You have to be super detail-oriented. Sit them all down and show them
exactly what you want them to do for everything, and explain why.
Here are some things I have been going over with my girls over the months, constantly reinforcing them through every practice:
- Show them some finger, hand, and wrist positions for "pretty hands."
- Show them the difference between pointing their whole foot, and just pointing their toes (sickled feet). I say I want "dangerous feet," as in "pointy."

- Explain about arm and leg turnout (supination and pronation) in skills where it's important, like scales, walkovers and leaps.
- Teach them a correct, stable, high relevé stand.
- Teach them to always squeeze their butt for nice open hips and stand tall with tight tummies and a slightly upward-tilted head, especially on beam.
- Get them to stand in attention on command (I like to randomly clap my hands at any given time and they have to immediately jump into attention).
- Teach them EWF (Elbows, Wrists, Fingers), which will help with fluid, graceful arm movements on everything from dance passages to finishing a skill.
- Teach them a pretty, yet professional march and to always salute with confidence and a smile.
- Teach them to stride into leaps, rather than run or jog into them.
- Cover the lever position in great detail, and how they will use this capital "T" position their entire gymnastics career, on countless skills.
- Teach them and quiz them on the standard dance positions, like attitude, passé, coupé, tendu, arabesque, the five ballet foot positions, and all the basic scales.
Also, NAG THEM! Literally, every single time you see a mistake in form, tap them on the offending body part and say, "show me what this is supposed to look like." Once they demonstrate the correction, have them try the skill again. Repeat as needed. Fix the more severe form problems first, and then move on from there. Seriously, don't let anything get by you. If the entire team (or close to it) has the same problem, have them all do a tightening drill or form drill for it together for a minute or two, and then have them return to what they were doing and look for improvements. Rinse, and repeat.
Every time they make a correction, acknowledge it and use adjectives that describe aesthetics, like "that was pretty," or "that looked beautiful," or "you looked very graceful on that turn!" Also, show lots of example videos of what you want, and take videos of them to show them how they're doing. If you nag the hell out of them, and give positive reinforcement for every good effort, they should show some improvement and it will start to become second nature. You have to keep reinforcing it though. Constantly, all the time, forever. I REPEAT: Constantly, all the time, forever. This is gymnastics, after all.
