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 The club does not teach elite. However it will not stop the development of a good gymnast just because she is good, as long as each individual can work within the clubs structure then they will do well. No more than 15 hours a week are trained by any girl, mainly about 12 hours top, so any child wanting elite needs to do double this as a minimum, so that’s the reason we do not offer Elite training, we do not accommodate the hours.
There are pre -requisites for the development and top squad group.
They must be able to Back handspring (Flick) on the high beam with at least one variation. At least working it if not completed. They must all be able to upstart on bars, basic tumble of tuck back and handspring vault. Gymnasts are often given trial periods in squad 1 with Alan to give them a taste.
If a gymnast struggles in squad 1 as it’s always moving forward then that gymnast will be moved side w ays to squad 2. They will always then have the opportunity to bounce back to squad 1 if they then target their areas of weakness. If they can't be bothered or are of a lazy nature then they will fall from squad two and out of what are primarily the competition squads.
Squad One is the highest level in the club and ALL gymnasts are expected to compete at competitions. If they start to miss comps or think they can choose which ones they want to do, or parents
start to dictate then they will be moved to another Squad like squad two where they do about 4 a year and that will be the end of their contribution as a top squad gymnast.
There is little point giving a gymnast all the hours possible with quality coaches so they can compete, if the child's parent decides which ones she will do.
Adjacent to squad 1 is the Junior Squad, which is really just an overflow of Squad 1, but some are only aged 7 so they have some work to do to really be classed as in top squad.
Junior squad work and train alongside the older girls but at specific training modules they will work with the same age band. The same ethos applies to the Junior squad as senior, failure to keep up or move forward at the correct pace will mean the gymnast will be moved sideways into another group.
We have often moved girls sideways and to date Hannah Bond and Sophie Fretwell ( pictured) are two that have shown great strength by bouncing back to squad one and becoming two of our best gymnasts.
Development squads are also just under this group being developed the correct skill and conditioning programme so giving the children their best possible chance of breaking into the Junior squad.
They work anything from three to four hours a week.
No child in any development groups can expect to stay in this group. They either improve enough to move higher or they move sideways if they do not.
It is a group where upon we try to develop the child's skill base more in line with being judges at competitive levels.
Children in development and squads will have more intense training with stretching and strength exercises worked on a great deal more than in recreational groups. 
If parents are not happy with this kind of work which is essential for the child to improve, then we must be notified immediately and the gymnast will be placed within another none squad group where she can enjoy the fun of gymnastics at her own leisure and will not be selected again.
Squad Two do competitions but only do about 3 to 4 a year where squad 1 do up to 11. Squad 2 is made up of girls who have found it a tad tough in squad one or have worked hard and been promoted to the group. Some good gymnasts have come from this group and some good gymnasts have gone back to this group. It’s an important squad within the club but without the intense pressure of being in the top. One or two will have been seasoned competitors where they have competed in the UK and also abroad in Canada and USA.
How, What & Why
We do not believe in shouting and yelling at children, we teach by means of talking and educating them of what we are trying to achieve. If they do not make the effort and take our nice approach as a way of being lazy, then they get moved out of the group, as their ability will start to wain ..They soon learn and they learn without being shouted at or by any other belittling tactics.
The way the team coaches the girls, is that the gymnasts knows what she has to do and she must at times get on with it, without the constant hand of the coach being on her shoulder. We teach them How to conquer the biggest power of a ll "Fear” to overcome this and to take strides forward.
It’s about creating an understanding of faith and trust, which stands them in great stead for their future life. We like them to understand why, how, and what it is that has made the move go wrong so they even at a young stage start to understand how to improve and not only this, its embedding the understanding of the sport which gives them a concrete base to build from.
Often the girls will start to understand so well, we do not need to ask them " why did it go wrong” as they will know and say the reason. We allow them to enjoy and have fun learning, the picture shows how they gel as a team, learning that the sport maybe difficult, it maybe stressful, but the fun of trying will always over ride the hardship. We often film the move and then jointly sit down and watch it in slow motion, this helps the gymnast understand where and what she maybe not doing correct. A visual teaching tool like this has proven very popular.
If a gymnast gets tearful we will always be sympathetic to a gymnast if she gets emotional or upset. We will not leave a girl crying up on the beam.....we don't believe in tears. We will speak with them and try and calm them but we will not ever allow them to do acrobatics etc if they are in an emotional state......at the end of the day its but only a sport, its important to not get things out of proportion!
Moving of Gymnasts
 When Alan has discussed wthat a gymnast needs to move from one group to another with the coaching team, the immediate person to discuss the reasons behind this is Club managing Director Donna Armitage who can in detail explain why the gymnast has been moved up, sideways or down to another group. Donna ensures that the new group the gymnast will move into is the correct one and often the coaches dealing with squad will not know everything on this, so that’s why Donna is the port of call for inquiries at the club regarding moving of girls.
What Parents can understand from day one is that we do not move children for financial reasons as squads are subsidised sessions anyway. We also do not move them to appease parents. We treat each child as exactly that, we look after them and ensure that if they are struggling within a group, that we move them to give them a better chance of doing well, at the level of their ability at that point.
Parents sometimes do not understand that if their child wins lots of medal’s in the club events why she is not to go on and represent the club as she gets older. There is a huge difference from winning in a club environment to being good enough to take on the best from other clubs…it takes great strength and ability at more difficult skill based elements to represent your club at County and above. Again Donna is an expert after many years in this field at explaining this in easy to understand detail.
Feedback of Squads
Details on the gymnasts in squad and how they are doing and so on can be directly asked to the coach teaching at the END of the session or the head coach at any point ( not when teaching) and as well as this parents of the top squad are allowed to sit in the gym when training is on after consultation with the Head coach. It will always be arranged when it is not pre-comp training.
Viewing
Most parents of squad are clued up and realise that the biggest pressure you can put on your child is the figure of a parent watching their every move. Most are happy to not watch training as they understand the added pressure that may be placed on their daughter by watching their every move. It’s hard enough being under physiological pressure to get the move right without the worry of disappointing and often not deliberate, but often over enthusiastic Mum or Dad.
Al would rather allow the parent into the actual gym to watch a training session as it has less an impact.
Any gymnast uncomfortable with anyone at the viewing window may request for the blinds to be closed at any time, it’s nothing personal but often it’s embarrassing trying to get the move right and if you look at it as an adult you may understand better…as Alan states below
" Do you like people watching you reverse your car into a parking space…NO?.. now we all feel uncomfortable with this, however good we may think we are. The reason is we are afraid we might get it wrong and we are being openly judged..…so now spare a fleeting moment for the children when on the balance beam!”
"There is a time for watching and a time for showing, neither are whilst learning” Alan
So the blind will often go down if a gymnast is doing a move on bars which needs her total dedication and with the glass being on top of bars and beam ...it will be a distraction, the gymnasts actually at this level find it embarassing if their parent watches them all the time. As a general rule Competitive gymnasts parents will watch the last 20 minutes or so...which is good. Most do at least 8 competitions a year so they get to watch quite a lot!
How Are they coached and by whom?
Squad one, Junior squad and Advanced Development are coached by head Coach Alan Armitage, Kirsty Lubbock, Annie Turney and Sophie Peers. All these gymnasts are coached collectively by the 4 coaches as a team. Although Alan may predominantly work with the older girls and the girls with the younger gymnasts, it’s very much a team process with a pool of gymnasts.
No coach has "Her or His group of girls” we do not believe in making gymnasts Dependant on anyone coach, they are all coached collectively which means that when they do events or competitions the girls are comfortable with all coaches. This is a relatively new approach but it’s one that the head coach is determined to continue as he believes it creates a better family atmosphere and great comradely with gymnasts and coaches alike. If the coaches are to teach the top girls then they need to have in an insight and a say in the development of the youngsters beneath. Also from a welfare point of view it makes the teaching more transparent and open.
Intermediate Development and Beginners are coached by Ayla Craig and Sammi Willson. They have the hardest of jobs of teaching the girls to have discipline yet still making it fun to do. They hope to produce some girls from these very young groupings which is the bedrock of the club. They are the coaches who start the competitive side of the pyramid system that the club uses.
Details of the coaches: Ayla reached the level of county competitor, Sammi was regional competitor, Kirsty was County competitor, Annie reached National Competitor as their times as a gymnast. Sophie was also a county competitor. Sophie has been with Arabian 10 years, Kirsty 13 years, Sammi closing in on two years but can remember when Alan actually coached her!!. Ayla has been with Arabian about 7 years and Annie started this year but originally was with Alan when she first started out, so it’s like she has returned home. Choreography is carried out by Wendy Kitching who has assisted the girl with some great routines that have been looked upon as some stunning routines over the last few years. Wendy teaches once a week, watching over up to 14 gymnasts.
Other peripheral coaches at the club are Molly Davies who is unable to make it into the club on a regular basis. Molly may cover Al when needed and also undertakes competition duty with the girls as well. Both coaches are highly respected by Al and respected by the gymnasts alike.
Coach Kirsty Coach Annie Coach Sophie Head Coach Al
Coach Sammi Coach Ayla
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