Coaches Need some advice (long post)

[Splash123]

Hi guys, first some background. I've been coaching for a couple of years and am currently doing my level 1 WAG coaching course (just have exam left), but am currently a level 0 and level 1 general coach.

I am currently a lead recreational coach on one of the days that I work (have a level 2 supervising but coaching a different group), and am having some issues with a certain gymnast and behavioural issues and was hoping for some advice. This gymnast is an 11/12 yo advanced recreational gymnast. We frequently have problems with her not listening to instructions and then complaining when the other get to work on more advanced skills - we explain to her that the skills are dangerous and she needs to work on the simplified skill first - she also has a bit of a reputation amongst the coaches for doing the complete opposite of what is said/ 'zoning out' so to speak.
I have spoken to her parent numerous times and HC has spoken to the parent recently about moving her back a group because she is putting herself and other gymnasts at risk by not listening to instructions/safety protocol.

Any advice on what to do next? HC isn't planning to talk to the parent again until we get to the end of the 10 week term (4.5 weeks away), and me and my assistant coach don't know what to do because the parent doesn't appear to be listening to what is being said.

Thanks for reading the long post x

 

[coachmolly]

I had a girl around the same age join my team group over the summer. She didn't exhibit the same behavioral problems you list, but was always in a terrible mood, incredibly unhappy, would exert little effort, not even try to attempt skills correctly, the list goes on. It was super frustrating for all of the coaches as no one could seem to get through to her after numerous chats and motivational speeches.
Ultimately, I pulled her aside and asked her if she wanted to be there and sure enough, she did not. Not that she didn't want to be doing gymnastics, but she didn't want to be doing competitive gymnastics and was so relieved when this came out into the open. For some reason she just didn't want to be the one to voice the fact that she was unhappy. She just wanted to work on the skills she wanted to work on and avoid the rest, as she had been able to do in lower level classes and at another rec. based club she attended. I told her she needed to inform her parents of this, she did not so ultimately I had to let the parents know what she had told me and they discussed with her. She ended up quitting the team with the possibility of returning to a rec. class in the future.
Long story short, talk to the girl and talk to her parents. See if she's happy in the class and if gymnastics is what she wants to be doing. It's very possible she's acting out in hopes that it will get her pulled from the class.

That's one possible scenario, though there could be others. When you have discussed with the parents previously, have they offered any insight into what they find helpful in working with her? Some kids are just wired a little differently and can frustrate the heck out of you until you figure out what makes them tick. And if the parents recognize their is a problem, they can be a great resource. Of course, this isn't the case if the parent refuses to see that something is not quite right.

 

[gymdog]

Can you give an example of a situation?

 

[Splash123]

Thank you @coachmolly . If she is having the kind of problem you mentioned it is most likely to be with gymnastics in general as she is in a one hour a week rec group not competition team, so only competes 2-3 times a year if she wants to at in house competitions.

 

[Splash123]

@gymdog the most recent example I can think of which was something specific was last week we were doing floor and bars during the session and I had set up a small circuit of side stations on bars which my assistant coach was supervising while I spotted on the main bars. This particular gymnast was doing the wrong thing whenever we looked over e.g trying to stand on the floor bars (they were meant to be doing front support and front support jump to squat) and prancing around distracting the other young group that was training nearby. After that session I went and spoke to the parent - calmly explaining that we have to talk to her daughter multiple times in the hour session because she is misbehaving, getting other children to copy her and most importantly putting herself at higher risk of injury/harm because she isn't listening. The parent basically said that she sees us having to stop what we are doing to talk to her daughter and left, but behaviour hasn't changed - can't even say I've seen an improvement.

I think what's frustrating is the age... I'm used to this kind of behaviour from young rec gymnasts (age 4-6 ish) because they aren't 100% used to the structure of training yet and even the older squad gymnasts I coach because they get frustrated with themselves etc. Would just really help if the HC and parent would get behind the fact that we are trying to get the gymnast to understand the importance of behaviour in the gym...

 

[Splash123]

@coachmolly also, how did you go about telling the parent in the above scenario that their gymnast didn't want to train competitively anymore? I'm just thinking about one of my gymnasts who frequently tells me he doesn't want to do gymnastics (says it's boring - his parents put him in rec when his sister moved to pre-squad) so don't know how to say that without sounding like I'm accusing the parents of making him do something he doesn't enjoy... Thanks in advance

 

[Aussie_coach]

As her coach, you need to make it very clear that you are not going to accept Tis behaviour, especially as it is becoming a risk. Don't expect the parents to discipline her, as that has clearly been tried to no avail.

Your first protocol should be to provide a positive and active learning environment. Encourage her, praise her help her to feel like she can be a successful gymnast, keep your class busy, active and moving. Make sure your classes are not too repetitive, be creative.

If she does the wrk g thing give her a warning, then if it continues sit her out of class for 10 minutes. Upon her return to the group give her a fresh start but if the behaviour continues sit her out again. If she doesn't want to behave in a safe manner then She spends most of her class sitting out.

 

[Splash123]

Thank you @Aussie_coach I hadn't thought about sitting her out. Will try that this week if she plays up. Sessions aren't very repetitive. We have a 10 week program one week being 'fun week' so we do each piece twice a program (floor, vault, bars, beam, testing and DMT)

 

[Aussie_coach]

So do you only get to each apparatus twice in a 10 week period? This could also be causing a problem for you.

If a gymnasts learns skills on a certain apparatus and then does not get to revisit them for 5 weeks, it will take a very long time to develop competence and even learn the most basic foundation skills. This means your gymnasts are going to approach training not feeling like they are terribly good gymnasts, this can lead to behavioural issues.

Also I am not sure if I understood it correctly, but do you only do 1 apparatus per lesson? That is a long time for a gymnast with limited skills.

 

[xrachx]

We don't tolerate anyone putting themselves or others at risk of injury either through unsafe actions or distraction, and gymnasts will be told straight away in clear no uncertain terms to stop.

Explain what they are doing wrong and the consequences that could cause. Then give three options. 1. Do as they are meant to be doing and get on with it without messing around. 2. Sit down in a safe place until they want to go do what they are meant to be doing without messing around. Or 3. Go out to parents but they won't be coming back into this session.

If they choose option 1 and then mess around again, they are given option 2 and 3. Any issues after this, they go out.

 

[Splash123]

@Aussie_coach no we have 2 set sessions in a 10 week program for each apparatus, but fit them in more often as individual coaches. We do 15 mins cardio/stretch for warm up and then 15 mins on each apparatus for the session. 2 set apparatus and 1 that I chose based on the group needs to pass their badges.

 

[Splash123]

Thank you for the suggestion @xrachx this could potentially work as I could tell my other coach and her (coach first obviously) that this is what is going to happen so she knows the consequences prior to the session and see how she behaves from there.

 

[xrachx]

Most importantly, make sure the parents are on side, and you do follow through with consequences.

Luckily I've never got to the third option, but the parents of my gymmies are all supportive if it did ever get to that point (hope I never ever will!)

 

[coachmolly]

@coachmolly also, how did you go about telling the parent in the above scenario that their gymnast didn't want to train competitively anymore? I'm just thinking about one of my gymnasts who frequently tells me he doesn't want to do gymnastics (says it's boring - his parents put him in rec when his sister moved to pre-squad) so don't know how to say that without sounding like I'm accusing the parents of making him do something he doesn't enjoy... Thanks in advance

I gave her 2 weeks to tell him herself, and at the end of our summer session I spoke with her again about her thoughts. She expressed she had not yet really confided in her parents that there were many aspects of competitive gymnastics with which she was not happy so I pulled dad aside after practice one day and let him know what she had told me. I just expressed that we would be happy to have her on the team IF she changed her mind and decided that this was really what she wanted to do, but she seemed to be terribly unhappy and I did not want her to feel forced to continue if she wasn't enjoying it. I encouraged the parents to talk it over with her and come to a decision themselves and that I would be supportive either way.
So I tried to make it mostly about her happiness, safety, and well being.

 

[Splash123]

Ok thanks @coachmolly I will have a chat with him again in the next week or two and give him a few weeks to decide what he wants to do/talk to his parents. If it does come to me talking to them it will be ok as the parents talk to me quite a lot about the daughter as I coach her sometimes too when I take her group for cover