“That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It” – 7 Dangerous Words in Gymnastics
With so much happening in our sport, many people have been asking “why has it taken so long to change?”
It’s a good question. While there are thousands of great gymnastics professionals who are constantly learning, keeping a growth mindset, and are open to hearing feedback as well as constructive criticism, it’s not universal.
In my experiences, both as someone who was guilty and someone who has interacted with thousands of gymnastics professionals worldwide, it can be an uphill battle.
Some coaches are so overworked and underpaid that it can be hard to invest 10 extra hours of your precious free time to read and take courses.
Others have large egos and are defensive when someone suggested new research or ideas that might be more optimal.
Others may be super open to learning, but maybe get sub par education and mentoring.
For whatever reason, it’s important that during this extremely hard time of gymnastics we really step back and think about why gymnastics and it’s culture has been so resistant to change or new ideas, and clings to some dogmatic (and unsafe) practices.
I sat down with Dr. Michelle Flemmons, a former elite gymnast and now PhD lecturer, to discuss this exact topic. We dive into
- Passed down coaching methods, and the background to why this occurs
- How to highlight positive coaching, and push out negative coaching
- Why some gyms, and people, are so resistant to change
- How to work in a gym that has people who are not open-minded
- How to find out if you may be someone who is resistant to change
- Ways to build a healthier culture and be happier at work
- The biggest changes coming in the next 5 years of gymnastics
You can check it out below on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Hope you like it!
“That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It” – 7 Dangerous Words in Gymnastics
