Reward vs. Bribe

[gracefulone]

But gymnastics is so much more than just a sport to be measured by the skills they learn. In fact the skills are probably the least important factor. That may sound crazy, but their gymnastics training is also life training.

Take for example learning to do a back handspring. Being able to do a back handspring has no practical purpose in most daily pursuits and future careers. But in oder to learn the back handspring the gymnast must work hard, be persisitent, listen to and take on board corrections, not give up when it gets hard and face their fears. All of these skills will play a major role in their daily lives and future careers. It's these life skills that will remain long after the back handspring is gone. Many kids leave gymnastics and never do another back handspring in their lives but they will take that learning proccess with them everywhere.

Just assuming that all kids are going to work hard and have a great attitude is almost like assuming that they arent kids (or human beings for that matter). Coaches know when one of their kids is putting in the extra mile, facing a fear, taking the next step and so on. They dont need to be a measurable point on a chart to be recognised and rewarded. It can be done at any time, mid training, end of training, each week, each month or anything.

I really like that you brought up life applications. I am going into my senior yaer, and have realized that the things I've learned from gymnastics work really well in scholarship essays/applications.

 

[NYgymfan]

I really like that you brought up life applications. I am going into my senior yaer, and have realized that the things I've learned from gymnastics work really well in scholarship essays/applications.

That is a good point. Same thing applies, to an extent, to most other sports. But....I'd say gymnastics is in a category of its own. It takes a ton of work, dedication, commitment...seemingly more so then any other sport i've been in. It inspires confidence and makes all us gymnasts ready to take on the world I'm sure I'll probably end up writing about it in college application essays.

 

[lannamavity]

But gymnastics is so much more than just a sport to be measured by the skills they learn. In fact the skills are probably the least important factor. That may sound crazy, but their gymnastics training is also life training.

Take for example learning to do a back handspring. Being able to do a back handspring has no practical purpose in most daily pursuits and future careers. But in oder to learn the back handspring the gymnast must work hard, be persisitent, listen to and take on board corrections, not give up when it gets hard and face their fears. All of these skills will play a major role in their daily lives and future careers. It's these life skills that will remain long after the back handspring is gone. Many kids leave gymnastics and never do another back handspring in their lives but they will take that learning proccess with them everywhere.

Just assuming that all kids are going to work hard and have a great attitude is almost like assuming that they arent kids (or human beings for that matter). Coaches know when one of their kids is putting in the extra mile, facing a fear, taking the next step and so on. They dont need to be a measurable point on a chart to be recognised and rewarded. It can be done at any time, mid training, end of training, each week, each month or anything.

"Life skills" are the obvious result of any sports activity. Gymnastics is not unique there.

But skills are the measure of success in gymnastics (while training)...anybody can learn a skill, and should. You don't even have to be good at gymnastics, and you definitely don't have to try very hard to learn a skill (the obvious example is a special ed class, where the goal is still some form of skill, as simple as it is).

The gymnastics skills are symbols of "life skills" the way you so eloquently described them. No one knows how learning a backhandspring will help/hurt a person in the future. All we can do is reward them for their hard work to accomplish it in the gym, and then move on.

As for knowing when a gymnast is working hard...the problem with pointing out who is trying especially hard is so subjective that feelings are bound to be hurt, and the whole group can actually suffer. This either appears patronizing if the gymnast is struggling, or is percieved as favoritism by other athletes.

It's a difficult thing to reward effort.

 

[lannamavity]

But gymnastics is so much more than just a sport to be measured by the skills they learn. In fact the skills are probably the least important factor. That may sound crazy, but their gymnastics training is also life training.

Take for example learning to do a back handspring. Being able to do a back handspring has no practical purpose in most daily pursuits and future careers. But in oder to learn the back handspring the gymnast must work hard, be persisitent, listen to and take on board corrections, not give up when it gets hard and face their fears. All of these skills will play a major role in their daily lives and future careers. It's these life skills that will remain long after the back handspring is gone. Many kids leave gymnastics and never do another back handspring in their lives but they will take that learning proccess with them everywhere.

Just assuming that all kids are going to work hard and have a great attitude is almost like assuming that they arent kids (or human beings for that matter). Coaches know when one of their kids is putting in the extra mile, facing a fear, taking the next step and so on. They dont need to be a measurable point on a chart to be recognised and rewarded. It can be done at any time, mid training, end of training, each week, each month or anything.

"Life skills" are the obvious result of any sports activity. Gymnastics is not unique there.

But skills are the measure of success in gymnastics (while training)...anybody can learn a skill, and should. You don't even have to be good at gymnastics, and you definitely don't have to try very hard to learn a skill (the obvious example is a special ed class, where the goal is still some form of skill, as simple as it is).

The gymnastics skills are symbols of "life skills" the way you so eloquently described them. No one knows how learning a backhandspring will help/hurt a person in the future. All we can do is reward them for their hard work to accomplish it in the gym for today, and then move on. As a gymnastics coach, we are "life coaches", but our area of expertise remains gymnastics.

As for knowing when a gymnast is working hard...the problem with pointing out who is trying especially hard is so subjective that feelings are bound to be hurt, and the whole group can actually suffer. This either appears patronizing if the gymnast is struggling, or is percieved as favoritism by other athletes. When it comes to life lessons, sometimes patiently allowing an athlete struggle alone and deal with the frustration is the greatest gift we can give them, because we aren't going to follow them around and keep an eye on them when they are alone in the real world.

It's a difficult thing to reward effort.

 

[Aussie_coach]

It seems very sad though that a child should miss out on gaining recognition when they put in an outstanding effort, out of fear that other kids feelings may be hurt. Its just like competitions these days where they give out trophies for 47th place. No longer is there gold, silver and bronze now there are things like high gold and platinum. Gold doesnt even mean first anymore.

Recognising outstanding effort in one child is actually quite likely to spark outstanding effort in others.

 

[lannamavity]

Recognising outstanding effort in one child is actually quite likely to spark outstanding effort in others.

I'm still not sure how you could do this in a fair and consistant way, if there is no goal to achieve.

"Outstanding effort" is not an accomplishment or a goal, so an outstanding effort is different for every gymnast. A skill is a skill, and it's the same skill no matter who does it...which is why performing a new skill is an accomplishment.

I guess a program based on rewarding only effort would be successful if it is a recreational program, but it's unlikely to produce competitive athletes.

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

I think I know what Aussie Coach is trying to say. For example: my gymmie and her teammates are working on fulls, giants, etc. Some of them get upset when they can't do it, pout or even cry. Then you have the few girls who are determined even when they don't get it. They always want to try one more time, always listen to the coaches suggestions, ask for feedback to figure out what they are doing wrong. These are the same girls who are early for practice, stay a little late to finish their conditioning. They don't cheat during conditioning, etc. While I agree that they all try hard, rewarding a positive attitude and effort can rub off on the others - just as unfortunately those with bad attitudes can negatively affect others.

I have definitely been guilty of rewarding my dd for getting skills she has struggled with. I have also rewarded her for keeping a positive attitude when bombing one event (bars) at at meet (first rotation) and not letting it affect her for the rest of the meet and nailing everything else.

I also see the negative side of all of it though. I have heard many a girl say to parents, "what will I get if I do...." My response would be - the satisfaction of knowing you achieved something you have been working hard towards. The trick, as with everything else in life, is finding the right balance.

 

[gracefulone]

I have heard many a girl say to parents, "what will I get if I do...." My response would be - the satisfaction of knowing you achieved something you have been working hard towards. The trick, as with everything else in life, is finding the right balance.

I hate that! Even some of the young girls in rec ask that. I always tell them they get a high- five and a job well done!