Parents Questioning Coach - Preteam - How to address

[gymgal]

If you, as a new gym parent, can see that her legs are bent and legs open, then chances are there are many more form deductions there and that skill is not ready for competition. Personally, I would not ask the coach and would just tell my dd that the coach will let her compete it when they feel she is ready. Once she is on team, this will be a repeating issue that she is going to have to get used to.

If the gym seems to be run well, the more advanced levels do well in competitions, your dd feels comfortable with the coaches, and they seem knowledgeable (you mentioned she has a good coach), then I would trust in the process and remember that this is pre-team. The purpose of it is to prepare them for the rigors of team practices, not necessarily to teach them skills they will need for the next competition season. It was a long time ago but I don't recall my dd learning anything new in preteam. It really was about training them on basic form, foundation, flexibility, conditioning - lots of conditioning. And lots of drills for them to build on when they did begin learning the skills and routines for their first competitive year.

 

[Rose7777]

I remember when my daughter was little and learning her BHS. Her gym had tumbling clinics that had team and rec gymnasts. At the clinics, the coaches let the rec kids work through the drills fairly quickly and move onto spotted and (eventually) independent back handsprings. They were always safe with pretty decent form, too. Team kids, though, progressed waaaaay more slowly. It took forever for them to move beyond drills and even longer for them to start doing them independently . When they did, though? They were gorgeous. My daughter got hers in the gym and competed it cleanly just a few days later.

The coach is probably making your daughter wait until her form in the drills is excellent and will then have her start doing them spotted. Any form issues then and she’ll likely be back to drills. In the end, though, it should lead to a solid skill that she can build on.