WAG Spotting on high beam

[l.c.o]

My DD has lost beam skills in the past. Almost all acro within one month or so. They tried to rush it back for her (pressure, some spotting), as she'd been borderline for optionals and had a skill deadline, but it really only made it worse.

It took truly bringing it all back to the basics (line on the floor) for her to slowly gain confidence and start to move forward. It took a solid 9-10 months or so for just the BHS to truly feel "comfortable" for her on beam again. And she still has off days where it's not so comfortable.

I'm not suggesting that it'll be that long or intense for you DD - mine was working to get back some 5 or so skills. Not all of them are back yet or solid even now. But the common thread to all of the skills was time and patience.

And my DD wanted to quit numerous times.

I'm sure my DD got spots on a couple of the skills when she was truly ready to do them on high beam again. Perhaps there's a reason they won't spot your DD - maybe they're waiting for her to go more confidently on low beam/whatever, or correct a tiny hand placement or whatever before pushing her.... Because take it from me, putting her back on that high beam before she's truly ready after what was a traumatic fall for her... no bueno. Trust that you DON'T want a repeat performance of the fall anytime soon - that's a setback you don't want to even ponder (see: my DD).

I completely empathize with the frustration, though, all around. Maybe your DD DOES just need that spot, and maybe that's a little unfair. But sometimes withholding a spot isn't just coach stubbornness/etc. And she'll get to the same place eventually.

The thing is, at meets, there won't be a low beam or a quick spot on high beam (except on warmups). My DD does not consider herself to "have" a skill until she can move straight from a line on the floor to high beam.

 

[l.c.o]

I did say that. It was a non beam coach (one of the head coaches) passing by. He saw her standing there, asked her what she was working on, spotted her once, moved on to wherever he was headed and she did several more on her own. She says she needs one spot "to get used to the beam" because she insists the low and high beams are different widths, and then she can do it. This is set in her head. How to get her over that so she will do it on her own, without looking overly invested myself so that she feels pressure from me, I have no idea. This is all from the mouth of a 10 year old, I've been avoiding the gym to take any pressure off from me watching.

Sorry for posting a second time. I re-read this post after I posted... I actually kinda see it from maybe a different perspective here. Yes she did it with with a spot with a different coach... and that's wonderful. But she still needs a spot, even after. I have to wonder if that's what they're trying to avoid by not spotting her? Because how often or how long will that need continue? If she still needs a spot after that first (albeit successful) try, then she genuinely might not be mentally ready for it on high beam. Which sucks, yes. But it's ok - it'll come. She needs to trust herself and trust the beam.

Sometimes I feel like a coach spotting on beam is just reaffirming how scary/dangerous skills are for those kids with some fear quirks (like my own DD). Saying "No, you can do it, you don't need a spot" may be their way of instilling confidence. Your DD doesn't NEED a spot. It's not so scary of a skill to NEED a spot. (Does this make any sense? It makes sense in my head and then I type it and it doesn't sounds how I wanted it to. I'm not informing you of that, you know it, but rather rationalizing the philosophy) Spotting can be a very real reminder of easy it can be to get hurt.

 

[flipandfly]

Never say that she won't get it. It will take time, but a good attitude will help the process. Sometimes gymnasts just need some time to figure out what will work for them, and the best thing you can do for her is cheer her on, rather than show frustration. Have her visualize the skill over and over and visualize it from her perspective, watching her hands hit the beam and her feet hit the perfect landing position. I have heard that the benefit of one visualization is the equivalent of physically taking several turns. And you have the comfort of never getting injured when you practice them in your head.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Sometimes I feel like a coach spotting on beam is just reaffirming how scary/dangerous skills are for those kids with some fear quirks (like my own DD). Saying "No, you can do it, you don't need a spot" may be their way of instilling confidence. Your DD doesn't NEED a spot. It's not so scary of a skill to NEED a spot. (Does this make any sense? It makes sense in my head and then I type it and it doesn't sounds how I wanted it to. I'm not informing you of that, you know it, but rather rationalizing the philosophy) Spotting can be a very real reminder of easy it can be to get hurt.

This a million times.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Maybe coaches can answer this better than I but it seems to me it would be difficult to spot a kid who is higher then the spotters core. In other words if you can't spot safely that can be worse then no spot at all.

If our coaches are spotting on high bar, they are up at high bar level.

If our coaches are spotting beam for form or position correction stuff they are doing it on the floor beam or the beam that is not higher then a foot or 2 above the ground.

I would think spotting a kid higher then you could potentially not only cause the kid to fall but the coach as well. And that seems more dangerous to me. And I would think the kid, would end up more afraid because then they wouldn't even have confidence they would be caught and feeling bad they potentially injured the coach. That would be worse for my kid then just taking longer to get her head there.

And it is just my experience as a parent in general.

Think the toddler who falls and then looks to mom for what to do. The mom who says oops you fell that's ok just get up and keep going, that kid boggles on.

The mom who rushes oh no did you get a boo boo, here let mommy see oh no here are some kisses. That kid goes into full drama mode.

I only know my kid. I do the never let her see you sweat thing. Falls happen (and they have) and your coach isn't going to let you do something if they don't know you can. The rest is up to you.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Sorry timed out.

Looking at the other side.

If your kid wants to throw a skill and the coach thinks it is not there yet. What do you say? Do you tell the coach he/she is wrong and let her throw the skill?

I wouldn't I trust the coach to know when she can and when she can't physically do something. And if I didn't we would make a change to one I did trust.

And when my daughter tells me she can't, when she in fact can. I try a lot of things but I don't indulge/entertain the can't.

 

[coach1234]

Maybe coaches can answer this better than I but it seems to me it would be difficult to spot a kid who is higher then the spotters core. In other words if you can't spot safely that can be worse then no spot at all.

If our coaches are spotting on high bar, they are up at high bar level.

If our coaches are spotting beam for form or position correction stuff they are doing it on the floor beam or the beam that is not higher then a foot or 2 above the ground.

I would think spotting a kid higher then you could potentially not only cause the kid to fall but the coach as well. And that seems more dangerous to me. And I would think the kid, would end up more afraid because then they wouldn't even have confidence they would be caught and feeling bad they potentially injured the coach. That would be worse for my kid then just taking longer to get her head there.

And it is just my experience as a parent in general.

This, i do spot on the low beam for first couple etc if they need but when it comes to the high beam I don't feel I can safely spot a child that high, if they are not ready on the high beam put some mats under the high beam so she can feel comfortable with the height but it be the surroundings and beam that will be when she's on the high beam

 

[gymmomtotwo]

Is standing next to someone when they go on high beam spotting? I am not trying to be nit picky. I just question whether this actually constitutes spotting. The coach is always standing there on bars for flyaways but never touches them. That is acknowledgement that the skill could potentially be dangerous too. She should be solid on it. She already spent a season doing it. She won state in her age group on beam with a backhandspring in level 6.Everything is there on the low beam, fear of not getting her hands on the high beam is keeping her stuck. She needs to get "used to it".And I nod and say, you'll get it when you are ready. Meanwhile, she swings around on bars doing giants and flyaways and clear hip handstands without worrying about anything, That seems way more dangerous to me. Anyway, I am open to trying visualization with her, but need to figure a way to do it so she doesn't feel more pressure.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

During flyaways the coach is prepared to actually intervene and help if need be.

If you just stand there and the child falls but you can not effectively help. How would that help a child's confidence?

Spotting is to physically be able to help.

Even high level gymnastics think Olympics the coach is near by at the ready for bars. It's not a mental thing, it's to mitigate a potential disaster that could happen.

 

[CanAmGymMum]

Is standing next to someone when they go on high beam spotting? I am not trying to be nit picky. I just question whether this actually constitutes spotting. The coach is always standing there on bars for flyaways but never touches them. That is acknowledgement that the skill could potentially be dangerous too. She should be solid on it. She already spent a season doing it. She won state in her age group on beam with a backhandspring in level 6.Everything is there on the low beam, fear of not getting her hands on the high beam is keeping her stuck. She needs to get "used to it".And I nod and say, you'll get it when you are ready. Meanwhile, she swings around on bars doing giants and flyaways and clear hip handstands without worrying about anything, That seems way more dangerous to me. Anyway, I am open to trying visualization with her, but need to figure a way to do it so she doesn't feel more pressure.

In general, I agree that most kids should wait to do a skill on the high beam until they are ready to do it on their own. However, there is nothing about gymnastics that is black and white. In this case, if standing in for one back handspring on the high beam is going to get your daughter over her mental block, then maybe it's time to try. If she insists that she can do it after one "spot", she's probably right; no one would know better than her However, there should be some sort of plan in place so that she doesn't become reliant on the coach standing there every time for her first one. It's so important to realize, as a coach, that no two kids are alike and to be able to adapt training plans to accommodate individual needs.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

We had a meet last year. Regular bars coach was at states with our L9 gymmie. Any girl whose flyaway was not 100 percent solid had to do L4 dismount, couldn't even attempt the flyaway. Coach at the meet could not properly spot bars. She could of stood there and been absolutely no help if something went wrong on the flyaway.

So no spotting is not only standing.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

Seems like most people are saying keep on keeping on. I was able to avoid the topic altogether today after practice. We talked about gym friends and the rest of the weekend. I will leave the coaches alone for the time being. I don't think I have what it take to be a gym parent. She knows what it means if she doesn't get it back (no travel meet and no level 7). It is what it is, and noone can do it but her. She has had these coaches since she was little, I just have to trust them. Thanks everyone

 

[duyetanh]

If you just stand there and the child falls but you can not effectively help. How would that help a child's .

But the point is, it did help. And it helped mine also. The child in question doesn't really want a spot per se, she just wants a warm body there...it doesn't have to be a beam coach even. And she only wants one there one time, and then she would go on her own. Having had a child who went through it, I do get it. Because it worked.

 

[gymdog]

Thanks all. I guess it is good to know that this is how most coaches would handle this. I am not sure she will ever get the confidence back to go for it, as she has been stuck in this spot for a long time. It gives me an understanding why so many exit the sport at such young ages. She wasn't even hurt. 6 months ago, she was in the hunt for level 8 (she loves vault and wants to do her tsuk). Now it appears she will need to do 6, and miss the travel meet, which starts at level 7. I will keep my mouth shut and keep on keeping on.

SHE WILL GET IT BACK. And she will lose other things. Gymnastics is a constant process of this. Right now she is not mentally ready to do this. And by continuing to ask and hammer it home will just make it worse. Let it be. It will come back. She will lose other things. That's one of the only guarantees in this sport.

Part of the process is working through this. She's not mentally ready. I wouldn't even entertain the high beam at this point if I were her coach. That's the real problem if you ask me. She shouldn't even get up there in the first place for another month.

 

[raenndrops]

Is standing next to someone when they go on high beam spotting? I am not trying to be nit picky. I just question whether this actually constitutes spotting. The coach is always standing there on bars for flyaways but never touches them. That is acknowledgement that the skill could potentially be dangerous too. She should be solid on it. She already spent a season doing it. She won state in her age group on beam with a backhandspring in level 6.Everything is there on the low beam, fear of not getting her hands on the high beam is keeping her stuck. She needs to get "used to it".And I nod and say, you'll get it when you are ready. Meanwhile, she swings around on bars doing giants and flyaways and clear hip handstands without worrying about anything, That seems way more dangerous to me. Anyway, I am open to trying visualization with her, but need to figure a way to do it so she doesn't feel more pressure.

It is a mental spot. You said before that she thinks the high beam isn't as wide as the low beam. It is time to take a tape measure or ruler to the gym. Let her check for herself. If it is slightly narrower, then she needs to get used to it... And a mental spot is the way to go. If it is the same size, that may ease her anxiety and allow her to go for it.

 

[coachmolly]

Be patient. It will come back, probably not in the timeline she is hoping for, but it will come back. My typical protocol with girls struggling with a fear issue is to send them back to a lower beam, and they keep moving back until they can do it confidently- even if that means a line on the floor. And that's where they stay until they say they are ready to move to the next beam. And for some kids, it's a constant back and forth for a while until it feels like any "real" progress is made.
I do spot occasionally for a new skill, though it's more of standing near the beam than actually spotting them through the skill. I'll also spot to "stop" a skill to help them correct a body position error (usually on a low/mid-sized beam). But in all fairness, there is an exception to every rule and I do have a girl that I spot somewhat frequently on beam because that's what works best for this particular kid.
As for the question about spotting on beam and how it's possible, I have seen coaches get up on spotting blocks so they are more level with the beam. I'm not particularly fond of that method as many of the times I've seen it employed the kid really wasn't ready to be doing the skill on a high beam and the coaches needed the height to really jump in and assist with the skill from start to finish.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

I stopped spotting beam over a year ago when an experienced coach at a camp highly recommended it and other coaches here in Chalk Bucket encouraged that too. At first it was hard, because the gymnasts that I used the method had been spotted earlier. Some of them "lost" skills they had had on the high beam (walkovers) but actually when I think back they never truly were comfortable on the high beam before that, they could do the skill after X number of spotted attempts but they always needed a coach to at least stand there or touch them with one finger or whatever.

What I do with my gymnasts: I give them the freedom to put as many mats they ever want under the beam and even on the beam, that's all up to them. They have this freedom and for many it's a really important confidence builder - they know that everything is under their own control. I always tell them to move to the next beam when they get bored on the lower beam. Sometimes I might casually ask before beam if this is the big day you bring the skill to the high beam, I do this in a jokingly manner Sometimes they say yes and sometimes they say no and I'm fine with both answers. The most important thing is that THEY have the control over this whole thing.

I have kids who need to put tons of small mats under the beam and move them away one by one. They need baby steps. And I have gymnasts who don't want to do this, they might just put a beam mat over the beam for the first few tries and then they remove it and they are fine.

I do stand there for the first try of a walkover or back handspring for some kids, but I only touch them if they actually miss the beam. It's only the first try and then they are on their own. We also have a 5 second rule on beam - you can only stand there in the starting position for five seconds and if you don't do the skill you have to jump down every time. I think that the fear grows exponentially every second they just stand there arms by ears and I have explained this to them and they agree. Now they remind their teammates "remember the 5 second rule" if they see someone standing there and waiting. If they need to jump on and off many times I just casually ask them to gain some more confidence on low beam or put more mats under and try again next day.

 

[Val]

It is a mental spot. You said before that she thinks the high beam isn't as wide as the low beam. It is time to take a tape measure or ruler to the gym. Let her check for herself. If it is slightly narrower, then she needs to get used to it... And a mental spot is the way to go. If it is the same size, that may ease her anxiety and allow her to go for it.

One of my daughter's teammates was convinced the low beam was skinnier and did not want to try new skills there

 

[sandy]

Sounds like your gymmie is looking for reassurance from her coach- the only words she has for it, is a "spot". Maybe the coach can give her a choice: practice on the low beam until you feel confident enough to do it on high beam, if you choose to go to high beam I will spot by standing there for one attempt and will leave whether or not you do skill, if unable to do it, back to low beam.
No fuss.
She just wants to feel supported by her coach, and that fight shouldn't turn into the bigger issue than losing the skill.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Sounds like your gymmie is looking for reassurance from her coach- the only words she has for it, is a "spot". Maybe the coach can give her a choice: practice on the low beam until you feel confident enough to do it on high beam, if you choose to go to high beam I will spot by standing there for one attempt and will leave whether or not you do skill, if unable to do it, back to low beam.
No fuss.
She just wants to feel supported by her coach, and that fight shouldn't turn into the bigger issue than losing the skill.

I love this. Gives the kid control and lets her know the coach is hearing her.