Parents my daughter doesn't like her new coach... help!

[greenmama29]

DD has been taking classes for about 6 months now... she loved her first teacher and freaked out a little bit when she ended up with a new one at one point, but after 1 week she was fine. So I signed her up for a second session with a new coach and she doesn't like him at all! At first I thought it was just like before-- freaked out b/c it changed up the routine, but she has has 2 classes so far... of course she cooperates and does what she is told, but she doesn't seem happy! With the other coaches there is a nice blend of seriousness and fun. This guy is all business.. I do think he tries to be fun... but it doesn't really work! She actually didn't want to go to gymnastics today!!! This from a kid that usually wakes up every morning asking "Do I have gymnastics today??!".

What do I do... ? Do I see if she can switch into a different class?? Do I view it as a learning experience for her-- to understand that just because she doesn't like someone doesn't mean she can just quit?

The last thing I want is for her to start hating gymnastics, when it is clearly something she loves.

Thoughts?

 

[Flossyduck]

That's a difficult one but in my very personal opinion I think you should stick with it.

In my daughter's relatively short gymnastics career, as she's progressed through rec classes and in to competitive she has had a quite a number of coaches, some she has really loved, some she has been fine with and some she has really not liked at all! At the moment she has a coach filling in for holiday leave who she is really not feeling the love for.

The thing is that, as your daughter spends longer in gymnastics, coaches will probably come and go and she will get used to that and be able to get on with it. I think it's better to set the foundation for that now, rather than move from class to class hoping to find a different one. That will cease to become practical if she goes further in the sport.

I've had to explain a few times to my daughter, when I can see she's unsure of a coach, that she has to remember that all the coaches are good and caring people who want to help her with her gymnastics, but some people struggle to show their nice side so easily. I figure that if I seem unsure she will pick up on it whereas if I express confidence in the coach it will reassure her. It's worked so far...

 

[Amusibus]

From your description, it seems like she is young and taking a once a week rec class??? If that is the case, I would switch her. Don't make a big deal about it and don't let on it's because of the teacher though. At this level it has to be all fun!! Why have her put up with someone she doesn't like if she doesn't have to? At the competitive level I agree that it might be better to stick it out but not for a once a weeker. She should love it.

 

[cbifoja]

I would stick it out. If your daughter loves gymnastics, she will stick with it. My daughter's first coach in rec was just HORRIBLE. She knew nothing about attention span of 4YO kids. She would create these long courses and walk one child at a time through while the other 4 or 5 just sat and watched. Bella was constantly getting reprimanded for "goofing off". It made her dislike her coach but there wasn't enough reprimand in the world to keep her from her "buh-nastics."

Her next couple of coaches were warm, full of compliments and praise and helped her blossom from a rec kid to a team gymnast. One was a college student and one was old enough to be a grandmother. Both helped her and she loved each of them dearly.

Her current coach isn't warm and full of compliments. She is strict, tough, and has high expectations. Some days Bella just comes home so angry at Coach and other days she begrudgingly likes her. But no other coach has progressed my daughter as fast as this one has. My god, she rides Bella and sometimes Bella fights her tooth and nail, but her gymnastics is improving so fast that it freaks me out.

Tough coaches can be very very good things.