practice with different coaches?

[stargym8]

I have a practice once a week with a coach for a different team. At the gym i go to this is a big deal and stirrs up lots of tension. The coach that i see does not except anymore gymnasts on his team, and isn't even in the same leauge that we are. Do any of you think that this should be a problem? Or do any of you train with different coaches? I guess i just don't understand why it's a big deal.

Please reply with thoughts!
THANKS!

 

[MaryA]

About a year and a half ago my daughter and another teammate started taking a "private" lesson together at a local private gym about once every two weeks. Our gym doesn't offer privates and I couldn't see how this could be anything but a good thing for everyone involved. I think the HC came around to it once she figured out that the other gym wasn't going to "steal" the girls away from her team, but since then I've read enough here on CB to know that I probably should have, at the very least, talked to my DD's HC about it first. I guess some coaches really frown on such a thing.

 

[gymgal]

Well, Every coach has a different approach and while this may be exactly why you want lessons with this other coach (different perspective), it may be the exact reason why your coach frowns on it. He/she may be thinking it will hinder your progress by getting two different approaches. That thinking is sort of odd though, especially if you think of other sports - take baseball: parents seek private lessons from specialty coaches all the time. My son is on swim team but we also have private lessons with another coach to work on things the team isn't working on (has moved beyond but ds still needs work)

 

[bookworm]

Well, Every coach has a different approach and while this may be exactly why you want lessons with this other coach (different perspective), it may be the exact reason why your coach frowns on it. He/she may be thinking it will hinder your progress by getting two different approaches. That thinking is sort of odd though, especially if you think of other sports - take baseball: parents seek private lessons from specialty coaches all the time. My son is on swim team but we also have private lessons with another coach to work on things the team isn't working on (has moved beyond but ds still needs work)

Yep and gymnastics doesn't do this because I think coaches always think that their way is the only way for their gymnasts..especially for the upper level ones...Case in point, Aly Raisman just won the Classic but bars was a disaster and it is mentioned all the time that her home club, Brestyan's, should hire a decent bars coach but that will never happen nor will she ever be allowed to work with others who coach that event to the Olympic level (Geddert, Liukin, the Legacy Elite coaches) and I think it just has to do with the egos of her current coaches...just think of what Alicia Sacramone could have done with an awesome bar set!!! ...but instead she wins vault, beam and does fairly well on FX and bars and therefore the AA aren't even a factor...

 

[win1385]

One other thing to note is that as the higher you go the more familiar the coach and gymnast become with one another. Their spotting techniques as well as the established trust they have is important for training. Unlike other sports that bring in "specialists", gymnastics is dangerous, and with only one mistake, can be career ending. It is very common for upper level gymnasts that switch gyms to injure themselves, some severe some minor with in the first few months due to unfamiliarity with the coaches and equipment.

 

[stargym8]

You all make really good points.This issue was finally resolved in our gym, even though i still think there are some feelings. Now insteed of punishing us for going to a different gym, they say they want to learn some things from us that he does differently than we do.