Beam falls

[BarCoach]

My level 4 team falls off all the time. How do I keep them on?

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

practice. practice. practice.

are they falling off on certain skills? on everything? are they trying to stay on ro do the just jump off if they are off balance? in competition or practice or both?

I would go back to very basics. I would make it clear that there are consequences for not trying to stay on (my pet peeve on beam is when they just hop off instead of fight to stay on) the beam, if staying on was a possibility.

they need to be tight on all skills to stay on. are they loose?

lots of things could be the problem

 

[BarCoach]

They fall off on everything. Something different every time. We talk about staying tight and trying to fight to stay on, but it doesn't always help. It is both in practice and in competitions. We've been working routines, but after our meet this weekend, we'll go back to basics. Good idea.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

uhhhhhhhh...Mmmmm....just read my sig line.

 

[mustlovejumping]

I saw a video on gymnastike.com from last year's GAT convention, and LaPrise Harris from HUGS was talking about how to teach your gymnasts to stay on beam. She showed a simple exercise where they stand in a lunge with their arms out to the side and close their eyes, and that helps them feel where the balance comes from in their feet and legs.

For the physical side I would say to do plenty of balances in different positions on and off the beam. In my ballet classes we always had to balance in different positions at the end of each combination at the barre. For the mental/focus side, you could have competitions where all the girls are on the beams and you have them do a certain skill from their routine and whoever stays on the longest or for the most reps of the skill gets less conditioning or something like that :]

 

[Kiwi]

Where are they looking when they are on the beam? I was taught to focus on the other end of the beam and it really helps.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

Stick drills! Make 10 handstands to a perfect stick every day - no wobbles, feet have to be perfectly straight. If they're doing cartwheels yet, 10 of those too. You can do these with turns, too - make 10 half turns to a perfect plié position.

 

[Brandon]

How to keep them on the beam? Duct tape. That stuff is amazing. Or you could use super glue....

But seriously...?
Practice. Basic skills/drills. Etc. They'll get better.

 

[BarCoach]

Thank you for your ideas. I'll try the game to see who can fall off the least at practice today. I bet it will help. We do talk about not glancing over at the coaches in the middle of routines, but I'll tell them to look at the other end of the beam. Of course doing numbers of skills would help! Sometimes I just need a reminder. I'm really hopeful that these things will help. Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[gymnast695]

What always helps me is pretending that there's a string attached all the way up my spine and out the top of my head and someone is pulling it tightly above me. (lol, was taught it when I was about 7) but it actualy helps. It keeps me tight and squeezed and my center of balance is straight and in line with the beam and it also makes me stand up tall and look nicer. Might help with your little girls if you can explain it simple enough.

 

[bogwoppit]

Are they fighting to stay on? If not, it may be becasue they just don't get how important it is not to fall.

Try some beam games, jumping over things, throwing a ball to and fro, switching places with each other without falling etc.

Getting the message through to them that falling isn't an option can be a great thing.

Our hc gave out "not falling of beam" prizes after each meet. Anyone who did the season with no beam falls got a trophy.

 

[AmandaLynn]

I like the suggestions of duct tape and super glue.

 

[bogwoppit]

What about a staple gun or velcro?

 

[GetaGrip]

Just tell them to literally squeeze everything!!! Also to make them fight harder to stay on, maybe you could give them some sort of incentive? I know that saving .5 is usually enough, but maybe something like they won't have as many routines if they can stay on in a certain amount or they can try a skill they like.

 

[flipper's fan]

My first response is duct tape, string, and chewing gum.

But a better way might be jump rope on the beam, or little wars where you try to push them off lightly onto a big stack of mats and they resist. For prizes. Like candy. To take home.

 

[marie83]

How old are they?
What sort of skills are they doing?

We do a lot of 'mid body' or 'core' conditioning - hollow holds and rockers - we also do this with the gymnasts lying on their sides. Lots of work on a gym ball.

Teach the gymnasts to grip the beam with their toes.
Ensure their hips are always facing forwards during elements.

Have consequences for falling off and rewards for sticking.
Every session, my gymnasts have to stick 5 of each of the skills that they are currently competing and then move on to the skills they are working on for next season. Currently that looks like this:

5 cartwheels, 5 backward walkovers, 5 bhs, 5 full spins, 5 split jumps or sissones.

When they are learning skills they have to stick 10 on the low padded beam, then remove a mat, stick 10, remove a mat etc etc.

If they don't fight to stay on in their warm up, they don't get to move on to their new skills.

When they were younger they had a sticker chart and 'sticking beam' would be one of the targets! Now they know that if they don't get their new skills they won't be able to do their competitions next season so they are motivated to try hard.

It takes a long time to get consistent on beam and I firmly believe that repetition is the key!

Failing that, glue them!

 

[marie83]

Forgot to add a couple of things:

every so often I will challenge the gymnasts - how many cartwheels (for example) can you stick out of 5? The winner gets a little prize or just the glory of being the winner!

I tend to do something similar just before I start choreographing routines (our levels routines are voluntary). There is a requirement for acro skills forwards or sideways and backwards. Sometimes in order to determine which skills my gymnasts will have I ask them to do 5 attempts at each skill and the one they stick most of goes in. Usually the gymnasts try really hard to stick the one they like the best or the 'cooler' skill!

 

[fuzi]

Bribery sometimes works when glue doesn't.
Old beam coach offered the L4s a cookie party if they all stayed on beam at a meet. Lo and behold, they all stayed on the beam

 

[BarCoach]

Sounds like we're going to be having some fun on beam! They have their first meet coming up on Friday, they've already been told they get 5 stickers for their charts for a no-fall at the meet, so we'll see.

 

[Deanna]

My L4 6 yr old DD was ALWAYS looking all over the gym while doing her beam routine. She was always falling off. One day her coach asked her.."Kadee, do you want your body to go in the direction of the bars, floor, pit, ect". Kadee told her no So then her coach told her to stop looking that direction then. Whatever way your looking/head is pointed...your body will follow. (we all know this when driving..if you look too long out the side window..you start drifting that way..just natural body response). It has really helped. But at 6 yrs old..she still falls off often enough...lol