Parents So....

[Traci]

Is it "normal" for a coach to use threatening the gymnast with repeating a level as a form of motivation? Does it work for your gymnast?

Just wondering...

 

[skschlag]

OUr coach doesn't "threaten" per se, but if you do not have the required skills or start value, you do not compete the level. Period. So when he says it, that is not a threat, but just the way it is.......

 

[MILgymFAM]

It’s not abnormal, in our experience. Other threats we’ve encountered: being kicked out of practice, being put down a level, put in Xcel, scratched for a whole season, kicked off team. None seemed to work out well for my DD.

 

[mommyof1]

My daughter's Level 3 coach would threaten to send girls to Xcel. It was counterproductive for my daughter.

Yes, a kid should have all the required skills to compete at a particular level, but there is a very big difference between threatening to hold a kid back and telling a kid what the requirements are for moving up. My kid knows exactly what skills she needs for L5, but her current coach talks about what she needs to do to get those skills, not why she isn't going to get to L5.

The best form of motivation a coach can provide is high expectations combined with a positive, supportive coaching style.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Is it "normal" for a coach to use threatening the gymnast with repeating a level as a form of motivation? Does it work for your gymnast?

Just wondering...

I don't think it's normal or acceptable, but I know it has been done at dd's gym and I am definitely not a fan. My dd doesn't seem too affected by it one way or the other, but some of her teammates get upset by it. I don't think it's motivating at all.

 

[H.J.]

It's not abnormal, but that doesn't make it okay. If it's an empty threat, as it has been in our experience, it's a terrible idea. If it's a real possibility, then a sit-down convo needs to happen instead of it being threatened during practice. Yuck.

 

[2gymkids]

At our old gym, yes, up until 2 weeks before the first meet. It was terrible and totally wrecked my kid and they admitted to me it was an empty threat....which ultimately just tore down her confidence.

At our new gym, they are upfront about if you're ready to compete a level, need to scratch, etc, but it's never presented as a threat at all.

 

[calli]

It is not abnormal from my experience. For my daughter that just creates anxiety. Positive reinforcement works the best. I would talk to the coach about that approach especially if you can see at home that your daughter is upset or increasingly stressed.

 

[Madden3]

2 kids (boys) in team gym for 7 years, many different coaches, (but same gym) and not once has one of my kids or any kid we know of been threatened by a coach in order to motivate them. (Or for any other reason.) But some boys are on occasion warned they are not doing what needs to be done at practice in order to acquire the skills needed to get to the next level. And while it is rare, there are kids who occasionally are asked to sit out for a period of time or even get sent home for misbehavior or disrespect. But I would not call either situation one that involves threats, but rather natural consequences.

If a kid is not working hard while at the gym, or goofing off, or missing lots of practices, or what have you, and this behavior is impeding their progress, there will be the natural consequence of not moving to the next level-(and/or not doing well at meets.) That particular natural consequence might motivate some kids but not motivate others. I actually think most of the really hardworking kids, while they may dream of awards, ultimately work hard every practice because they enjoy the internal rewards of challenging themselves- and yes, also enjoy getting positive reinforcements from the coaches for working hard.

A threat would involve not a natural consequence (lack of enough skills progression=not moving up) but rather an arbitrary whim (you are not working as hard as I think you should, so I am not going to move you up even if you have the skills.) I guess I would wonder how a threat like that would motivate anyone. It actually takes the power away from the gymnast.

Threats like this are also destructive overall because they would encourage the perception that repeating levels is something to be ashamed of/avoided at all cost.

If an arbitrary "threat" is coming into it, whether it ever motivates anyone or not, I would think that is not in any way useful or appropriate, even if it is common.

 

[duyetanh]

No threats here, but it is plain and simple knowledge that if you don't have xyz, then as simple as 1,2,3, you don't move up. If girls choose to stress on it, this is their own personal issue, because it does not come from the coaches. And all the girls know exactly what they need because they have had their meeting (everyone gets one) about what they need as far as xyz for the level they are shooting for in the upcoming season. So no one can claim they are clueless.

Is she missing her bars, because of the inconsistency with the tchev? That thing is brutal. Hopefully she can pull off the level she wants-when is the deadline?

 

[Deleted member 14190]

If it's a reality then yes, in which case it isn't a threat.

 

[Traci]

No threats here, but it is plain and simple knowledge that if you don't have xyz, then as simple as 1,2,3, you don't move up. If girls choose to stress on it, this is their own personal issue, because it does not come from the coaches. And all the girls know exactly what they need because they have had their meeting (everyone gets one) about what they need as far as xyz for the level they are shooting for in the upcoming season. So no one can claim they are clueless.

Is she missing her bars, because of the inconsistency with the tchev? That thing is brutal. Hopefully she can pull off the level she wants-when is the deadline?

It is a combination of all things - all events - and the constant threat of repeating a level. She has her tkachev (sp?) more consistently than misses now -- which is huge. But the coach changed something in how she does her double layout dismount and now can't seem to "get" them - so the threat comes back to mind... Same with her beam dismount.... And really - I am not sure if the coach is threatening as much -- or if DD is just remembering the threat....and all of this is self inflicted.... If that makes sense.

 

[Madden3]

When my older son was in compulsories he was always worried he would not be moving up. And of course sometimes he did not move up, because it was more appropriate that he repeat. Anyway, I always suggested he talk to the coach about it. The coaches knew my son worked his butt off every practice and rarely missed any practice time, and if he was not getting something, it was not because he was not working hard. So coach was always able to reassure my son he was doing ok.

 

[gymdog]

It is a combination of all things - all events - and the constant threat of repeating a level. She has her tkachev (sp?) more consistently than misses now -- which is huge. But the coach changed something in how she does her double layout dismount and now can't seem to "get" them - so the threat comes back to mind... Same with her beam dismount.... And really - I am not sure if the coach is threatening as much -- or if DD is just remembering the threat....and all of this is self inflicted.... If that makes sense.

I'm kind of confused, reading your original post I assumed your daughter would be a level 3/4 or so. Based on this post I see your daughter is training level 10. It is a little strange at this point there would be so much turmoil with the idea of repeating if a full set isn't there. Is there a back story I'm missing? Virtually everyone repeats level 9. Sometimes 3 times. It isn't even really repeating unless you had 10 SV the whole season with no compositional and made Easterns/Westerns.

If she doesn't have the level 10 sets she should expect to repeat 9 and just go in with a clear mind of those skills being her uptraining. If she gets them back soon great, if not keep working and over the next year she will be able to fix them. I'm not really sure for level 9/10 this would be a threat or just a reminder of deadlines or what is needed to get the SV. Unlike the low levels these routines can't simply be attempted. So I think you may be right. My best advice to ger is take the pressure off, realize how far you've come and how many skills you have. There are a lot of skills she can do really well. She will fix the double lay and tkatchev and it will happen in it's own time. Until then I'm sure there's at least one upgrade she can make.

 

[Traci]

I'm kind of confused, reading your original post I assumed your daughter would be a level 3/4 or so. Based on this post I see your daughter is training level 10. It is a little strange at this point there would be so much turmoil with the idea of repeating if a full set isn't there. Is there a back story I'm missing? Virtually everyone repeats level 9. Sometimes 3 times. It isn't even really repeating unless you had 10 SV the whole season with no compositional and made Easterns/Westerns.

If she doesn't have the level 10 sets she should expect to repeat 9 and just go in with a clear mind of those skills being her uptraining. If she gets them back soon great, if not keep working and over the next year she will be able to fix them. I'm not really sure for level 9/10 this would be a threat or just a reminder of deadlines or what is needed to get the SV. Unlike the low levels these routines can't simply be attempted. So I think you may be right. My best advice to ger is take the pressure off, realize how far you've come and how many skills you have. There are a lot of skills she can do really well. She will fix the double lay and tkatchev and it will happen in it's own time. Until then I'm sure there's at least one upgrade she can make.

This would be a repeat of level 9 for a third time - which ((for whatever reason)) she is sooooo against. Me - I could careless. I don't see where it matters if she repeats level 9 3 times and then level 10 2 times or level 9 two times and level 10 three times.... I do know - we joined this gym over the summer and she was progressing extremely well until the threat (or the mention) of repeating 9 came about. Since then - she has struggled with everything. It is the dangest thing....

 

[gymgal]

how old is she? Is she dealing with an "up against a deadline" for college recruiting? Perhaps that is entering her mind? How have the other gymnasts progressed on her team? Are they a 1 level each year type of team with very little repeating? Gymdog notes that almost everyone repeats L9 but that simply is not true in many gyms. If you are in one of those gyms, the pressure she may be feeling to move on can be overwhelming and affect her training. As you stated, you are not sure if there is an actual "threat" from the coach at this point or just what your dd is feeling based on the past season. It may be worth a discussion with the coach. I would think at this point with just a month before the season, her level would be set in stone?

 

[Traci]

how old is she? Is she dealing with an "up against a deadline" for college recruiting? Perhaps that is entering her mind? How have the other gymnasts progressed on her team? Are they a 1 level each year type of team with very little repeating? Gymdog notes that almost everyone repeats L9 but that simply is not true in many gyms. If you are in one of those gyms, the pressure she may be feeling to move on can be overwhelming and affect her training. As you stated, you are not sure if there is an actual "threat" from the coach at this point or just what your dd is feeling based on the past season. It may be worth a discussion with the coach. I would think at this point with just a month before the season, her level would be set in stone?

She is 15. Her first year at 9 she was coming off a broken foot - qualified for regionals. 2nd year at 9 - was just okay, she qualified for regionals and won 1st on bars. Changed gyms this summer and she progressed so much until now. The other girls are all being told of the possibility of repeating their previous level. I know level 10 is super hard - but I just think the 'threat' did something to her. I am going to talk to the coach...

 

[gymgal]

She is 15. Her first year at 9 she was coming off a broken foot - qualified for regionals. 2nd year at 9 - was just okay, she qualified for regionals and won 1st on bars. Changed gyms this summer and she progressed so much until now. The other girls are all being told of the possibility of repeating their previous level. I know level 10 is super hard - but I just think the 'threat' did something to her. I am going to talk to the coach...

Let us know how it goes. I don't like that a coach is still dangling the carrot this close to the season. The girls should know exactly where they are at least starting the season. Many times, coaches will allow a gymnast to move up in the middle of the season (happens more in smaller gyms) once the skills are mastered but the coach will still tell the gymnast early on what the initial level will be. Telling them they are going L10 and then "threatening" to hold back this late in the game (1 month left!) is just counterproductive in my mind. Depending on what meets you go to early in the season, sometimes this is impossible to switch the level so late too.