The foundation of every lesson plan should begin with a thorough understanding of the skills being taught.  Fundamental skill elements are the building blocks we use to teach more complex skills.  One of the best ways to understand a skill and to teach appropriate skill mastery and performance is through teaching the individual elements of each skill. In this seminar, coaches will work together in groups, practicing deconstruction of commonly taught gymnastics skills and developing drills that will help them implement a broader focus for their preschool programs, such as movement education requires.

Keep those little rascals running!!!  This seminar is for the brave souls who face the challenges of coaching boys, ages 4 to 6 years old, as they move onto men’s equipment for the first time. Since straight-jackets are NOT an option, we must find ways to keep this particular group from tackling each other (or the coach) as we also attempt to teach them skill-mastery with some semblance of form.

Men’s equipment requires a great deal of strength. For this reason, it is sometimes difficult to keep classes fun.  We will address class management, positive discipline and learning styles, adapting our teaching techniques to efficiently teach and effectively communicate with this age and gender group while keeping class fun while keeping your sanity and losing your dignity with our littlest musle men and super heroes.  Please come ready to participate in a light-hearted dialogue, sharing ideas for fun drills specific to men’s equipment.

How cognitive and physical development intertwine and the applications of the information to gymnastics coaching.

As an industry, we are very lucky to have the opportunity to work with children of all ages and of all degrees of skill ability. Further, we are blessed with environments and equipment, which provide for a potentially fun-filled sport participation activity for our students. It is no wonder that so many children choose to participate in gymnastics.  It’s fun.

With the rise in sensory integration disorders such as ADD, ADHD, and autism, we have to ask ourselves how we might be able to increase our knowledge and adjust our curriculums to meet the needs of an increasing population of children who need movement in their lives.  We are increasingly faced with the challenge of teaching children who face their own personal challenges in dealing with and overcoming disabilities, some more severe than others.  Topics covered include the coach’s role in supporting children with special needs, addressing challenges in program access, differences between mainstream and specialized approaches, and practical strategies for working with sensory, neurological, and genetic disorders.