Parents,
The following letter is designed to give parents new to the sport a wide range of information in order to more accurately assess their child’s performance, identify and address areas of concern, and most importantly to encourage great participation, presentation, and sportsmanship. As always, the coaching staff is very appreciative of the continual support parents, provide. If there are any questions you might have that are not covered, please feel free to contact me during business hours, and I will respond in kind as soon as possible.
I- General history and the long road ahead
Before we delve into specifics, let’s take a look at the sport of gymnastics in very general terms. Gymnastics is known as the foremost modern Olympic sport, being internationally organized by a governing body in the late 19th century, shortly before speed skating and rowing. It is largely an individual sport that is highly critical of body positions, timing, spatial awareness and power. At the heart of gymnastics is the spirit of the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortias (Faster, Higher, Stronger).
Gymnastics is separated into several divisions: Men’s and Women’s Artistic, Women’s Rhythmic, Acro, and Trampoline and Tumbling. Although paired together, men’s artistic gymnastics is very different than women’s. Women compete on four events, three of which utilize leg strength, and bars, which is a swinging event. Men compete on six events in the following order: Floor, Pommel Horse, Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, and High Bar. The events take place in order to show (FX, V) running and tumbling, (PH, PB) swinging in support, and (R kind of, HB) purely swinging events. These six events require a greater range of upper body strength and coordination that is not required in women’s gymnastics. In short, men’s gymnastics is far more physiologically complex.
Although there are quite a lot of similar aesthetic qualities involved in our sport, men’s gymnastics takes a strong detour from women’s gymnastics in two main areas: time and pageantry. Women’s training consists of learning all required skills in pre-pubescence. Once hormones kick in, gymnastics becomes an uphill battle against the developing body. This is completely opposite to men’s gymnastics. Intensive training really begins post-pubescence. When you see an elite female gymnast, it is likely she is still in high school. An elite male is more than likely in his mid to late twenties, with a job, a spouse, perhaps a mortgage, etc.
In other words, men’s gymnastics is a marathon of a sport. Training for the pre-pubescent male gymnast includes the proper development of simple yet vital body positions, flexibility, basic skills, and the acquisition of strength. Puberty for the male gymnast means the full application of basics learned in childhood. What is developed in adolescence is applied in young adulthood. The habits and preparation conditioned today are extremely important, and are far more than simply a means to an end tomorrow. Men’s gymnastics in the competitive arena can be thought of as a work in progress. Whereas women will drill routines ad infinitum in the gym and deliver ‘perfect’ performances from the very beginning of the season, men will struggle at the start and gradually hone or polish their routines for the final competition of the year.
The junior boys have put a great amount of effort into the sport, and we all want them to be champions. And they will be; regardless of medals and trophies. No matter where our boys are today, one thing is sure: they will struggle, strive, and succeed. It simply cannot be overstated that men’s gymnastics is a long-term sport that is a continual work in progress.
II- What to look for and what to appreciate
So what do we, as coaches, look for in our junior gymnasts? From a strictly technical perspective we do our best to create basic and developmental body positions that appear most noticeably in swings. In fact it is the swings, not the skills that determine the majority of the score on a certain event. All power in gymnastics is created from the transition to and from a hollow and arched body position, and is amplified or exaggerated through cooperative arm and leg movement. The elastic potential energy created in these positions is the same catalyst used by elite gymnasts and is essential for the developing young gymnast. Regarding individual events, there are oftentimes one or two key skills per routine that stand as small milestones along a very long path.
Parents new to our sport can often feel overwhelmed and undereducated about the specific requirements their boys are subject to. All the rules and skill values can be found in the approximately 150 page FIG code of points via the USA gymnastics website. It is available in three languages, with changes being made every Olympic quadrennium. There is also a junior program that exists within, yet acts independently from, the FIG program. This body can submit changes at any point throughout the year. This can be very confusing and difficult to understand without being directly and continually connected to the sport.
I mention this not to dissuade the parent. There will however be certain aspects of the sport that the parent will not understand. Don’t be surprised when you do not have an answer for when and why your son tries to do specific movements and pushes when performing a spindle, or moore, or dip swing reverse cut; his tacatchev, endo 1/1 spin, or his federachenko.
Parents should not focus on tiny details or one specific skill at the meets. Star Center’s most highly held value is presentation. Just how do we present ourselves to our peers and acquaintances, on and off the equipment? Competition for these young men gives them a highly personal and realistic view of what is possible with hard work, as well as other invaluable life skills such as sportsmanship, impulse control, performing under pressure, and the proper etiquette for awards and recognition. Our junior boys are just learning what competition is. This too is a work in progress. Right now, we are focusing on staying in line, keeping our seating area and apparel organized, keeping focus, staying calm when necessary, and channeling our adrenaline at a moment’s notice. (Think of the long wait in between vault and parallel bars.)
From a technical standpoint, parents at competition should look for uniform routines, excellent form, extended body positions, and rhythm. Be assured, it is not uncommon for first year level fours to add or completely forget an element in their routine. They really do have a lot to think about. The 6 routines have about 8 skills each, in which they must remember to stay tight, squeezed, and extended to varying degrees in each of those 48 skills. They must also remain still in certain skills for 3 seconds, and must salute the judge and the equipment, all while focusing on 2 or 3 key areas of thought that the team worked on the previous week. Your seven or eight year old son is easily concerning himself with over 100 different things in the course of 2 ½ hours. That alone is amazing.
III- Scoring, the pommel horse, and other areas of frustration
For the sake of enjoyment, I would strongly discourage keeping track of scores, especially on a meet to meet basis. It will distort the parent’s impression of his or her son’s actual performance, and oftentimes, will preoccupy the parent and prevent them from fully appreciating their child’s performance. Scoring (and judging) can best be described as subjective objectivism. It is a judge’s right to discern and distinguish a small from medium error, or a medium from a large. Where one judge might take .1 another might take .3. Not to worry though, that judge will continue to apply similar deductions to all other gymnasts.
At one meet last season, our senior gymnasts won an event with a 14.9, another with a 13.3, and one level 9 won parallel bars with a 13.0. As the season progresses, parents will see better routines receiving lower scores as the judging becomes more and more critical. Star Center gymnasts do not pay attention to their scores during the meet, as a negative performance will be reinforced by a negative score, thus contributing to further negative consequences. We focus on taking pride in our accomplishments and celebrating a job well done. Star Center parents should do the same.
At this point, you might be thinking that I am asking you to believe that everything is relative, that absolute patience is the absolute, and that scores have no importance: to a certain extent, I am. These boys (this team in particular) are very young and still maturing. Remember, gymnasts are in this sport for the ‘long-haul’. Oftentimes, the superstars of junior gymnastics do not sustain their first-place performance level into elite gymnastics. On the other hand, there are several ‘diamonds in the rough’ that may not be on the award stand today, but just you wait! The highest ranked junior athlete, who was most sought after by NCAA recruiters, was fifteen years old before he ever won a state all-around title!
“But there’s still that darn pommel horse, and no amount of relativity will excuse that 6.0 while all the other gyms are in the 13s!” Well, you’re right, but there are very important reasons why Star Center does not train circles so avidly. Mushroom circles require a great amount of strength and power, a little bit of luck, and one big epiphany. But it’s more than just that.
Have you ever seen a toddler or young child try to bounce a basketball? In the beginning they will hit the ball very hard with little directional control, almost using their hand as a racquet. As they progress, they learn to work with the bounce of the ball and direct it through their fingertips. Mushroom circles are similar. However, unlike dribbling, when a gymnast does not possess an adequate amount of strength, finesse, and structural physical development, he begins to pound his full body weight into his wrists. Circles learned too early lead to stress fractures around ten years of age and perpetual wrist problems for the rest of the athlete’s career.
Be patient with particular skills. One skill does not a gymnast make, and different types of skills can be complimented or hindered by different body types. It is not uncommon for great pommel swingers to have a mediocre floor and vault. It is also not necessary to win. Our undefeated 4s and 5s (now our level 6s) did not have mushroom circles. One level six who is ranked the 7th best eight year old in our six-state region just figured his circles out this last week.
And all those other gyms with mushroom circles? Remember that your little first-year competitor is competing against second and third-year gymnasts. I am fully aware of which gyms have circles and which ones have technically correct circles. This and every year, the coaches and programs I most admire and respect do not have a majority of their level 4s performing no-fall mushroom routines.
IV- Participation, Presentation, & Sportsmanship
As mentioned earlier, Star Center prides itself upon presentation on and off the equipment. This includes the awards portion of the competition. Parents should always applaud a job well done, whether it is a Star Center boy or not. When it is one of our boys, we love excitement, but not too much. Try not to make the other parents around you jump out of their seat as you jump out of yours. Parents should politely applaud and cheer for every first place event winner and every all-around winner. It also means staying for all age and level divisions in the session.
Two specific examples that illustrate this come to mind from the 2011 competitive season. One boy flew in from Boston and won first all-around at HNI. His parents had not attended and his coach was warming up his teammates on the floor. He won one of the biggest junior meets in the nation, and not a single parent applauded him. The silence was horribly noticeable. Another boy won all-around at Ricky Deci and dedicated his performance to his dad, who had unexpectedly died earlier in the week. These are extraordinary young men in extraordinary circumstances and they all deserve our praise. Best of all, that’s all our boy’s desire.
Young boys crave to please their parents. When it comes to praising your own son after a meet, it can be quite challenging to congratulate without critiquing, and there are several pitfalls one should avoid. First off, congratulate your son in very general terms. The boys are constantly reassessing their short-term competitive goals and are focusing on different things each meet. As a parent, it is impossible to keep up with these ever-changing goals. You never know if the specific skill you congratulate him on was important to him that week. Even if the parent mentions every skill he or she thought was performed well, that parent will unknowingly (and undoubtedly) leave out the skill his or her son was most proud of.
When a parent praises a single skill, he or she disregards other unknown yet more important areas of focus, leaving the young gymnast disappointed and feeling as if he let his parents down. Recently I had parents approach me after a meet with their son, ready to critique, yet reluctant to congratulate. They were being overly critical. During the competition, four different coaches and two judges came over to tell me how impressed they were with his strength and technique.
Second, it is best to praise behavior, not results. It’s probably not the best example, but here it goes: “It was really awesome how you continued to try your best on floor all the way through the routine.” vs. “You did really great after you fell on your front handspring.” There are innumerable variables that will influence the outcome of the competition, the majority of which are out of your son’s control. He is however fully in control of his own behavior. Did he cheer for his teammates or console one of them after a rough routine? Did he himself have a rough routine and keep his head held high as he saluted the judge? Could you tell he was being really thoughtful of having great form and presentation? These are the types of behavior that should be most highly praised.
Third, be very careful when using ‘I’ statements and remember that you are a parent, not a coach. Your opinion is everything to your son, and an expression of personal want or unfulfilled desire can be devastating to him. “I really wish you had straightened your legs on pommel horse like we talked about,” is not praise: it is criticism for something that is finite, uncorrectable, and in the past. Instead, try to connect ‘I’ statements to a sense of unconditional pride. For instance, “I was incredibly proud your performance on rings!”, or “I am always so proud to see you go out on the floor and try your best!”
The majority of adolescent boys are more sensitive and self-conscious than they show, and the sport of gymnastics can be critical and hyper-sensitive, to say the least. These young gymnasts work very hard to accomplish small yet significant goals. They are trying to keep track of a million and one things during competition. Every day in workout, they are being corrected and simultaneously self-correcting in the pursuit of a perfect performance. The Star Center men’s program will always maintain that in order to better serve the needs and aspirations of our athletes, as well as to create a more enjoyable atmosphere for our parents, it is the coach’s role to critique and it is the parent’s role to express pride in his or her son’s accomplishments and unabashedly congratulate him after a job well done.
Thank you for your time and dedication,
Bryan Powell
bryan.starcenter@yahoo.com