WAG transitioning to giants from the strap bar to the "real" UB for older, taller gymnasts

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

teksquad

Proud Parent
Hi All,
My daughter is a gymnast that has been working the strap bar with gloves for quite a long time, working her form and technique. She is an older gymnast with a mature body. At some point, the decision will be made to try giants on the regular bar set. Have you seen how this has been done at first? I've seen smaller girls receive heavy spots from their coaches, but how about the older, taller girls? (whom I assume are more difficult to spot) Any different approach?
 
It can be done without a heavy spot. From straps the usual step is to do it on a regular single rail over the foam pit. If there is no pit, often the coach will work bent knee Giants on the low bar first. They will usually work on a single rail until she is confident.

From there to transition to the uneven bars, the coaches will usually do some sort of set up to help the gymnast get the feeling of passing the low bar without the risk of the low bar being there. This could include doing them on a set of uneven bars with the rail removed. Or just place a band where the low bar would be to gymnasts can learn to pass the bar without hitting their toes on the harder wood.
 
I just did my first giant on wood bar after spending a year + in straps. Manly due to the fact we don't have a pit or single rail high bar. I went to another gym to do my first giant on single rail with a spot. I am older 55 kgs and was spotted by a guy coach. First giant was a bit scary (bent arms) but after that was fine. Lots of cast to handstand mini Giants helped.
 
I have a taller gymnast learning giants now...she is 5'3" and maybe 110 lbs. She started on single bar over loose foam pit (spotted by her tiny coach who is super strong). Once she had that by herself they moved to spotted giants between the bars. Now she is trying them by herself. When she first moved it between the bars she put a mat over the low bar. This process has worked for her. She is not the tallest or heaviest in her group and her coach spots all of them.
 
I'm quiet tall (5'71/2) and around 110-115 pounds. I had done Giants in the strap bar for almost a 1 1/2 (first from swings, then from cast, then from my attempt at a cast to hand stand-me and handstand kinda are not friends) and two weeks ago a tried Giants on the pit bar for the first time and made them. I have a coach stand there but I got no spot, (also my cast was not to handstand at all) but most of my teammates they learnt there over a single rail bar over a resi mat with spot.
 
Usually they go to pit bar (ours switches easily from wood bar to strap bar, so some may use strap bar first, others may not). Our coaches spot Giants on a single high bar (using a strap set up for stability and blocks), but not until the gymnast is really close to doing them herself. Lots of drills and progressions leading up to it!! Once they can do them ok on the single high bar, they take it to the UB sets. They can set up the coaches' spotting supports on the UB sets as well, if needed.
 
I've teached giants to several gymnast who are as tall as I am. For me as a coach it's very important that I'm sure that they are ready but also that they know what to do id something goes wrong. We don't have a pit bar so it's super important. I teach them how to release the bar if they can't swing all the way up and I can't push them over. They learn to fall safely. The first thing we do is a spotted handstand -> fall over and safety roll forward. I also teach them how to fall the other way - when they have made it to handstand if I can't spot them to come back to spotting block or front support. I also make sure they never ever go back swinging after the giant, that has happened though and it's a great opportunity to slip off the bar. They don't always remember they can't do that withour straps and it's a common mistake if they've spent much time on strap bar giants.

Hope this helps :)
 

New Posts

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Gymnaverse :: Recent Activity

College Gym News

New Posts

Back