resolution

June 21, 2022. Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is upon us. Traditional celebrations include greeting the sunrise and partying until sunset (OK, I may have mede that up) outdoor parties and bonfires. As we welcome summer, it is a good time to revisit our goals for the year and check our progress.

For most gymnasts and coaches in the USA, summer is a time for recovery from a long competitive season and then laying the base for upgrades needed for next competitive season. We tend to only make resolutions on New Year but we could do so all year! Resolutions are just projects and goals that we set to reach an ideal. Summer resolutions… why not?

We sometimes find it difficult to keep our resolutions but at least they make us contemplate what we would like to undertake and what we would like to change in our lives. We must think of our resolutions as a way to improve ourselves. To be a become a better gymnast or coach. To become a better team-mate or leader.

Resolutions allow us to…
Evolve
Change
Improve
Develop
Move on
Follow our dreams

How to succeed in seeing your resolutions through

From resolution to action
This technique allows you to be more precise and to be in action. You are interested in becoming a better beam coach? Upgrade the gymnasts vaults? Good! Now is the time! There are many educational opportunities out there. From NGA Summit to USAG Congress to clinics and camps. GO LEARN!! Find a mentor, have a coach come into your gym or go to their gym. NOW IS THE TIME!

Set your resolution in time
Keep track of the progress and adjust the timeline and goals as needed. Have the gymnasts do this as well. Just a few minutes a week so that they can see their progress. Why not set a simple resolution every week or every month during summer? This is a good way to achieve many of the necessary skills/drills needed for upgrading.

Share the news
There is no reason this needs to be a boring task. Take photos and share videos. Isn’t that what Instagram is for?! The more we talk about our goals and objectives the less inclined we are to give up on them.

Less is more!
Your gymnasts are probably not going to add a D and E skill on each event. It is useless to start 6 big upgrades . Focus on an objective that is truly necessary. When they accomplish that goal, yo can go after another one.

Congratulate yourself and the gymnasts!
That way you encourage yourself and them to keep it going! And there’s no need to wait until the whole goal is achieved to pat yourself on the back. Just being on the right track is already an achievement in itself.

Freezer Pops when 90% of the gymnasts reach a certain marker
a day off conditioning when 90% reach a certain marker
Spa day for YOU when they reach that marker!

Lastly, hold yourself and the gymnasts accountable BUT be failure tolerant. Not everything is going to workout. One of the best things I did was give each gymnast (and myself) a calendar that starts and ends at the end of the competitive season. On the calendar have all the competitions you MUST go to. (State, Regional and National Championships). Then have your “marker” competitions. For example, December 1 verification of all new routines. Landings can be soft (rest pit) or spotted but not both. Working WITH the gymnasts come up with a timeline for new skills and put it in the calendar.

This is a repost from Last Year (Jan 1 2013). Just doing a little self reflection to see how I did in 2013. How did you do? I find it odd that I was thinking about this as I spent a very early morning plowing and spreading salt after 2 days of rain and ice.

Tony 12/31/2013

I spent this morning plowing the parking lots of my gyms. While plowing I have a lot of time to reflect on gym, life, gym-life, and caribbean vacations.

My thoughts today were on ways to become a better coach and how to inspire those around me to be a better coaches and teachers. Now that I am sitting on my couch, half watching a football game, I found a good article, “Top 12 Ways to Become a Better Coach” on Gymnasticszone.com. Summed up in a sentence:

for coaches to get success like they have never had before, coaches are required to do things they have never done before.

new-year-resolution-cartoon-11 My New Years Resolutions for 2013

1. Get out of my own head and get out of my own way.

2. Try to see what I am doing through the eyes of my gymnasts. Look at the BIG PICTURE

3. Challenge my beliefs, ideas, methods and strategies about how coaching should work. I ‘ve been coaching a LONG time. I’ve had National Team members and I’ve had gymnasts who broke my heart because they had the talent but not the heart. I’ve had gymnasts who were amazing swinging bars and kids who struggled. The same is true for all events. This year I will keep in mind that every gymnast and every group is different. I need to coach outside the box and try to find some innovative solutions.

4. Look for the opportunities in every problem situation.

5. Identify the blocks that keep me from breaking a bad habit that affects my coaching. New year, New Good Habits.

6. Make a stronger effort to connect with my gymnasts and their parents. The more I know about them, the more I will appreciate them, and can provide excellent service.

7. Read and study information about coaching other sports, thinking all the while what lessons I can learn and new techniques I can apply to my own coaching in gymnastics.

8. Spend time every day watching gymnastics videos. The Internet has made this remarkably easy and virtually free. I will gain much insight into your coaching and sport by watching the latest and greatest being done around the world.

9. Find a gymnastics and/or life coaching mentor.

I posed this as a question to a few coaches who work for me, to some coaches who I know and respect and even a few gymnasts. Here are some of their responses:

1. To be more disciplined about the aspects of coaching I find tedious (i.e. correcting form on active flex, making gymnasts go back and repeat turns that exhibit low effort). If I can be more disciplined in that manner the girls will develop more good habits.

2. To take the time to notice more kids – I am very familiar with the kids in my own groups through the level 4 team. I don’t know the names of some of the excel girls or the sharks and I will take some more time to be in tune with what they are doing. I also will continue to try to immerse myself in getting to know kids in classes – the response I get from them when I acknowledge them at their warmups or as they move from event to event shows how important it is for meshing our entire program. They feel very important and valued when one of the team coaches acknowledges them.

3. Let the pizza cool before biting into it.

4. Receive less restraining orders (Yeah, I probably should NOT have e-mailed this guy)

5. Make someone smile every day

6. Teach each kid an individual skill

7. Contribute more to GYM MOMENTUM. This should be on everyones list!