Keep the Big Picture in Mind

Gymnasts and coaches often fail to see the big gymnastics picture. Gymnasts are in the midst of a gymnastics career. This particular practice, meet or competition year are of only limited importance in a gymnast's long career in the sport. All goals, decisions and even reactions should be undertaken with this long-term view in mind. . The right decision from only the immediate point of view could be a drastically wrong decision for accomplishing overall long-term goals and objectives.

Repeat After Me

We learn, in coaching, that it usually takes 1,000 to 2,000 repetitions to make a gymnastics movement a natural reaction, depending on the difficulty of the skill. That amount of work allows you to perform a skill flawlessly and in combination with other skills in a sequence without having to think about it. The key is to make the unusual a routine habit and extraordinary skill combinations natural, common and ordinary for you to do. Correct progression and repetition allow you to do that. Practice methods need to be constantly varied, however, to keep repetitive practice from degenerating into loss of focus and concentration and careless execution.

Repetition Works for Coaches, Also

Apply this repetition strategy in your own life by using the classic advice from Earl Nightingale, the man who virtually single-handedly founded the self-help industry. Read about gymnastics (or any aspect of the sport or any other subject that you wish to master) for an hour a day, which is only about 4 percent of your week). In 3 years or so, you'll be an expert in the field.

Be Prepared For Anything in Competition

Gymnasts and coaches need to prepare for any and all situations in competition. Gymnasts are, of course, all too aware that they need sometimes to deal with falls in competition (although we hope your training system minimizes or eliminates this). But gymnasts need to be taught to deal with a large variety of other competition surprises. Surprises can include things like floor music that stops in the middle of a routine (keep going) or a grip that rips in the middle of a routine (have back-up grips ready and you have at least 30 seconds to put them on). Knowledge, training and practice for surprise situations can minimize and problems.

Plan Your Rest and Recreation Time

Gymnastics is an intense and engaging activity that can take up a majority of a gymnast's time and energy and especially when combined with a heavy education commitment can leave only limited time to relax and relieve competitive season pressures. Gymnasts and their parents should actively plan rest and recreation time before, during and after the season to relieve stress, re-energize and ultimately improve performance.