Coaches The Struggle is Real!!

[alexishuebner]

Hey everyone!! So I teach private lessons to 3 sisters, 4,6, and 7. The 7 year old is really good, and the 4 year old is just there to have fun haha! But Im having some trouble with the 6 year old. She doesn’t understand the “kicking” part. Like kicking into a handstand and cartwheel. She has no drive in her heels to get her up or over the top. Advice? Also, she’s not the best behaved…. She is always messing with the other girls and not listening since she has a lot of energy. She also says she doesn’t like gymnastics when I tell her to focus… which is false because she is always so excited and loves to come so she just messes with me! Thanks for the help!

 

[Aussie_coach]

It’s not easy to have 3 sisters together, let alone ones who are of a very different level of ability.

Quite often young kids who don’t seem to have much heel drive are not kicking up because of fear. Building in a safety net, like handstands to flat back on a a soft thick mat or into a pit can help calm the fear. It can also be a lack of awareness, she may think she is fully vertical and not understand that she isn’t. Lots of drills in the vertical position will help her to understand the feeling.

Keep your lessons active and moving, us lots of drills and side stations to keep the other two occupied when working with just one.

Make sure your attention is easy to earn for good work and behaviour, so she doesn’t feel compelled to try and use poor behaviour to gain that attention.

Have a clear system for discipline and behavioural expectations. Be fair and but and ensure you always follow through.