Gymnasts and “Trying”

Don’t tell an athlete that they didn’t try Tell them that they can try harder. Is that splitting hairs? Maybe. But hear me out. “You aren’t trying” puts an athlete on the defensive. It demonstrates to that athlete that you don’t believe they are giving full effort. It tells the athlete you don’t trust her. “I […]

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Dominoes and Kips: Building Toward Success in Gymnastics

  This I know is true: There is no such thing as an overnight success, especially in gymnastics. For instance, anyone who has been a part of the sport can tell you this—it takes an enormous amount of physical preparation and carefully sequenced progressions to learn a kip. (Just ask Susie’s coach…) But anyone who […]

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Can You Quit and Still Have Grit?

    While a cute rhyming couplet, “quit” and “grit” wouldn’t seem to go together. And yet, they can and do. According to grit expert, Dr. Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, quitting is a critical component of grit for this […]

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The Unlucky 7: 7 Setbacks Most Gymnasts Eventually Face (and How They Can Rebound from Them)

Resilience and grit are the best buddies of any gymnast, but are particularly tested when things go south. Stick around in the sport long enough and you (or your child/athlete) are likely to encounter many, if not all these ‘unlucky’ seven: Not Moving Up a Level. Despite your hard work, there remains an element or […]

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9 Suggestions to Help Your Gymnast Hear, Receive and Implement Feedback

  “Are you even listening to me?” This phrase escaped my lips many, many times as a parent and as a coach. And yet as frequently as we might complain that kids do not listen, how much time do we spend actually teaching the skills necessary to cope with feedback? Hearing, accepting and implementing feedback is […]

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20 Traits that Gymnastics Develops: A Diagram

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12 Tips About Discipline for Coaches

  There is a difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline is about fixing and learning from your mistakes.  It is corrective and instructional, focused on the child’s long-term well-being. Its goal is to teach what behavior is and is not acceptable. Punishment is about paying for those mistakes. Its goal is to inhibit a behavior […]

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White Bears and Gymnasts’ Fears

On the count of three, don’t think of white bears. How did that work out for you? You thought of white bears, didn’t you? Don’t worry. It’s inevitable. The mere act of trying not to think of white bears causes you to think of them. And, if you are stressed out, tired or distracted, the […]

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How a Gymnast is Like a Carrot: Myths and Truths of Progress

  “My child wants to quit because she is not making any progress.” These words begin so many of the meetings that I have with parents who are conflicted about having their child continue in gymnastics. Quite often, the parent will say that the child likes gymnastics, is happy when she is at practice and […]

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No Lying on the Mats: How Horizontal Coaching Hurts Your Gym’s Morale (Backed By Science)

Ask any gym owners or managers pet peeve or gym parents’ concern about their child’s coach and in the top five you are likely to hear “sitting/lying on a mat during practice.” I know it makes my list consistently. We have a name for it: horizontal coaching.  And horizontal coaching is like fingernails on a […]

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