Need Help!

[CoachCorinne]

Okay so I am so glad I found this site. So I just took over coaching level 5, 6, and 7's. The 5's and 6's are just beginning their meet season however none of them have their skills or their routines solidly. Their next meet is this weekend is there anything I can do to help better prepare them for this meet. I know some of you might say not to let them compete however I work at an Airforce run facility and we just can't do that. I really want them to do well but don't have much time. Help I am running out of time.

[jasmine196]

I know how you feel. Last year the gym I work at had girls at all levels that did not have the skills needed to compete. They were scoring anywhere from 26-29's for the beginning of the season. This year we were able to hold some back and should start off the season at 33-34.

The best thing would be to tell the kids that this is a learning experience year. If they get down on theirselves, show them to little improvements from meet to meet. Its not an easy situation. And as a coach its extremly frustrating. Is it possible to move them down a level, until they get the skills they need? If not, just keep their spirits up and tell them that wait until they see the difference next year in scores.

Once the season is over, and you are considering where to place them next year. Look at where they can score well, not where they want to be. We held back about 6 level 4's to level 5 this past year since they were still missing skills and although the girls and parents at first weren't happy they understood that we want them to start off in the middle of the pack at meets, not at the bottom as they did the year before.

It all works out in the end.

[hammy]

Jasmine196 made an excellent point about encouraging them to look at the improvements, not the scores. Too often gymnasts focus on scores and not how they're performing the skills. Jasmine also made an excellent point about telling the kids that this year is a learning experience, and those are very very important in gymnasitcs. Try to focus on having the kids do their best and try their hardest--that's all that counts.

Once the season is over, focus on the basics and perfecting them--you'll be amazed at how much this will improve their other skills. I recommend evaluting the kids before deciding to whether or not to move them up; you don't want them to move up before they're ready. Like Jasmin said, they might not be happy at first, but they will be once they begin competing