Coaches Need some new pre team drill ideas!

[AmandaLynn]

Hey everyone! I coached through my teens and very early 20s, then stopped coaching for a few years, got married, had kids, etc. My DD started mommy & me gymnastics at a local gym last summer and I began coaching rec classes in the fall. Beginning in a few weeks, I'll be starting a brand new pre-team of 5-8 year olds. These girls are coming from everywhere from our pre-level 1 group all the way through level 3 rec classes. they have learned skills quite sloppily, however, and will all need to be brought back to level 1 to learn proper body positions and body awareness. I have some ideas for drills for them, and I found a couple of great youtube channels (coachben and JAOVIDEOS are my favorites so far) to give me more ideas, but I figured that it couldn't hurt to ask for more help from other resources.

For reference, these girls will likely go from pre-team to competitive level 2 or 3.

So, I guess my question is this: What are some of the best drills that you have for the very early (L1-2) skills to keep the kids interested in them without feeling "bored"? Also, how do you respond when parents ask about their kids moving "backward" when moving to a pre-team program? I'm sure there will be at least a few that just don't understand the concept of having to go back and fix the skills that they have learned incorrectly before they can progress properly.

 

[marie83]

Ooh Good Luck! Sounds like an exciting venture.
I coach girls of a similar level but in GB and our levels system is very different to yours, however, I guess that basics are basics and they all need to learn similar skills in the beginning!

I have found it useful to make a list (I love lists) of all the skills I know they are going to need if they are to move up to our squad.
It looks a little like this:

Vault -
Springboard jump to land on a 60cm platform with straight arms with good arm swing technique
Handspring flatback on 110cm

Bars -
Upward Circle
Cast towards horizontal
Back hip circle
Squat on
Tap swings

Beam
Jump to front support mount and squat on from sitting in star shape
Stretch jump
Tuck jump
Split jump
Forward roll
Handstand
Run and stretch jump dismount
Roundoff dismount

Floor
Handstand Forward roll
Backward Roll to pike, front support and handstand
Backward walkover and forward walkover
Front to back cartwheel
Roundoff
BHS progressions

Dance:
Chasse steps
Split leaps
Split jumps
Half and full spins
Cat leaps
Scissor kick

The next step is to write out progressions for each of those skills and set a time frame to have them achieved by - We tend to work 3 months at a time and stay in the group however long they need to to achieve the skills above - this takes some 2 years, some 1, some a matter of months, it really is dependent upon the gymnast's physical ability, mental toughness, dedication, age, etc.
My current group are now into their 2nd block of 3 months and can now competently perform forward rolls, backward rolls to pike, handstands, side-side cartwheels, forward rolls on beam and some other small skills such as pivot turns, arabesques etc. 1 or 2 can upward circle, 1 can cast and back hip circle.
They are getting there with vault but it seems to be their nemesis apparatus! We are still working on the board jump and arm swing! Not even started on running yet!
They are just starting to learn handstand forward rolls, front to back cartwheels on floor, handstands and roundoff dismounts on beam.

So, what I guess I'm saying, in a long winded way, is, make sure you know what needs to be achieved and then break it down into progressions.
I have a chart for each 3 month block with the progressions the gymnasts need to achieve. Each time they achieve a skill or progression they get a big tick in the box.

We do lots and lots of conditioning too.

As for how to approach the question of 'why is suzie moving backwards?' I'd just say something along the lines of "It's very important for gymnasts to learn skills correctly, not only so they get good marks when they compete them, but also for their safety"
When a gymnast has asked me if they can do a skill they aren't ready for, I've told them that they can't write stories if they don't know their alphabet, and the basic skills are like the alphabet. If a gymnast can't do a handstand on the floor yet, there isn't much point in learning to handstand on the beam!
I think if you have a plan laid out, and perhaps some sort of reward for achieving a certain number of skills gymnasts don't tend to mind going back to basics. Also reward good basics with a high five or a big "Good Job" and ignore (for want of a better word) the poorly performed bigger skills)
Stick to your guns - if you want a gymnast to perform a skill a particular way, stick with it and make sure any assistant coaches know what you want too!

I hope this helps a little, and sorry for rambling on!