technique Tip Tuesday
One of the most frequent questions parents ask is, if their child should practice at home and is that okay? If your child wants to practice at home— that’s great! With two very huge caveats:
They must want to practice, it needs to be child-driven, never parent-driven.
Only allow them to practice skills they know how to do very competently. This is not the time to teach oneself a back handspring on their parents’ bed or off the couch.
The right environment
As I stated early, when kiddos practice at home, it needs to be child-driven or coach driven. This is not to be confused with no parent support— if your child wants to practice at home, by all means, support them to the best of your ability by watching for safety issues (see below) or if they ask you to count for them, film them. Don’t direct them or coach them, but rather support them.
Safety is Number One
If you see them land on their head— say no more! Stop them immediately if you see them land on their head. They may be tired, or not strong enough to do the skill they are trying. Landing on the neck can cause serious injury including paralysis or death.
Don’t allow them to try new skills or any other skill they have not mastered. I know of more than one aspiring gymnasts who broke their hand or arm or worse trying new skills at home.
Watch for fatigue, some kiddos may not be able to comprehend when they are too tired to continue. When you see fatigue, that’s the cue to know they’ve had enough for the day.
I do not recommend parents spot their kids at all— leave that to the trained professionals.
What to do at home
Conditioning—plank hold, chin hold, pull-ups… you get the idea
Flexibility—Splits, Yoga and other stretching are great to do at home. I do caution about over-stretching—Overstretching is not necessary whatsoever in fact, overstretching splits can lead to injury.
Basic skills—Handstands against the wall, Cartwheels, Bridges (so long as their head doesn’t touch)
Play coach! Some kids love to set-up obstacle courses for their friends, siblings or parents to do. Let them! They look up to their coaches and this is a great way for them to mimic and pay homage to their favorites.
- Coach Kristina