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Mar
30
Written by:
Andy Thornton
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 2:51 PM
What are the most important qualities to look for in a potential competitive gymnast?
One of my favorite things to do as a coach has always been “testing” young kids to be on the competitive team. I’ve always coached boys for the most part, and thus this testing process has typically entailed taking a 5, 6, or 7-year-old boy and trying to decide if he has enough potential to be invited to the competitive team. Sometimes I will spot the kid myself out of a recreational class, either one that I coach or one that I’ve watched someone coach. Other times, a recreational coach will come to me claiming to have a talented kid who needs to be tested for the team.
I’ve always found this process to be very fun and exciting as a coach. First of all, it involves exploring the abilities of a kid I know very little (or even nothing) about. That bit of uncertainty always allows for the possibility that I may have a good gymnast, or even a great gymnast, or better yet…an absolute star on my hands. Not only is it always great for the program and the success of our team to bring in new talent, but it often does WONDERS for how much we enjoy our jobs as coaches. I’ve always found that having that one special talent we believe we can turn into a shining star, or even a kid who is just a blast to work with can literally make us look forward to going into the gym each day. Encountering a new kid from his or her own unique background and family reminds us of the amazing opportunities we have as coaches to help mold children into a confident and successful athletes, as well as the amazing responsibility we have to help mold their character. Another reason I love this process is because of the genuine excitement and enthusiasm I usually sense on the part of the kid as well as the parent(s). The competitive team is often something that the recreational kids are fascinated by and sometimes aspire to achieve, and when they suddenly find the opportunity at their hands, their wide-eyes aren’t hard to notice.
So what do I look for when determining if a kid should be invited to the competitive team? I know we all have our own methods as coaches, so I wanted to share some of the qualities I’ve learned to look for over the years. I’ve separated them into two categories: physical and non-physical. I’ve come up with the seven for each, and these are pretty much in order of importance for me:
Physical
1. Coordination
2. Flexibility
3. Core strength/body tightness
4. Leg form/toe-point
5. Body alignment
6. Upper body strength
7. Leg strength
Non-Physical
1. Motivation/enthusiasm
2. Intelligence
3. Listening skills
4. Behavioral skills
5. Courage
6. Trust of the coach
7. Emotional stability
So now that I know what qualities I’m looking for, how do I go about actually testing for them? And how do I so in the short amount of time I often have to test a kid? I’ll discuss that in my next blog.
What qualities do you think are most important to look for in a young aspiring gymnast – male or female?
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Re: Andy's 14 qualities of a young male gymnast
I'm just curious about how you decided upper body strength is so low on the list of physical attributes. Care to explain your reasoning for how you chose that order? On the non-physical side I think your list is very well thought out.
By Gymnastdude on
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 8:40 AM
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Re: Andy's 14 qualities of a young male gymnast
Gymnastdude - very good question. It's interesting you bring that up, because it's something I've actually changed my viewpoint on a bit over the years. While I definitely do get excited when I see a kid with a lot of upper body strength, I've begun to discover that this quality can be developed more gradually in young male gymnasts, and that it is much more "teachable" than the qualities I listed above it. I can make a kid strong a whole lot easier than I can make him flexible and coordinated with good body line, form, and tightness. It's interesting that the lower levels of men's gymnastics (Level 4 and 5) don't require as much upper body strength as you might think, while form and flexibility are paramount. The upper body strength becomes much more of an issue in Level 6 and beyond, and if you're consistently working it as a coach from the beginning, it will come. I've also seen that young kids with a lot of natural strength often tend to LACK some of the other qualities like flexibility and body line. The bottom line is I would much rather have a kid who is lean and flexible with beautiful toe point than a kid who is strong. I can make him strong, but those other qualities are extremely rare. Some of my best gymnasts I've coached didn't have much upper body strength when I first "found" them, but his more "artistic" qualities made him excel at the lower levels, while the strength was being developed. Great question!
By bulldogat on
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 10:17 AM
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Re: Andy's 14 qualities of a young male gymnast
My former coach use to always try to sneak a peak at the parents....to get an idea of how the kid was going develop physically, i.e. were the parents 5/10 and 6/4? That might not bode well come puberty hahaha
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