? about Level 5 vault & punching

[gymcritter]

Ok DD had her first Level 5 district qualifier. she did really well got a 35.6 (enought o move to placement) The only area that she really needs help in is the vault.. she got an 8.050... The coach says she doesn't punch right whenever she has to punch she does more of a jump.. she said she sees this also in her tumbling when she has to punch. Now last year Dd had a similar problem.. she was pikey in her flat back for about the first 3 meets (scored around 8.7's) then slowly moved up 9's then eventually got to about 9.6's.. I just thought we tackled the vault issues only here we are new season.. and more issues..

Any ideas about punching?? The bad thing is vault is not really something we can do much practice at home

 

[JBS]

Run...run...run...long low hurdle. During the hurdle the hips do not rise...the feet and knees do. The feet and knees pull up and extend forward and down into the board. The arm thrust (under arm lift, arm circle) is also happening at this time to create more compression on the board.

The bold is the key.

EDIT: Oops...I forgot my drill. Draw a line on the ground. Hurdle over it and punch back and land behind it again. Try to drag your toes on the carpet when punching back.

 

[JBS]

Read this post:

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CLink RemovedoachTodd says it well.

 

[cher062]

First Breath In, Breath Out ok now you are relaxed.
Let the coaches do what they do best - Coach. they will have her practice what she needs to do trust that they have her best interests at heart.

Ask the coaches if there is anything she can do at home to help with this, but really its all part of being in gymnastics.

I don't care how good a gymnast anyone is there is always some move, some equipment or something that needs to be worked on for all gymnasts. Just like last year she will work through it and get it eventually.

Gymnastics is not one of those sports where after 3 practices they get it. It is a long term type of sport where it can take a whole year to get it right.

The Compulsory levels are the levels to work on these basic skills in a long term plan so when they get to optionals and the really hard skills they have the basics down pat. Just give her time, support and let her work it out with the coaches.

Remember she should be in this for the FUN first and if the scores are high that is a bonus. That way of thinking puts alot less stress on the kids.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

if she's under 60 pounds it's the damned boards.

 

[gymcritter]

Thanks all for your ideas and thoughts

First I didn't mean to come off sounding like one of "those" parents.. were really not like that but my dd is a perfectionist and when the coach says she has a problem punching she wants to work on it and asks us what she can do.. the coach does work with her but honeslty most girls in her group "get" vault so they spend the least time on that.... Yes last year she eventually got it and that was great but I guess I didn't understand how she was finally able to punch and all for the level 4 vault but here we are stugglling with that thing again. I know she will not get it overnight but her score went down a bit from her mock meet and from what the coach has been scoring her in the gym..

I do trust in her coach and know she'll eventually get it but when the coach says she just doesn't understand how to punch probably and then my dd comes home and wants to work on punching I was just wondering if there was anything she could do at home

She is little about 45lbs.. but so are a few of her teammates who were able to get higher scores so i'm not sure if it is the board
Thanks all !!!

 

[htimcj]

I SO hear this! My DD is 9 and weighs about 50lbs. That damn board

 

[gymgal]

I SO hear you on vault. DD always has problems blocking. I still don't quite understand what this means. I've read about it and have seen videos on it but how to you teach it? DD says she knows she is supposed to block but still doesn't get how to do it. I think it has something to do with her not being aware of the difference when she does/doesn't. It was an issue last year and she seemed to solve it somewhat. She ended up with a 9.3 at states (she is prep op and they vault over the table to flatback). this year she'll do a handspring over the table so she will need more power. She's not a great runner wither so I think that plays a role.

She's right around 60 lbs so dunno's comment interesting but then again I've seen whole teams of 6-8 yr old petite girls (50 lbs tops) scoring 9.5's on vault. So I'm not sure it's that.

 

[gymcritter]

Here is a video of her vault from the meet : MOV009.MOD - YouTube

I know the second vualt gets blocked but here it is

 

[cher062]

when my DD was at L5 I don't think she even weighte 45 Lbs so the spring board was a challange for her and she was lucky to get the ting to move.

You don't sound like one of "those parents" you sound like a new parent with a year under her belt. We have all been where you are and I can still remember the stress of trying to figure out what to do to help my DD - wish I had this board then thats for sure.

After years at this with a son (now 19) and a DD (now 14) I've learned they will get it when they get it and there is not alot you can do but be supportive for them. Usually the problem isn't physical but a mental one. Lack of confidence will do it every time.

Just ask the coach what else she can to to practice at home - you might be surprised to find the coach doesn't want her to do anything at home. I know for my DD her coaches don't want them burnt out with overtraining. Your coach is your best resource for the answer to your question.

 

[Muddlethru]

Gymcritter, when my daughter was a L5, I too was puzzled with the mechanics of handspring vault because it was the event she was least consistent. Below is a link that helped me understand vaulting. It was more helpful to me than her since there was not much I could do. She eventually became more consistent.

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BTW your DD looks good. And I also believe it does not hurt to do research to help your daughter or yourself understand things. It does help move things along. My daughter had trouble holding her handstand when she first started training for tops. She worked on it every minute she had at home. I'd watch her and since I knew nothing about hs, I did some research to understand the mechanics. There was a drill I picked up from the article which I had her do. It was as simple as lying on her stomach and showing her and making her feel how her form should be on a handstand. I kid you not, and my DD is the first to give me credit, after the drill, she held her hs for 20 secs. Within a week she was holding for 30 secs. Now. She can hold a Hs for almost 2 minutes. She has even taught her other teamates the drill. My point is, yes they will learn the skill in due time, but it certainly does not hurt for us to help them along if it is safe to do so.

 

[CoachTodd]

I agree with Dunno on the boards being a bit hard for smaller kids. I have noted that they will rely more on their runs to give them the power they need to get rebound out of the boards if they are lighter. If they can get a good punch off of a firm board, they will get more turn over so they really need to make sure they're ready for their bodies to bounce over the table and get to their shapes faster. The bad thing is, if their timing with the punch isn't right, their ankle do take a beating.

 

[Pickle's Mom]

All the coaches will probably disagree with me, but Pickle's punch is weak as well and what really helped her this summer was time on the diving board at the pool.

She really hurdled her body into it (far more than she was doing at the gym) and she felt the difference.

The pool was also amazing for helping her overcome back tuck fears. And it's fun.