WAG Question about pullover

[Orangesoda]

My newly 5yo dd is working pullovers in her class - not the long hang kind (I think that's what they're called), but the kids are doing them on their own while standing with the bar at about their foreheads. I've noticed that dd always gets her legs up and over but then frequently gets stuck in and inverted "V" position with her waist on the bar and her head and feet dangling down toward the ground. Does that make sense? Anyways, I swear I'm not going to try to coach her from home or tell her what to do but I AM still curious as to why she has a hard time getting into the upright support position(again, excuse my making up of terms). Is she not using her momentum properly? Are her hands too small? Is it a core muscle thing? Could it be a number of different things? Is this a normal stage in learning the skill? She eventually can get herself upright but it ain't pretty. Sometimes she even tries to switch her hand grip around to get herself over. Like I said, just curious.

 

[Faolmor]

I think it's just part of learning. My DD was like this for a while, and she used to switch her grip too. Now, she has worked out how to do it in one, smooth motion, and so she doesn't get stuck (at least, not so much LOL)

 

[2gymkids]

My DD spent many. many months hanging upside down like that, lol. I have no idea what the magical formula is to getting it, but she'll get there.

 

[COz]

Yeah. It's normal.
Mine had to work out first how to switch her grip and realise that she couldn't do it without moving her hands.
Then she had to work out that she wasn't going to fall off if she was dangling there like that. Moving your hands doesn't mean you'll fall off.
Then she had to work out that you had to stick your legs out to balance your front half to get up.

After watching the dangling for ages I eventually took her to a playground where there was a bar about my chest height. I stuck her over it and convinced her that she really wouldn't fall off if she adjusted her hands. I showed her she would have to regrip and I held her legs a couple of times whilst she came up to front support. That was it. Nothing else. Took maybe 10 minutes. That made a noticeable difference in the next session and about 3 sessions later she was doing it like a pro

No. I wouldn't do anything more complicated than this at the playground. I think what I did was well within reasonable bounds of safety.

 

[Ruth]

It also could be lost momentum that makes her do it half way.

 

[jessmomto2]

My dd is the same way she is doing a long hand pullover since she is too short to reach the bar lol. She still gets stuck for a few seconds like that but it is a much shorter time the more she has practiced. She also moves her hands from over the bar to under when she is over the bar like that not sure why it doesn't seem like it would be easier to me but who knows.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Her head is still very heavy and big compared to her other body. That's why she is having hard time getting to the front support. No worries - she will get it when she grows a little. This is very normal with kids who are 3-5 years old.

 

[Ex member]

My dd does both kinds of pullovers, she can do them more easily from the floor and is also doing them from a hang as she is also short, she doesn't get stuck upside anymore, it has something to do with the wrist shift. Dd has been doing back hip circles without a spot for a couple of weeks now and sometimes if she doesn't put enough power in her cast she gets stuck upside down when doing a back hip circle so momentum could have something to do with it.

 

[Sari]

With young kids and pullovers, I frequently notice the same thing. In my experience, most of them lack ab muscles and/or the ability to activate said muscles in order to bring their chest up when their legs drop over the bar. This is, as gymisforeveryone suggested, only emphasised if they're still in that toddler stage, with their head big in comparison to the rest of their body. That's extra weight to bring up!
I do a drill where I have kids start in that upside down V position and use their abs and wrists to get back to front support. Fall back down to starting position, repeat as often as necessary. I also put one hand on their legs if they're really struggling.

Ultimately, your dd will get it, don't worry! Just trust her coach(es)!

 

[Amusibus]

5 year olds have giant, heavy heads and small bodies, thus their center of gravity is much higher than that of an older child or adult. If they're hanging upside down on the bar in that V position, the amount of weight on the head end is greater than the weight on the feet end. so of course they cannot get their heads up, because their lower bodies do not counter balance the weight of their upper bodies. She will grow out of it as her proportions change.

 

[Bess]

5 year olds have giant, heavy heads and small bodies, thus their center of gravity is much higher than that of an older child or adult......

Your giant head comment made me chuckle but then I thought "I hope no one ever say that around/to their DD/athlete" Little Bit was used as an example of this for new team parents this summer. She was called over from bar warm up during an inhouse meet to show the new parents why their dd's may not be able to do something initially. She held up Little Bits arms and said "See, her elbows? They are just about even to her ears. When they are young they haven't grown into their big heads yet." Little bit was then asked to demonstrate a backwalker...to which the coach said she was only able to do bc she was so strong. Normally the big head and proportions would have made it difficult.

Of course, all Little Bit heard was "big head" and she was deeply offended. She was teary her last couple of events and the coach tried to console her but that meet ended up being a wash. Even months later she still asks occasionally if her head is any smaller- I usually tell her I hope not bc she has to have somewhere to keep her giant brain ;-)

 

[COz]

The big head thing is why they need to work out how much to stick out their legs to counterbalance the head. When they go around smoothly they then know how much to leave their legs out rather than letting them go to vertical straight away. Mine certainly had the abs for it, it was just putting it all together.

 

[Orangesoda]

I don't ever see the coaches teaching the girls how to get themselves upright. I wonder why. I've only ever seen them help by putting some weight on their legs so they can pull their chest up. I know my daughter definitely has plenty of abdominal muscle, so I think it's a timing thing. Of course I put very little value in what I think though. Haha. I'm pretty clueless.

 

[Mimiluv]

A lot of girls don't know to move their grip on the bar. I'm not sure how to explain it lol. They have to slide their hands around to the top of the bar and rotate their wrists. I don't know if that makes sense, it's easier to show than to write.