Coaches Today was a good day!

[catou]

I just love coaching when things like this morning happen!!!

So I coach a group of 11 girls... CR3 argo (8 and 9 years old) for those who know the system in Quebec province. Let's say in september, only 2 of them had all of their bar routine moves... separatly.

So this morning, I don't know what they ate for breakfast but wow... A couple of them still couldn't do a squat on. At the end of the session they were all successfully doing it following a back hip circle without a pause between the 2 moves. All but 1 can now do a longhand pullover. And all but 1 can now dismount the bar. That's including the 2 new girls arriving from rec classes. One today and one last thursday!

Looks like their brain and body finally processed all the informations provided by all the drills we did. And the coaches are finally breathing a little easier as competition season start in 2 months! Let's do the same thing on vault now...

So what made your day?

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

One of my new gymnasts (from another club) got through training without crying.

 

[bogwoppit]

Catou, that is a big deal, isn't it wonderful when you see all those skills come together. Great coaching!!!

That CR3 routine is really quite challenging to get down.

When is your first comp?

 

[catou]

CR3 bars is really a challenge, they are so tiny at that age... even last year I taught CR2 and thought that routine wasn't easy either. Only 3 of them come from the defi program, so they really aren't used to learning routine and getting everything together.

First comp is december 15th or 16th in Beauport. Can't wait to see them in their competition leo! We are going to own the floor with that number of girls lol

 

[catou]

One of my new gymnasts (from another club) got through training without crying.

Looks like she's adapting to her new environment, that's great!

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

It was late last night, and I only answered the question at the bottom (how rude of me). I imagine that your girls must have gained a significant amount of strength that aided in their skill acquisition. It is great when skills become 'contagious' and spread through the group. What is the full bar routine for your girls at CR3?

 

[bogwoppit]

Routine is a pullover with legs together, cast with feet at bar height, back hip circle, immediate cast to squat on, jump to catch high bar, tap swing, long hang pullover, then cast to sole circle dismount from high bar, piked or straddle.

It really is quite a big routine, especially the bar change.

Next it'll be that bascule (kip) they are working on. Though with the limit on training hours it is hard to uptraining much.

Catou, do your girls do tramp and tumbling as well. We found training 6 apparatus on 9 hours a week a big challenge.

 

[catou]

It was late last night, and I only answered the question at the bottom (how rude of me). I imagine that your girls must have gained a significant amount of strength that aided in their skill acquisition. It is great when skills become 'contagious' and spread through the group. What is the full bar routine for your girls at CR3?

You are probably right about strength. Since the beginning of the season, in septembre, we have focused a lot on alignment and drills, performing almost only drills and part of moves for about a month, before starting to put everything together.

The routine is the following: Pullover, back hip circle, squat on, jump to the high bar, longhang pull over, sole circle dismount. That's the CR3 de base routine.

Now I need to stop freaking out each time they jump to the high bar... I will certainly put the bars closer in competition. Peeling off is just way too dangerous.

 

[catou]

bogwoppit you answered much better than I did

We do train all 6 apparatus... bars, tumbling and vault (changed this year, they now have to vault over the table set a minimum with a 20cm mat on top of it with a springboard) appear to be more challenging. Trampoline is going well, and I love coaching that apparatus. Beam is ok too as is floor. For the moment, it looks like our gymnasts will do tumbling, but without the backhandspring.

It is a challenge to train 6 apparatus in 9 hours a week. We train 2h30 on 2 week days and 4h on sunday. We have trampoline for about 40 minutes in total for 11 girls... Same thing for conditioning. We try to keep the girls busy while they are waiting. I usually coach tramp while the other coach works the artistry part with the other girls (turns, jumps, walks...). We only have 2 bars sets, 2 high beams...

 

[bogwoppit]

I saw the vault change, that is a big challenge for sure. Is the aero board allowed in CR now?

It sounds like you use some very smart coaching to maximize time and limited equipment.

Nice that you have a few months to refine. They'll be looking great by then.

 

[catou]

Aero board is allowed for argos and tyros, but their start value is lowered by one point.

I'm very lucky. Me and the other coach are getting along great... I just can't count the number of times we sent each other videos of drills and ideas for the next session lol

 

[bogwoppit]

Great coaches learn continuously, so it is wonderful that you are both into self education. I love the fact that there are so many great resources on the internet now.

Shame about the aeroboard deduction, the vault table is a big beast. My oldest was P2 tyro the year the grey Gymnova board was introduced and I have to say that is where all her knee, ankle and hip pain started. I love Gymnova, but the lack of flexibilty in the vault boards is nasty. I also think that in CR the aeroboard should be a standard use item as the girls train so little. The old mini tramp for vaulting was so much fun! I remember in PQ the argo girls used it and it was perfect, allowed them to get a feel for the flight and body shapes without the harshness of the board. But that is going back at least 9 years now.

 

[catou]

I agree with you bogwoppit. I heard they change the vault so it would be simpler for the competitions organizers. This way they don't have to install and uninstall the table. I think it might depend of the region. In Quebec city area, there's no CR1 competitions, and only two for CR2 and there's about 15 girls competing. That number might even be lower this year as our club won't be competiting it. So competitions are mostly for CR3 girls.

Right now, we have 2 girls who can vault something that looks like a handspring and not like forward roll... and that is with the aeroboard. Looks like we'll have to use it, at least for the first competition

 

[bogwoppit]

I think it is worth the deduction to use the aero board, developing the right body shapes is more important than just getting over the vault.

Our club never did CR1 or 2, just not enough kids or time in a small gym. CR3 is a good entry to competition.

I wish they would allow Argos to go to the Challenge des Regions, they can go to the Championnats so it would seem fair. Plus it is a big achievement.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

I agree with Bog, take the deduction. Otherwise they will learn 'how to survive vault' rather than how to vault correctly. Long term you will be rewarded with stronger vaulters. In various rules we have had similar deductions and I do favour the vaults that take the deduction and use correct technique over those who don't want to loose 1.0 and do awful vaults. I assume you use FIG rules, so I could very quickly find well over 1.0 mark in deductions on a vault that has poor body shapes and form faults.

 

[catou]

I think we are, except for the split jumps (the jumps counts if they reach 90 degres... which I think is a bit ridiculous). And a good thing is that we have an open-ended code, so it's minus 1 point but out of 13 not 10 (Maybe that's juste in my head lol but it doesn't seem as bad ) Good thing I just recheck de program, looks like the mini-tramp is allowed, but as it's written aeroboard or mini-tramp, I'm worried we might arrive somewhere where there's only one of the two.

I agree it's a shame argos can't do the challenge. I coach at the club that organized it this year, it was great, it's an opportunity for these girls who worked so hard to compete against others regions. And what I like is the fact that the number training hours is about the same for everyone. So no girls from a tiny gym in Abitibi competing against a girl who trains 20 hours a week in the biggest gym of Montreal.