Coaches Ideas to Make Conditioning Fun

[moimoi16]

I am looking for some ideas about how to make conditioning more enjoyable for my gymnasts.

I teach a competitive class that has the equivalent of level 3-4 skills from the USA program. My girls train 5 hours a week, and will be starting up again in about 2 weeks after having the entire summer off (since June...). I am expecting my age range to be from about 9-14. For most of the girls, this will be their first year in a true competitive class as most of them are coming from our pre comp program.

I know from watching some of these girls last year that strength is not their strong point, but I want to find a way to make conditioning fun and enjoyable so they will be building muscle but not even knowing it.

I have created a warmup for each event that should take 10-15 minutes to complete that incorporates conditioning, stretching, and non stop activity so they keep moving. I am planning on using this up until end of nov/ dec so they have at least 30 minutes of conditioning a class. We only get 30 minutes per event, plus a half hour warmup/ stretch each class (2.5 hours total).

I have also created conditioning goal sheets for them. It consists of 6-7 conditioning skills (ie: chin ups / v-snaps/ leg lifts on bars) and then has 5 different goals for each skill. For example for chinnups the goals are 1,2,5,7,10. Next to each number is a spot for a sticker once they have achieved it.

Even with these few ideas, I am still worried that it wont be enough.
If you have and ideas for fun games, or activities that build strength but are fun, please let me know what you use in your gym! Thanks a lot!

 

[coachmolly]

I coach older kids, but we will sometimes do relay races to mix things up a little with conditioning. We'll do stuff like frog jumps, crab walks, handstand walks, 3 v-ups/roll 3-arch ups, push-up "walks" (hold push-up position with feet on cardboard piece/furniture mover and walk hands). We've even done them on bars with chin up holds and L-holds- hold it as long as you can, when you come down (or lose form) the next person jumps up and you see which line can stay up longest. With any kind of "speed" thing you need to keep an eye on form as many are likely to sacrifice doing the skill correctly to go quickly. To combat that we have the rule that if lose the proper shape you go back to the beginning of the line and start over.
I've also done animal relay races which is just something silly and fun but also gets in some conditioning stuff (and makes the girls get a little creative). Each round you call out a new animal and the girls can make that animal sound while they are taking their turn. Frog jumps, bear walks, kangaroo jumps (essentially long jumps), giraffe walks (releve with arms up by ears), duck walks, bunny hops (small, quick jumps), leap frog, anything you can think of. It's good for endurance too if you keep it going for a while. I've even had little ones do it on the Tumbltrak for added fun (though 1 at a time, not a relay).
I think the chart idea is a great one, it's amazing what little ones will do for stickers. I am thinking about even trying that approach with my high schoolers this year. Best wishes!

 

[catou]

I've done what I call a 1000 points conditioning. Girls usually really like it. Each girl has a sheet, so she can write her numer of repetitions. There are 10 different exercises, each of them can have a total value of 100 points. For example:
- leg raise to the top so toes touch the bar 1 rep= 10 points, maximum 10 reps
- push-ups 1 rep = 4 points, maximum 25 reps

They have a certain time to do the 10 exercices (usually I go with 15 minutes). Once they've done an exercise, they cannot come back if they haven't achieve the maximum number of reps.

At the end, you calculate their score. And you can see if they improve by looking at the scores.

I also did a bingo sheet. I made a spread sheet with a different conditioning exercise in each sheet. When they were able to do something, they could put a sticker on on it. When they completed a row or a column, they could have a privilege. We didn't do the bingo sheet every week, maybe once a month, so they had time to improve and be able to add a sticker.

I don't know where you're from,but if it's hot enough, my girls liked to go outside. We would then do runs, squat, frog jumps, lunges, push-ups, v-ups, etc.

I also do contests once in a while, individually and in teams... It's surprising how much longer they can hang in a pike position when it's a contest

Finally, on a regular basis, I like to work in circuits. It's easy to keep an eye on everyone, and they're all busy at the same time. I count the time out loud and I want them to do the maximum number of repetitions they can during that time.

 

[moimoi16]

I love the idea of the team conditioning contest on bars! That just sounds so fun!

I also really like the 1000 point conditioning system but my worry would be that they would cheat or lose form. I guess if I was watching closely and could control that it would be very effective.

I am from Manitoba, so we have close to 6 months of winter usually. It sucks. Anyways, if September / early October is nice I would for sure be up for the out door conditioning! Great ideas!

 

[flipandtwist]

One way that my team had fun was we had one of those large foam dice, and then we would go around the circle of girls are choose a type of conditioning (sometimes the coach would specify arms, legs, core, etc) and then we would roll the dice and whatever number it landed on, we would multiply it by 10 and do the conditioning.

 

[catou]

Moimoi, I know what it is to have to deal with the weather. I'm from Québec city... so we usually go outside from the beginning of june to the end of august. It's already starting to be colder in the morning and evenings.

For the 1000 points conditioning, you do have to keep an eye on form. You better start with easier exercises so they won't cheat to get a good score (for example leg raises to 90 degrees, instead of to top of the bar).

Another thing I liked to do occasionally, is simply ask the girls what they'd like to do. Each one of them would suggest an exercise and then I would tell them how many repetitions I wanted. Usually, they would suggest things we used to do.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

ANNUAL STRENGTH TESTING...... you don't need to make it fun, just make it another event, and integrate it into each rotation as well. Condition all the time and they will get stronger and forget they don't like it.

 

[iwannacoach]

You like it because it makes the sport easier and the coach happier. Note... the coach is almost never happy, but can be made a little closer to happy by you making the coacch happier.

 

[ACoach78]

First of all, I think it serves better to call it "strength training." Conditioning is actually something different if you want to get specific. "Conditioning" refers to the development of the different energy systems. Hence, that's why there are "strength & conditioning" coaches. Anyway, most people like the idea of getting stronger. So, try a simple change in emphasis to start.

The second most important thing is to give the athletes what they can handle. Don't ask them to do 20 when they can't even perform 1. Therefore, you must make conditioning very progressive just as you progress gymnastics drills. If you can create a progressive approach and the athletes can experience success, they will enjoy it more. It's only common sense....if you suck at something, are you going to like doing it?

For very young and/or athletes that are not very strong, I usually incorporate a lot of simple static strength holds and progressively build up the time. As they get to where they can hold the different exercises/positions for 30-60s, then I'll start gradually introducing more dynamic general movements - i.e. chin-ups, push-ups, etc.

You just have to explain the importance of the strength training....1) To get stronger for the purpose of learning gymnastics skills (i.e. Performance), but also for 2) Injury prevention. Then, be excited and give a lot of encouragement while making it all progressive. The progressive approach also makes improvement easier to see for the athlete and if they experience success, they'll enjoy the process more.

 

[JBS]

^^^Yes...totally agree...

progressive exercises + education = change in atmosphere

If your gymnasts believe that more strength will get them a full twisting Yurchenko...they will work hard at strength...they will start to enjoy it. This type of atmosphere takes time...but it is worth it.

 

[coachmolly]

I absolutely agree with working with the kids to understand that conditioning is fun because it helps them develop higher level skills. However, I also don't see a problem with doing a game, chart, or activity as part of conditioning once every week or two for very young kids or lower level children who might not yet have that drive to really excel in the sport. I was under the impression (perhaps incorrectly) that the coach posing the question was working with very little kids, and in those cases I think making practices fun, while at the same time being productive, is the way to go. Whether that means helping the kids see their gradual progress through sticker charts, a 15 minute warm-up game once a week, or some other way to instill that, yes, strength and conditioning are hard work, but they have benefits. And with little guys, I think it's helpful to point out little steps in the right direction on a regular basis as opposed to annual strength testing.
I've just been in a non-club/non-traditional coaching situation for the last two years which has helped me realize that it's really hard to generalize these kinds of practices without knowing the individual group.

 

[moimoi16]

I for sure agree with the idea of progressive strength training. This concept makes a lot of sense and I am sure will help me keep the girls enjoying what I ask them to do if they can see the progress.

Coachmolly, my class is going to be most likely 8-14 year olds, so they are not super young, but most of them are new to a competitive program, so I think most will respond better to a reward system.

A goal of mine is to have the girls learning to kip by the end of the year, and that is a skill they all know, and one that takes alot of strength. They know that the "big girls" who can kip are good gymnasts and most will be willing to strength train if it will help them be like the older girls.

With such a large age range, I'm just going to have to play around with what works and what doesn't. All your ideas are all fantastic though, and are extremely appreciated.