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Yevgeny Marchenko once told me that he only teaches pike and layout positions because they're safer. In a pike, you only have 3 places to land- on your back, on your butt or on your feet. When you're in a little ball the chances of injury are much higher. Not sure I fully get it, but I...

Your coach sounds unreasonable. Tell your daughter to go do the bhs bhs series on a line, then the floor beam, low beam, high beam with mats, etc. Then start removing the mats. Go back to progressions. That will help her if the coach will not. Also, I think it's silly when coaches have...

Well, I'm not sure I agree with the poster right above. The first part of the handspring is longer, but the second part is short. You want to snap down hard with your feet in front of you (or under you, depending on what skill comes next). I always say, "long reach, quick snap." Keep your...

I agree- there are awesome judges, and there are not-so-awesome judges. Just like anything else in life. ;) As a judge, I think it would be great if there were some restrictions on becoming a head judge....you had to coach kids at the level you're judging who qualified for regionals or...

USAG's official stance on this is that the thighs can brush the bar with no penalty. If hips touch the skill is downgraded to a back hip circle. But no deduction for thighs brushing the bar.

so what happened??

Okay, let's just all take a breath here. I don't think Ryan is saying he would verbally abuse a kid. I think he's saying he's in favor of a little tough love. I'm not opposed to that, either, but I don't think that's what's happening in the poster's situation. I think her daughter's...

Hi new gym mom. My recommendation to you would be to just sit back and enjoy watching your daughter. She's 7, she's very beginner, who knows where this will go. It's way too early to be hoping for college scholarships and such. :) As far as being recruited with little background, often...

In L6 the athlete is only required to make a 3/4 handstand, which is about 25 degrees from vertical. Possible no deduction on this skill if she passed through full handstand with an early CONTROLLED split to step down, although I'd need to see it. The formal deduction is up to .2 for not...

I would be careful not to send anything that will spike her blood sugar, such as processed carbs. You want slow digesting carbs and quality protein. Crackers are not a good idea. I think you'd find that beef jerky (try to find low sodium...the fewer the ingredients, the better!) with a mix of...

oooh, I misunderstood. I thought they wanted to move her from a tough L5 season to training L7. Moving up to L6 makes more sense, although it's a big jump from L5-L6 (especially on that bar routine). However, if your gym has lots of successful optionals kids, then your coaches probably know...

Hmm. Well, if your gym is a good gym with successful level 10s/Elites and you trust the coaches, then I'd go with the flow. However, I read through other people's posts about why it makes sense to skip or brush through compulsories, and I have to disagree. I think that poor skill mastery in...

bad coaching I coached at arguably the best gym in the U.S. for a few years. I can tell you that there was none of this. It sounds like your coaches are inexperience and misguided in coaching technique. The coach clearly doesn't know how to fix the problem, so he/she figures that yelling and...

drill Here's a drill I use with little ones, and it is very effective. I have them sit close to the wall, facing the wall, or straddle stand with their back to the wall (Their back would be against the wall at the top of the handstand). I will use chalk to draw the top 1/2 of a circle (or...

You really don't need a pit for lower optionals. Once you start training release moves it's helpful, but if you have a coach who is a very experienced spotter you should be okay. I wouldn't worry about it until your daughter is going to start training for L9.

It seems to me that you have been talking to inexperienced coaches. Back walkovers are whichever leg is more comfortable. And back walkovers have nothing to do with fulls. That's one of the craziest things I've ever heard. :P

disagree Those girls may not look the same, but they both fall into similar categories. They are small, lean, strong and flexible. Sure, Nastia may have to work harder at explosive power and Alicia might have less flexibility, but they are both small, lean, quick and powerful. You cannot be...

turns If they under-rotate up to 45 degrees from making the double, the deduction is up to .2, plus I might take a small rhythm error (.05-.1) if it's a bad stumble out of the turn. If they are more than 45 degrees short, the athlete would get credit for a B turn (1 1/2 turn). Just from a...

I judge compulsories and optionals, and there is nothing worse than a plastered-on smile. I sometimes see entire teams with the pasted smile, and it is a bit disturbing. It actually takes away from the routine and the artistry. The choreography and presentation should look natural, and a big...

Yes, the split has to be a minimum of 150 degrees. There is a deduction of up to .2 for insufficient split. In addition, there is a deduction of up to .2 for insufficient amplitude. The athlete's hips have to rise...it's rather subjective, but the jump should look dynamic. In addition, there...