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How To Navigate the Social Media Recreation with Your Gymnast – Stick It Lady LLC


 

How To Navigate Through Social Media with Your Gymnast - Stick It Girl Blog

Teenage and pre-teen norms dictate that kids have telephones and are lively on platforms like Instagram and TikTok (let’s not overlook Snapchat too) the place comparability is at all times occurring.

Some gymnasts appear to navigate this world of social media with grace, posting stunning movies of themselves at their greatest, and seeming to be un-phased by this social comparability. However even the most completed gymnast can really feel strain to maintain doing effectively when she sees different gymnasts outperforming her on social.

This can be a difficult state of affairs to navigate for each father or mother and gymnast. In line with Jill Hicks, school recruiting guide, gymnastics coaches use Instagram as their main supply of recruiting. They scroll by feeds and take a look at abilities and accomplishments of potential recruits. So having an Instagram account seems like a good suggestion in case your youngster is trying to get recruited to a school gymnastics program.

However, if I bear in mind accurately, Jill additionally talked about that social is not that vital till a gymnast is no less than a Stage 9. That is when school recruiters begin taking curiosity. Earlier than then it is not vital to have an Instagram account for recruiting functions.

So what in case you have a Stage 4 or 5 gymnast who desires to put up movies of herself on Instagram? And what if these movies are lower than stellar in comparison with the content material that you simply see from different gymnasts on the market?

This can be a nice query and one thing I’ve heard dad and mom combating these days. The reality is, there isn’t any proper or mistaken reply. All of it boils all the way down to what you are feeling comfy with as a father or mother.

One of many massive negatives of permitting your gymnast to have her personal Instagram is that it opens her as much as the world of social comparability.

She will be able to now scroll by and see what not solely her teammates are doing but additionally each single gymnast on this planet! She would possibly see gymnasts who’re youthful than her doing abilities which might be more durable. Or she would possibly she gymnasts her similar age who’re at the next degree. And this could result in a serious dip in self-worth.

 

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However, social media additionally opens your gymnast as much as inspiration.

She will be able to see gymnasts reaching abilities she would possibly wish to obtain. And this will help to inspire her and provides her hope. It will possibly even join her with gymnasts from around the globe and provides her a in-built help system when she posts her fails or struggles. Some gymnasts have made greatest mates by social by being model ambassadors or participating in occasions that require them to journey and spend time with different gymnasts at a retreat or photograph shoot. So social media positively has its optimistic advantages that may outweigh the negatives.

Even nonetheless, I do know many dad and mom battle with whether or not or to not get a social media account for his or her gymnast. And this could trigger a riff between father or mother and gymnast. If that is so, it is vital that you simply sit down together with your gymnast and converse brazenly about your issues in addition to hear her viewpoint.

Listed here are some solutions for the right way to have a dialog together with your gymnast about getting a social media account:

1. Hearken to what your gymnast is admittedly asking for.

As a father or mother who could be in opposition to social media, it is easy so that you can robotically shut down your gymnast’s requests for a social media account. You would possibly hearken to her requests with out actually listening to what she is saying. However it’s vital that you simply perceive why she desires to start out posting her gymnastics movies on instagram. 

Is it as a result of she’s the one one on her crew who does not have an account and he or she feels unnoticed? Feeling unnoticed is a troublesome feeling, particularly for an adolescent lady. If all of her teammates are aware about data earlier than her as a result of they see it on their social media accounts, that’s going to contribute to your gymnast feeling socially remoted and probably decrease her sense of self-worth.

Is it as a result of she feels pleased with her progress and desires to doc (and probably exhibit) her abilities alongside the best way? It is vital to permit your gymnast to deal with the journey and the method of getting new abilities. If we wait till abilities look good earlier than posting, it sends the message that the “messy” stuff is not price acknowledging. Social feeds are a good way to doc progress and to maintain a journal of types.

Does she wish to create an Instagram for faculty recruiting functions? In that case, keep in mind that this is not as vital till the upper ranges. However she will be able to at all times begin an Instagram now and afterward conceal the older posts from her feed should you really feel you do not wish to broadcast these much less completed moments.

 

2. Compromise by discovering an answer that feels acceptable to each of you.

Your gymnast could be begging for a social media account and also you may not need her to have one. What’s a compromise you’ll be able to come to that may appease each events?

One answer that has labored for some households is for mother to be the one answerable for her gymnast’s social media account. Mother would possibly create an account in her gymnast’s identify after which put up movies because the season progresses. However in the end mother is posting and monitoring feedback and messages. This manner your gymnast can nonetheless borrow your cellphone and take a look at her profile however she is not the one making the choices over what to put up.

One other answer is for you as a father or mother to make use of your personal account to put up movies of your gymnast. Just like above, you’re in cost however this time the entire movies keep on your private account as an alternative of a separate gymnastics account. When your gymnast is at a excessive sufficient degree to consider school recruiting, you would possibly then change over to a baby account that you simply handle.

Lastly, as a father or mother you can create an account to your gymnast and your gymnast can put up content material…however you monitor the account usually, together with monitoring content material and messages.

Once more, there isn’t any one measurement matches all strategy to social media. The underside line is that you need to discover a system that feels good and works for your loved ones. If you end up actually resisting the concept of your gymnast having a social profile, ask your self why? Is it since you’re nervous she will not have the ability to deal with the criticism? Is comparability a problem? Are you scared this can make her really feel horrible about herself as a gymnast?

One factor I’ve realized from this technology of gymnasts is that they’re hard-wired in another way than us! It is like they have been born media prepared. That is to not say that social media does not have an effect on their vanity as a result of I’ve seen firsthand the way it does. However having a social media account is an effective studying lesson for the right way to navigate this “new” media-infused world. We will solely hold our youngsters sheltered for therefore lengthy (belief me, I’ve tried it with my youngsters). So some dad and mom in the end determine to embrace it.

 

3. Have conversations about what you see on social so your gymnast understands what she is seeing.

One of many hardest issues I deal with as a psychological efficiency coach is having gymnasts who’re consistently evaluating themselves to the gymnasts they see on social media. I remind them that these gymnasts are posting their highlights’ reel. Every part they put on the market are from their greatest routines or competitions. The “unhealthy” days or weak routines do not get air time on their feed.

In the event you can have an open dialog together with your gymnast about this idea, it could assist her understand that what she sees on social is not at all times actuality. I believe it is also vital that you’ve got her learn articles or watch podcasts/interviews from completed gymnasts who discuss brazenly about their struggles by gymnastics.

Many elite gymnasts have had psychological blocks or struggled with nerves and concern of their careers. Some have had horrible coaches who have been verbally abusive or ignored them once they did not carry out effectively. I believe it is vital to share these hardship tales together with your gymnasts in order that they study that the glory they see is just one piece of the journey. Most of gymnastics is not as glamorous as what they could see on social media.

 

How to navigate the social media game with your gymnast - Stick It Girl Blog 

Social media could be a double edged sword. We wish to defend our gymnasts from the comparisons and imply feedback however on the similar time they struggle to belong to that world, since that’s what they have been born into. There is no such thing as a proper reply but it surely’s at all times vital that you simply comply with your intestine and have religion that your gymnast can deal with greater than you assume. 

That is positively a dialog price persevering with! You probably have any feedback about this subject, I might love to listen to about them within the feedback beneath and/or in my personal Fb group.

 

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In the event you or your gymnast wants help, along with the assets beneath I additionally provide one-on-one teaching periods through Zoom.

 

Gymnastics Mental Blocks Guidebook for Parents

 

Useful Hyperlinks:

 

 

Gymnastics Mental Coach Anna Kojac, M.Ed.



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