Parents Private Lessons

[aerials]

1. Can you have as many as you want? Yes
2. Can you "book" a private every Tuesday at 1:00 for months? Yes
3. Can you book a private with a coach who isn't your child's coach? Yes
4. Why do you get a private - uptrain, fix or tweak a skill, use it as extra class time? Most get a couple to fix or get a skill. However there are some who have the weekly multiple privates as extra class time. It's funny, then the mom's will go on about "I don't know how my daughter got so good...they just love gymnastics....they also try to keep the fact that they are doing do many privates secret....ha ha There are a handful that would not move up or be in the level they are in without the privates

In some cases it seems that the owners have lost control of their gym because of the privates.

 

[GymnastMomX2]

Honestly we've never felt the need to have a private, although I know they are available. There is one girl who has a standing private every week, but her mom is the biggest CGM I know!

 

[tarheel618]

How do private lessons work in your gym? It is getting more and more difficult in my gym to get "an every once in a while" private because so many parents are "creating" their own classes through private lessons. So I must ask...

1. Can you have as many as you want? see below
2. Can you "book" a private every Tuesday at 1:00 for months? NO
3. Can you book a private with a coach who isn't your child's coach? No
4. Why do you get a private - uptrain, fix or tweak a skill, use it as extra class time? see below

1. Privates are only given if you miss a certain number of regular practices in a row (I believe it is 4). At that point the coach or parent can request. When we went on vacation last year, my DD was lacking a few skills and the coach approached us about privates to catch up.

All other privates are at the request of the coaches- when they feel that the gymmie needs more one on one instruction.

 

[LinnieC]

1. Can you have as many as you want? Yes, as long as there is a willing coach
2. Can you "book" a private every Tuesday at 1:00 for months? I believe so... I am pretty sure I heard of a couple of gymnasts that did this...
3. Can you book a private with a coach who isn't your child's coach? Yes, but I have heard stories where it hurt the main coach's feelings. but there were a few reasons why other coaches were "selected" over the main coach
4. Why do you get a private - uptrain, fix or tweak a skill, use it as extra class time? I have only scheduled privates to fine tune skills/routines before a meet. to get that more 'individualized' attention that she NEVER gets at practice.

 

[xrachx]

1. Can you have as many as you want?
As long as there is space, yes

2. Can you "book" a private every Tuesday at 1:00 for months?
Yes. We have a standing booking for every other Saturday (depending on coaches schedule)

3. Can you book a private with a coach who isn't your child's coach?
Only one coach offers privates, luckily it's DDs coach

4. Why do you get a private - uptrain, fix or tweak a skill, use it as extra class time?
DD started privates as she was struggling with certain skills, turns out she had flexibility issues her old club never picked up on. So they use the time to work on her flexibility and doing specialised drills to help with things she's learning in normal sessions.
She generally shares her privates with her friend (helps with the cost), who uses it to uptrain

 

[Committed]

The answer to #s 1, 2, & 3 is "yes, as long as you have a coach willing to do it.

Our gym is very "pro" privates. I don't know any gymnast that hasn't done at least 1. However, I have never seen/or heard of a private used for up training nor for anyone who wasn't at least trying out for team.
It's usually to help perfect competition routines or to help with a trick or two: kip, FHS (or higher) vault, etc.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

I have never known anyone to do privates. It doesn't seem to be a thing around here. The exception would be dancers who come in for privates for learning aerials or something, but they don't do gymnastics.

 

[windydays]

Interesting points of view. I am questioning the negative side of privates. We have a few families in our gym that have gone hog wild on privates to help their children stay competitive. If a gymnast can't get what she needs in regularly scheduled class time, I am wondering if it is a coaching problem or a gymnast problem. There seems to be a big incentive for "recommending" privates and telling a child's parent that their child is behind. What do the gym owners think about this?

Our family has used privates to clean up or if there is a trouble spot with a certain skill.

 

[Tbrov]

My kids are already at the gym 25+ hours a week (L9 & 10) - we'd only use a private for choreography or some super specific need. Otherwise it should be able to be addressed during the time they are already there. We have always had that attitude, and it's worked out fine. I think one daughter had a couple privates in level 5 to get over some fears on beam. That was it. We would only do one upon coach's request.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

My kids are already at the gym 25+ hours a week (L9 & 10) - we'd only use a private for choreography or some super specific need. Otherwise it should be able to be addressed during the time they are already there. We have always had that attitude, and it's worked out fine. I think one daughter had a couple privates in level 5 to get over some fears on beam. That was it. We would only do one upon coach's request.

This ^^^ for my DD, it was also at L5, for bars.

 

[z2akids]

We are actually planning on doing a series of privates for uptraining this season. My DD is repeating L3 this year. She wasn't quite ready for L4. However, I dont want her bored. She was going to attend a bar camp and we decided to redirect those funds forward privates.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

How do private lessons work in your gym? It is getting more and more difficult in my gym to get "an every once in a while" private because so many parents are "creating" their own classes through private lessons. So I must ask...

1. Can you have as many as you want?
2. Can you "book" a private every Tuesday at 1:00 for months?
3. Can you book a private with a coach who isn't your child's coach?
4. Why do you get a private - uptrain, fix or tweak a skill, use it as extra class time?

1. I suppose...as long as a coach was available.
2. Again, would depend on availability. No one has regular privates though.
3. Has to be a team coach.
4. When DD does one, it's to uptrain. Maybe once every month or two. But it depends on the kid. Some are for for fear issues, some for routines that just aren't there yet, others to uptrain.

 

[Lynn]

We have done many privates and even had a standing one for a very long time. My DD had a beam issue that needed a little more hands on approach, a mental block when it came to backwards tumbling (which has always been her strong point) and that was our standing private lesson. She broke her finger right before state meet last yr, so we did a few then. In general, we would do one week of a meet. Quite a few girls do them and some just can't. We never really did it to make her more competitive there was always a reason ( injury, mental block).

 

[GymCMLA]

1. Can you have as many as you want? Yes as long as the coahces have time an dthe gym has space
2. Can you "book" a private every Tuesday at 1:00 for months? yes
3. Can you book a private with a coach who isn't your child's coach? yes as long as one of the 10 team coaches
4. Why do you get a private - uptrain, fix or tweak a skill, use it as extra class time? we have used them for confidence building, attaining a skill that is not up to par, upskills in the off season, and to counteract a really bad floor coach we have (she can tear a kid down in one sentence -- see confidence building above , or in our case rebuilding) we do our privates with a specific coach who DD seems to have a good bond with. She is young and was a L10 gymnast (she is about 21 now) She has insight and drills that are not used during class time (b/c the coach use for privates wasn't DD's team coach on any event last year, but is doing level 4+ vault this year). We mostly use privates for bars and floor.

 

[Amusibus]

Would a private lesson be appropriate if there was one single skill on one event that was keeping a child in one level versus the next level? That is my situation with my child, but I hesitate to do a private lesson because she is little/lower level and in a more casual team program (also I can't really afford it).

 

[GYM0M]

Would a private lesson be appropriate if there was one single skill on one event that was keeping a child in one level versus the next level? That is my situation with my child, but I hesitate to do a private lesson because she is little/lower level and in a more casual team program (also I can't really afford it).

For the most part, I would say yes, but just like most answers it's not always that black and white!!! It really all depends on what the skill is and what the hold up on mastering the skill. For example, let's use the front hip circle for a L3 gymnast. If this is the only skill that's preventing the gymnast from competing L3, then yes, a private would be beneficial bc the issues are most likely due to form and technique, not strength (as the gymnast can successfully complete the required mill circle.) BUT, if it were a skill that the gymnast just did not have the strength to do, a single private would not help bc you don't get stronger in 30 mins. As far as financials are concerned, as your DD's coach for specific drills that target your DD's issues & have her do those at home for free!!