RNN Sports Gym™ was created by Founder Ruth N. Nelson and Creative Director Beth Howes after a discussion about a niche that online courses were not meeting: all the material in one place. Nelson and Howes began with 5 slides in their Google Docs and grew it to over 150 working slides. Each week, the plans began to develop into a full-service one-stop shop with all the materials needed for teachers instructing ages 4-10.
Nelson has spent the past 26 years developing programs for this age group. During the past 16 years, she has developed BYOP® Bring Your Own Parent® for kids 10 and under with their parents training on the court with them and GoKids Youth Sports™ Certification program to accommodate teachers, recreational leaders, and youth coaches with a chance to train kidz whose parents may not have the time to attend with their kidz. We all want kids to have immediate success; often, they become discouraged when success involves hand-eye coordination, agility, speed, and strength to enjoy the sport.
So, with that in mind, Nelson and Howes decided that the RNN Sports Gym™ would need to include online courses, certifications, and programs that covered the history of the sport, basic keywords, and a set of videos teaching progressions and modifications that could lead to kids’ success.
The Home Training Program Series™ was developed with Art of Coaching. It provides an organized plan so kids can practice at home, on vacation, or even prior to their regular practice. This program consists of videos, quizzes, and charts, with the strategy of needing a little assistance from their parents. In addition, BYOP® 101, created with Art of Coaching, covers the four basic skills: passing, setting, serving, and attacking. This course also includes keywords so each kid can follow along, watch, answer some age-appropriate questions, and practice alongside players in their same age group. Each of these two courses provides a certificate of completion, allowing everyone to document their dedication to becoming a better teacher.