Maximizing elite gymnasts potential for learning

Elite gymnasts are selected for innate physical attributes, mental strength and potential to learn. To maximise each of these areas coaches need a range of skills. The obvious starting points of coach training are technical knowledge, the ability to observe and give appropriate feedback and of course, the impressive skill of supporting. The majority of good coaches have copious amounts of these skills and knowledge. But what happens when applying these skills does not improve learning or performance? What about the days when the child does not learn, cannot change what they are being asked to do differently? What happens when the process of learning seems stuck?

Coaches need to be able to respond in different ways for different individuals in each different training session. Most importantly the choice of style should depend upon the mental state of the child rather than being driven by the limits of the coaches’ skill.

On those days when learning is stuck it is all to easy to be drawn into a downward spiral of frustration - to repeat instructions without really assessing what might be happening within the child or to repeat instructions louder as if the child was deaf or stupid. If the child still struggles it is easy to try pressure - “you cannot do it like that because .......”, to add threat “...if you keep doing it like that you will lose .05 in the comp, ........ you will never make that move......you will go down to the next group”. Coaches can lose control further and use anger – sometimes out of choice, sometimes not. Perhaps in the extreme they finally use humiliation and exclude the child by turning to work with another.

Sometimes some of these actions may stir the child into a change in performance but the anxious mental and emotional state that is also created is not a productive way to work and of course is not sustainable. Subjected to frequent bouts of negative behaviour towards them, the child withdraws into a passive state where learning is slowed. This often results in the coach being even more controlling. In the long term the child is likely to quit. It is not fun to be criticised over years of training, though often the true reason for leaving cannot be admitted. Parents may elect to pull their child out, nervous about the impact of this role modelling. There is potential also for coach burn out as it is hard to be the sole source of motivation. It is exhausting to have all the responsibility, the interest, the momentum and the control of the learning all the time.

In public most coaches would not adhere to the kinds of examples above. The BGA’s Child Protection Policy clearly states its position in 3.2 “Practises Never to be Condoned”.

Reduce a child to tears as a form of control
Abuse your position of power or trust with children or

adults
Resort to bullying tactics or verbal abuse
Cause a participant to lose self esteem by embarrassing,

humiliating or undermining the individual

And in goes further in “Recognition of Poor Practice, Abuse and Bullying” 4.2 Emotional Abuse:

The child is constantly shouted at, taunted, humiliated or

ignored
The child is subjected to constant criticism, name calling,

sarcasm or bullying
An unrealistic pressure to perform consistently to high

expectations is placed upon the child by the coach, club officials or parents.

When coaches work with a child 20 hours a week it may be hard to maintain the appropriate professional relationship particularly ifthe coach has only a limited range of coaching methods within their grasp and/or has not yet developed their own emotional intelligence (see below).

Perhaps an incentive to develop skill would be an honest review of the effectiveness of falling into this behaviour and to consider if it does lead to the ultimate goals –

To produce a world class athlete with enough self esteem to win gold
To help a child fulfil their potential

So how might coaches help themselves when all that seems to have happened is a loss of patience?

Two aspects of coach development could be addressed: Effective use of performer-centred skills. Development of their Emotional Intelligence.

There is little doubt that coaches who have suffered a “loss of patience” are also extraordinarily committed to the sport. They love gymnastics with a passion that is demonstrated hour after hour, week after week. They give up sunshine and time to eat well. They have a vision of the child’s potential that is inspiring. But all coaches need to continue to develop if we are to have competitive advantage and if they want to take up a responsibility that is theirs– to be an appropriate role model for the next generation.

The Profound Effect of Using Performer-centred Skills

How do we learn? Some people advocate that the process of learning is driven by the coach. The coach analyses, give accurate appropriate instructions to the child whose role is to listen, to put into action and learning will take place. But since Socrates there has been recognition that effective learning needs to be based upon drawing out of the student not simply forcing in.

The “aha” moment of learning a move is achieved when the child has a greater awareness (heightened physical feeling) of what they are actually doing and a clear picture of the desired movement. This can occur with instruction but is more likely to be stimulated by open questions. A common example - a group is learning and developing the split leap. They take turns to move across the floor practising some three to four times per turn. The coach observes and feeds back:

“Keep your legs straight”
“Point your toes”
“You are not in splits, make a real effort to get into splits” “Your back leg is still low”
etc etc.

Though each of these are valid technical instructions, it is how they are used that makes them effective or ineffective. If these statements are said with a growing level of frustration it will cause the child to feel that they cannot do it and thus to be deskilled. If they are said in isolation with no following feedback and praise for improvement, the instruction becomes purely a criticism. If they are directed to one child only the consequences seem obvious – humiliation, embarrassment, distress. For the rest of the group there may be relief (“it is not me”) fear (“it will be me next”) but what is missing for all is a safe environment in which to focus and learn.

A more productive session might be:

“Lets look at a world class split leap.... what is the perfect position for that leap? ..........Perhaps you have seen one on TV?”

The children offer various answers. The coach ensures that all answers are listened to fully (only adding in information if there is lack of clarity) and acknowledges all the children’s answers.

The coach then might say:
“I’d like each of you to chose one part of the split leap to practise. It could be the arm position or getting your legs straight or any of the other qualities that we said about the ideal just now”.

The coach listens to each child’s chosen point of focus and each practises a couple of times. Following the practise the coach asks:

“What did each of you notice about the area you were working upon?” The coach listens to each answer and encourages descriptive feedback rather than judgement. It is not wrong to make a mistake indeed we cannot learn without making many “mistakes”. Wait for the answer. Do not be tempted to answer for the child even if they take some time or need the question rephrased because this implies you do not value their answer, their view.

E.g. “I think my back leg was bent”. Come in with confirmation - “...Yes well noticed. I agree. Next time can you tell me exactly how straight your back leg is on a scale from 1 to 10 – lets say 10 is completely straight, 1 is very bent, tell me what the number yours is after you have done the next one”.

When the improvement has been made (typically this happens rapidly) check that the child has recognised the shift in their performance and of course praise the improvement and effort. The next step might be: “What one aspect would you like to focus on next rep?”

Another approach to build their kinaesthetic sense of the movement, is use of an imaginary clock face:

Ask each child to think of a clock face, when they leap their legs will be at a certain time (i.e. the ideal would be 9 and 3 or even 10 and 2). Encourage them to tell you the exact position of each leg. The child may take a little while to be able to do this but it is crucial to allow time for this learning to occur as it is only when the child can feel it themselves that true and sustained improvement/learning will be achieved.

Building this level of self-awareness will be vital to all improvement and it seems essential development in a sport where kinaesthetic awareness is paramount. The above exercise is one of many that can be applied to build upon a technical instruction in any movements.

Through this process of supported self-discovery a sense of “I can learn” develops and growing self-esteem is an inevitable outcome. Performer-centred coaching skills are a catalyst for self-belief. It takes coaching to a new dimension of shared responsibility for learning. It makes learning for the child and the coach more fun and more effectual.

The sports coaching sector is now beginning to revisit the fundamental importance of “how to coach” and beginning to focus upon the generic skills of coaching. With the impetus of 2012 and the promised legacy for future generations to go beyond “games time”, coach development has been highlighted as key. Thus governing bodies are introducing training to highlight “how to coach” alongside “what to coach”.

David Hemery’s “Coaching Dance” (Fig 1) in his excellent book “How to Help Children Find the Champion in Themselves” describes most eloquently this combination of skills - the balance of performer-centred skills with more familiar traditional instruction.

Emotional Intelligence

But there is another component to complete picture. For a coach to be effective consistently, there is an internal skill that is pre- requisite. Coaches need to be in control of themselves.

”Emotional Intelligence” written by Daniel Goleman in 1996 describes the role of our emotions in our lives and the importance of developing EQ. “Emotional Intelligence includes self- awareness and impulse control, persistence, zeal and self- motivation, empathy and social deftness”.

I believe that in the moment when a child is stuck (and perhaps in greatest need) the coach may not respond from their intellect but from their emotional or internal state. Their internal drivers will determined their verbal and physical response in that second. The impulse comes from learned behaviour from their own life experiences. It is this that drives the loss of patience.

But there is good news - unlike IQ, EQ can be developed. We can learn to understand our responses better and be more able to deal with our own emotional response be it - anger, frustration, disappointment or loss of patience. We have but a small “breathing space”(see next article) in which to manage ourselves and then to focus upon the child, to have empathy for what is happening in the child. In this place we are able to respond more appropriately and effectively. In this place we enable their talent.

This internal work may take much practice but the impact upon elite gymnasts (and recreational ones too) would be profound. The coach’s journey is towards a balanced triangle of coaching excellence.

Caroline Harris

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Maximizing elite gymnasts potential for learning