WAG Is it possible to work too hard?

[Uglybetty]

A coach I have a huge amount of resect for apparently told my DD in the gym last night "you're working too hard". Is that even possible? I guess I'm not sure if it was said in an ironic way ( as in....I can really see how much work you're putting in here and at home) or to take it literally ( as in ....she needs to stop pushing herself so hard).

Background: DD is racing through skill acquisition and will often practice a skill at home over and over until she perfects it (she pushes herself....I'm like can we please put the mat away and watch some TV now). I think she has sussed the fact that some of the younger girls started earlier and are thus ahead of her skill wise and she is doing everything she can to catch up fast. Until recently, I didn't know it was possible for a girl so young to have so much ambition/ drive.

 

[leotardmakermum]

Yes, it is definitely possible! Ever heard of burn out? Wise coaches and parents often stress the fact that gymnastics is a marathon not a sprint. It does sound like your daughter is trying to sprint. Maybe suggest to her to leave gym at the gym?

The more she does at home, the more chance there is for her to "perfect" mistakes (meaning learn things wrongly and cement them in the muscle memory that way), and bad techniques/form are much harder to unlearn than to learn it correctly, under supervision, in the first place.

 

[Faith]

It is. They do need to pace themselves. More psychologically rather than physically.

DD sounds very similar- she had a late start compared to others in her group, so for a year/18m when she first joined she was playing catch up. Once she did catch up it was if she suddenly relaxed- got more comfortable in the group, started chatting, playing around a bit while waiting turns, missing turns, not concentrating on getting things right every time.

Of course now her progress has slowed and she's behind again. Slowly she's getting her brain back in the game, but it's difficult for her to see the line between enjoying herself, and having fun at training (which is essential!), and working hard. I'm trying to explain that of course she should have fun and a laugh with teammates, but she shouldn't miss turns, and when it is her turn she must try her absolute best, even if it's an easy skill.

So in summary , maybe the coach means "more fun" rather than "less work".

 

[mommyof1]

Can you tell whether the comment was about her general approach to training and pacing herself, or about how a particular skill or routine looks? I have heard this comment in non-gymnastics contexts before, where it means "you are working too hard and getting in your own way so your performance isn't flowing naturally" or "you are so tense that you are actually making it harder to accomplish what you are trying to do."

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I agree with mommyof1, maybe she means she needs to relax a bit and not "force it". When a skill looks effortless is when it looks the best

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

What mommyof1 wrote is what immediately came to mind for me as well. Sometimes when one is working on something really hard it actually ends up being more difficult and get in the way of succeeding.
For a while when dd was working on her kip, that's how it was.... She was trying so hard that she didn't make it. Once it got better (I.e she was making more of her kips and started feeling more confident in them rather than frustrated) and she stopped trying to force it, she was having more success.

 

[Uglybetty]

I guess it will be impossible to tell 100%.

I'll suggest to DD that if it is said again she asks for an explanation. Kids her age are so literal and it is often difficult for them to understand the "hidden/subliminal" messages in adult speech.

 

[fliptwisttwirl]

My coach uses this phrase with me quite a lot actually. What HE means when he says it is that I need to let technique do it's job and not over power skills when they're new. Especially if I'm tumbling a new pass, I'll run faster or "try harder" instead of just letting my body take over and do what it knows. I'm not sure if that's what your daughter coach means by this..but that's how my coach uses it.

 

[Uglybetty]

Further gentle probing has revealed that the coach said it in a serious tone (not smiling/joking) but qualified it somewhat by saying that she was glad because other girls weren't working as hard. On that basis I'm thinking it meant something along he lines of "you're perhaps working a little too hard and could relax a bit but I don't want to discourage you too much because I can see you're making more of a effort than the other girls". The coach in question is one my DD seriously wants/needs to impress so I'll still suggest she asks for clarification if it's said again.

 

[LizzieLac]

Maybe he said it hoping the girls that aren't working so hard would overhear it - sort of reverse psychology and passive criticism in one. Wouldn't it just be better if they were clear about what they meant?!?!