Spotting Guidelines

Spotting Rules

Inform and ask

Ask someone if they’d like a spot and if it’s ok before you touch them. Tell them how you are going to spot them so they know what to expect. Sometimes you’ll plan something in class that requires spotting everyone, so you can tell the group together.

Informing can look different depending on the age of the student. When spotting an adult, you can tell them exactly how you plan to spot them and ask for consent. When working with a child try to simplify your verbiage. When spotting a young child on a somersault, get into the position where you will be spotting, hold out your hands, and say something like:

“Can I help you with this one?”

If you have a student who does not consent, or is uncomfortable being spotted, you will have to decide as a coach whether or not they are allowed / able to participate in the activity safely.

Do not touch sensitive or inappropriate areas

Most spotting techniques involve touching arms, legs, back, or head/neck only. Accidental touches can happen particularly with skills that involve unpredictable movement like flips and twists. When this occurs, it’s best just to briefly apologize and move on.

Consider saying something like:

“Sorry about that, my intention was to catch your legs. Your set was a little lower than your other attempts and I had to go for the catch so you didn’t fall. Do you want to try again?”.

If touches happen again or you’re uncomfortable, you can stop:

“Hey, this spot isn’t working out like I intended. Let’s work on some other drills and we can try this again on a different day.”

Only spot a skill you've been taught to spot.

And know your skill level in spotting that skill.

Communication is key.

Make sure you and your student are on the same page. If your student goes when you are not ready, it puts both of you at risk of injury. The student needs to be instructed to wait until you indicate you’re ready. Sometimes a countdown or call and response between coach and student is helpful.

The student also needs to know what your spot is actually capable of doing. If you’re spotting the backfall on a precision, it’s best for them to know what specific fall you’re going to be preventing.

Know your limits.

Do not spot someone who’s too big for you. Make sure you have the right setup, make sure you know the proper techniques, make sure the student has done the proper progressions and is ready to attempt the move. Ask a senior coach if you have questions.

Keep your hands up, be default aggressive

You’re not going to catch anybody while your hands are down by your sides. As they go, you need to be actively prepared to catch them, as the movement continues you have the option to back off as they succeed on their own. If you aren’t default aggressive, you will not be fast enough to catch them in a fall.

Prioritize

Sometimes the best thing to do in order to keep the student safe can change in the middle of the movement. For example, if someone jumps forward or straight up instead of backwards on a backflip at the foam pit, your number one priority is now pushing them safely into the foam pit.