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Here in Australia 3 years at level 4 is super common! It’s because level 5 is the first level that requires a kip. And the first year going over the vault table. Lots of kids hit a walk with these skills. If your coach stagnates her and has her just work skills of that level then that’s a...

This is absolutely unheard of around here. But, aside from the issues of missing school. How do the kids get to gym? Don’t most parents have to work?

Seriously? Gyms have sibling restrictions? I’m a gym owner and have never heard of anything like that. We have kids who train at our gym and have siblings at another. It works very well if you have have very different kids, with different goals and abilities as the kids don’t tend to end up...

Yes, it can work. I mix levels in my groups, the more experienced gymnasts serve as great role models for the less experienced once’s and it it turn encourages the more experienced gymnasts to train to their best. Similar equipment set ups can be used to teach different skills. For example...

1. Leg power - Explosive long jump, box jumps etc, 2. Explosive leg power to jump backwards 3. Hold hollow on the floor with back fiat in floor 4. Hold good quality tight arch in floor 5. Excellent handstand, hands correct width and direction, straight arms , tight body shoulders extended, 6...

Unfortunately, this is exceedingly common in many dance studios. Acro has exploded in dance studios, especially since the dance mom’s TV show increased its popularity. But this was the case a few decanters ago, so many of the teachers are not trained in Acro and do not train in safe technique...

It would be easier to help if we saw a video. There are many things that can go wrong. I find the most common issue is throwing the shoulders back and trying to rotate by whipping the body back and up. Rather than keeping the shoulder and head in, getting the height first and then bringing...

It may feel like they haven’t been working on round off back handsprings but it’s possible the have been working in them intensively every session. They may be working on all the different aspects of the skill like leg power, jumping backwards, take off position, arm technique, shaping...

Coaches are human too and make mistakes. I’m surprised another coach didn’t pick up on it, but the fact that no one checked the routines to see if the coach had taught them correctly probably means this has not happened before. No doubt, big lesson and learned and will probably never happen again.

I think feedback on number of competitions per year and how far willing to travel would be useful. It’s hard to get the balance right, too many competitions and the kids burn out, get little time for other things etc. not enough and the value for all the time and money they put in preparing...

Making the choice to change gyms was a good one. Winning competitions and being the best is not worth having her self worth and self esteem destroyed. But the relationship a high level gymnast has with the sport is complex. They spend a lot of time in the gym and a lot of who they are as a...

What is the procedure that you are required to follow if a gymnast is hurt? Whenever a gymnast is hurt in your lessons, it’s important to let someone know, be it the head coach, gym owner, 1st aid officer. At your age, it’s not appropriate to make decisions about how to deal with an injury...

There is often more to the story than people are aware of. If she is happy with her current coach, I would stick with it for now and see what happens.

How about a really open and honest conversation with the gym. Explain what your DD’s goals are and and your concern about her age and being discouraged as a result of competing and being with younger girls. You may hit a brick wall and they won’t help, they may be set in their ways and not...

There is no age limit on these levels. I know in the US it’s rare to see adult gymnasts in USAG levels, but from what I can see there is no age limit at all. You can switch to level 7 at 45 if you want Age is not important at all when it co es to level. The level you compete will simply...

Your back salto issue may be a strength issue or a technique issue. Do lots of explosive leg power drills - tuck jumps, tuck hops, straddle jumps, squat jumps, sprints, sprint drills, running drills, lunges, lunge jumps, box jumps, box hops, burpees, candlestick to jumps etc. Your core...

For your front tuck dismount, practise a few run steps into a punch jump off the beam, without the front tuck to help get the fitting correct. Try a standing front tuck off the the beam, try a few run steps into a punch jump, try a soft pieces of equipment up against the beam, so you have...

For your cartwheel on beam, make sure your technique is correct. When it is, the skill will feel easier and not natural. Make sure you are lunging in deeply. If you place your hands too close to your feet, you will have to close your hips to get your legs around and it will be very hard to go...

The double back is a risky skill, if the gymnasts does not have it completely consistent. She may already have the skill ready to do it on floor, but as it’s a relatively new skill for her, the coach is keeping it in the pit longer to ensure she is getting it 20 times out of 20 before moving it...

It’s not really that unusual in kids her age to have a competition day like this. At the age of 9, kids focus will go up and down depending on the situation. If she is excited and having fun with a friend, then it’s common for the focus to suffer. It can seem like she just isn’t trying when...