WAG Upgrades

[gymgal]

Someone take pity on me and explain what BHSLOSO stands for? I just have a level 3 we haven’t gotten to skills with so many letters yet.

back handspring-layout stepout.

 

[John]

Thanks everyone.

I don't want her skipping anything. I just didn't want her to have false ideas. I will lead her to the idea of work hard and have fun.

 

[raenndrops]

We have a 6 week break before our next meet. This week (and probably the next 2-3) will be mostly uptraining.
As others have said, Optionals uptrain more than compulsories for the most part... if they get their assignments done and there is time. Our L3s who are scoring high (which in our area means 9.0+) also uptrain bars and beam if they finish their assignemnts.
This week, all the L3s are working Beam Cartwheels and kips and squat ons. The L4s are working beam BWO and long hang pullovers and front tucks and back tucks. L5+ are all working cast handstands (and pirouettes for those with CHS) and upgraded beam and floor tumbling. XG are working their upgrades and XP are working wit L5+.

 

[Taxidriver]

I’m from GB so slightly different set up to competitions but my dd trains upgrades all year round they only time they don’t is the week before a competition. They train upgrades for a long time before they are included in routines.

 

[Taxidriver]

While she is on the high beam, the mats are stacked as if she were on a low beam. That gives them a lot more confidence and usually takes a long time for them to move those mats away (at least that has been dd's experience).

This is how my dd gym trains on beams all the time, they only remove the mats for a few routines the few weeks before competition. Does your dd gym train without the extra mats frequently?
Only asking out of curiosity as it’s so easy to assume the way my dd gym does things is they way it’s done everywhere.

 

[mommyof1]

Also, training for many optional-level skills starts years before the athlete would be expected to compete them.

This. Our L4s have been doing pirouette and bail drills and have been told they will be working giants on the strap bar soon. L6 works double backs.

 

[gymbeam]

This is how my dd gym trains on beams all the time, they only remove the mats for a few routines the few weeks before competition. Does your dd gym train without the extra mats frequently?
Only asking out of curiosity as it’s so easy to assume the way my dd gym does things is they way it’s done everywhere.

So interesting. At DDs gym, I have never seen anyone stack mats beside a beam except for when they are first starting a skill and put panel mats beside the beam on the lowest beam setting. After that, it’s no mats. They only thing I ever see them do is throw a small area rug over the beam sometimes.

 

[Taxidriver]

So interesting. At DDs gym, I have never seen anyone stack mats beside a beam except for when they are first starting a skill and put panel mats beside the beam on the lowest beam setting. After that, it’s no mats. They only thing I ever see them do is throw a small area rug over the beam sometimes.

That’s interesting as all our girls even the international and gb squad girls train with the mats under the beam for the vast majority of the time.

 

[gymgal]

This is how my dd gym trains on beams all the time, they only remove the mats for a few routines the few weeks before competition. Does your dd gym train without the extra mats frequently?
Only asking out of curiosity as it’s so easy to assume the way my dd gym does things is they way it’s done everywhere.

I am rarely in the gym to watch but from dd's comments, around 2-3 months before the season starts, the mats are taken away from the high beam as they are expected to have their skills by then and the coaches want the girls to gain their confidence without the mats. There are exceptions to the rule, of course. As for upgrades, they typically are not working them on the high beam until "summer training". Until then, it is usually on the floor line, wide beam, or a low beam. Occasionally a gymnast will be ready to put an upgrade on high beam during competition season so they will stack the mats for it. During off season, the mats are usually stacked up on at least one of the high beams and a couple of the low beams

 

[gymgal]

So interesting. At DDs gym, I have never seen anyone stack mats beside a beam except for when they are first starting a skill and put panel mats beside the beam on the lowest beam setting. After that, it’s no mats. They only thing I ever see them do is throw a small area rug over the beam sometimes.

does your gym move up beam heights instead or do they go straight from floor beam to high beam without mats? dd's gym has tried it a few ways with different coaches over the years but the girls tend to prefer the mats under the beam, taking them away gradually. The coaches prefer this to spotting as well, especially when it is just a confidence issue, not form. That spot is so hard to extinguish for some girls.

 

[gymbeam]

Yes they move up beam heights which I guess accomplishes the same thing really. No spots on beam at our gym either.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

We do uptraining all year, but summer, December and January are only uptraining and keeping up their old skills.

Now that the meet season is starting in 4 weeks we do many side stations for new skills and routines. My level D girls (levels 4-5 in the USA) work on pirouette, giant, toe handstand and free hip drills on floor bars and on starp bar. On beam they do back handsprings, round offs and switch leaps on low beams. When we are on floor they go to the trampoline to do front and back layouts and twisting drills. And on vault they work on yurchenko and tsuk timers.

Optionals may be on very different levels on each apparatus. I have some girls who could do college level beam or floor (US standars), but who are still working on level 7-8 skills on bars. Once the girls hit optionals, they do routines but work on something new all the time. They all practice together so they might be grouped differently on bars and on floor for example.

 

[raenndrops]

This is how my dd gym trains on beams all the time, they only remove the mats for a few routines the few weeks before competition. Does your dd gym train without the extra mats frequently?
Only asking out of curiosity as it’s so easy to assume the way my dd gym does things is they way it’s done everywhere.

Our gym will put the big mat under the beam rarely... because we only have 1 "vault stack" and it is usually at vault.

We do have a crank beam that we can crank down and put an 8 inch mat under it.

Girls will work new skills first on the floor beam with stacked panel mats beside it to the height of the beam... then they open the panel mat, one layer at a time until they are doing the skill without the panel mats.

Next, they go to the crank beam cranked down to the lowest setting with the 8 incher under it. Every x# of successful attempts, it is raised 1/2 crank... until it is full height. Any spotting is done while the beam is low enough for the coaches to safely spot. There are a couple coaches that can spot from a spotting block on the full height beam, if needed.

Once they can do it on the full height on the crank beam, they move to the "competition beam" and continue working it there.

 

[tpMom]

Yes they move up beam heights which I guess accomplishes the same thing really. No spots on beam at our gym either.

This is how our gym does it. I've never seen a spot on a beam but everyone goes from a line on a floor, to floor beam with mats stacked level, and then gradually increases beam height until they're on the high beam. I have seen upper level skills like back tuck connections or bhsloso with lots of mats under the high beam though so it might be a coach/athlete preference.