One of the things that really motivates me is setting training goals and competition goals for all my teams. I love being part of the gymnasts\u2019 development and seeing how far we can push each individual gymnast this season\u2014or over the next, say, three years! <\/p>\n\n
A training goal might be for all gymnasts on the team to learn how to hold a completely straight handstand (with straight knees, hips, and ankles) when performing it on the floor. The handstand is always a bit tricky during competitions, so it\u2019s good to practice doing it well during training and to be aware of what to focus on to perform a good handstand. It can always go wrong in competition when adrenaline is running through the body, but as long as the gymnasts are practicing and doing their best, I can\u2019t expect more from them. <\/p>\n\n
Another training goal could be for everyone on the team to learn a new element, such as press to handstand. The gymnasts might not include the element in the competition this season, but the goal is for them to learn it during this season. I communicate this to the gymnasts, both so they understand why we\u2019re doing what we\u2019re doing, but also to create shared motivation within the team. <\/p>\n\n
Training goals can be both long-term and short-term. A short-term goal might be that I tell the gymnasts at a training session that everyone must do a free cartwheel, and it doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be on the floor. They are allowed to build a station or path that makes it easier for them to perform the free cartwheel. I might even offer a prize if everyone succeeds during the training session. In my experience, girls\u2019 teams can sometimes be very perfectionistic with everything they do and prefer not to do anything wrong or \u201cugly.\u201d But this kind of task is usually very well received because it gives them permission not to be perfect. <\/p>\n\n
It could also be that all gymnasts must do three headstands held completely still for 8 counts, and only once that\u2019s achieved may they move on to the next exercise. Or the requirement could be that two gymnasts together must hold five headstands in total. Teamwork and an achievable challenge\u2014what\u2019s not to like? <\/p>\n\n
A competition goal could be that the team stands correctly in all formations or that the moving curved formation is approved. Another competition goal could be getting the C score approved. This requires that the gymnasts understand the specific requirements of the entire C score and that the coach correctly inputs the requirements into the tariff. <\/p>\n\n
A very ambitious goal could be to avoid deductions for lack of dynamics throughout the entire routine\u2014but that takes serious work and is more of an \u201ceternal\u201d goal! The same goes for pointed feet\u2026 <\/p>\n\n
I don\u2019t focus on scores for the youngest gymnasts. It makes no sense to focus on a number in a table when it comes to developing young athletes. Here, I focus only on the specific goals we\u2019ve set as a team. For example\u2014did the group element work, did the gymnasts stand correctly in formations, and what do we need to work on for it to be fully successful? I clearly communicate the focus of the competition to the gymnasts so they know what I expect of them. I think it\u2019s unfortunate if scores are the only thing coaches\/gymnasts\/parents care about. That puts the focus on performance, and we forget what\u2019s most important\u2014gymnastics should be fun, developmental, and challenging in a healthy way. Talent development means maintaining the joy of gymnastics while maturing, developing, and challenging the gymnast so they continue progressing and remain active even as senior athletes. That\u2019s the long-term goal! <\/p>\n\n
Even when gymnasts reach senior level, my main focus is still what went well and what we can improve. The score is a tool I use as a coach to determine where our focus should lie in the coming weeks. If we receive a lot of deductions for flexed feet, then that\u2019s what I\u2019ll spend more time on in upcoming practices. The score can be used to motivate gymnasts to continue working on movement quality and synchronization throughout the floor routine. \u201cWhat do we need to do to get over 8.0 in the E score?\u201d Then we can talk about what it actually takes\u2014because it\u2019s difficult and requires a lot of hard work. <\/p>\n\n
The E score can vary from competition to competition, because it depends on the judging standard on the day. Additionally, unexpected mistakes in the routine can always happen, so I can\u2019t compare two scores from two different competitions in a season. That\u2019s why I\u2019m also cautious about setting score-related goals for the gymnasts. That doesn\u2019t mean I never use scores as a goal. For example, with senior men, I might aim for the ultimate difficulty score of 10.00 (7.8 the new CoP 2025) points, which is the highest a team can achieve. These senior gymnasts are at the very top level, and they are motivated by achieving scores and breaking records. It\u2019s not enough for them just to stand correctly in a formation or to have the group element succeed. Throughout their careers, they\u2019ve trained and developed continuously, and now, as senior gymnasts, a competition goal might be to deliver under pressure. Here, the goal is for EVERYONE to hold the handstand completely still, for all elements to be approved, and for an E score over 8.5 in the first round. In short\u2014everything needs to be perfect on the day, and we\u2019re aiming for the perfect performance with the elements we\u2019ve chosen. That\u2019s why I can focus on performance and sometimes set goals that are numerical. I would never approach a younger team in the same way. <\/p>\n\n
Are you aware of the goals you have for your team, and do your gymnasts know what you expect from them?
One of the things that really motivates me is setting training goals and competition goals for all my teams. I love being part of the gymnasts\u2019 development and seeing how far we can push each individual gymnast this season\u2014or over the next, say, three years! A training goal might be for all gymnasts on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5752,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,149],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-free","category-season-planning"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n