Coaches Refuses to do 1 event

[taylortumbles]

Hi! I haven't coached gymnastics for several years because I started coaching cheerleading so I'm sort of out of the loop I guess. My daughter started gymnastics last October, she is 7. She has done decent on floor, vault, and beam but she has a mental block on bars (and I have no clue where it came from). One day in January she just decided she no longer wants to do any kind of 'flipping' or going 'upside down' on bars. She hasn't made any progress on bars because of this but has on the other events. As a coach, would you hold a Rec kid back from moving up over an issue with one event if she had mastered the required skills for that level on the other 3? Thanks!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yes....................................

 

[CoachGoofy]

Sure would.

Being held back isn't a punishment or anything. I don't want them getting hurt when the skills get harder. A weak event if they're strong on everything else, I'd consider it. But a nonexistant event? I cannot justify that from a safety or strong basics perspective.

 

[AmandaLynn]

I agree. Our Rec classes have skill mastery sheets. The students must attain all of the skills on the sheet before moving tot he next level class. Sometimes, if a student is older and they have (as PP mentioned) a "weak" event (BTW, it's usually bars), we'll move them up. But there's no reason for a child than can not do a pull over to be in a level 2 or 3 class.

If she's only in a recreational class, what is the rush/importance of "moving up" anyway? Is she still having fun? IMO, that's the most important part of a rec class. Well, Fun, and of course safety. And it's not SAFE for a child to move to a class that works harder skills with a non mastery or a fear of the more basic prerequisite skills.

 

[Galadriel]

...but if it is a rec class, and no competing requirement, then wouldnt it be a good thing to be more flexible, and not lose a kid because they dont want to do 1 apparatus, and move them up, but go with the 3 events, and when the group is on bars, then go with what they can do, or put her on conditioning if she is happier that way??? - dont shoot me down - just an opinion!!!

 

[taylortumbles]

My point is she is getting bored doing the same skills she has already mastered on the other 3 events. She is just Rec so I don't see the big deal. She will do chin ups and glide swings on the bars but that is it. She could continue doing those things in the next class up and be learning new skills on the other apparatus. Should we write a kid off or hope she fades out from boredom simply because she is scared to death of 1 event? I don't feel that is right at the Rec level :/. She enjoys gymnastics and is eager to learn new skills. I don't think after nearly a year is 'rushing' it. I think at the Rec level it should also be about building self-confidence and self-esteem. Being told she isn't good enough to go anywhere unless she conquers her fear on one event isn't healthy. That is lowering her self-esteem. She already has issues with confidence and fear from her two brothers dying.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i'm speechless. this issue is above my paygrade.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I would not hold her back, even if she was a competitive kid. She could uptrain on all the other apparatus.

Sometimes the best thing to do with a fear is walk away from it for a while. Too much pushing from the coaches can make it much, much worse.

Why can't a rec kid be a different level on different apparatus? Why do they need to fit exactly into the levels system? The levels system is there for competition purposes. Gymnastics has a lot of value for her even if she won't go on the bars.

Will she do bars under any circumstances? Like if there are crash mats under the bars or if the coach spots?

 

[AmandaLynn]

I think at the Rec level it should also be about building self-confidence and self-esteem. Being told she isn't good enough to go anywhere unless she conquers her fear on one event isn't healthy.

This may be somewhat true, but I also don't think that putting her in a class where all of the other kids can do skills that she is petrified to even try will do anything good for her self esteem either. I've seen many kinds drop out of rec programs because they've been pushed to "move up" too soon and get discouraged because they can not do what the other kids can do.

If she's strong on the more tumbling related events, have you considered a Tumbling class or a T&T type program until she can get over her fear of the bars?

 

[AmandaLynn]

Also, is the coach trying to work her through her fear. or has the coach written her off? I have had PLENTY of rec kids that are afraid of pullovers and forward roll dismounts in the beginner classes. There are ways to work up to these skills without just forcing the kid over the bar (not saying that this is what is being done in your child's case, but it's a "tactic" that I've seen other coaches use and it rarely works out very well). Will she do piked chin holds? What about candlestick holds? How about leaning forward from a support and touching her chest to a block (even with the bar) then coming back to a support? When dealing with fear in beginners, coaches need to make the kids feel safe. Some kids take longer than others to get to a point where they feel safe going upside down on the bars.

 

[Aussie_coach]

This may be somewhat true, but I also don't think that putting her in a class where all of the other kids can do skills that she is petrified to even try will do anything good for her self esteem either. I've seen many kinds drop out of rec programs because they've been pushed to "move up" too soon and get discouraged because they can not do what the other kids can do.

If she's strong on the more tumbling related events, have you considered a Tumbling class or a T&T type program until she can get over her fear of the bars?

A good coach can combat this problem. Every child in the same class does not have to be working on the same skills at the same time and have the same goals. A good coach can also find ways for her to "move on" with bars even if she won't go upside down.

For example perhaps while the others in her group are focussing on back hip circles and so on she could focus on doing kips, they don't require her to go upside down at all. I am not saying she should be allowed to go onto other harder skills because she won;t attempt the easy ones. I am saying a good coach can find a way to make her feel like she is progressing and has special goals as well so she doesn't feel uncomfortable.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

My point is she is getting bored doing the same skills she has already mastered on the other 3 events. She is just Rec so I don't see the big deal. She will do chin ups and glide swings on the bars but that is it. She could continue doing those things in the next class up and be learning new skills on the other apparatus. Should we write a kid off or hope she fades out from boredom simply because she is scared to death of 1 event? I don't feel that is right at the Rec level :/. She enjoys gymnastics and is eager to learn new skills. I don't think after nearly a year is 'rushing' it. I think at the Rec level it should also be about building self-confidence and self-esteem. Being told she isn't good enough to go anywhere unless she conquers her fear on one event isn't healthy. That is lowering her self-esteem. She already has issues with confidence and fear from her two brothers dying.

just wanted to point out what i read. and wondering whether the 2 are related. in my mind, this doesn't have to do with moving up. just wanted to point that out.

 

[bogwoppit]

My youngest was a l6/7 when she quit comp gym and went back to rec. She was in a group with a huge range of skills, the coach had no issue with them working at their own levels. There were girls with no pullovers and girls with MIPS and flyaways. A good coach can certainly deal with this.

 

[AmandaLynn]

Yes, a good coach can work around a weak event. but, like someone above mentioned, a nonexistant event is a much different story.

I guess it also depends on the structure of the specific gym's program. At gym that I worked at when I first started coaching (in another state), the rec program was much more laid back. There were no levels, and the classes were instead sorted into age groups.

The gym that I'm at currently operates on a much different system and follows the USAG JO level 1-3 program in their rec program with an "advanced" class offered for kids that are beyond Level 3 skills but that do not want to compete for one reason or another. Our rec program is seen more as a "feeder" program into our team and preteam programs.

I'm not saying that one way is better than the other, as I see the good and the bad in both approaches. They are simply different. When the OP mentioned her child moving "up", I imagined a system closer to the latter approach, in which case it would be more difficult (not impossible, but difficult) to work around a fear of an entire event. Also, in a system like this, the skill level is very similar within a class and there is more of a chance that a child would notice their obvious weakness and/or fear issues on one event, which could end up making them more self conscious in the end.

 

[taylortumbles]

They don't offer T&T, but I did consider a tumbling class but she said she would miss beam and vault too much. She would love a class with floor, beam, and vault- but that doesn't exist lol.

I like the drills you posted Aussie_Coach. I'm sure she would be willing to do those drills as well. The program she is at is a solid program out of the few we have to choose from. Gymnastics is rather dead here, taken over by cheerleading! It is exactly as Amanda_Lynn mentioned with Levels 1-3 and then an advanced class for Rec and it does feed directly into preteam and team programs. I wish we could move a couple hours away to Patty Komara's gym. They have the right idea when it comes to Rec programs! I wish there were gyms around here with the same goals in mind, but we have to take what we can get.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

They don't offer T&T, but I did consider a tumbling class but she said she would miss beam and vault too much. She would love a class with floor, beam, and vault- but that doesn't exist lol.

I like the drills you posted Aussie_Coach. I'm sure she would be willing to do those drills as well. The program she is at is a solid program out of the few we have to choose from. Gymnastics is rather dead here, taken over by cheerleading! It is exactly as Amanda_Lynn mentioned with Levels 1-3 and then an advanced class for Rec and it does feed directly into preteam and team programs. I wish we could move a couple hours away to Patty Komara's gym. They have the right idea when it comes to Rec programs! I wish there were gyms around here with the same goals in mind, but we have to take what we can get.

now i'm really confused...^^^

 

[bogwoppit]

Aussie coach we are talking REC not comp team. It doesn't matter in a rec class whether she can do thrre or four apparatus well. Isn't that the point of rec. Providing classes for all kids in a format they can manage.

Dunno I am confused as well.

 

[taylortumbles]

I don't understand where the confusion lies? Could you elaborate please?

We live in Ohio....Patti Komara's gym is in Indiana? It was just a random comment. Patti is well known for her Rec programs. Make sense?

 

[gymdog]

The child should remain in the appropriate level based on mastery of all the apparatus, but would attempt more advanced skills on the floor and beam if she were in my class. I just can't move up a child who won't go upside down on bars past the first rec level. There is just no way for her to participate in a large portion of the next level classes. It is very difficult to accommodate this in some rec programs when there are many different instructors and classes. It is different in a smaller program where there would likely be more consistency in who the instructor is across several levels.

Will the child do forward rolls, etc on floor (go upside down on the floor)?

Also I agree that moving up is not going to resolve some of the issues described. I am very sympathetic but that is beyond the scope of gymnastics in terms of resolving that level of emotional conflict.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I don't understand where the confusion lies? Could you elaborate please?

We live in Ohio....Patti Komara's gym is in Indiana? It was just a random comment. Patti is well known for her Rec programs. Make sense?

^^^ this gym is a pre-school gym. and tumble bus etc; colors, shapes, hand shapes on the floor...

ohio has a ton of gyms. certainly there must be 1 closer than indiana.