Parents Coach Seems to Not Really "Coach" A Certain Group

[Flipping Awesome]

Hi! I'm still fairly new to CB and gymnastics in general. My 5yo DD has just finished her first season competing Xcel Bronze. She had what I consider a successful season for a 5yo. Her AA score improved each meet, and she really shined on bars.

I'm starting to see a trend with her coaching that bothers me a bit. Her level is split into two training groups according to skills. My DD is in the lower skill group, and I would expect that as she is one of the youngest on the team and seems a bit slower getting her skills. No problem there.

What I do see is that the head coach seems to not really put a lot of effort into "coaching" this lower skill level group. She does very little spotting or hands-on instruction and shaping but is impatient with the girls when they can't get it. In fact, if one is struggling, she sometimes just sits them to the side instead of working with them to get past the problem.

I also notice that when the two groups come back together for beam work, she puts the higher skill level group front and center and is hands on with them, while the lower skill level group is off to the far side or even on a low beam BEHIND her.

So, my question, I suppose, is how do you all feel about what I see as a lack of investment on the coach's part in this group. They seem to have potential, buy they are young and perhaps a bit slower getting skills. Should I read this as she really is not interested in this group succeeding? Or, does she just feel there is not a lot she can do to accelerate them until they get past certain developmental stages? I don't want to be all CGM, but I want to make sure DD is getting the right kind of coaching for her to reach her potential and to keep loving the sport. There is very little positive feedback, and I imagine that is tough for a 5yo.

OK. Rant over. Should I trust the process? Talk with coach? Not worry because she is 5yo? Thanks!

 

[QueenBee]

I'm sure you will get a lot of responses but I think the answer comes down to - it depends. I know that probably isn't what you want to hear but it is the best answer I have available.

You might be at a gym where the coach only coaches the gymnasts who pick up skills quickly, who ignore those who take longer to put skills together, who help some kids soar seemingly effortlessly, who doesn't care if some of the gymnasts at her gym succeed. Those are all real possibilities, I have met coaches like that. Not as many as get reported on chalkbucket (lol) but they are out there and I assume some of the chalkbucket reports are discussing the same coaches over and over.

Or, you might be at a gym where the coach looks at where the gymnasts are and meets each gymnast at their own starting point. A gym where the coaches can see who is ready for the next skills and who needs more time perfecting the more fundamental skills. A gym where the coach gives each gymnast what that gymnast needs and is ready for, but not necessarily what that gymnast (or the gymnast's parent) wants. As you continue at that gym, you come to realize that some gymnasts are going to soar above all others - no matter that each gymnast has great coaching available. As several wise chalk bucket members say (paraphrasing), "It isn't equal, but it can be fair".

None of us on this board are going to be able to tell you which type of gym you are at; we don't know you or your gym or your gymnast. All I can say is -

1. I have seen gymnasts who have been at gyms which were a poor match between gymnast/coach/parent and the gymnast left, found a better gym for them and improved. There can be lots of reasons why a gym/gymnast pairing doesn't work...and many of those reasons don't require a "bad" guy on either side.

2. I've also seen gymnasts (and parents) who thought they/their child wasn't getting what they needed or deserved, they left, found a new gym and found that their gymnast made no 'improvement' in speed of gaining skills, or regressed in skills development...because while the first gym might not have been a gym the gymnast or parent liked (totally reasonable), it was a gym that had good coaches and was coaching their child very well. Sometimes the move makes the gymnast unhappy (and those gymnasts/parents can become gym hoppers not realizing the only thing that stays the same in all situations is themselves), but other times - the gymnast finds the new gym is just as good (coaching wise) as the old gym...and they also realize they will progress at their own pace. The gym change makes the gymnast & family happy because they have clarified their own expectations and goals. Often, there is no improvement of score range.

3. I've also seen gymnasts & parents who talk to their coaches and work hard to listen to the answers. Who can see clearly what kind of gym they are at...and what kind of gymnast they have/are (naturally talented or hard worker or lazy or powerful or graceful or scared or fearless - and the best coaches & parents know that each gymnast is all those things and more). Parents who look at their child and their child's progress as the individual person/journey that it is. Who are pretty happy being fairly hands off with what happens at gymnastic practice and gymnastic meets (besides support) because it is their child's activity.

Honestly, experience number 3 is a bit of a unicorn - but I have seen it. Usually that experience is had by those parents who were lucky enough to find a good gym match first time out of the gate, or those who learned to find the right match after a bit of a disaster. Also, most of those parents are parents of upper optional gymnasts because those parents have gone through the crazy of those first years of gymnastics culture - it's a whole new world with lots of spoken and unspoken rules and norms. It takes time to understand it, just like any new experience or culture.

It sounds like your daughter had a good season and made some good progress. I always like hearing about girls who are strong on bars because it is my favorite event. My best advice is to try to figure out what goals and expectations you have for your child's participation in gymnastics (most important piece). Think about whether those goals are reasonable (2nd most important piece) . And then figure out if those goals are being met/can be met at your current gym.

Good luck, if this was easy - they wouldn't call it gymnastics.

 

[Flipping Awesome]

Thank you, QueenBee! There was a lot of good information in your response!

I feel like this gym has a lot of great things going on. DD's bars coach is amazing, and I feel like his coaching style suits her well. He meets her where she is, explains corrections where she is able to understand, and doesn't seem to be overly frustrated with her if she doesn't get it immediately. He will coach her for vault next season as well, so I am looking forward to seeing her really improve there.

It may be that HC just doesn't have a lot of patience for the little ones but is brilliant with them once they mature a bit. I hope that is the case!

 

[raenndrops]

Thank you, QueenBee! There was a lot of good information in your response!

I feel like this gym has a lot of great things going on. DD's bars coach is amazing, and I feel like his coaching style suits her well. He meets her where she is, explains corrections where she is able to understand, and doesn't seem to be overly frustrated with her if she doesn't get it immediately. He will coach her for vault next season as well, so I am looking forward to seeing her really improve there.

It may be that HC just doesn't have a lot of patience for the little ones but is brilliant with them once they mature a bit. I hope that is the case!

You could be right that the HC just lacks the patience to work with the little ones.
Another thing to consider… if the season is over, maybe the higher level skill girls in Bronze are preparing to possibly move up to Silver and the lower level skill girls are preparing to repeat?
Our gym doesn't do this. We prepare all of the girls as if they will be moving up. We have girls that will definitely repeat L3, but they are now working on kip drills and FHS vault drills and other uptraining, but I know of a gym (11 state individual AA champions this season) where they would focus on those who would potentially be moving up in the spring so that they could decide before the summer practice schedule came out.

My advice is to wait it out for a little while. She is still young. You know she is getting great coaching on Bars and BARS is the toughest event! If the HC continues to ignore the lower group on beam and doesn't have another coach work with them, then it might be time to say something in a couple months.

 

[Flipping Awesome]

You could be right that the HC just lacks the patience to work with the little ones.
Another thing to consider… if the season is over, maybe the higher level skill girls in Bronze are preparing to possibly move up to Silver and the lower level skill girls are preparing to repeat?
Our gym doesn't do this. We prepare all of the girls as if they will be moving up. We have girls that will definitely repeat L3, but they are now working on kip drills and FHS vault drills and other uptraining, but I know of a gym (11 state individual AA champions this season) where they would focus on those who would potentially be moving up in the spring so that they could decide before the summer practice schedule came out.

My advice is to wait it out for a little while. She is still young. You know she is getting great coaching on Bars and BARS is the toughest event! If the HC continues to ignore the lower group on beam and doesn't have another coach work with them, then it might be time to say something in a couple months.

Yes, that is also an excellent point, and it being our first season, not something I had considered. Our gym uses Xcel in place of compulsories with the exception of level 4. So, my DD competed Bronze this season, and I kind of gauged her (and the younger group) as maybe level 1 1/2? The older group definitely started the season closer to a level 2, so I have a feeling some of those girls will go straight to Silver next season, and I am sure my daughter and that younger group will repeat Bronze. I can see the logic in HC focusing more right now on the girls who are preparing to move up. Thank you!