Back walkover on beam

[Libby's gym mom]

Hi, newbie here . My daughter has just turned 7 and has already made squad status , which I'm proud of .
My gripe is , Libby can do backwalkovers on a high beam and has done so for a month or so but all of a sudden she's very frightened again ? Any tips ? It's so frustrating !!

 

[iwannacoach]

Treat it as if there was nothing wrong. Kids have this sort of problem and when they do it's best to leave it to the child and coach to solve it. Tell her it's normal and it will go away in time.

 

[gymstar]

I think this is something they all go through - they can learn a new skill and be doing it fine then one day it doesn't work or they get scared - they start over thinking it - my advice is ride it out - play it down - she will get over it and be moving onto the next skill before you know it - its happened to my DD a few times and she always moves on

 

[Ex member]

I think beam in one of those things where a lot of girls have some fear issues, my dd is 7 but is not at the stage where she does backwards walkovers on the beam yet, the older girls who have been in dd's group longer have started to learn them. My dd has has some fear issues doing forwards rolls on the high beam after a fall once, she is now becoming a little more confident on the beam and will do them (they have to do 5 without falling off before moving onto cartwheels on the floor beam), Dd said that the girls don't really like the beam all that much, dd said it in her third favourite thing, it used to be her fourth favourite piece of equipment.

I don't think there is much you can do, as I have found out, it is just something they usually get over in time, I often explain to dd that gymnastics is small bit talent and a whole lot of hard work and that sometimes you have to let your brain win over your body and tell your body what to do even though it might be hard work.

 

[Tally Ho]

My eldest DD had the same issues, she liked to talk about it she was an over thinker, then one day she just did them, they have to work through it themselves

 

[Iwannabemargo]

took mine 6 months to get past it, competed them for the first time in nearly a year this month, she did it when she was ready, hopefully she will be okay next comp in 2 weeks

 

[Flossyduck]

My dd's backwards skills on beam always take a bit of a knock when she grows. The first time it happened I was like you, couldn't understand what was happening. She wasn't afraid - she just seemed to have lost the skill and this led to anxiety, which looked a bit like fear. It came back.

The second time, she had already competed bwo flic on beam and had flic flic, so to watch her struggling with bwo was bizarre. I asked her if she was ok and she said it just felt weird and something 'wasn't right'. Then I remembered and measured her and she'd grown, so I was able to reassure her that it had happened before and she'd get through it.

If she's growing her body just needs to adjust to how it feels, so repetition is the key. You'd be amazed how much difference a small amount makes - a cm or two.

If it's fear then that's different. I don't have experience of that, but my gut feeling says ease off and go back a few steps until she is confident again.

 

[UnoMas]

Very very common, she just needs time to work through it and she is still so young, no hurry! Backwards skills on beam (and floor!) can come and go...and come...and go again...

 

[Libby's gym mom]

Yep I guess I'm just gonna have to go with the flow, she has well over 12 months before she has to execute the move for her level 5s and coach is not worried about her thx

 

[Aussie_coach]

This is perfectly normal, and it will happen many, many times in her gymnastics career. As a parent its best to let it go and allow the coaches to handle it.

If you are working to help her overcome the fear too then it send the message that it is a big deal or a problem that she is scared. So much so that parents are coaches are both working on it. This can actually increase her anxiety and perpetuate the problem. The coach would have dealt with this problem many times before and will have strategies to help her overcome it.

 

[gymnast4ever]

At first you will be nervous and maybe scared but that is totally normal it happens to everyone on all different thing and skills but want you do it it will be super fun so if your coach says that you will be fine and you are ready to try it than do it they know what there talking about when they tell you that you are ready to trie it I promise you will be fine and you have so much fun and love it wants you do it!!I hope my edvise!!!!!

 

[Libby's gym mom]

Woohoo brag alert !!!
My dds back on it !! High beam no mat/support nothing just confidence just hope she keeps it up !!