WAG letter warning aganist coaching at home

[marie83]

Hi all,

I'm trying to compose a letter at the moment to all of our competition squad parents about the dangers of coaching and home and 'pushing' their children too much.
We've had a spate of both of these recently and so we feel a letter is needed to warn against it over Christmas. The gymnasts have got just under 2 weeks off and we want the gymnasts to rest. Conditioning if they want to is great, but nothing else.

Basically I'm looking for some key phrases if you can help me!
I've already got that the parents need to be their child's biggest fan, and also that the coaches have gone through a lot of training to be able to understand the intricacies of the skills etc but I really need some more!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I posted about this on my blog awhile back: Gymnastics at Home: Part 1 | Apex Technical Corner

You're welcome to steal anything you like from that post.

 

[Aussie_coach]

You may not get that far, sometimes these parents are sure you are talking about everyone else except for them.

the best way is to appeal to their competitive natures. They want their kids to be the best so they push their kids at home. If you can explain how coaching at home will I'm fact slow down their child's progress you may get a good reaction.

explain that when training at home without the watchful eye of a coach, very tiny bad habits can creep in without the gymnast or parent knowing. If left uncorrected it can lead to very bad habits which can take years to correct and slow down, holt or even send the child's progress backwards.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

You may not get that far, sometimes these parents are sure you are talking about everyone else except for them.

the best way is to appeal to their competitive natures. They want their kids to be the best so they push their kids at home. If you can explain how coaching at home will I'm fact slow down their child's progress you may get a good reaction.

explain that when training at home without the watchful eye of a coach, very tiny bad habits can creep in without the gymnast or parent knowing. If left uncorrected it can lead to very bad habits which can take years to correct and slow down, holt or even send the child's progress backwards.

like certain coaches on the floor with their cellphones...

 

[gymgal]

Coming from a parent's point of view, I think that it is important to stress your recommendation that the girls have a break to rest the body, heal sore muscles and focus on the mental aspect, having the girls do visualizations of their skills/routines. Stressing general stretching to help keep the body limber.

I think it's also important to talk about forming bad habits and possible injuries with home practice but the reality is that most parents who would be allowing or pushing skills at home are not going to heed the "it may form bad habits" approach because they don't think they are "one of those parents". You have to approach them from the other angle.

I often wonder how effective it would be for the coaching staff to have a yearly parent meeting during which they show a selection of videos from YouTube showing the exact consequences of home practice - on the beam, trampoline, home bars.... There are more than enough of those videos...

 

[wallflower]

Sadly the parents that need that letter are the ones who will ignore it.

 

[OzZee]

Maybe a conditioning work sheet of things that can be done, eg stretching, along with a letter explaining that the kids have worked so hard and their bodies need a rest but if your child really wants to do something over the break these are things that will help not hinder their gymnastics?

If they actually have a sheet of recommended exercises they may be more likely to stick to it - the gymnasts and the parents.

 

[Faith]

As well as the injury/bad habit thing, I'd point out that you have long term goals for these children, and their training schedule is planned quite far in advance. The two week rest is a planned recovery break, and the weeks before and after are very much dependent on the gymnasts being fully rested and healed. I know one gym before the Christmas break has "hell week". Where they push them to their absolute limit conditioning and flexibility wise, knowing they have the break to recover, rest, and be ready for new skills in the new year.

 

[Flossyduck]

I agree that providing a home conditioning sheet, with a number of stretches and exercises, and maybe handstands, they can be encouraged to do once a day, or every other day, (depending on what you're putting on it) is the way to go. Telling them not to do something will go in one ear and out the other but asking if parents can help support their children to do their 'homework' over the holidays... If there's enough to keep them out of mischief it might work?

I agree that some parents will just go ahead anyway. Our kids have quite a testing home conditioning workload and we are definitely told not to do anything else, but I'm always amazed to see fellow mums posting things on facebook showing their daughters doing flics in the garden or at birthday parties, or doing something for the school talent show - never the ones you'd think either! I was also amazed to find just the other day, that daughter is the only one in her group not to have a home beam - really?!! What are they doing on them? The coaches can't have any idea and I'm sure would be horrified. Somehow, whatever you do, I just don't think you're going to get through to everyone.

 

[gymgurl]

Maybe highlight the result of the injury rather than saying they could dislocate their shoulder and leave it at that you could mention the on going costs of medical attention, the risk of needing surgery later on, the fact that it can be 12 weeks of limited programs before everything is back on track which could change the plan for next year and they may end up repeating a level.

 

[wallinbl]

This is one of those things where everyone will think you're talking to everyone but them. It honestly might require an individual conversation with each of them. That way, they can't delude themselves into thinking you're only talking to the other parents.

 

[marie83]

Thanks for all your replies everyone! Great responses so far!

We are going to double up the letter with a chat and end of term progress reports too. I totally agree that those who it is aimed at won't think it is them, but hopefully something might hit home! We'll have to make it more personal if we still have a problem!

Please keep your comments coming!