Sasha
Proud Parent
Hi coaches/parents,
Background: I've posted recently (mostly in social groups) about my disappointment/frustration with my DD (8) being invited to train L4 several months ago, then only given limited opportunities to actually train L4 skills - instead repeating L3 skills over and over half the time (that she has had with good form already) and waiting in line a bunch whilst the younger ones are spotted on same L3 skills they don't have at all yet. Argh.
Anyway, even though she got kip pretty well very early on during this time, and by the end was landing 8-10 high bar kips in a row with increasingly straight arms, and regularly landing 10 cartwheels on high beam, etc., they kept her in L3. They never even let her try front handspring (even on trampoline), even though they compliment her bhs and she has lovely front walkovers and limbers. I didn't understand that at all. She can do an OK, squat-less FHS on our backyard mat despite never being trained. Better than I see most kids when they are starting. I don't tell the coaches this. Note: no, I don't mom-coach at home. We just have a tumbling mat that she brings out sometimes.
I smiled, bit my tongue and "trusted the coaches" as much as I could, as they promised they would continue uptraining with her, and she could compete with kip if she got her arms fully straight.
Two months have now passed, and she has had nearly zero opportunities to practice kip (or other uptraining). I believe only one 30-minute bar session (in two months of 16 hour weeks) has been devoted to kips. Else, she runs (L3) routines and waits in line. They tell her her L3 bar routine is "awesome" and "beautiful" every time with super minimal corrections here and there. Same with floor and vault. Beam is less polished, but solid. I DO REALIZE repetition to make it automatic is key!! But nearly no uptraining at all?
So my question is, is this move away from uptraining typical and expected? Is this optimal for her? Or is this gym just not going to be optimal for her? She is losing her kip in the couple times she has tried it, and also losing cartwheel on beam. She got to do 3 kip attempts in a recent class, and started to get it back, and now in 4 classes after that she has had 0 kip opportunities. It feels like just when she is getting something, the opportunity for continued practice is not presented. I have taught a range of other sports to children (and adults) and this is not an optimal approach in any other sport that I know of. The L4 girls with whom she had been training (and similarly semi-consistent on kip) have now been practicing kips everyday, and most look beautiful now, while my DD has only gone backwards due to no practice opps.
Trying to avoid CGM, but this has been bothering me a lot, so seeking advice here to keep my cool. In each class/level/group she has been a part of since she walked into rec 18 months ago, she started as the least proficient, then zoomed to be the most proficient. She is now the most proficient in the L3 group and I feel like it is holding her back from attaining more. I see the girls in the L4 group that she was rapidly catching up to in the Spring (when she was training with them) now zooming ahead and looking beautiful, while she is stagnating on mill circle and being left far behind. I know 1000% in my heart of hearts that she would be right there with them if she was allowed. Honestly, I think they put her in L3 because the group is much smaller and they need more high scorers, and she is younger than most L4s and had not competed L3 (our gym starts you at L3 or L4, usually L3). That would be fine if she was still progressing, but it is SO hard to watch other girls continue to polish L4 skills while she doesn't get to try them nearly at all.
Thanks to anyone for reading my (long, oops) partial question/partial vent! I know at least 10 people will probably just tell me to 'relax and enjoy the ride, marathon, etc.' but that's not my need - I'm looking more for any logical perspective on whether my expectations of the training are accurate, or if my gauge is off. Is this the norm? Or would other coaches continue to uptrain a kid who had shown rapid progress? I just don't have any other reference points, so I'm seeking knowledge. Feeling CGM
Background: I've posted recently (mostly in social groups) about my disappointment/frustration with my DD (8) being invited to train L4 several months ago, then only given limited opportunities to actually train L4 skills - instead repeating L3 skills over and over half the time (that she has had with good form already) and waiting in line a bunch whilst the younger ones are spotted on same L3 skills they don't have at all yet. Argh.
Anyway, even though she got kip pretty well very early on during this time, and by the end was landing 8-10 high bar kips in a row with increasingly straight arms, and regularly landing 10 cartwheels on high beam, etc., they kept her in L3. They never even let her try front handspring (even on trampoline), even though they compliment her bhs and she has lovely front walkovers and limbers. I didn't understand that at all. She can do an OK, squat-less FHS on our backyard mat despite never being trained. Better than I see most kids when they are starting. I don't tell the coaches this. Note: no, I don't mom-coach at home. We just have a tumbling mat that she brings out sometimes.
I smiled, bit my tongue and "trusted the coaches" as much as I could, as they promised they would continue uptraining with her, and she could compete with kip if she got her arms fully straight.
Two months have now passed, and she has had nearly zero opportunities to practice kip (or other uptraining). I believe only one 30-minute bar session (in two months of 16 hour weeks) has been devoted to kips. Else, she runs (L3) routines and waits in line. They tell her her L3 bar routine is "awesome" and "beautiful" every time with super minimal corrections here and there. Same with floor and vault. Beam is less polished, but solid. I DO REALIZE repetition to make it automatic is key!! But nearly no uptraining at all?
So my question is, is this move away from uptraining typical and expected? Is this optimal for her? Or is this gym just not going to be optimal for her? She is losing her kip in the couple times she has tried it, and also losing cartwheel on beam. She got to do 3 kip attempts in a recent class, and started to get it back, and now in 4 classes after that she has had 0 kip opportunities. It feels like just when she is getting something, the opportunity for continued practice is not presented. I have taught a range of other sports to children (and adults) and this is not an optimal approach in any other sport that I know of. The L4 girls with whom she had been training (and similarly semi-consistent on kip) have now been practicing kips everyday, and most look beautiful now, while my DD has only gone backwards due to no practice opps.
Trying to avoid CGM, but this has been bothering me a lot, so seeking advice here to keep my cool. In each class/level/group she has been a part of since she walked into rec 18 months ago, she started as the least proficient, then zoomed to be the most proficient. She is now the most proficient in the L3 group and I feel like it is holding her back from attaining more. I see the girls in the L4 group that she was rapidly catching up to in the Spring (when she was training with them) now zooming ahead and looking beautiful, while she is stagnating on mill circle and being left far behind. I know 1000% in my heart of hearts that she would be right there with them if she was allowed. Honestly, I think they put her in L3 because the group is much smaller and they need more high scorers, and she is younger than most L4s and had not competed L3 (our gym starts you at L3 or L4, usually L3). That would be fine if she was still progressing, but it is SO hard to watch other girls continue to polish L4 skills while she doesn't get to try them nearly at all.
Thanks to anyone for reading my (long, oops) partial question/partial vent! I know at least 10 people will probably just tell me to 'relax and enjoy the ride, marathon, etc.' but that's not my need - I'm looking more for any logical perspective on whether my expectations of the training are accurate, or if my gauge is off. Is this the norm? Or would other coaches continue to uptrain a kid who had shown rapid progress? I just don't have any other reference points, so I'm seeking knowledge. Feeling CGM