A
Anonymous (3a33)
I coach two gymnasts, who are very cautious and timid to try anything new especially on beam and floor, and a little bit on vault and bars too. I'm looking for some suggestions how to approach the issue.
The gymnasts are the same age (turning 12 this year) and I have coached them for a long time now (more than 3 years). When they were little, they were the superstars who medaled all the time in the lower levels. Then they started to regress. They both developed a mental block on beam back walkover at first. I'm a little hesitant to call it an actual block, because it was a new skill to them and not yet automatised. They had that skill in their beam routine but didn't compete it, they just took the deduction. This was like 2-3 years ago. It was hard, but we did not make it a huge deal, they even scored out of that level missing the BWO completely. We moved on and started to train for the optionals. At this point floor was not a problem. Then one of them balked on RO-BHS-BHS. She didn't get hurt or anything, but of course got very scared. We stopped back tumbling for a moment. Then the same thing happened to another one! And then things got really complicated!
I tried to treat it like an injury - I did not make it a big deal. I just said: you will get it when you are ready. At first it was just the BHS, but then it started to affect their confidence in everything. Things got bad real quick, and at one point (like a year ago) one of them would not even do a front tuck on floor! A skill she learned at 7, maybe... I'm not exaggerating when I say that at one point she wouldn't even do a full turn on beam. I don't know if she was actually THAT scared or if it was all about losing the confidence and hating it.
Well, now the situation has been ongoing for 2 years. I'm getting really tired. I'm trying not to show it to them. They have lost their will to even try new things. If I suggest them some new skill try work on, it's immediate no. No matter if it's a front or back tumbling skill. They can only do tumbling on floor if there is a mat on floor, but that's not allowed at every competition and they would need a mat for every pass! It's getting so frustrating. On beam, they are willing to work on ALL KIND OF SKILLS on floor beam (I mean, they are talented kiddos, they have their back tucks, back handsprings, aerials, you name it, on floor beam), but not willing to even consider the high beam. Sometimes I'm able to bribe them to try BWO on high beam with a spot, but it's always a huge deal and they are not willing to try again the next day. Same with floor, they can do all kind of tumbling to the pit and all kind of flips on the trampoline, but when you try to take it to the competition setting they refuse. On bars they can do anything on straps and on pit bar, but it's been a HUGE struggle to put those skills in their actual routines. Not because they can't do them, but because they don't really like working out of their comfort zone.
Last competition season they competed the bare minimum skills in their level (like level 6 in the USA) and because they are talented gymnasts with nice form and presentation, they scored well and medaled all the time again. They would do some of the skills in competition if there were mats on floor and under the high beam, but if those were not available or they didn't like the mats, they would just not do the skill. They were happy to medal many many times with those darn mats. When I asked them what kind of upgrades they would like to work on to add in their routines, both just said they don't know. So basically they are happy with the skills they already have. In most of the competitions extra mats are allowed, but we are attending a bigger travel meet where they are not allowed without deduction, and they are both just thinking to take the deduction. It drives me crazy, because I know that without that deduction they would be able to qualify to the big finals and everything, but they don't seem to care.
Is there anything I can do? I have had countless conversations with their parents, and we all agree that we should not put too much pressure on them, but at the same time I feel like they will be STUCK in this level for the rest of their gymnastics career if we don't change something. They both love gymnastics, they are best friends and love our group and us coaches. The issues IS NOT that they are done with the sport, because they aren't. They just can't get out of their comfort zone.
Please help!!!
The gymnasts are the same age (turning 12 this year) and I have coached them for a long time now (more than 3 years). When they were little, they were the superstars who medaled all the time in the lower levels. Then they started to regress. They both developed a mental block on beam back walkover at first. I'm a little hesitant to call it an actual block, because it was a new skill to them and not yet automatised. They had that skill in their beam routine but didn't compete it, they just took the deduction. This was like 2-3 years ago. It was hard, but we did not make it a huge deal, they even scored out of that level missing the BWO completely. We moved on and started to train for the optionals. At this point floor was not a problem. Then one of them balked on RO-BHS-BHS. She didn't get hurt or anything, but of course got very scared. We stopped back tumbling for a moment. Then the same thing happened to another one! And then things got really complicated!
I tried to treat it like an injury - I did not make it a big deal. I just said: you will get it when you are ready. At first it was just the BHS, but then it started to affect their confidence in everything. Things got bad real quick, and at one point (like a year ago) one of them would not even do a front tuck on floor! A skill she learned at 7, maybe... I'm not exaggerating when I say that at one point she wouldn't even do a full turn on beam. I don't know if she was actually THAT scared or if it was all about losing the confidence and hating it.
Well, now the situation has been ongoing for 2 years. I'm getting really tired. I'm trying not to show it to them. They have lost their will to even try new things. If I suggest them some new skill try work on, it's immediate no. No matter if it's a front or back tumbling skill. They can only do tumbling on floor if there is a mat on floor, but that's not allowed at every competition and they would need a mat for every pass! It's getting so frustrating. On beam, they are willing to work on ALL KIND OF SKILLS on floor beam (I mean, they are talented kiddos, they have their back tucks, back handsprings, aerials, you name it, on floor beam), but not willing to even consider the high beam. Sometimes I'm able to bribe them to try BWO on high beam with a spot, but it's always a huge deal and they are not willing to try again the next day. Same with floor, they can do all kind of tumbling to the pit and all kind of flips on the trampoline, but when you try to take it to the competition setting they refuse. On bars they can do anything on straps and on pit bar, but it's been a HUGE struggle to put those skills in their actual routines. Not because they can't do them, but because they don't really like working out of their comfort zone.
Last competition season they competed the bare minimum skills in their level (like level 6 in the USA) and because they are talented gymnasts with nice form and presentation, they scored well and medaled all the time again. They would do some of the skills in competition if there were mats on floor and under the high beam, but if those were not available or they didn't like the mats, they would just not do the skill. They were happy to medal many many times with those darn mats. When I asked them what kind of upgrades they would like to work on to add in their routines, both just said they don't know. So basically they are happy with the skills they already have. In most of the competitions extra mats are allowed, but we are attending a bigger travel meet where they are not allowed without deduction, and they are both just thinking to take the deduction. It drives me crazy, because I know that without that deduction they would be able to qualify to the big finals and everything, but they don't seem to care.
Is there anything I can do? I have had countless conversations with their parents, and we all agree that we should not put too much pressure on them, but at the same time I feel like they will be STUCK in this level for the rest of their gymnastics career if we don't change something. They both love gymnastics, they are best friends and love our group and us coaches. The issues IS NOT that they are done with the sport, because they aren't. They just can't get out of their comfort zone.
Please help!!!