WAG How to make learning routines exciting

[Jard.the.gymnast]

I was trying to teach my 10 year olds their routines. After doing it 3 timest they said they were bored. I told them that if they were so bored, they probabaly knew their exercises and they didn't. This was on floor.

Next we went to beam and they didn't even try. I know the routines are pretty boring but they have a competition in 3 weeks and they don't know their routines yet.

Any tips on how to get them excited again?

Beam routine:
Floor routine:

 

[Mommyo2az]

I let the girl who learns the routine best lead the others girls. The love a little bit of competition, and it makes the repetition more fun.

 

[John]

The kids may view the process as tedious. Can you break the routine into three pieces and teach each piece separately? Maybe divide the learning with skill drills between each piece of the routine?

 

[fuzi]

My young ones also find learning routines boring. I break the routine into three or four parts, and we work a different part each day. For example, beam we might spend five minutes on a general warm-up, and then ten minutes as a group with me "drilling" a routine part with the whole group. The, for the last 15 minutes we'll do stations: one or two beams might be do the routine part you just learned, but the other stations will be skill work. That helps.

I also find that my voice makes a difference. Sometimes I can come up with silly words or phrases to explain movements, and that makes them smile and laugh and enjoy it more. For example, in our compulsory floor routines there's a part where the gymnast slides from a split on the floor to her stomach. Rather than saying "split, slide to stomach," I say "split, splat" and they giggle. Same on beam. There's a place where they pose (see below) and rather than saying "pose" or something else, I say "nails" because it's "like you are showing off your manicure." This makes it more fun and a little silly for the kids.

 

[coachmolly]

I have some kids that love the little details of routines and others who really cannot stand it. Like others have suggested, I try to do it in bits and pieces. Sometimes we'll stick to one part that gives them the most trouble, others they will do one piece until they "pass" and then they get to move on to the next. Sometimes I'll dangle something in front of them like, "If we get done with all the parts and still have time we'll tumble." And that helps them focus a little better. We also do a lot of partner work. I'll give them a partner and assign a routine part and they will perform for each other. The one watching will offer corrections and have them stop to fix things and then they switch. We also all might stop and do the whole routine with the entire group watching.
If there is a piece that is really hard for them to do correctly each time I will have them stop and perform that piece for the entire group watching for a specific problem (flexed feet, yucky arms, incorrect position) and the group will decide if they "pass" or not. We do a super simple beam mount but the kids tend to get sloppy on it because they are thinking ahead to the rest of their routine, yet when we stop and perform for each other they can magically all do it correctly.
I also try to offer rewards for working hard- Tumbltrak/trampoline time, getting to tumble or work on bigger skills, etc.