How to Teach Gymnastics

Teaching is an important tool in many of our daily interactions. The ability to teach is especially valuable when demonstrating a specific skill or set of skills in a way that can be directly learned and translated into future actions. Teaching a sport like gymnastics is an excellent example of direct teaching; the results of input and coaching can often be measured immediately, or shortly after, proper instruction. However, teaching gymnastics is not as easy as it may seem. Due to the nature of the sport itself, there are many factors that must be considered in relation to teaching technique in order to ensure a productive and safe learning environment. Here are some suggestions to get started on the right foot when you teach gymnastics.

Instructions

    • 1

      Teach yourself first. If you are not already familiar with the material you intend to teach, get familiar. A good gymnastics teacher knows what its like to learn each skill. This allows the teacher to relate to the learning experience of the gymnast he or she is instructing. Understand the components of each move that are the most difficult to master, so you can be prepared to provide additional assistance or coaching if necessary.

    • 2

      Talk yourself through a skill. This can be done while you are actually performing the skill or at any other time when you can envision your body going through the movements of completing the dance technique, stretch, conditioning routine or tumbling sequence. Explain what you are doing to yourself while you are going through the motions in the same way you would explain it someone else. This should be done until you are familiar with your inner coaching dialog for each gymnastics move you intend to teach. Even though coaching should occur naturally, it still takes practice to learn how to teach gymnastics well.

    • 3

      Demonstrate the skill to the gymnast before asking him or her to perform it themselves. Gymnastics can quickly become quite dangerous if the proper technique, form and execution of each move are not observed.

    • 4

      Explain most challenging elements of the move to the gymnast as you teach. Next, suggest a couple things that will make the skill more manageable to master. Demonstrate the gymnastics move again, and then spot your gymnast all the way through their first attempt of the skill.

    • 5

      Give constructive criticism. This is one of the most important parts of teaching gymnastics. Instead of shouting out every item that needs to be corrected after a first attempt, choose the easiest one first. Next time, provide encouragement and praise, and then move to the second-easiest element and so on as the gymnast masters the skill. Correcting one small part of a gymnastics move at time allows you to identify any potential weak spots and pay extra attention to them as your teaching progresses.