Parents preteam without pullover?

[mollyzoe]

My daugher (age 6) was recently invited to join a preteam at a gym that we had been trying out. We are considering it -we love the gym and she'd love to be on a preteam -but it's less convenient than the other gym that we have been going to. I'd love to get her on the preteam at her regular gym but had assumed that it's not a possibility at this point because she does not have her pullover -bars are definitely her weakness at this point. There was a thread on this board recently about moving out of rec and I know a few people said that some gyms expect you to tell them that you are interested in moving out of rec -I suspect that this is the case at our gym b/c we are in an area where most kids in gymnastics just stick with rec. Do you think I should inquire about her moving to preteam or is it pretty much unheard of for a preteam to take a kid that doesn't have her pullover yet? The offer for preteam at the other gym got me thinking...

Any suggestions regarding how to help her get her pullover would be great too.

 

[Sasha]

It is definitely the case at our gym that you have to express an interest in a team track. Otherwise they assume you are happy in rec. A few coaches at our gym might make a comment to a parent about a young one being a good candidate to consider team, but it's just a comment unless you follow up with the head coach here. Other places can vary widely! Also here, there are 3 levels of developmental classes -before- our pre-team (and after the toddler/mommy&me stuff). Only older girls who have talent may get to skip some of those levels and move right to pre-team. Again, this seems to vary widely from all the stories I've read here.

As for getting her pullover, when we were brand new, I would spot my DD (at age 6 3/4) on the playground bar by adding leverage to her legs and keeping them straight. Maybe others would say that's naughty of me to play coach, but at the time we were in rec and just having fun. She got her pullover quickly tho! I'm done playing coach now that's she's on to bigger things (thanks CB!).

Definitely express your interest in your current gym, and just ask what it would take for her to advance to pre-team, and what a plan for that could be.

Good luck!

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I think all gyms are probably different in this aspect. In our gym ( not a super high scoring gym, with a healthy whole gymnast approach) you don't make it past the first rec level without a pullover. A gymnast wouldn't get suggested for TOPs or pre-team without having a back hip circle, a decent handstand, cartwheels both ways and a few other skills.
Good luck, I remember my dds struggles with the pullover! It's one of those skills that kind of just has to click. Once they get it, it's so cool! Just wait for the kip..!

 

[emorymom]

My daughter got her pullover when she was on a preteam and I thinks he was going about three times a week for an hour and a half at age 5. She's now a 10yo L3 still trying to get the rest of her L3 skills so she's not really precocious. When she expressed frustration that the other girls were starting to get their pullovers, I told her if she would do chin ups and leg lifts with me on her off days, she would get her pullover in 3 weeks. I think it took more like ten days.

Many gyms start them in developmental classes or pre-team classes without a pullover. Many gyms do not do the systematic work that would develop that strength in a typical child inside their rec systems. Doing chin-ups and leg lifts is not coaching.

 

[Quadqueen]

It definitely depends on the gym. Good coaches can spot potential, even in kids with very basic skills. My DD competed old level 3 (new level 2) as a 6 year old and occasionally could not get her pullover in meets (needed a little boost by the coach). Today, she's a 10-year-old level 7.

I would ask if you are unsure of the process of moving from rec to pre-team.

 

[Ex member]

My dd was moved to a new preteam type of group without her chin up, pullover or even all her splits 7 weeks ago, dd can do a long hang pull up with a spot and also a pullover with a light spot. I got a chin up bar today for both of my girls to practice chin ups and legs lift and tuck hangs as neither of them can do it yet. What is the best height to set the bar? A height just around their forehead or at straight arms length? Both of my dd's are similar heights (within 8 cm of each other)

 

[LIGYMMOM]

It really just depends on the gym. DD had her pull over and BHC when she was 4, and her ROBHS when she was 7, and did not make the team at her old gym. At her new gym, she was put on preteam with girls who were working on pullovers and bridge kickovers.
A really valuable resource would be a team mom from your current gym to find out the gym philosophy on how they normally select for the team and all kinds of other good info.
As for the chin up bar, we had one several years ago and put it at about forehead level, maybe top of her head. She practiced her pullovers on that when she was tiny, but just be sure to screw it into the wall really well and put a mat underneath. We did have one minor concussion/trip to the ER when the bar fell and she fell on her face. So be safe!

 

[mommyof1]

It depends on the gym. I don't think there is a single kid in the rec program at my daughter's gym with a pullover, and my daughter tells me that she is one of only two kids on preteam who has one. Her gym's preteam program is set up to pull kids out of rec as quickly as possible, either straight from the preschool program at age 4-5 or within a few weeks of their entering a rec class if they are older, then take as long as 3 years to get them ready to compete L3. On the other hand, many people who post here are surprised to hear that a gym will put kids on preteam without a pullover, or take that long to get them ready for competition.

If your daughter has been invited to preteam at gym #2, the competitive route is what she and you want to do, and you prefer gym #1, then I would definitely inquire about the requirements for preteam at gym #1. As far as helping her get her pullover, there is no harm in helping her do pull-ups, leg lifts, chin holds, and L-hangs at home, as long as your chin-up bar is securely mounted.

 

[emorymom]

We used a tree limb in the front yard.

 

[billise]

We found that mounting the chin-up bar high in the doorway was best. High enough that DD needed a chair to reach it. We had it lower at first but found that once she got her pullover (just before her 5th birthday) all that space above the bar made it way too tempting to use the bar for pullovers and back hip circles instead of just chin-ups and leg lifts

 

[purpleleomom]

My daughter needed her pullover to move out of the first rec level. However, after visiting other gyms, I can see that her coaches allow her to just sloppily kick her legs over and call it a successful pullover. Another coach told me he never lets kids kick over - he makes them climb up to a bar if they can't reach it and then use their core more. I thought that was interesting. In any case, in my preteam inquiries, I've been told they aren't necessarily looking for particular skills as much as good coachability, strength, and flexibility, but of course each gym varies.

 

[Quadqueen]

My daughter needed her pullover to move out of the first rec level. However, after visiting other gyms, I can see that her coaches allow her to just sloppily kick her legs over and call it a successful pullover. Another coach told me he never lets kids kick over - he makes them climb up to a bar if they can't reach it and then use their core more. I thought that was interesting. In any case, in my preteam inquiries, I've been told they aren't necessarily looking for particular skills as much as good coachability, strength, and flexibility, but of course each gym varies.

Maybe they just allow that in rec. They wouldn't call that kickover thing a pullover. That's MUCH easier to do than a true pullover.

 

[purpleleomom]

And you just hit on my frustration. I know she can do a pullover the right way when prompted, but when all the other kids are kicking over, it seems normal. Yet I feel like a CGM for asking about more challenging classes.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

@Tiny Dancer put it right up in the doorway - mine uses a stool to reach it but it means that I am not constantly braining myself on it !

 

[Galadriel]

Yes! DH pet peeve - smacking his head on the chinning bar!

 

[Committed]

It doesn't hurt to ask. Like all the others have said, each gym has their own minimum skills. I'm not sure of ours, but I heard a pre team coach mention to a potential customer that she had allowed a girl on the pre team who didn't have her bridge kick over, but the girl had gotten it quickly after being on the pre team. There are all levels of girls on a pre team, usually.

 

[Ex member]

@Tiny Dancer put it right up in the doorway - mine uses a stool to reach it but it means that I am not constantly braining myself on it !

I finally put the pullup bar up, youngest dd has had a go and can do a few pull ups from standing on a stool and she has also tried some leg lifts (not pretty but she got up there) and also some ling hang tuck holds and some long hang pike holds and also some long hang pull ups (she can do those they way she does at gym with some one holding her steady while she lifts - she does all the pulling up on her own), she is not allowed to hold front support and attempt pullover as I feel these should be done at the gym and also the bar is too high to flip over the bar without hitting herself on the top of the door way).

 

[juststartingout]

My 5yo dd was moved from the girls beginner class to preteam after 2 months. She had only been doing classes for 2 months so she did not have a pullover, still doesn't since she just started the preteam. She can successfully do all the drills they do for pullovers so I'm assuming they expect the pullover to happen within a reasonable time since she can do the drills. On bars she doesn't have any actual skills yet, no pullover, no back hip circle, or anything like that. She does however have nice body positions, nice tight legs and pointed toes. I would say in her preteam class 1/3 have their pullover pretty well, 1/3 have it but not consistently or with good form, and 1/3 do not have it. During practice her group is divided into 3 smaller groups and this seems to be the determining factor since all else seems pretty equal. From my observation it seems that the things our preteam coach really looks for is natural form, interest in making corrections, and energy level/strength.

 

[emorymom]

And you just hit on my frustration. I know she can do a pullover the right way when prompted, but when all the other kids are kicking over, it seems normal. Yet I feel like a CGM for asking about more challenging classes.

It can require a great deal of advocacy and general foot work to get a kid out of rec sometimes. And sometimes it just is not possible in certain gyms because they have certain preferences that another reasonable person might think are irrelevant to your child's ability to enjoy the sport.

 

[Ex member]

My daugher (age 6) was recently invited to join a preteam at a gym that we had been trying out. We are considering it -we love the gym and she'd love to be on a preteam -but it's less convenient than the other gym that we have been going to. I'd love to get her on the preteam at her regular gym but had assumed that it's not a possibility at this point because she does not have her pullover -bars are definitely her weakness at this point. There was a thread on this board recently about moving out of rec and I know a few people said that some gyms expect you to tell them that you are interested in moving out of rec -I suspect that this is the case at our gym b/c we are in an area where most kids in gymnastics just stick with rec. Do you think I should inquire about her moving to preteam or is it pretty much unheard of for a preteam to take a kid that doesn't have her pullover yet? The offer for preteam at the other gym got me thinking...

Any suggestions regarding how to help her get her pullover would be great too.

To help my dd to get her pullover I brought a chin up bar and installed in her door way, at the moment she can only do dead hang chin ups if I lightly (so she can do most of the work herself) around the rib area or legs and get her to do as many pullups as she can, it is a work in progress at the moment, we are on day 2 of doing this, dd wanted to try a pullover and I let her and if I lightly spot her in a candlestick shape she can do the rest on her own and end up in a front support so I guess it is a matter of keep trying the pullup and then see what happens when she she can do her chin ups on her own.