Positive
Parents
AS a continuation to the column in the previous issue
(“The Toughest Relationship for Parents: Managing
Yourself!”), let’s look at different ways for parents to
channel their competition anxiety in a positive direction.
Taking Precautions: Some parents are completely rational
away from competitions but lose it when the meet is on the
line. If you have trouble controlling yourself when things go
wrong, you need to take precautions to ensure that you don’t
ruin the experience for your child.
Write down how you intend to respond when things happen
that you don’t like. For example, you might note that you have
trouble controlling yourself when the judges give your child a
score that you think is too low. Or you
might have a hard time resisting the
temptation to give your child advice
during a meet. Decide how you want
to behave and make a written plan.
Perhaps you need some incentive to
control yourself. You might try the
notion of “public commitment.” Tell
someone you respect (your spouse or
another a parent) how you intend to
behave. This way you will be more likely to follow through.
Distractions: Finally, don’t be averse to taking props with
you to a game. Bring along a book, magazine or crossword
puzzle as a distraction. Some parents volunteer their services at
the snack bar or for other jobs that need to be filled (scoring,
etc.). The idea is pretty simple: If you give yourself something
positive to focus on, you are less likely to do something negative that will embarrass your child and yourself.
If you give
yourself something positive
to focus on,
you are less
likely to do
something
negative.
Adapted from “The Double-Goal Coach” by Jim Thompson, founder and
executive director of Positive Coaching Alliance ( www.positivecoach.org).
Edited by Dwight Normile
Artistry Deductions Expand for 2009
THE previous Code of Points for Women addressed the issue of
“Artistry” on Floor Exercise, but the 2009 Code adds two examples of “faults” to the original five (see chart below). While only
one of the deductions in the last Code was more than 0.10—“No relationship of music and movement” could incur a 0.10 or 0.30 penalty—
the 2009 version adds a hefty 0.50 deduction for “Background music,”
and a specific 0.10 deduction for missing the beat at the end of the
routine. The new Code also changes the A-Panel and B-panel terminology to D-Panel (Difficulty) and E-Panel (Execution). To download the
compete 2009 Code of Points for Men and Women, visit the FIG website ( www.fig2008.sportcentric.com) and click on “Rules.”
11. 5 Artistry Deductions (E-Panel)
FAULTS
0.10 0.30 0.50
X
X
•
•
X
X
•
•
X
X
X
•
X
X
Posture
Taking Strides
for a Better Run
CERTAIN factors create a good run on any event, and good posture is one of them. An efficient vault run combines consistency, posture and manageable speed. Evaluate your run in slow
motion video, (preferably from the front, side and back views), then
answer “yes” or “no” to the following 15 statements:
1) I know where I start my run each time.
2) I use the same hop or step each time I start my run.
3) I take the same number of steps each time I run, whether it’s for
vault or floor exercise.
4) I hurdle with the same foot each time.
5) My feet point straight ahead when I run.
6) My knees are in line with my feet and hips as I run.
7) My hips are “rotated under” (versus my belly forward and my low
back arched) to prevent injury and improve body mechanics.
8) My knees come up high as I run in order to increase the length
of my stride.
9) I lean my upper body forward in order to run fast.
P. T.
10) I relax my shoulder and neck muscles enough to avoid
shoulder shrugging.
11) I swing my arms forward and backward from the shoulder
joint so that my entire arm moves.
12) I keep my elbows bent consistently at about 90 degrees, in
order to swing my entire arm.
13) I keep my head still while I run.
14) I adjust my run when my body is growing quickly (
adolescence), because my stride will change as my bones grow.
15) The quality and clean form of my run makes my routine or
vault look impressive.
YOUR SCORE
11-15: You still have work to do,
but you’re on the right track!
6-10: You have a pretty good
run, but focus on improving your
weak areas.
0-5: You really need to work on
your run!
The Posture Lady thanks her husband, Jeff Robinson, former USA
Gymnastics J.O. Program Director, for his assistance with this article.
