DD is 9 (she turns 10 next week). She's L5 training L7 (coach is planning on her scoring out of 5 in May, competing L7 in Jan). DD has been very frustrated of late, not with gymnastics or skills per se, but with the coach. Because she doesn't always have the same coach and one coach drifts in and out of practice without much regularity, she has been getting conflicting instructions on how to fix her skills so she'll score really well in May.
Example: On vault today she got frustrated because coach #2 drifted in for vault practice because HC had a tiny tot class. DD's highest score on vault last year was 9.6, so she has this vault down and only needs minor tweaking to make it better (she WAS consistent--highest score was 9.6, lowest score was 9.4). Today, coach #2 completely changes what she's doing and, predictably, her vault fell apart. Coach #2 told her that her vault would score maybe in the 8s. She's NEVER, at any level, seen an 8 on vault. Again, predictably, this sent her into a mental tailspin.
Fast forward. Practice is over and she comes to work with coach #3 for an extra hour. Coach #3 has been her coach, well, forever (okay, not forever, but since she was 5). She tells coach #3, whose girls practice in the afternoon/evening, about today's vault practice. Coach #3 was livid. DD is the best vaulter in the gym, and she's HER gymnast (she was vault and bars coach). After a 5 minute or so chat, coach #3 figures out what coach #2 was telling DD. She gets her whiteboard, diagrams it out for her, and DD understood what coach #2 was telling her (of course, this explanation was not given during practice--just change it). She runs DD through a couple of vaults, holding her in the different body positions so she can feel the change. Sets her down and tells her that she doesn't need to change anything--as she gets stronger on vault, the change will be automatic.
I explain the whole morning situation to HC (before the one-on-one with coach #3) and her response is that DD needs to learn to work with different coaches. Fair enough. I told HC that was understood, but that DD is still 9 (sometimes I think she forgets because DD trains with 12-14 year old girls) and that she doesn't quite have the maturity (or versatility) to be expected to simply change something because a coach said to change it, especially when it's on an event that 1) has been her best event, 2) has been her most consistent event, and 3) has not been an event that coach #3 (her coach until February) has been worried about. Her response? She needs more mental toughness. (???)
So, my question is this: 1) Is this a mental toughness issue? (I always thought mental toughness meant having one disastrous event at a meet and coming back stronger than ever on the next event, but maybe I'm wrong?) and 2) can mental toughness be taught? (Or is it a maturity issue, a personality issue (because HC did say DD is much too moody, but that's just who she is), or something else?)
Any advice is appreciated...DD is about to completely go off the rails because she feels like the rug has been pulled out from under her...
Example: On vault today she got frustrated because coach #2 drifted in for vault practice because HC had a tiny tot class. DD's highest score on vault last year was 9.6, so she has this vault down and only needs minor tweaking to make it better (she WAS consistent--highest score was 9.6, lowest score was 9.4). Today, coach #2 completely changes what she's doing and, predictably, her vault fell apart. Coach #2 told her that her vault would score maybe in the 8s. She's NEVER, at any level, seen an 8 on vault. Again, predictably, this sent her into a mental tailspin.
Fast forward. Practice is over and she comes to work with coach #3 for an extra hour. Coach #3 has been her coach, well, forever (okay, not forever, but since she was 5). She tells coach #3, whose girls practice in the afternoon/evening, about today's vault practice. Coach #3 was livid. DD is the best vaulter in the gym, and she's HER gymnast (she was vault and bars coach). After a 5 minute or so chat, coach #3 figures out what coach #2 was telling DD. She gets her whiteboard, diagrams it out for her, and DD understood what coach #2 was telling her (of course, this explanation was not given during practice--just change it). She runs DD through a couple of vaults, holding her in the different body positions so she can feel the change. Sets her down and tells her that she doesn't need to change anything--as she gets stronger on vault, the change will be automatic.
I explain the whole morning situation to HC (before the one-on-one with coach #3) and her response is that DD needs to learn to work with different coaches. Fair enough. I told HC that was understood, but that DD is still 9 (sometimes I think she forgets because DD trains with 12-14 year old girls) and that she doesn't quite have the maturity (or versatility) to be expected to simply change something because a coach said to change it, especially when it's on an event that 1) has been her best event, 2) has been her most consistent event, and 3) has not been an event that coach #3 (her coach until February) has been worried about. Her response? She needs more mental toughness. (???)
So, my question is this: 1) Is this a mental toughness issue? (I always thought mental toughness meant having one disastrous event at a meet and coming back stronger than ever on the next event, but maybe I'm wrong?) and 2) can mental toughness be taught? (Or is it a maturity issue, a personality issue (because HC did say DD is much too moody, but that's just who she is), or something else?)
Any advice is appreciated...DD is about to completely go off the rails because she feels like the rug has been pulled out from under her...