Coaches One child struggling with conditioning

[gymisforeveryone]

One of the groups I coach consists of 12 gymnasts born in 2005. 5 of them are from my old group and the rest are from other groups. Skill wise they are all pretty equal but there is one child from my old group who has much lower strength level than others.

Last year it wasn't really an issue because she wasn't the weakest but now those other weak kids who were in the group last year have been moved to advanced rec class. The girls who came to my group from other coaches were already training 3 times a week last year and conditioning a lot so they are not weak.

This one child TRIES but I can see that conditioning is frustrating her. She is very competitive and I can see that it's killing her to see how she always finishes last. I have been wondering if I should give her a different conditioning sheet? The numbers the other girls can handle just fine are very hard for her. I usually give the girls a list of exercises they have to do by themselves or with a partner. The first pair to finish gets to clock using my phone and demonstrate the stretching positions. Usually I have to let the other girls start stretching when this one child is still doing the conditioning because otherwise we didn't have time enough. This child joins in when she finishes the conditioning but she always misses stretches and it's not good either.

What should I do? She keeps up with the others during event time and is actually very good on floor, beam and vault, so I don't want to move her to another group. This cild is slightly overweight so I think that's the reason why pull ups, push ups, leg lifts, rope etc are hard for her.

We do circuits maybe once a week but we don't usually have enough space to do that all the time. And all the other girls seem to like reading the list...

What would you do?

 

[Faith]

How long has she been in your group? If its only a short while, I'd give it more time. I'd also make sure she knows you've noticed her efforts, and it doesn't matter if she finishes last, as long as she finishes.

If it's been longer, and she still isn't catching up, I would wonder why. Firstly it sounds like her diet isn't the greatest, if she's training wag 3x a week and still overweight. You could maybe make up some sheets with healthy eating ideas- what they should eat as staples, and what should be kept as occasional treats. Give it to all the girls so no one is singled out, and emphasise they need to eat correctly for energy and health, not weight loss. It may be worth having a word with the parents, see what her home diet is like, and again stress your concern is her energy and strength if she's not eating correctly, not weight.

My other suggestion would be can you up her training for a while? Maybe add an extra session, or give her a home conditioning sheet to do on her days off.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

I've been coaching her for a year now. She's done gymnastics since she was 2. She was normal weight when she was younger and her little sisters who are 4 are also normal weight.

Last year when we were having a day camp and the girls were having a lunch there this child refused to eat anything fresh. We require that every gymnasts eats their salad during gym camps and it ended up this child crying and not eating her meal. Later that night her mother called and told us that we are not allowed to force her eat vegetables because this child's nutritionist has said so. She said that this kid has never ate vegetables without puking etc and they are working on it with the nutritionist.
Her mother is a preschool coach also.

So I don't really want to say anything about her eating to the mother because it seems like they are already seeing a professional.

An extra class is not on option.

I'm already helping her a lot during conditioning and I encourage her a lot. They also have a home conditioning plan but her mother told me that this girl is not doing it very often and she doesn't want to force her (which is ok for me)

 

[coachmolly]

I wouldn't say anything about weight to an 8 year old. Some kids grow in weight before height, some kids struggle with weight as a result of dietary restrictions/food allergies that limit what they can eat, medical problems, prescription medications that cause them to gain weight, the list goes on. It sounds like her parents are aware of the situation, whatever it may be, and are seeking professional help to work through it, leave that ball in their court unless it develops into a safety concern in the gym.
As far as the conditioning problems, keep encouraging her and letting her know you appreciate her work. If the other girls in the group were training more hours/doing more strength work leading up to their arrival in this group, they are at a distinct advantage and it will take this little one time to catch up- maybe more time than you or she would like!
Is she doing all of the required conditioning sets completely and doing them well, it just takes extra time? Or does she get through a certain amount and then struggle her way through the rest with yuck form? If she is doing the skills well, just taking longer, I would be more tempted to let her go, keep offering reassurance, and letting her know that her hard work will pay off. Maybe making sure she gets in the stretching somehow if at all possible. If she isn't doing the reps well, I would be much more tempted to give her a revised conditioning plan (though I would do so discretely to not draw extra attention to her) for the time being and allow her to work up to the reps required of the rest of the group more gradually.
She'll get there, just keep being patient and understanding with her. It takes some kids much longer than others to make up strength deficits, but catching up now will help her immensely in the long run.

 

[BlairBob]

Less reps per set, more sets.

It's ok to adjust reps and progressions and individualize strength and conditioning programming. However, it is at the expense of group cohesion.

 

[moimoi16]

I saw a post on here that had a great conditioning "game" that I think would help this girl out.

The coach who posted it called it "can I stop yet?"

The girls are all given a conditioning skill to do as a group (ie: plank hold), and you watch for form. As the gymnast tires and is no longer able to do the skill properly, they come out, and must do a separate conditioning skill (ie: sit ups) until the last gymnast is out of plank. This way the gymnasts are all continuously conditioning, and though your girl who is struggling may not be the last one left, she will be still conditioning with her team mates and will never be singled out.

I know you said she is extremely competitive, so maybe if you know she is really good at something, such as handstands, throw a handstand competition in as one of the activities so she wont be eliminated as quickly.

Also, having a sit down with this gymnast and problem solving this together never hurts. Or get her to identify a few things she is struggling with, and set some goals for herself, or you set some for her so she can still have a challenge for herself, but wont be as focused about what the other girls are doing and hopefully wont be as frustrated.