Coaches Spotting philosophy - coach error

[MissBear]

I have spoken with a high-level coach recently who told me never to admit to a spotting error to a gymnast. His theory was that absolute trust is needed between the gymnast and the coach. If the gymnast thinks the coach may make a mistake in spotting they may become fearful of anything spotted, and general damage to the relationship.

I'm not sure about this. At low-level rec I wouldn't go out of my way to tell a gymnast I made a mistake. But at competitive levels, the coach relationship is different. What about general honesty? If something obviously goes wrong in a spotted skill the gymnast will expect a correction. But if the error was in the spot then what? False corrections? The gymnasts may attempt a correction without being told. Ultimately, the gymnast feeling the difference between the correct skill and the incorrect skill is being disrupted.
An example - a gymnast has a strong straight back somersault (she can twist well). She is training for extra height, using a bounce pad and a coach spot. The coach missed the middle of her back and instead gets the gymnasts side, causing the landing to be very off-line. The gymnast may have had problems with being in a straight line before. She may have felt that the spot was in a different place.

Opinions? Do you admit to spotting error? Have you had gymnasts stop trusting you?

 

[gymdog]

Not really, most of the time if we have a spotting error it's me accidentally brushing their face while I'm spotting something slow or something. So it's oops and we move on. A spotting "error" such as the gymnast going slightly crooked is going to happen. I'm not sure that's even much of an error. What we don't is skills beyond spotted that is beyond the expertise of the coach and the grasp of the gymnast so that someone is being dropped. I don't think I've ever "dropped" a kid. Sometimes kids fall when I am spotting them, but it's in a controlled way. More controlled than if they were attempting the skill without a spot, which I guess is the point.

I don't think they are going to lose trust from landing somewhat offline. I've had that happen to me. I would lose trust if a coach pushed me to do something and dropped me or wasn't paying attention and failed to spot at all. A spot that still gives enough momentum to safely complete the skill and follows through on the landing to make sure there's no bad landing still gives "trust" to me that the coach will do their part. Now obviously depending on the equipment, we need to make sure they aren't hitting the edge of the pit or something. But that would be a pretty large error. Ideally when you are spotting the gymnast should mostly be able to complete the skill themselves, of course, or know how to bail out correctly, which would be the case in the example. It would be one thing if he twisted her so much she was landing facing another way, or something, but I don't think it would necessarily lose the trust to point out why she landed offline.

 

[nevertooold]

I would just say... sorry I twisted you a little.

Or I might say... do you know WHY you twisted?

Or... did you feel where my hand was? to see how their body awareness during the skill was.

I would think most gymnasts with a good layout and good twisting ability would feel the spot and know what had happened. Also they probably did not get to that point in gymnastics without an off-kilter spot a time or two and would not really think much of it.

 

[tumblerK]

Hmm... When my old coach spotted me for the first time on my back tucks I somehow managed to get tangled up and landed on my knees. I have no idea how this happened. And I think if this had happened to a gymnast who was less confident in her tumbling this could have been a problem. I didn't find out until a year or two later at a coaching clinic how little experience she had spotting. By that time I had finished gymnastics, but if I had known that back then I would have been a little weary about letting her spot me. So I guess it depends if you were spotting correctly and just missed them or if it was the coach not being qualified to spot.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I would just say... sorry I twisted you a little.

Or I might say... do you know WHY you twisted?

Or... did you feel where my hand was? to see how their body awareness during the skill was.

I would think most gymnasts with a good layout and good twisting ability would feel the spot and know what had happened. Also they probably did not get to that point in gymnastics without an off-kilter spot a time or two and would not really think much of it.

this sounds reasonable enough. and remember that spotting is not failproof. this is what the kids need to learn so that they are always 'on their toes' so to speak.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I wouldn't go out of the way to point out my own spotting mistake, but it seems to me that denying a mistake you know you made is simply improper. I want these kids to trust me; I owe it to them to be honest. My coaching depends on being able to get honest feedback from them, and I see no reason it shouldn't go both ways.

My boys and their parents have the utmost trust in me, because they know I will never lie to them. I have on multiple occasions uttered the phrases "I don't know," "I was wrong," and "Sorry, that was my fault," to the boys. They still trust me, and still work their butts off for me. If anything, I think they trust me more than they would if I tried to deny any mistakes or shortcomings.

 

[CoachGoofy]

I've done the "my bad" thing if we get tangled up. And there are also the ever popular heart to hearts about "well, I CAN catch you and slow you down, but it won't be pleasant for either of us, and all I can guarantee is that you hit the ground slower and possibly with a more padded body part. I can't fix it once you've gone over my head and loosened up" (teenage T&Ters. Old enough to know that the label Coach doesn't imbue magic powers).

They all still trust me, and as a bonus don't want to chuck things that aren't ready. It's all there on the line, I will save your neck but that doesn't mean I can save your skill.