How to Coach Gymnastics

As a gymnastics coach, you have a number of challenges that must be surmounted to ensure your team's success. You need to assess individual gymnasts to determine events that maximize your potential. You also need to coach gymnastics skills to athletes with various levels of experience. In order to coach gymnastics successfully, you need to be organized and develop an effective practice routine.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Work on essential gymnastics movements early in the season. The Coaches' Information Service provides seven key exercises that will help individual gymnasts improve their conditioning (see Resources below). Proper conditioning helps you avoid injuries and allow you to focus on specific skills later in the season.
2. Lay down floor mats around gym equipment and trampolines to prevent injuries. In addition to avoiding bodily harm, you can coach specific gymnastics moves and run team stretches using inexpensive mats common in any high school gym.
3. Develop a strength and conditioning program for your gymnasts that avoids excessive muscle mass while increasing muscle power. You can utilize low weights and high repetitions in the weight room during the off-season. Sprinting and short distance running helps with muscle reflexes important to most gymnastics events.
4. Select invitational events and exhibitions that fit into your team's goal to develop as a cohesive unit. Excessive travel or an event that is scheduled too close to a prior engagement should be avoided when possible. Utilize one or two exhibitions a year to ease tension on your team while exposing them to new environments.
5. Tape practices and gymnastics events from different perspectives to determine areas of strength or weakness in a particular gymnast. You should review tapes immediately after the practice or event is over and provide notes to individual team members on their performance. This quick feedback helps gymnasts adjust in a timely manner.
6. Encourage your gymnasts to stay on their toes at all times by using the balance beam. Instruct each gymnast to walk across the beam at the beginning of practice. Once your practice is finished, ask them to do a simple handstand or flip on the beam to demonstrate the necessity for balance.

Tips & Warnings

• Locate an inexpensive practice location with all of the equipment you need to properly train gymnasts. Most gymnastics programs have limited funds and you need to ensure a reliable place for your team to practice. High school gyms and exercise centers with extensive gym space are two possible practice areas in your community.

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