Anyone elses gym use bean bags?

[Deanna]

my daughter is just a L2 but during her handstands (this is the only one i have viewed myself) and other moves they have them use bean bags.

They hold bean bags between their arms and their ears. The coach says this teaches them proper arm placement in relation to their heads ect.
The idea is that the bean bag stays where it is placed, if it falls then they are bending elbows or have their hands spaced too far apart on the floor, or they are holding their heads back to far, their backs are arched. The coach says they need perfect form to keep the bean bags between their arms and ears.

Anyone elses gym do this, or something similar?

 

[gymnut1]

sounds like fun for the little ones. Might try it with a backwards walkover.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Absolutely! I haven't seen it as much now that dd and ds are on team, but when my dd, esp, was in the developmental class, they used those bean bags all the time. they would use them like u said, and they would also have to hold them between their ankles while doing bars and some floor things, and then when they did pull ups, they had to raise their knees up (like a chair sit) and keep the bean bag from falling off of their laps. They also used these rubber exercise bands that they would put around their legs to keep them together when they were working on the bars.

I think with the youngers, esp, it is easier for them to "keep the bean bag between your (ankles, knees, whatever)" than just constantly hearing, "pont your toes, keep your arms by your ears, keep your legs together..."

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yep!............................

 

[MdGymMom01]

Yes--my dd's gym uses a square piece of fabric or other type of material to hold between their ankles on bars (to keep those legs together). They also use the foam blocks in the pit for different types of conditioning and drills. I agree that it does help the kids with proper alignment.

 

[Deanna]

Thanks folks. I was just wondering. Sadly we have had 3 gyms for her in the past 2 1/2 yrs. Due to DH job relocating him from Jersey to Arkansas then again within the state within about 8 months time. Finally he told them thats it. She started kindergarten this year and her brother preschool. We refuse to move them every 6 months or so anymore.

We have been at this gym for just a bit over a year. The other gyms she was at she was in a rec class. This is the first season she has been on team (like i said L2..nothing major..but shes got her foot in the door..lol). And it wasnt until she started team that they started using the bean bags in practice.

I dont know if the other gyms did it too or not. They didnt in the rec classes she was in. So i wasnt sure if this was a "standard" thing or just a little trick that her gym does.

I think its a neat idea. And I agree it almost makes it a game vrs "work".
I will have to watch a practice soon and see what else they use it on. I just know the handstand, because thats what I saw when i went to pick her up last week. I dont watch her anymore she doesnt want me to. She says she is a big girl now, and big girls dont need their mothers watching them. And now that she has started kindergarten i cant even use the excuse of not wanting to drive all the way home and back again, because the "tumble bus" picks her up from school and takes her to the gym. (sigh). Ill have to hide in the parents room after she gets there. She wont be able to see me. Its one way glass, we can see them, but they cant see us. And its a closed room seperate off the lobby. So when they come out of the gym (only reason they are allowed out is to use potty) they still cant see us. They dont mind parents watching, they just dont want the girls to know your watching. One of their mottos is "a distracted gymnast is a injured gymnast"...and thats why they have the parents in seclusion, or so they say..lmbo.

Okay i got totaly off topic here. I hijacked my own post..ugh

 

[Azgymmiemom]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of the one way glass!! We are building our new gym right now, and I think I may suggest this...its really is a great idea.

 

[gymbaby12]

Our gym uses them. Especially for glides or kips on bars to keep your legs together.

 

[gymnastbeth]

We use little thin half blocks of foam, and it's a big threat for the coach to say "You put your arms like that one more time and you'll have to use the foam!" Even us older girls use them when we are tumbling sometimes. I did yurchenko drills with them up at my ears, because I pulled my hands down in my RO. It does feel weird though running with my arms over my head, just to keep the foam there.

 

[Bella's Mom]

Our gym uses little stuffe animals.... beanie baby sized. You should see how excited the girls get when choosing their two animals for handstand work.

Our gym also has the one way glass in the lobby. It's so funny to watch the smaller kids come to the "mirror" and make their funny faces or fix their hair, etc.

 

[Bella's Mom]

It does feel weird though running with my arms over my head, just to keep the foam there.

And I betcha look COOL doing it.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

that original post was about 57769809473 years ago. i hope Deanna's kid is past the bean bag stage now. lol.

 

[bogwoppit]

Spammers are stupid.

 

[EmmasMommy]

yep! This helped my daughter learn to not "drop" her arms at the end of some of her skills.

 

[bogwoppit]

This was a very old thread dragged up by a spammer.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

Our gym uses rolled up washcloth looking things, one on each ear. My daughter was trying to figure out how to hold both of them up like you would a cordless phone...unfortunately it only worked on one ear at a time. ;-) I like the bean bag animal idea. I have a ton of beanie babies (don't ask), maybe I'll donate them to the gym!

 

[LiveLoveTumble]

Our gym uses rolled up washcloth looking things, one on each ear. My daughter was trying to figure out how to hold both of them up like you would a cordless phone...unfortunately it only worked on one ear at a time. ;-) I like the bean bag animal idea. I have a ton of beanie babies (don't ask), maybe I'll donate them to the gym!

Guys, this thread is like 1 million years old!!! Stop replying!!!

 

[Moxiegrl83]

It's already been replied to six times, I didn't bump it a spammer did, and I was replying to Emma'sMommy. Gosh I feel like I keep getting told to stop running when I'm walking backwards.