Plan for Vertical and Horizontal Progress
           An appropriate gymnastics developmental program (such as the 10.0 Gymnastics Program) is progressive in nature, from easier to more difficult. They allow both horizontal and vertical progression.  An adapted progression may be as simple as asking students to perform a skill with a different body shape, at a different speed, or maybe with a partner.  Vertical progressions are the most well-known.  After learning round-offs, the vertical progression is for gymnasts to learn round-off back handspring.  There is a considerable variance in the readiness length of time necessary for gymnasts to take this next vertical step.  In the meantime, there are an infinite variety of skills that may be done out of a round-off (tuck jump, straddle jump, ½ turn jumps, etc.) to make horizontal progress and improve the round-off skill easing the learning of the back handspring.

One Step At A Time
      Technical and aesthetic refinements can focus a student’s attention on particular aspects of the task.  These refinements should be presented individually, selectively and progressively to different students as they master the skill. There is no more common error, even at the highest coaching levels than to overload the feedback process.  Teachers tend to present a lot of feedback all at once.  Humans have a “one-track mind.”  They are only capable of keeping one thought in mind at a time.  At best, students can attend to only two or three comments in rapid succession while actually performing a skill. 

One Focus at A Time
Effective teachers present students with only the most important feedback and only one cue at a time. The choice should be made as to which feedback has the best potential of increasing the safety or improving the skill the most.  This means limiting the teacher to one comment before each practice attempt.  Selectively choosing feedback requires the teacher to prioritize the most important and effective considerations and in what order should they be presented.  Typically, the choice should progress from gross motor to fine motor movements and from safety to technical to aesthetic refinements.

Ever Onward and Upward
      Further levels of difficulty may be individually applied in regards to skill consistency associated with a number or time-"Can you do ten in a row?" "How many can you do in the next 60 seconds?" The idea is to challenge the student into performing a task at a higher level of intensity, performance difficulty and consistency. 

Success Everyday at Every Level
      Allow children to choose a level of participation at which they are comfortable.  99% of the time children will choose their own level of safe but challenging tasks at which they can be successful. In gymnastics, this can mean offering students a choice different body shapes (tuck, pike, layout), or from different heights (squat, handstand, dive).  Acknowledge each child's accomplishments and execution and there should be little fallout about negative peer comparisons.

Children Love Learning Above All
      Children gain immense satisfaction from accomplishing tasks on their own.  If the instructor presents reasonable challenges to each individual student and acknowledges the varying accomplishments of children equally, then all children can be stars at their own highest level of ability without a sense of inadequacy.

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