Coaching elite athletes is not for everyone. Before you make this commitment you must consider the goals, the full scope of the responsibilities, and the time requirement. The goals of all will be achieved only by those who are totally committed and dedicated to this task. Many personal sacrifices will be made by you, your families, and your athletes. The choice to coach at this level will also be a financial burden to your business.

At the end of this total commitment you will reap the rewards of your efforts and will have pride in seeing the results of the hard work when our team is standing on the medal podium once again. You will not regret having made the commitment!

The optimal plan for training elite athletes would be to conduct two workouts per day, six days per week.

The content of the morning workout: 2 - 3 hours duration

• Endurance and conditioning
• Vaulting
• Beam Basics

The content of the afternoon workout 3 - 4 hours duration

• General Warm-up
• Basic Acro
• Bars
• Beam
• Floor
• Short conditioning program

Include full tumbling, flexibility and dance in the afternoon. In addition, a dance professional should conduct a dance session a minimum of two times a week. The sessions should be one hour long and spaced within the week. The professional needs to understand the dance needs for gymnastics.

Other important points

1. Monitor all phases of warm-up, conditioning and flexibility programs.
2. Constant attention with short verbal cues to form (knees, feet, body position, posture, squared hips, etc) is a must.
3. Attitude - develop and demand respect and self-discipline for yourself and your athletes. Small things make a big difference. These are the fundamental attributes to any successful endeavor.
4. Basic drills on each apparatus.
5. Injury - particular attention to physical shortcomings. Proper conditioning and extra attention to weak areas can prevent injuries. Early and accurate diagnosis with proper rehabilitation is vital.
6. Athlete selection should be based upon necessary proven criteria to avoid disgruntled athletes and parents.
7. Provide education to the athletes and parents on nutrition.
8. Set your own standards of behavior and responsibilities and then stand by them.