Coaches Appropriate skills for 5 year olds

[jsandy]

Hi,

I have been coaching for quite a while, but mainly in the 8-12 age range, but soon I am going to start coaching 5 - 6 years olds. So I was just wondering if you need to make things a bit easier for this age range. Is it alright to get them doing things like handstands, cartwheels, pullovers on bars straight away, or do they need an intermediate step before starting these skills? What other skills are good for this age?

 

[MissLisa]

I coach this age group as well as the older and honestly it isn't much different. There is ways to modify skills if need be. Here's a list of skills that I work on during a term.

Floor/ Tumbling: Shapes = really important, make it fun, make it a game. Even if it is simon says etc! Front/ back supports, dish/ superman, angry/ happy cat positions, candlestick, tuck, straddle, pike positions etc.
Then forward and backward rolls down wedge and then floor. Bunny hops, cartwheels/ drills, 3/4 handstands, handstands against wedge on wall, leaps, jumps (needle, long jumps, squat jumps). probably others I can't think of right now.

Bars: Spotted pullovers, casts, forward rolls, tuck/ pike hang holds, tuck swings

Beam: mounts, different walks, straight jumps, dismounts.

Vault: Shapes

It is amazing, but some 5-6 year olds will pick all this up really easy others will struggle the whole year. I try my best to adapt every skill/ drill to the child and progress accordingly.

If a child is struggling to hold their own body weight on their hands then teach full handstands or cartwheels is going to be dangerous so taking it back to the basic shapes and bunny hops then bunny hops over a box etc will be helpful and build strength and allow for the skills to be developed safely.

I think it's important to make the 'conditioning' aspect of the lesson fun, keep the kids busy and not lining up too long and adapting lessons to suit the different skills and abilities! Feel free to ask any more specific questions.

 

[jsandy]

Thanks so much. That is really helpful.