All-Star Privates

[armycheermom]

I am responding to those that mentioned how their cp refuses to throw skills unless they are spotted or someone is standing ready to spot... Last week, my cp and I were driving from her PT session and started talking about mental blocks and why none of her gymnastics' friend have this phenomenon, but this is huge problem for cheerleader-almost 1 out every 3 (guesstimating) cheerleader had complained about mental blocks.
My cp theorized it is the way gymnastics coaches teach new skills, she mentioned, they used different types of matts, tumble tracs, tumble pits, etc and they never, never, ever spot a gymnast on any skills that they are learning, so no chance of them becoming dependent. She said in gymnastics, coaches teach using the highest level of safety and cushioning, but they will never be there to touch you and she also mentioned that cheerleading coaches do not use the mental tactics of visualizing yourself doing the skill, talking about each part of the tumbling skill before performing it and last, how to safely bailout of a skill. She said, most of the girls with mental blocks are afraid of landing incorrectly, so being able to bailout safely will help a lot with mental blocks and having the tumble pits is a big asset in gymnastics gym that you do not see at cheer gym...

Side note: My daughter's private coach knows that she came from that gymnastics background and he had training in a gymnastics facility, so he practice all of the gymnastics teaching on her... He has never spotted her while she is learning a new skill, he videotape her performing skill and then they discuss how she execute sections of the skills and isolate the sections and practice from there... This method works for my daughter and she is never afraid to execute a new skill when she is ready to perform it alone...

CP has said the same thing. She also thinks,gymnast don't have mental blocks,is because,gymnast work on one skill for ages,before they are allowed to officially say they have a skill. A cheerleader will throw a skill and on the same night say she has it. I think gymnasts don't get mental blocks,because by time they have put in all of the mental and physical training that comes with a skill,they really have it. It would be great if cheer would take a little more gymnastic background for tumbling training.

 

[Pebbles49]

Amycheermom, I definitely agree with your statements... It is only when my daughter started cheerleading that she ever heard of mental blocks... You are so funny and correct, it does take gymnasts ages to start working a higher level skill and when they "so called got it" there is always something that they need to work on to perfect the skill... I see in cheer gym, so many people ringing that darn bell and then the following week, cannot perform the skill or suffering mental blocks when asked to perform the skill again... why is that???(scratching head)

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^^Yes. When I started coaching, I was mentored by a gymnastics coach. That changed the way I viewed learning skills (I have a cheer background) drastically!

I always tell kids that you don't "have it" because you threw it once at a private.

You don't "have it" because you threw it that one time at open gym.

No, you can't compete your BHS that you just fluke threw 2 days ago.

You really only (in my eyes) have it when you've thrown it all season and I stop having to correct you.

 

[Pebbles49]

^^^^Yes. When I started coaching, I was mentored by a gymnastics coach. That changed the way I viewed learning skills (I have a cheer background) drastically!

I always tell kids that you don't "have it" because you threw it once at a private.

You don't "have it" because you threw it that one time at open gym.

No, you can't compete your BHS that you just fluke threw 2 days ago.

You really only (in my eyes) have it when you've thrown it all season and I stop having to correct you.

You know that it is refreshing to know that there are still coaches who are willing to really teach proper skills with techniques.... Only problem is, many of these coaches who teach privates have parents that constantly second guess them and become impatient when higher level skills are not rapidly taught and do not understand the importance of how techniques on lower level skills are so important to prepare with perfecting advanced skills.... Many Private Coaches I know had received negative ratings (publicly) because they take the 'Perfection before Progression' approach, especially when they are new in the cheer gym and in affect lose future clients based on SM wanting to know why their "Susie is not doing bhs after 1 private and spread rumors about the coach being incompetent....lol
Side note: 1 private session -This is what happen about 2 months ago- My daughter in one year has gone through a growth spurt, which I think, affected her center of gravity and tumbling, so her private coach took her back to working on bhs because her technique had become sloppy, so she spent a session working just on this skill, instead of arabians to fulls (I think that is what it is call) and I had 2 parents asking me, Why your daughter taking a private to work on bhs, if she is on such and such team? I just smile and say, well it must be something she is not doing well that the coach is cleaning up...(btw, her coach did not like how her legs separated when doing rapid multiple bhs, so he had her slow it down and do slow bhs, so she can feel it and make the changes before speeding the bhs up) These parents only see working on basics as a waste of private money and I fully trust that her coach knows what he is doing and leave him alone and let him do his job... (that is probably because I know what happen in gymnastics facility, as oppose to cheer gym) ...btw, In gymnastic facility, it not unusual to see the elite gymnasts constantly working on their basic skills, particularly, roundoff, bwo, bhs and fwo... just saying???

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

^^^I will say that I did have someone take their kid elsewhere because my opinion of what the kid needed to work on was different from the parent.

I was told on the phone that the kid needed a private to "clean up her BHS for school cheer." Mom said "Oh she has it with a spot she just needs a clean up and a confidence boost."

Kid shows up and her BHS is more of a HEAD SPRING, she's whipping her head and is about as close to a clean and tryout ready BHS as I am to Nepal.

I spent the private on drills, and also working on her BWO because there is a level of control in the walkover that is foundational to the BHS.

Mom shows up and is livid that her daughter is not just BHS-ing all over the gym and tells me she's taking her elsewhere.

People want like, drive-thru skills. They want to pull up to the window and order a McLayout, and get it at Window 2 in 5 minutes. That's not realistic.

 

[WinstonsGirl]

I find the comments about gymnastics versus cheer interesting. Growing up in gymnastics, we were always spotted. I do believe though that gymnasts spend much more time on skills than in cheer, as others said. Cheer is often "get the skill fast so you can throw it in the routine".

I think spotting can be a good thing for some athletes. I've had a guest coach come in for tumbling who refused to spot. They said that kids in their gym do enough reps on different drills that they're comfortable throwing it on their own. As an older tumbler, I guarantee that I'll never throw a skill without some spot before hand, no matter how many reps of drills I do. I also know when I'm ready to throw a skill, and tend to ask for less spot until I get mad when I'm spotted. That's when I know I'm ready to throw it on my own. Some kids are absolutely too reliant on spotters though.

My current lessons are half to clean up older skills and half to work new skills.

 

[Pebbles49]

^^^I will say that I did have someone take their kid elsewhere because my opinion of what the kid needed to work on was different from the parent.

I was told on the phone that the kid needed a private to "clean up her BHS for school cheer." Mom said "Oh she has it with a spot she just needs a clean up and a confidence boost."

Kid shows up and her BHS is more of a HEAD SPRING, she's whipping her head and is about as close to a clean and tryout ready BHS as I am to Nepal.

I spent the private on drills, and also working on her BWO because there is a level of control in the walkover that is foundational to the BHS.

Mom shows up and is livid that her daughter is not just BHS-ing all over the gym and tells me she's taking her elsewhere.

People want like, drive-thru skills. They want to pull up to the window and order a McLayout, and get it at Window 2 in 5 minutes. That's not realistic.

PREACH!
Oncecoolcoachnowman, oops, I meant Mom, It is best to lose the money in the short term and salvage your reputation... As a mom, when I am watching athletes with janky tumbling, etc at competitions, I always wonder, who taught that child that and/or allow that child to get on the floor tumbling like that... So your reputation is Golden in this industry...

Side note: I think, for most gymnastic coaches and facility, the stance that they take I presume is, if the athletes have never been spotted performing a skill from a basic cartwheel, etc... they will never ask for a spot to perform it! In some gyms, they allow the athletes to independently work on skills, ala homework, and I will see mostly girls, setting up mats, etc. to practice on their own... I think, for some athletes this is where the mental aspect of learning new skills come in and the recording of the skills during the privates, help...

 

[Momager]

Everything said about gymnastics training has been my experience as well, except gymnasts do get mental blocks. I've known gymnasts who have done a skill for a long time and suddenly, for no apparent reason, cannot do it. It seems to happen with bhs early on, then with giants, and with bhs on beam. Sometimes its because they grow but other times no. Also, I have known gymnasts who suddenly become fearful of back tumbling and will only do front after having done back for many years. The mind is a very strange thing.

 

[cheernerd5678]

I find the comments about gymnastics versus cheer interesting. Growing up in gymnastics, we were always spotted. I do believe though that gymnasts spend much more time on skills than in cheer, as others said. Cheer is often "get the skill fast so you can throw it in the routine".

I think spotting can be a good thing for some athletes. I've had a guest coach come in for tumbling who refused to spot. They said that kids in their gym do enough reps on different drills that they're comfortable throwing it on their own. As an older tumbler, I guarantee that I'll never throw a skill without some spot before hand, no matter how many reps of drills I do. I also know when I'm ready to throw a skill, and tend to ask for less spot until I get mad when I'm spotted. That's when I know I'm ready to throw it on my own. Some kids are absolutely too reliant on spotters though.

My current lessons are half to clean up older skills and half to work new skills.

My old gym was a gymnastics gym and the owners (very reputable, well known gymnasts) spotted their gymnasts all the time. I personally can't imagine doing a tuck without ever being spotted on one.


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[Momager]

My old gym was a gymnastics gym and the owners (very reputable, well known gymnasts) spotted their gymnasts all the time. I personally can't imagine doing a tuck without ever being spotted on one.


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Some gyms use equipment like a bungee belt or just do it into a pit. I do know gyms that spot and gyms that do not, but it seems that most gyms I was acquainted with did not.

 

[mecheermom]

I wish I could pay 30 for an hour long private

I was thinking the same thing!! We pay $40 for 30 min and $80/hr!


Mommy to 2 kiddos! One J5 CP and one 4th grade Football player ! Help me now!

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[Fiercecheer12]

I do privates once a week every week. It depends on the coaches and amount of time you spend with them. My privates are mostly tumbling

 

[Pebbles49]

I wanted to go on record to say, that there are possibly gymnasts with mental blocks like what Momager mentioned...
But only speaking on my life experiences, I just do not personally know of any... So if anyone read in any of my posts that gymnasts were immune to this and thought I was insensitive to athletes suffering from mental blocks, then please accept my apology...

 

[calikaitlyn_]

Just a quick comment: My current gym also does perfection before progression. You're not allowed in a BHS class without all proper level 1 skills, etc. I think it helps!

 

[cupieqt]

No he spots her, its just that he feels she is ready to throw it. He thinks she is too dependent on him spotting her. When he says she has to do it on her own she refuses. He has tried everything to get her to throw it. She has done it before, she fell once and i guess is afraid of getting hurt. He has shown her that she won't kill herself and that's shes ready she just won't try!

It doesn't matter how strongly the coach feels. We can tell kids all day long "you've got this" but until they feel completely confident and ready they aren't going to do it. Can't make em.