School
Confessions of a Gymnastics Coach: The Day My Athlete Called Me Out
I have a confession to make. The other night at team training, I slipped. One of my gymnasts finished an attempt, and as I was trying to watch nine other athletes at the exact same time, I casually threw out a, “Hey, awesome job!” Spoiler alert: It wasn’t awesome. Her form was off, her focus…
Read MoreBuilding Real Confidence: Why We Don’t Hide the “Red Pens”
I recently had a fascinating conversation with a parent that really made me think. She was hesitant about enrolling her child because she worried that competitive environments do more harm than good. Her view was that sports should focus entirely on constant praise and protecting a child’s feelings, rather than emphasizing competition or correction. We…
Read MoreThe 5-Step Homework Game Plan
We have officially entered that time of year. You know the one: the days are getting darker, the weather is getting lousier, and the glorious “honeymoon phase” of the new school year is officially over. The novelty of the shiny new locker and the cool teacher has worn off, and kids are staring down the…
Read MoreThe Ultimate Big Sister Energy: A Letter to a Newborn (From a 7-Year-Old)
Every now and then, a story makes the rounds in the coaching community that hits you right in the feels. A coaching friend of mine, Jeri, shared one with me a while ago, and it perfectly captures why we love what we do. Jeri coaches the upper-level competitive athletes at her gym, so while she…
Read MoreReady for School? Us too!
This is the time of year when kids are ready to go back to school. They have played all summer long and are ready to get back to the orderly day of school and after school activities. I remember as a child when the end of August rolled up that I was usually anxious to…
Read MoreThe Value of Gymnastics Part 1
Gymnastics offers comprehensive benefits beyond physical fitness.
Read MoreWhat Do We Learn After The Cartwheel
Success comes when we face our fears and act anyway. As a coach, watching a gymnast finally nail a skill after months of work is priceless. I face fears every day, just in different ways now, and gymnastics taught me how to push through.
Read MoreDo I Have Enough Time For One More Turn?
On average, you’ve got about 79 years on this planet. Sounds like a lot, right? But let’s break it down, add up all the time in your life that you spend doing something, and see just how much of that time you actually have.
Read MoreWhat will my child gain by being in gymnastics?
Gymnasts (along with other athletes in other sports) learn about teamwork, sportsmanship, fair play, dedication, perseverance, goal setting and planning.
Gymnastics shows children that rewards are….
Read More6 Points to help the ride home after practice
Kids as early as 4 years old can detect false emotion. Saying something like “I don’t care how you did today, I love you just the same” is a great message. But the phrasing is cliched and will put a pre-teen or older child into defense mode. Child behavior specialists will tell you how important it is to say this and I agree, but as a coach I can tell you that cliches and following expert scripts will have the opposite effect from what you were looking for. Better yet, make a comment on how proud you are for effort, hard work, progress, or anything that will reinforce that you were actually watching. Their effort is really the only thing that they can control. To compliment it means you value what they did and who they are.
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