that I have to do with them. So does anyone know of/coaches at a gym where they have adapted gymnastics? Do you have any ideas?
Thanks!

 

[BlairBob]

Gene Hurwin is kind of the go-to guy as for gymnastics for Special Needs in the USAG. BigFun Gymnastics. These are rough, trying classes. Kudos for you doing them, I'd rather not anymore.

I was at a gym with a burgeoning boy's program but literally no boy's equipment. At this age, they aren't really ready for bucket work but if you have something that can be used in place of a mushroom, that's great. Even if it's just plastic direction arrows.

I actually had the boys to do support and swings on a balance beam or stride support position.

You can use 2 Parallel Bar/Spotting blocks as Parallel bars for support and low swings or straddle walks, etc.

http://gym.net/resources/teaching boys gymnastics.pdf

I probably have my old boy's program in my Google somewhere besides a Men's program I purchased from another gym and the USAG BSAP from years ago. I don't think it's changed much.

Really, young boys just need to learn how to hang and support themselves besides basic tumbling and trampoline.

For a 1hr class, I would probably do your warmup, basic HS skills starting from "Mountain position" aka Downward Dog to lifting a leg in that position or hopping on it and wall walk HS and donkey kicks kind of stuff.

Then generally some floor ex, tumbling skills in a circuit. Circuits are your friend.

One apparatus event such as bars but at one gym all our men's apparatus was in one area. One set of PB, Hanging rings, and an old side horse with strap on parallettes generally done as a circuit besides a mushroom or parallettes and conditioning exercises.

End with trampoline or vault stuff. I used to love having the boys warm up using a Tumbl-trak and passes on the way back to line including a cheese mat or panel mat or stuff like Bear walks, lunges, hops, etc.

 

[txgymfan]

For 4 year old boys allow NO down time. Plan transitions to music, use timers to cue transition and be as consistent as possible. ,

One strange thing that works for our kids as a reward at the END of class for those who did well is a "smelly spot" on the back of the hand using flavored lip gloss.

 

[BlairBob]

We used to give out stamps at the end of class. Sometimes I picked out the stamp and sometimes if we had time, they did. Some parents hate stamps and some kids will try to stamp you back. Nothing like stamp wars.

 

[JBS]

1. Boys only

Boys brainstorm...

• vault and floor you are good
• bar rings...good side station...not really rings though...can you get a ceiling hung set?
• high bar...do it on the unevens. do you have a single rail?...buy a men's rail to switch in and out.
• pommels...get an old horse from craigslist. mushroom? bucket?
• p-bars...basic skills on spotting blocks or panel mat stacks.
• do you have room for boys equipment?
• will the owner spend money on boys equipment?
• the age range on your class is terrible. we do 5-6 year olds as their own class. 7 & up you can usually do as one class...but still not ideal. we currently have coed preschool classes although I would like to start a couple boys only preschool classes.
• missing the things that you are missing...you really only have a boys tumbling class...not a MAG class.

Honestly...you have 3-6 year old boys...do your best. With the equipment and age range that you have been given...you will have a hard time creating a good boys gymnastics class. I would rename the class...boys tumbling...or boys movement education???

Not sure I helped much there...but there really are some quick inexpensive fixes that could help your class become more of a boys gymnastics class.