Stuck In a Rut

As a coach, I know what it means to be stuck in a rut. It happens to the best of us. But if we do not keep our eyes open to the fact that it can happen to us, then we will not realize when it’s happening, until, of course, it’s too late and we’ve already done some damage.

What happens when anyone gets stuck in a rut is that we ourselves on autopilot mode. Instead of purposeful and meaningful action, we simply react the way we always have in any situation. This is not conducive to an Individual First focus. It’s not good for the coach, and it is not good for the gymnast.

A coach who is stuck in a rut tends to react with annoyance when a gymnast doesn’t perform a certain way i.e. the coach thinks, “This is the way I’ve always taught this skill; Sally just doesn’t get it. Maybe she doesn’t have what it takes.” Rather, if the coach weren’t in a rut, she wouldn’t treat Sally like a variable in a formula.

A gymnast who is stuck in a rut is one who just goes through the motions of her skills everyday, without placing care or attention to detail. She slops though her basics, or skimps on conditioning.

How do we avoid the rut? What I do is try to focus on the individuals I have in front of me that day. I ask them what their days was like. I humanize them. I also give them the opportunity to have a say in their training, even if it’s just a little bit. I ask them what they feel they need the most work on, and have them do that for part of the day.

I want to be sure that I and my gymnasts can move in any direction that we wish; not just the path already set.