WAG Is this normal

[flanny2112]

I demo for my rec kids usually at least once a day. Sometimes its because its something completely new and I don't have any gymnasts in the class who have done it before. Other times its because its just easier.

Another example of a time I will demonstrate is if all the kids know the general concept of the skill but I need them to focus on a certain thing-- I will show them two of the same skill and ask them which is correct and why... I have found this method helps more than just telling a kid to get their arms up, straighten their legs, etc.

 

[ivyagogo]

I demo all the time too. If one of the kids can do a skill better than I can or I want to show it a certain way, then I will use one of the kids.

 

[Hayleigh]

My coach happens to be HC at our gym, so she doesn't do much demo work when coaching us. But she does get a younger coach who still competes a level high than me (UK) to come over and show us skills. However, most of the time she will get us to do the skill ourselves and will just correct the shape as we move. E.g correcting the handstand shape if necessary at the top of each giant.

This particular coach also joins in with our conditioning every session, in an attempt to stop complaints about the amount of conditioning we do. I do remember being about 6 when I was in one of her other groups and she used to demonstrate a lot of moves, but since then she has had a slipped disk and a spinal stress fracture, so she plays it safe these days.

 

[tegan_tegan]

My coach often does some stuff with us not demonstrating but with skills that we would like to achieve like she did a flyaway the other day and she often demonstrates strength and conditioning and joins in with games like add ons but she only stopped gym 3 years ago.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I demo for the rec kids constantly, for my higher level girls my demo skills stop at pointing my feet and showing correct shapes. I do a mean cartwheel for an old lady though, lol!

 

[MissLisa]

I demo for my kids (rec level) as most the kids have very little skill level. It gives them a good idea of what they are working towards. I talk through the skill and correct body shapes. Sometimes I throw in a horrible looking one to show how I don't want it to look like. Makes the kids laugh. I also do the conditioning and stretching with them. Definitely stops some of the complaining! I will also do skills such as handstand walking/back saults on request. I just love doing it too much and can't resist!

 

[coachmolly]

I demo very basic stuff for rec kids if no one in the class can do it or I am introducing a new station that has caused some confusion, or will demonstrate turns/leaps for my pre-team girls, but I would much rather have another child in the class demonstrate or spot a child through the shapes. I will occasionally do something when at a high school team practice, but only when they aren't doing anything anyway. Sometimes it motivates them to see that one of their "old" coaches can do harder skills than them. But for the most part, it's their time in the gym, not mine.
I think it can be fun for the kids to see their coaches do a skill every once in a while, but I view it a special thing- as part of a contest, during an "open gym" type time, or a silly reward. But I think sometimes, at least in my experiences, it can distract from the practice. Recently I have seen coaches try to get each other to try different skills while they should have been coaching kids in the gym. I've also recently seen a coach jump in with a class that he was supposed to be coaching and let HC take charge as he attempted the skills the kids were doing.

 

[Tumbellina82]

I agree with Coach Molly that one issue with coaches demoing, particularly when they are not training themselves anymore, is that it can make it too much about the coach and cut into the kids time for them to be doing stuff. I have probably been guilty of that myself in the past and I do try to avoid demoing because I want the focus to be on the kids and them to be doing stuff as much of the time as possible.

I'm talking rec trampolining and I mainly demo the lowest level stuff. As you get to the higher levels the kids have enough awareness and grasp of the basics that they can build on that to model harder skills pretty effectively without a demo. (Suspect that works much better for trampo than artistic because of the way the skills build up. There is more commonality between skills and less mechanical principles at play.)

I would demo an arm swing for a kid that really was having trouble for example by standing on the end deck and modelling the arm swing for them to copy while they bounce. Typically that would be with a young kid who doesn't weigh enough to get much height. A lot of other kids with decent swings will have trouble syncronising their swing to the other kids faster bounce rate.

I'll also demo flat backs because that hip push is so important and there isn't usually another kid handy who can show it well.

For higher level stuff demos also get less useful because you have more happening in a short space of time and it can be too hard to pick out the bits you are supposed to be looking at, even if you prime them before hand on what to look for. Even coaches often have difficulties in identifying all the issues with a kids performance in a skill just watching it once and they are trained in what to look for so I don't think the kids have much hope. It seems to work better if you can break it up into sections using drills. If you are strong enough or have light enough performers with good enough body tension you can lift one and put them through the skill or segments of the skill in slow mo and show the shaping. This can have its issues in rec classes as the little ones tend to go all floppy or scrunch themselves up or have giggling fits and the older ones are often too heavy to lift for extended periods (I'm small.) It is good if you have a suitable kid to make it work though. Video could be a good option for showing whole skills because of the option to slow down, pause and re-watch.

Sometimes I demo simple things when the kids just don't seem to get what I'm asking of them from a verbal explanation. Like, "Sit in a seat drop and push your hips up to the ceiling" i.e to back support or, "Lie down and squeeze your body really tight so you don't bend in the middle when I lift your ankles." I guess my explanations must be lacking on those two because they are the ones that result in recurring blank looks. If I could think of a more effective verbal explanation I wouldn't use demos, especially not for the body tension drill because it either requires a kid with good body tension or a kid strong enough to lift my ankles or roping in a parent if they've stayed around, so it is a nuisance and all suggestions gratefully received.

There are other things you could be intending to achieve through a demo though, apart from giving the kids a better understanding of the move, like improving their motivation as some of the other posts talk about, and that is a valid use of time provided it is not too much of it.

Ultimately, I think like everything else in coaching you have to know why you are doing it. You only have so much time and, especially where you can only have one at a time on apparatus, you need to use it effectively (which as I admit is something I had trouble with when I started.) So you think about what you want to achieve and plan possible tactics, then you implement, then you reflect on whether your choice of tactics are working for you and if not you need to make a change.