Hi Chalkbucket!
I've been reading a lot about motivation and I do understand that it is best for the gymnasts to develop internal motivation to succeed. Obviously that is the ultimate goal and my girls did very well working really hard this summer to get the skills they needed for the next level. That being said, my job is also to make sure that they are making corrections and having fun. There comes a point in every season where those new skills become old and boring and the girls don't care as much about how they look and begin to slack off. That is what I am trying to discourage with this list. We will be doing a different motivational game/contest every month in hopes of peaking at states and keeping the gymnasts focus and excitement all the way through the season.
November- Sticker chart (which we've never done)- 1 sticker for every 2 stuck routines in a row
December- Goal sheets for each meet- they write down corrections they want to make, NOT scores!
January-Pressure Set Challenge- Make 200 pressure sets as a team- we tend to do a lot of pressure sets, but if we just do 2 a week on each event (out of 4 days), that should give them enough opportunities to succeed
February- No falls beam chart (individual)- No falls on beam 4 practices in a row, get a prize
March- Correction Challenge- Make 100 corrections as a team- each girl is given two corrections on each event ahead of time. She can earn 1 at a time. If she makes the correction for 3 practices in a row it is considered made. The goal is to make as many corrections as possible and carry them into the state meet at the beginning of April.
I'm trying to decide whether there should be a reward for meeting the challenges. I was thinking maybe a day of open gym, but I kind of think it shouldn't be anything except lets work together as a team and make this happen.
Thoughts?
I've been reading a lot about motivation and I do understand that it is best for the gymnasts to develop internal motivation to succeed. Obviously that is the ultimate goal and my girls did very well working really hard this summer to get the skills they needed for the next level. That being said, my job is also to make sure that they are making corrections and having fun. There comes a point in every season where those new skills become old and boring and the girls don't care as much about how they look and begin to slack off. That is what I am trying to discourage with this list. We will be doing a different motivational game/contest every month in hopes of peaking at states and keeping the gymnasts focus and excitement all the way through the season.
November- Sticker chart (which we've never done)- 1 sticker for every 2 stuck routines in a row
December- Goal sheets for each meet- they write down corrections they want to make, NOT scores!
January-Pressure Set Challenge- Make 200 pressure sets as a team- we tend to do a lot of pressure sets, but if we just do 2 a week on each event (out of 4 days), that should give them enough opportunities to succeed
February- No falls beam chart (individual)- No falls on beam 4 practices in a row, get a prize
March- Correction Challenge- Make 100 corrections as a team- each girl is given two corrections on each event ahead of time. She can earn 1 at a time. If she makes the correction for 3 practices in a row it is considered made. The goal is to make as many corrections as possible and carry them into the state meet at the beginning of April.
I'm trying to decide whether there should be a reward for meeting the challenges. I was thinking maybe a day of open gym, but I kind of think it shouldn't be anything except lets work together as a team and make this happen.
Thoughts?
