It comes and then it goes again and is frustrating dd to no end. She can get her feet on to the bar, but then she falls backwards. She seems to have no fear of jumping to the high bar, she has been doing that easily for years, she just cannot stick the squat on. I have left it to her and the coaches to figure out, for months now. Not made a big deal out of it, been sympathetic, never ask if it is back - but the tears and the frustration on her part is getting to everyone. Any tips ?
WAG The disappearing squat on...
- Thread starter mumoftwogymnasts
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Most girls go through that at some point, not a big deal. Won't bore you with 50 drills, but I will give you the two biggest reason girls miss it after they are capable of doing it.
#1. They are afraid to jump to the high bar (too far away, thus fear of missing or fear of peeling).
#2. They are afraid of the trick that comes next (giants maybe?)
Don't be afraid to ask her what is going through her mind just before she misses. It really is more of a mental skill than technical. Good luck and I promise she will get it.
#1. They are afraid to jump to the high bar (too far away, thus fear of missing or fear of peeling).
#2. They are afraid of the trick that comes next (giants maybe?)
Don't be afraid to ask her what is going through her mind just before she misses. It really is more of a mental skill than technical. Good luck and I promise she will get it.
Oh dear God. The squat on. Don't even get me started. My daughter struggled for YEARS. Missed it at every meet except for her very first meet and her very last meet of her (old) level 6 season. Seems to have it under control by now (level 8). But somehow I imagine my daughter as a level 10 gymnast doing all sorts of crazy bar skills and me in the stands thinking, "thank God she didn't fall on her squat on."
Yes, at level 5 or higher they can do that without a deduction. At the lower levels I have had a 'discussion' with the judges on that very subject. I had a level 4 do just that and they took off 1.1! 0.8 for 'deliberate omission' and 0.3 for an 'additional element'! After our lengthy discussion we settled on taking off 0.5 instead for what we decided to call a 'fall'.
Falling backwards on the squat on means she's not getting enough of her weight forward, which generally means she's not getting her shoulders over the bar (as in, leaning forward toward the high bar) when she casts and puts her feet on. This is very common. As stated earlier, there are tons of drills for the squat-on. Practicing on a couch has been mentioned; this can be very helpful. The same can be achieved (sometimes more effectively) on lower obstacles (everything from a wide step to a line on the floor starting in a hollow-body, "push-up" position). Also, if possible, stacking panel mats or other solid mats up to about a foot below the low bar on one side serves as a great and easy practice drill. The gymnast stands in a hollow body position with hands on the bar, feet on the panel mats, then hops feet onto the bar and jumps down, simulating everything but the "cast" part of the squat-on. I've had great success with this drill, as it is great at getting the gymnast to "feel" the shoulders over the bar during the skill.
Also, as a side note, check to make sure she's casting and squatting on with her knees together. Sounds bogus, but I've had a couple of girls that constantly try to squat on with their knees apart (froggy style), and it makes the skill next to impossible (for obvious reasons). Best of luck to you!
Also, as a side note, check to make sure she's casting and squatting on with her knees together. Sounds bogus, but I've had a couple of girls that constantly try to squat on with their knees apart (froggy style), and it makes the skill next to impossible (for obvious reasons). Best of luck to you!
Basically, coach4life covered the mistake most likely to cause not making a squat on. If the gymnast lets their shoulders fall backwards, the rest of the body is going to follow in the same direction! I feel like it's one of those develish little skills , the ones that are theoretically easy to do but you never feel 100% confident you're gonna make them.
Something else I've noticed gymnasts do is that they try standing up too quickly. Like, the moment their feet touch the lower bar, they let go of it with their hands, resulting in them losing their balance.
Something else I've noticed gymnasts do is that they try standing up too quickly. Like, the moment their feet touch the lower bar, they let go of it with their hands, resulting in them losing their balance.
D
Deleted member D3987
the #1 reason that kids have a problem with just the squat on is that they are afraid they will miss one or both of their feet and then 'pitch' head first off the bar to the floor. this is a different problem than jumping to the high bar. when you couple both fears, the task is too daunting and they fail on the first...the squat on.
i have posted a drill for this before. best thing to do, and something they can work on by themselves and unsupervised, is set up a fat mat or stack of mats under the low bar so that the mat/s come to the bottom of their feet when they are in straight arm support.
you then instruct them to 'pull their pants down to their ankles'. they must keep their 'pants'/legs against the rail.
when they get their feet up to the bar, they then lift their knees and flex their feet and 'press' their feet on to the bar. if they make it, they do. if they don't, they don't. this is done without swing. it's called 'static'.
you kill 2 birds with one stone with this drill. #1, you condition the core and quad muscles. these muscles are important for everything. but specifically, your core and quads are what control pressing to handstand on floor, or beam, etc; but also gives them the strength in reserve they might need in the future if they miscue a cast handstand on bars, either from static or casting, and will have the ability to 'press' it out so they don't suffer a precarious fall.
#2, you are training the movement pattern required for casting to a squat on no matter how high or elevated that cast may be.
#3, the 3rd bird in this whole thing is the elbows. you can't perform this drill correctly without keeping your elbows squarely over the top of the rail. when kids cast to anything, more often than not, their elbows will be behind the rail and the cast and they can't get up to a handstand or over the top of the rail to put their feet on or their shoulders are to far forward the rail and they fall forward and drop on their thighs on the rail. and that hurts! additionally, if their shoulders are to far forward they can't get their feet on either. so then, if they can do the drill to completion, this means that they were able to keep their elbows squarely over the top of the rail on center. moreover, they are working all of the upper body muscles required to stabilize the upper body when working above the rail. this stupid little drill will lead to better and more effective cast handstands without incident. not just a really good cast squat on.
finally, they are practicing on a station that will not create a precarious fall and possible injury. very non-intimidating and non-threatening. and if they still are afraid, then you raise the mat again so that it comes up to their knees so that their knees will be bent in support. then follow the above steps.
if you have additional questions not explained concisely, please ask.
i have posted a drill for this before. best thing to do, and something they can work on by themselves and unsupervised, is set up a fat mat or stack of mats under the low bar so that the mat/s come to the bottom of their feet when they are in straight arm support.
you then instruct them to 'pull their pants down to their ankles'. they must keep their 'pants'/legs against the rail.
when they get their feet up to the bar, they then lift their knees and flex their feet and 'press' their feet on to the bar. if they make it, they do. if they don't, they don't. this is done without swing. it's called 'static'.
you kill 2 birds with one stone with this drill. #1, you condition the core and quad muscles. these muscles are important for everything. but specifically, your core and quads are what control pressing to handstand on floor, or beam, etc; but also gives them the strength in reserve they might need in the future if they miscue a cast handstand on bars, either from static or casting, and will have the ability to 'press' it out so they don't suffer a precarious fall.
#2, you are training the movement pattern required for casting to a squat on no matter how high or elevated that cast may be.
#3, the 3rd bird in this whole thing is the elbows. you can't perform this drill correctly without keeping your elbows squarely over the top of the rail. when kids cast to anything, more often than not, their elbows will be behind the rail and the cast and they can't get up to a handstand or over the top of the rail to put their feet on or their shoulders are to far forward the rail and they fall forward and drop on their thighs on the rail. and that hurts! additionally, if their shoulders are to far forward they can't get their feet on either. so then, if they can do the drill to completion, this means that they were able to keep their elbows squarely over the top of the rail on center. moreover, they are working all of the upper body muscles required to stabilize the upper body when working above the rail. this stupid little drill will lead to better and more effective cast handstands without incident. not just a really good cast squat on.
finally, they are practicing on a station that will not create a precarious fall and possible injury. very non-intimidating and non-threatening. and if they still are afraid, then you raise the mat again so that it comes up to their knees so that their knees will be bent in support. then follow the above steps.
if you have additional questions not explained concisely, please ask.
As I speak my daughter is tearing herself to bits with backwalkovers on the beam !! 2 hrs in now and she will not give up till she sticks it !! Like your dd one day at training she will just climb on do it, no support, mat etc the next just freezes and won't do it !! Just trying to go with the flow but seeing her in tears is so upsetting xx
D
Deleted member D3987
D
Deleted member D3987
yes and no. coaches don't like to teach how to 'cover' for this kind of mistake. technically, if you give them this out to perform a sole circle, every single time they 'short' the cast (for the reasons i described) they will then sole circle.
i see this at meets all the time. bail swing to low bar>glide kip/cast and miss casting with the elbows over the top of the bar causing them to not think they can make the squat on>back sole circle to stand>jump to high bar.
and ironically, i have seen them miss that also and go around the bar twice furthering a mistake that originated in not doing that stupid little drill for those kids that needed to do it the most. and even for those most talented, it's a good drill for them also.
D
Deleted member D3987
actually, first creep and crawl. then stand. then walk. then run.
my stupid little drill is the creep and crawl drill. lol.
my stupid little drill is the creep and crawl drill. lol.
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