I really like coaching basic skills, the ones that create a foundation for harder skills. There’s a low chance of injury and I won’t get taken out in the process of spotting, at most maybe a bloody nose (kids don’t know it, but they’re secret masters at kickboxing). Cartwheels are a basic step toward more challenging tumbling skills, so needless to say it’s pretty important to learn.

Learning how to do a cartwheel is challenging for children because it’s a learning curve on body awareness and adjustment, try using a cartwheel mat for home. We need to watch for subtle errors that need to be nipped in the butt to land a perfect cartwheel. I would find myself repeating the same errors to other kids, so I made a list of these repeated errors to help all of you either learn or teach how to do a cartwheel. [Read more…] about The Biggest Mistakes When Learning How To Do A Cartwheel

Level 1 skills may be the most simple skills to do, but teaching children to practice over and over and over and over again can lose their interest very quickly. When this happens, coaching can become one of the toughest jobs in terms of cooperation even for something as simple as a forward roll gymnastics skill.

Back when I first started coaching gymnastics to level 1’s, I thought it was one of the easiest jobs I had ever had.

Then I met Indiana, a 4 year old bleach blonde Tasmanian devil who made me question my own coaching abilities.

Anything I would say to try to get him to practice would fly right into one ear and out of the other. He would run across the gym to jump on the tumble track when we were on the other side practicing on rings.

He was the most rebellious child I have ever taught, and I know many other coaches who have been in the same situation.

So now I know you’re wondering, “How did you get children to listen to you?“.

At the time, I didn’t understand children all too well, but after some guidance from other coaches, I found out the single most important detail to get kids to practice.

Create games

Kids like doing the same things repetitively, as long as it is fun.

Children are not fans of redundant, mundane practicing, and sometimes you’ll get a student who is terrified of being inverted. You have to stimulate their interest by turning it into a game. Make them forget about their fear and get them eager to try something.

And this is what separates a good coach from a spectacular coach.

Turn the skill being taught into a game, you’ll need to get creative by utilizing tumbling mats, cheese mats, and other gymnastics equipment to play various games for corresponding skills.

This goes for parents at home wanting to get their children a heads start before joining a gym also. It is very possible to coach your children at home given the proper safe environment. [Read more…] about Teach A Forward Roll Gymnastics Skill At Home