Q & A about Skill Deconstruction for Gymnastics Skills

Need a little more info to get your Skill Deconstructions underway, here are some questions 

Frequently Asked Questions About Skill Decomposition.

Example Skill Deconstruction

Using the free downloadable template, I was able to deconstruct a Front Walkover in less than 10 minutes and found 38 different aspects of the skill!! I'm sure there might be some I'm missing, if you can think of some please let me know. 

Simple Guide to Deconstruct Any Gymnastics Skill

If you are anything like me, I’m thinking about gym the minute I leave the chalk-filled air. My mind is always running with thoughts on how I can improve the ways I teach a certain skill or how to make my girls better, faster and stronger.

While it’s quite easy to just hit up youtube for the latest drill, remember, it comes down to the basics and the fundamentals of the skill if you want to make any improvements. Not only does skill deconstruction have some attractive reasons to implement into your lesson planning, it is also the best way to get down to each element of a gymnastics skill.

Supplies Needed:

• ·      Good ol’ pen or pencil
• ·      Downloadable Template or any paper will do

Estimated time:

10-15 mins

How to deconstruct the skill:

Think of all the possible ways to break down a skill and write them down into the 14 different categories:

1. Body Positions and Alignment: Some gymnastics skills may have many elements in one. For example, a cartwheel has  a lunge, lever, split straddle, split and opposite lever and another opposite lunge.

2. Balance: What is the balance requirement? Do they need a significant amount?

3. Weight Transference: How many are there in the skill? What kinds? i.e. hand to hand, foot to hand, foot to foot.

4. Hand placement: What direction do you need their hands to be? How far apart are they? For bars, is it in over-grip, under-grip, mixed grip, eagle grip?

5. Direction of movement: Not all movements are natural. For example, backwards movement takes time to learn.

6. Eye placement: Where do you want them to look in the beginning, during the skill and at completion?

7. Supports: Arm, Leg, Torso, etc.

8. Lead in skills: What are they going to do prior to the skill? Keep in mind where they are coming from, what body positions they will be in prior to the skill or movements they will be moving through.

9. What is the skill after?

10. Flexibility requirements: Don't forget shoulders, Legs, hip flexors, and back

11. Strength elements: arms, core, legs

12. Action of a movement: When do they need to do the certain movement? How can you build this awareness for when to initiate a certain movement?

13. Position of a movement

14. Motions and Movements: Forwards, sideways, backwards, bilateral movement, opposable movement 

I’ve gone a step further and made a FREE downloadable template for you to deconstruct any skill. Anything from rolls to the most advanced gymnastics skill can be deconstructed with this time saving template. Gymnastics, Men’s Artistic Gymnastics, trampoline, tumbling’s, rhythmic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics or Acro Gym.

In my next post, I will take a skill show you how I would deconstruct using the template. I will also explore possible drills using the template. 

Sharing; Not just caring but a responsibility

Tomorrow I'm holding a sharing session for all coaches, gymnastics professionals and just about anyone else who is interested at Prime Gymnastics. As I've come across quite a bit of knowledge through the years, I feel it doesn't do me any good if I'm not using it, sharing it and teaching these things to other people. This way I don't have to clone myself!

Here's a sneak preview of the presentation including a poor little child who was pushed to go on the bars by a crazy gym mom! (ME!)

Virtual Gymnastics Curriculum

Hands down, this has got to be the most exciting thing I've found at Congress this year! Smart Moves and Fun & Fit Gymnastics have teamed up to be the first in the world to provide something I've been waiting for...the ability to access gymnastics coaching curriculum and lesson plans from a phone, tablet, laptop or print outs instantly!

The Recreational Curriculum includes

• Proven Online Year-Round Progressive Gymnastics Curriculum
• Pre-school to Pre-Team Gymnastics classes
• Stored in an Easy to use Lesson Plan Management Platform
• Fully Customizable lesson plans <--- this one I LOVE! I've seen the works and it's great I would be able to upload my own held true plans.
• Consistent Instructor Support and Training <------ the way it's set up I would learn from each days planning.

PLUS

• access to your Lesson Plans in combination with pre-loaded curriculum
• State of the Art Ability to Share and Protect your Teaching Records!

BENEFITS

• Virtual Access to your Teaching Team on the Gym Floor
• Reduce Training Time
• Improve Instructor Performance
• Confidence in Smart Moves proven "Fun & Fit Gymnastics" Drills and Skills

Expected launch date is sometime in October of this year. I can't wait to get my gym started. I love a clever way to use technology to enhance gym time!

Give them an email at:

enquiries@smartmoves.co.nz, tell them Coach Casie sent ya.