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

[angelndscz]

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.

 

[notimeforthat]

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 am a parent. I find this scenario very typical. Cheerleading is a team sport. During team time they work on team tumbling. Out of level skills are worked on and maintained outside of team practices. Most gyms offer open gyms for this reason. Sometimes Suzys may want to work on a skill that is out of level and have not mastered all the skills that are required at their current level. In that scenario the coaches may ask Suzy to work those skills at open gym instead of the higher level skills. This is a reasonable request imo because again this is a team sport and the team would benefit from Suzy having skills that can be used by the team.


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[dawgshow]

When does the parent want her to work the skills? If it's during team practice then that's unreasonable, IMO, because the team needs to work level skills for their routine. If it's during open gym/open stunting, or leveled tumbling then she should be able to work them. I have no problem with the coach's response as long as it's taken in the context of the first scenario.


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[THEJOEL]

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.

Pretty typical attitude in IMHO. My CP doesn't tumble with her team she is on a level 2 this season, where her flying skills are, but tumbles at level 4 so she takes a higher level tumbling class than her teammates who tumble at level. Pure and simple she has been tumbling longer than cheering so those skill shave been worked on a lot longer. I found that every level class warms up the lower level skills way before they get to the higher level so those skills are not being ignored but are constantly being reinforced. This is the same reason CP takes a stunt class to work higher level flying skills than her current team where she needs extra work. I think if you make an athlete only work on skills they have already achieved they get stuck, bored and have a higher chance of burnout. If you don't have goals and something to aim towards what is the point?
My opinion is always plan for the future but it is funny how coaches only feel this way about tumbling.
EDIT: The point I am trying to make and I should have said this was the goal IMHO should always be towards progression not just maintaining.

 

[retiredl5cheer]

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.

There's just not enough time in a practice to work skills at a higher level than what's in the routine. That's why our gym offers unlimited tumbling classes and open gyms to our athletes. You're on a level 1 but want to work your BHS? Go to tumbling class.

 

[Mom2Cheergirls]

I don't agree with most posters. Our team tumble time and heck even in practice includes time for girls to progress their skills and for those who need to fine tune what they have. Example my M2 is working on her standing tuck and perfect different combos that end with her tuck. She is not the only girl on her team doing that. Other girls are still working on multiple BHS or improving their BHS. Not just our team but most teams at our gym do that. Several of our teams have girls with stronger tumbling then perhaps required for the level but the coaches want them to be even stronger in stunting skills prior to moving them up. Now when we spend most of the practice cleaning up and running full out it does not happen too much but I think one of the things I like most about my gym is that they really do want each girl to progress on all their skills. I think it can work but if your coach or gym do not have that same thoughts probably not going to happen on the team.

 

[CheerKatie08]

When a gym is complacent with the skill level of the athletes, that's a red flag to me. You're paying tuition and the advancement of skills shouldn't be "open gym only" time. It's not fair to the parent to have to drive to the gym several times a week to make sure Susie gets her level 4 skills in.

However, I do know that practice time is limited during competition season. A great coach would get to the gym early/stay a little bit late to work on skills with the athletes who would be willing to work on their skills outside of practice time, but on the same day. This makes the difference between a good business owner and a good cheer coach, IMO.

 

[12stepCheermom]

We've been doing this 8 years now and I've found that during the season the only way you can build skills for you, is to attend all the tumble classes, holiday clinics etc. During the season it's routine heavy (as it should be). So my advice is to work on what the team needs when you're with the team (you can always improve technique and clean up skills you "have") but if you want something new you've got to get that for yourself on your own time.

And I'm okay with that.


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[CheerBank]

When a gym is complacent with the skill level of the athletes, that's a red flag to me. You're paying tuition and the advancement of skills shouldn't be "open gym only" time. It's not fair to the parent to have to drive to the gym several times a week to make sure Susie gets her level 4 skills in.

However, I do know that practice time is limited during competition season. A great coach would get to the gym early/stay a little bit late to work on skills with the athletes who would be willing to work on their skills outside of practice time, but on the same day. This makes the difference between a good business owner and a good cheer coach, IMO.

This is assuming the gym has the space and the coaches have the time to accomodate this around practice times. Unfortunately sometimes this is just not reality with team practices running right after another, and coming in a different day/time is the only option.

I would like to address a point that an earlier poster made regarding parents wanting cp to work on above current level skills in privates when they did not have all the skills solidly through their own level, and the coach wanting to work on filling in those skills instead - I think it's perfectly reasonable for a coach to feel that way because it is for the betterment of the current team, but perhaps they can work on both (so work on the full but also the punchfront-stepout and hand-hand-whip-layout if the cp is on a level 4 team at the present time).

I have found that right after the season ends up through choreography is the time when cp has always made the most gains in her skills; it is then up to her to continue working on these skills during tumbling class, open gym and privates throughout the rest of the season.

 

[KDCheerMom]

What I noticed last year was that once the season kicks in it is routine - routine - routine. Our practice schedule said one of the sessions was devoted to tumbling (actually labeled tumbling). Great no need for extra tumbling classes, etc. All of a sudden first comp - CP does not land a pass - then it is taken out of routine. Never thought to ask CP - oh no - we haven't worked on tumbling in a while - just stunting & routine (even during "tumbling" practice). So next chance we got - added a tumbling classes & she did start going in early to work on the pass - by third comp it was back in the routine.

While it would be nice but I think the reality is the routine is paramount. Within the last 6 weeks of the season - we did see the coaches working with the girls on next level skills.

 

[cheerisloving]

I think it works best if there's an agreement that if an athlete has the pass they're doing in the routine they can use any team tumbling time in practice working on their other skills. My old gym would use apart of practice time on tumbling, splitting girls up, and having them work on the next skill.

 

[drewpate]

This is why a tumbling class is included in tuition where I coach except for level 5s. You pay whether you enroll in one or not (and if you lose skills while not in one you will be asked to either take one, take a private, or moved down/asked to leave)

While I won't say we never work on higher level skills, practice time is just that, practice.

 

[GreenStormLucy]

I´m a coach and when season starts, our team practises are really focusing on routine practise. I get that if you have "all" skills tumbling-wise in a level, you want to work on higher-level skills.
But since we don´t have enough gym time and not enough coaches, i can´t work on a lay-out with an athlete during team practise, especially if she won´t need it for the routine all season long. During summer, we work a lot on tumbling and jumps and individual skills. I try to get some time in a gym with a spring floor as often as possible and work with the girls on the skills they need and if they can hit them perfect, we work on the next step.

Could be different if we would practise with mats/spring floor all season because there´s always a little free time to spot someone or do drills, but as it is now, that would be the exact thing i would say: You don´t need this skills for the L3 routine, so we can´t work on it while team practise.

 

[cheerKT]

I agree that higher level skills should be practiced outside of normal team practice times.

My sister is on a level 1 team. In her team practice she works on her backbend kickovers, round offs and front/back walkovers, all of which she throws in the routine. She recently got her back handspring, but all of that training came from tumbling classes and open gym time.

 

[cupieqt]

I wonder if other sports practice above level skills during team practices? I know my sons T-ball team never worked on fielding a triple play. Or even just hitting the ball without a T. Of course he only played one season when it was apparent he was way more interested in the concession stand than anything happening on the field.
I've just always assumed if I wanted any of my kids to be an advanced baseball/basketball/football/soccer player I would be signing them up for skills camps and outside training because they would be mostly learning plays and teamwork drills. I know that's what classes and private lessons are for in cheer too.

Progressing and maintaining individual skills is an individual responsibility, no?


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