Parents Xcel Gym Frustrations and Concept for New Approach

[SimoneLee]

Hi all,

Our daughter is an 11-yr old Xcel Silver gymnast in Indiana. We've been a little frustrated, as our local gyms have huge teams with 25+ kids per team, so there is little time for coaching skill development.

Actually, coaching skill development is pretty much non-existent. The coach seems exhausted, and apathetic, and the morale among the kids is quite low.

Kids either figure out skills on their own, or they don't. It seems every gym in our area operates like this, and each gym has a lengthy wait list of kids seeking to join.

We want to find a solution, as our daughter loves gymnastics and is determined to go as far as she possibly can in the sport.

We've hired a private coach to work with her at our home, but the space and equipment is limited. The private coach is awesome, but we don't have access to an actual gym for these private coaching sessions, and the private coaching at the gym where she belongs are not really helpful; again, the coach seems exhausted and mostly apathetic.

We have considered opening a small gymnastics training center here in Indiana, offering small group skill training. We contemplate 90-minute sessions where groups of no more than five kids work with a great coach on a specific skill they desire to work on.

For example, a 90-minute beam class where a group of five kids works with a coach to develop specific beam skills the kids desire to achieve.

Basically, we would seek to create a small gymnastics training studio that offers small group skill development training with a serious, experienced and enthusiastic coach. We would pay that coach extremely well, such that it could be the coach's full-time career.

This would be a supplement to, and not a replacement for, the gymnast's regular competitive gym. This would add to what is already an expensive sport for parents, and we would like to get feedback on whether this would be a model that parents would find interesting. We believe it would take about $65 per gymnast, per 90-minute coaching session, to have sufficient revenue to fund itself.

Any parent feedback is so appreciated! Thank you for your time.

Simone

 

[GymnastMomX2]

You would likely have to somehow partner with a gym with a team program for this to work. It’s specifically in our contract that we can’t train with other gyms/coaches, and I’d assume most others are the same. Most coaches have specific ways of teaching skills and progressions, and a gymnast going to a random gym/coach who doesn’t know their methods would be detrimental.

 

[GymDadWA]

I caution you to not mistake specifically trying to do a skill for not training a skill. A lot of the strength and shapes needed to do a skill don't look like they are doing the skill but it's what is needed to actually do the skill.

For example a kip, you will be doing a lot of hollows and leg lifts which by themselves don't look like training a kip but it is the shapes needed to do them.

I am not a coach and as a parent made the all to common mistake of allowing my daughter to figure out skills at home, this actually set her back as she ended up having to unlearn what she "figured out" in order to do things correctly so that she could do the skills past those initial skills.

That being said if you don't like how they are coaching your child explore other options, but if you are not a coach or former gymnast you might not know what you are looking at.

 

[raenndrops]

Why not just pay the private coach to coach her at an open gym?
For a while (I don't know if they still do it, but they used to), one of the teams we regularly went against didn't have a spring floor at their home gym (a YMCA where they shared the gym, so they had to take everything down every day and put it all back up next practice). They would have their Optionals go to open gym at a well-known club gym in the area. Their own coaches would coach them while they could use a spring floor and the pits to work on their skills. It worked well for them.

For your plan to work, the local gyms would need to buy into it ... but they would probably wonder why everyone just won't pay more to their gyms so they can hire more coaches and have smaller group sizes.
Then, you have to get the space and equipment and liability insurance. There is a lot that goes into what you want to do.

A lot to think about.

 

[NutterButter]

I don’t think this is a sustainable model. Most gyms frown upon their athletes receiving instruction from another gym or coach. Most gyms will also prohibit their coaches from working at another gym which could be an issues as you look to attract ‘great coaches’ to your business model.

It seems the real issue is that you are dissatisfied with your gym. Perhaps a change here is needed.

 

[gymnast17]

I would have to agree. Moving to a new gym that satisfies you is a better option. Practicing so much in a week can lead to burnout. If you are looking for floor help however, I would recommend going to some cheer open gyms. It wouldn’t go against the contract (at least not for my contract)

 

[Dahlialover]

The gyms in your area would likely see you as competition and ban their students from working with you. Also, $65 is what we pay for private lessons an add to our gym as Ms it seems like way too much to pay for group lessons. Good luck

 

[Dahlialover]

The gyms in your area would likely see you as competition and ban their students from working with you. Also, $65 is what we pay for private lessons an add to our gym as Ms it seems like way too much to pay for group lessons. Good luck

Sorry, my autocorrect is terrible! The second sentence should say: “$65 is what we pay for private lessons at our gym and it seems like way too much to pay for group lessons.”

 

[cocoslc12]

Yeah this is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[sun]

Like others I see problems with this idea. I wouldn't want gymnasts I coach learning a flyaway from two coaches at once - sounds like trouble for everyone.

Maybe it'd be safer to offer a gymnastics-style conditioning class. Training the TOPs physical abilities is safer than training skills and would bolster all parts of their gymnastics.

 

[Dahlialover]

Like others I see problems with this idea. I wouldn't want gymnasts I coach learning a flyaway from two coaches at once - sounds like trouble for everyone.

Maybe it'd be safer to offer a gymnastics-style conditioning class. Training the TOPs physical abilities is safer than training skills and would bolster all parts of their gymnastics.

That’s a good idea! You could attract cheerleaders and dancers too.