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Hi At 7 there are still many options for her. A child cannot even compete level 4 until they turn 7. You are correct that training can start much earlier, with 5 year olds in preteam. You did not say what her ability is. Is she in beginner classes or intermediate or advanced? Recreational...

I agree completely!

It takes a long time to perfect the kip. My level 4 and 5 team often have bad days were they just can't get their kip right. Repetition is the key, the more she does it the better she will get. I wouldn't waste money on privates as long as she knows the proper form, she just has to keep practicing.

Hi I'm 55 years old and the mother of 6. I have been coaching off and on since I was 14. I competed back then and helped with preschool back then to help defray costs. I went to college, got married (and divorced and remarried). I've retired from this sport about 5 times and I keep coming...

I have my girls use sandpaper rolled up. Be careful not to make the holes too large. We also use the pulls on the uneven bars. Sliding the hole over them.

I brought my team to a competition at 360 in Stuart. It's a nice gym. I've never been to tumble bees, but we've competed against them often. They are awesome. We are from South Florida, so that's all I know of the gyms up there.

I work my girls on basics once a week. It helps fix the flaws in the more advanced skills. If we do basics and concentrate on perfect body shape, it becomes a great building block.

We have one coach for pre-team and L1 and 2 which are non competitive. We have 2 coaches for all Compulsories, 3 through 5, and 1 Coach and a helper for Optionals. We also have 2 Excel coaches. The same coach that does the preteam two days a week coaches Excel on the other three days. We help...

We are opened all summer. The girls on my team take vacation with their families as they please. They are children and they need family time. I am taking a week off during the summer to go away with my own family and other coaches are doing the same. My girls are levels 3, 4 and 5.

Our levels 3, 4 and 5 are together. When the girls come to us, we decide where they go. While I believe many of the skills in level 3 are ridiculous, they do promote proper form. Unless the gymnast has 2 back handsprings and 2 kips, glide kip and long kip to high bar, they should not skip 3.

A good coach wants what's best for their gymnasts. If I bump into a former team member, I am happy to see them and always hoping they do well.

There is a huge increase in hours from a Bronze to 4. In our gym it's the difference of 9 to 20 hours a week. It's a huge commitment.

It's a personal choice.

I hated grips when I competed. It was a long time ago and they have come a long way. I do not believe that they make the girls any safer. I do prefer the girls toughen up their hands.

Hi I am the levels 3,4 and 5 Coach at our gym. I look at grips as a right of passage. My girls cannot wear then until they get their glide kip. I have a few girls that hate wearing them, so I don't require them, but I do encourage them.

We competed at a gym twice this year that has an old vault table that only went to 105. My girls were very tiny and had only trained at 95. The judges were very sympathetic and reminded me that it was only a 2 point deduction for a spit at level 4. I stood close ready to spot for safety but...

There are some people with what I'd call a "natural" gift, who do not have to work as hard as others. But in general, I can tell when my gymnasts "cheat" at conditioning. They are missing the strength and stamina that they should have. I speak with my team about this at least twice a month. I...

It will improve with time. But I do sometimes give my girls a hand spot just to make corrections. This way they feel the proper way to do it and I reinforce muscle memory. I also use the old paper between the knees trick for keeping legs together. I make it a challenge to keep the paper between...

Congratulations!

I see a few things I would correct. Give yourself a little more poser for your kip by holding your shape in a hollow a bit more on the jump and extending more on the front glide. Once you get up in your support, you need to be more in front of the bar with your legs and shoulders. I agree with...