Awesome article - A must read

**bogwoppit** · #1 01-30-2010, 06:08 AM

Some thoughts on the learning plateau Mas Watanabe

This says it all in a nutshell, thanks to Rick on gymcoaching.com for this.

Why do gymnasts plateau?

Discuss.

MdGymMom01 · #2 01-30-2010, 07:07 AM

Wow! Great article! Yeah, that is it in a nutshell alright! Some gymnasts also have different learning techniques. Some can learn by explanations and simply need to be told what to do as in corrections. Others are very visual (like my dd) and learn better by watching someone else or watching a video of themselves doing the skill. Sometimes all it takes is my dd to watch herself on a video doing a skill wrong for that lightbulb to go off in her head and she replies with a "Ohhhh! That's what you mean when you say that!" When she was learning free hips the other day at private the coach showed her the video in slo motion and really pinpointed the problem areas of form and where to stay tight and push off the bar. It really helped her and I think she has a better understanding of the skill now.

Thanks Bog for this post!! Great information!

Aussie_coach · #3 01-30-2010, 06:14 PM

This has always been a subject of great interest to me.

My thoughts.

1. I have found that a gymnast almost always faces a big plateau right before a BIG jump in ability. Gymnasts do not develop in small steps but in big and small leaps. Often its the plateau that comes first before the big leap.

2. Gymnasts need to go through plateau's and periods of frustration in training in order to achieve their best. Plateau's are not a bad thing they are an essential thing. If a gymnasts just steadily improved from day to day there would be little motivation for her. Plateau's are what frustrate the gymnast just enough to step up their training and seek out more learning. They teach important lessons.

coachinkal · #4 02-01-2010, 05:23 AM

Thanks for posting that. Very interesting.

I have had several gymnasts learn a skill then loose it without any obvious reason.

They can sometimes loose the skill for months, making for a very interesting competition season!

gymnut1 · #5 02-01-2010, 02:27 PM

That was very interesting. I would add another reason. Lack of focused and organised training sessions by the coaches. Or having different coaches each session with no shared planning. If kids work on different skills each time they don't build up enough momentum in their skill learning to nail a skill. Disinterested coaching has the same effect. Self evaluation is just as important for coaches as gymnast evaluation when trying to pinpoint cause and effect.

gymnut1 · #6 02-01-2010, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coachinkal

Thanks for posting that. Very interesting.

I have had several gymnasts learn a skill then loose it without any obvious reason.

They can sometimes loose the skill for months, making for a very interesting competition season!

My dd loses skills if she doesn't work on them every session. She doesn't seem to have any muscle memory. Even though she still has the strength. I have often wondered about it. Perhaps we should start another thread to see if anyone has any ideas.