Technical Symposium 2022
Focussing on the core skills of a brilliant coach, and helping gymnasts to thrive!
You can now access the sessions via our home of e-learning, Absorb.
> Absorb E-Learning
You can hear from expert speakers in a week-long series of virtual sessions and cross-discipline talks designed to help you learn and develop your skills.
If you have any questions about the symposium, you can email the team on coacheducation@scottishgymnastics.org
Speakers & Sessions
We have plenty of great speakers who will be delivering this year's technical symposium. You can read more about each of the sessions below.
Creating an Optimal Environment for Coaches and Gymnasts to Thrive and Enjoy Gymnastics
Speaker: Gordon Maclelland
This session will be facilitated by Gordon, CEO and founder of Working with Parents in Sport. Gordon has a background in education and coaching, with a career coaching all age groups from under 7's right through to adults, and has published three books around the topic of parents, coaching and sport.
Gordon's session will explore the triangular relationship between club, coach and parent - as well as giving an insight into how to create an environment where gymnasts can thrive, and is open to all disciplines and other areas of the sport too.
The session will cover:
- Understanding today's sporting parent
- Aligning yourself between organisation and parent
- The importance of your role in the club
- How you can improve your communication and relationship with parents
- How you can get parents more actively and positively engaged
Programming: Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail
Speakers: Alan Lynn & Becki Campbell
Regardless of the level of gymnast you are coaching, good coaching relies on quality planning which looks beyond the day to day.
This session, delivered by British Swimming's Head of Performance Development, Alan Lynn and Scottish Gymnastics Lead Coach for Women's Artistic, Becki Campbell will explore some of the key factors you will need to consider in your planning life, and at each stage of the pathway provide some examples of what this might look like. This will be a great session for all disciplines and other sports too!
Floor Routine Construction (TeamGym)
Speaker: Sofie Tarring Lindel
As a TeamGym coach, you will leave this session with a better understanding of application of the code of points for floor routines. Coaches will also recieve a resource sheet with instructions and tips to help you plan formations and structure the floor programme.
This session will be hosted by Sofie Tarring Lindel, the national TeamGym coach for Sweden, with thier national team coming out on top of the medal table at last year's European Championships, picking up gold in the junior men's and women's, senior men's and senior mixed team finals. Although aimed at TeamGym, there will be useful information for artistic, acrobatic and rhythmic disciplines too.
Lost Move Syndrome
Speakers: Charlotte Chambers & Ian Said
This session focusses on 'lost move syndrome' and will provide a deeper understanding of what this is.
The session will aim to raise awareness and help you to spot the possible indicators of lost move syndrome, as well as looking at the ways we can use information gathered from peak perfromance experiences.
There will also be an opportunity to share and discuss your own experiences as a coach, working with gymnasts who may have lost move syndrome. Our speakers, Charlotte Chambers, a trainee sports and exercise psychologist, in the final stage of her doctorate as well as a trampoline coach and Ian Said, national technical lead for acrobatic gymnastics will lead the discussion on this topic. This session is relevant to all coaches and gymnasts who want to learn more abotu lost move syndrome.
Let's Talk Brilliant Basics
Speakers: Scottish Gymnastics Regional Pathway Development Coaches
The Scottish Gymnastics Pathway Development Coaches will lead a session on brilliant basics for forwards and backwards tumbling. The session follows on from the let's talk brilliant basics session which ran last March on vault, and is linked to the brilliant basics resources for men's and women's artistic which we shared during the pandemic.
The session will focus on the key fundamentals of forwards of backwards tumbling, key physical preparation and biomechanics considerations and also why these preparation and progressions are important for long-term gymnast and skill development. There will be time for interactive breakouts based on coaching levels and questions during the session. Although delivered by our artistic pathway coaches, there is cross-over with tumble, acrobatic and TeamGym coaching.
Physcial Preparation: Landing Mechanics
Speaker: Paul Coyle
Good landings are extremely important in gymnastics to improve performance as well as helping to reduce injuries.
The session will look at basic landing biomechanics, anatomy and muscles used in performing successful landings and how coaches can use this information to improve teaching on landing techniques.
The session will also cover biomechanical characteristicsand motor control of landings. Our speaker, Paul Coyle is an experienced strength and conditioning coach, who works with Scottish Gymnastics as the physcial preparation lead for all of our performance pathway programmes. With over 15 years of experience as a senior physical preparation coach with sportscotland - he brings a wealth of experience to the role and this session is great for a variety of disciplines.
Women's Artistic Code of Points
Speaker: Pauline Smith
This session will highlight the changes to the code of points for women's artistic, 2022-2024 and will provide guidance on the construction of routines to maximise score potential at FIG competitions. The session will be run by Pauline Smith from City of Glasgow - a brevet judge with plenty of vital experience in judging, and coaching.
