All-Star Child Doesn't Need Those Skills...

[amy1k]

Absolutely not. My kid is a year-round baseball player. At practice, they work on exactly whatever skill/play the coaches need them to work on. My kid is a catcher, if he wants to improve his skills, he signs up for a private, a camp, or a class. At practice, he works on the plays his coach wants him to work on. If his coach decides he's not a catcher and wants him to play middle infield (he identifies himself as a MI player, too), he doesn't catch. If his coaches think the PITCHERS need work, my kid works on nothing at practice and just catches bullpen.


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[MamaMya04]

I think that during scheduled practice, only things related to the routine/skill level should be worked on. I don't see the point of working on level 3 skills when there is always something that can be cleaned up in a level 2 routine. However, I think that if the gym is able, they should have open gym or a tumbling class that will give athletes a chance to work on new skills throughout the season. My daughter went to open gym after every practice and gained new skills. So it doesn't always have to ba a situation where you're in the gym 5 days a week between practice and tumbling classes. I personally believe in offering tumbling classes that are included in tuition. It's good for business. Having athletes gain new skills is integral to growing a solid program. You want a solid level 4 or 5 team, grow them from a level one.

 

[Abcdefg]

I think suzie should have took the iniative to have worked on her level 4 skills out of level 3 practice......considering it is level 3.

 

[sportygal2012]

Maybe I'm the minority here but we always practice above level skills during competition season. We also have a set team tumbling class on Mondays where we do this (maybe this is only a small gym thing).
For example, during the competition season on Monday we would probably run our tumbling sections a couple times and clean up skills, then move on to advancing our skills, and then at the end we would do some stamina and plyometric conditioning and run our tumbling and jump section again. Since I am at a gymnastics gym, a lot of our team are ex gymnasts, like myself, so there usually isn't a lot of cleaning up to be done. With that being said, when it's time to upgrade skills half of the team is advancing and the other half is still cleaning up and working on technique. If we only did the skills for our level half of our team including me would go crazy, and be bored.

ETA- What if money is a problem and you can't afford all of the extra skill clinics or even another tumbling class? Do you just except the fact that you might not advance as fast as everyone else? The short time between the last competition and tryouts shouldn't be the only time you work new skills.

 

[Underestimated]

at team tumbling my athletes work on the skills in their routine once theyre perfected we will work progressions...

 

[canz]

My rule is suzie only gets to work higher level skills when suzie can show me she can do at level skills with near perfect technique eg. if you are level 1 you need to show me your series back walkovers roundoff and front walkover before you will be doing any kind of handspring or handspring drills. I enforce this rule because I have found that it greatly reduces injuries, prevents blocks, results in higher execution scores and builds confidence. I am not going to lie, If somebody went and taught one of my kids to lay out when they couldn't do punch front forwards roll step hurdle roundoff flick tuck or front handspring roundoff flick step out roundoff flick tuck I would not be a happy camper. If they can do all at level skills then sure go ahead.

 

[GreenStormLucy]

My rule is suzie only gets to work higher level skills when suzie can show me she can do at level skills with near perfect technique eg. if you are level 1 you need to show me your series back walkovers roundoff and front walkover before you will be doing any kind of handspring or handspring drills. I enforce this rule because I have found that it greatly reduces injuries, prevents blocks, results in higher execution scores and builds confidence. I am not going to lie, If somebody went and taught one of my kids to lay out when they couldn't do punch front forwards roll step hurdle roundoff flick tuck or front handspring roundoff flick step out roundoff flick tuck I would not be a happy camper. If they can do all at level skills then sure go ahead.

Lol - yes. I don´t like it either, so when attending camps i´m always observing what the staff is doing with them. The kids hate it because they feel like i´m trying to hold them down. But i´m just trying to keep the progression. Not all athletes are like this, but many stop working hard on perfecting a skill (i can throw it, so that´s enough) when they start working on harder skills.
For example having someone with a backhandspring that is okay, but not good. I tell them if it is perfect and you can do series backhandsprings, then we will start working tucks they are more into perfecting the backhandspring (and combinations) than if i would let them "get away" with a skill they can hit, but with poor technique.
There are so many combinations (like the above poster said) they can work on, so they don´t have to do bhs all practise long.

 

[stuntjumptumble]

At my gym we're not allowed to work on a skill until we've perfected the skill progression before it. For example, we can't work standing tucks unless the athlete has strong standing multiple handsprings. For the most part, we work on level appropriate skills for our routine during practice unless the athlete is ready to move on to higher skills. I am on a level 3 team, but my coaches let me work on jumps to tuck since I have a solid standing tuck. I think progressions are necessary and the foundation for strong tumbling. And this method is definitely working


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[cupieqt]

We definitely work on our progressions. And toward the end of the season we usually have extra time to work on those next level skills. But 15-20 minutes of extra work on those skills won't contribute to mastery very quickly. That's where tumbling classes and privates are needed to make up the difference.


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[cheermuse]

Scenario: Susie was in camps and privates all summer up to choreography and achieved level four skills. You mention to the coach that Susie has lost the level four skills from not having any practice or reinforcement in these skills. The coach reply is it is okay since Susie is only on a level three team and does not need those skills.

I would love to hear parents/coaches opinion on this scenario.

I would think Susie could go to open gym to try to regain those Level 4 skills so when tryouts come around next season she could possibly advanced to level 4 team. The coaches response of "she doesn't need those skills" could have been prefaced or followed by " bring her to open gym/tumble class to see if that gets her back in the swing of things"

If Susie gained these skills in a few short months, and now has lost them. Did Susie really have solid Level 4 skills???

 

[Abcdefg]

also if suzies gym provides her with atleast one free tumbling class outside of practice then suzie can work on them there. BUT if suzie were told this and not given time to work on those skills and keep them then that would be a very poor decision made by the gym owner...

 

[DaniV]

also if suzies gym provides her with atleast one free tumbling class outside of practice then suzie can work on them there.

That is what we do as a gym to encourage athletes to improve their tumbling skills regardless of what level they compete. We add the cost of a tumbling class in to their monthly tutition (this is not an optional fee) which actually works alot better than just "requiring" them to take tumbling. Since they have to pay for it anyways, alot of the kids are very consistent about coming.

We work strictly routine tumbling (and the stunts that go with tumbling, so if you can't tumble, you won't be getting it during practice) during practice. Tumbling, which is directly before practice, is where we work on drills and learning new skills that the kids don't have. If you're on youth 2 but can work running layouts and fulls, by all means... keep working them! or if you're on youth 2 and don't have a bhs, you best be at tumbling every week so they can get that bhs

 

[marissa.d]

Practices should be for level-appropriate skills only! There can still be progression, for example you're on a level 4 team and you have a layout, so spend your practice time working on punchfront-throughs and whips - your full is not going to do anything for your team. I know that at (one of) my gyms, practice time is for working routine skills only and then the coaches are generally more than willing to stay a little later for Susie to work on her full.
Team practice should be for the team's routine and this should be the athlete's priority! Use open tumbling/privates to work on skills that they will MAYBE compete next year only if they move up a level.

 

[juscheerthatisall]

Team practice is for perfecting routine skills. Tumbling classes should be used to advance skills. Towards the end of the year we will start working advanced skills in practice (just because we're not making any routine adjustments and are ready to start focusing on the next year) typically by this time, April, the whole team has advanced (ie my whole level 3 team has standing tucks) the reason is they probably had their level 3 skills when they made the team so they work more advanced skills all season in tumbling twice a week. (This is not team practice)