Bars Fear

[Iwannabemargo]

If you have been keeping up with my other posts ( and why would you ? ) you will know that my dd has been driving me nuts recently.

She has always been a scaredy-cat, afraid of trying anything new, but recently she has been acting out at gym (stomping screaming, crying) if asked to do something she is not comfortable with.

We have tried talking through things, behaviour charts, bribary and corruption, rescue remedy and now we are at the point that unreasonable behaviour gets her time out and if she caries on she misses her next gym class.

She will be 8 next month for context.

She has now developed a fear of catching the high bar. She has been able to jump and catch fo 6 months easy and has now decided she can't (wont?) do it. We have tried cajoeling, pursuading etc but its getting to the point now that her coach is so fed up with her beahaviour that she sits out. And I totally agree, she is disrupting everyone else.

I coach part-time at the gym so I have tried on her own getting her to jump and just "tap the bar" - no expectation of catching and she can do that fine, but the minute I say oaky catch it we get meltdown.

Does anyone have any drills I can use to get her confidence back up - she needs to have her 2 bar routine nailed by February.

Thanks

'Margo

 

[susie]

I am having the same issue with my dd. She has always been a very brave gymnast. Always ready to try something new. Now all of a sudden she won't do her cartwheel on beam. She is freaking and talking about quitting!! I think it is confidence too. She isn't trusting herself. I could use some advice too!!

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[Deleted member D3987]

stack mats up between the bars so that you can, quite literally, walk from the low bar to the high bar. then practice jumping and catching. then you peel mats from there. it's really quite simple.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

stack mats up between the bars so that you can, quite literally, walk from the low bar to the high bar. then practice jumping and catching. then you peel mats from there. it's really quite simple.

THIS is what finally worked for Little Monkey, after she competed for THREE SEASONS without being "able" to jump to HB. She would squat on and put her hands out (trying to fake everyone out???) and jump down instead of up and out.

 

[Faith]

Is she doing Level 4 (UK) next year? Purely out of interest, nothing constructive to add

Dunno's answer makes perfect sense. Not that I would have thought of it

The only thing I can think of is move the bars closer together? But then I haven't really been near bars since the 80's and the ones you could stand on the low bar and polish the (wooden) high bar. Are the apparatus a lot different now? I've seen them adjust the widths but have no idea whether it's wide or wider, or you can still bring them in close.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Nah Faith, deffo Grade 13,hopefully Grade 12 but she has Comp in the beginning of March "Down West" and needs to do

Upstart, cast, back hip circle, squat on, catch, upstart, baby giant, straddle undershoot. She can do it all except the jump and catch !

The bars wont be altered for her - I don't think they have ever been altered - certainly not since I have been going there which is 3 years now !

Faith, I remember the "old " bars, and the bruised hips !

'Margo

 

[Faith]

Can she maybe get a bit of free play? see if she can work it out herself rather than have someone stood coaching her and maybe increasing stress?

I still don't have the hang of the competition system. That routine isn't too different to what I've seen on youtube of Level 4. Is there a reason for going down the club path? Again, just interested

And what is a baby giant? Is it different to a 3/4 giant?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Link Removed

She could probably do compulsory 5 but 4 is a bit beyond her atm - our gym has never had anyone do compulsories ( new HC just taken over) so its all a bit new and scary

 

[gymnut1]

Can she maybe get a bit of free play? see if she can work it out herself rather than have someone stood coaching her and maybe increasing stress?

I still don't have the hang of the competition system. That routine isn't too different to what I've seen on youtube of Level 4. Is there a reason for going down the club path? Again, just interested




I think her dd would be too old for grade 4 if she is old enough for grade 12? Don't you have to be 9 in year for grade 4 and 10 in year minimum for grade 12?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

ooops - yes you're right - looks like its Grade 13 this year she's competeing as 8 this year ( shes 8 in 2 weeks)

 

[marie83]

What is she actually scared of? Has she ever peeled off after catching?
From my experience gymnasts tend to get scared of catching if they've been doing it with incorrect technique/rushing and/or have had falls. Sometimes it is just the fear of falling if they have seen others fall.

We do what dunno said, pile up mats, or put 2 coaching blocks next to each other under the bar if we have a shortage of mats!

Would she be allowed to practice jumping from a floor bar to catch a raised low bar? Or from a platform such as one of those big red coaching blocks, and catch the high bar?
It's a bit odd that they don't move the bars in and out, all our girls learn to catch with the bars pulled in, then we gradually move them out as they gain confidence.
If she is allowed to pull the bars in, she could practice standing on the low bar with her hands on the high bar, then letting her feet come off the bar and swing forwards and back to dismount.

Here is a good video with some ideas! Jumping to High Bar - YouTube

Good luck!

 

[Kiwi]

From my experience gymnasts tend to get scared of catching if they've been doing it with incorrect technique

Just curious, what is the correct technique for catching?

 

[marie83]

As in the video, jumping upwards and forwards with a hollow body, making sure feet are still behind the high bar when they catch.

 

[gymnast1guppy]

I had a fear of my backtuck a long time ago.. I would get it then I would be afraid and I wanted my coach there to spot me.... I was so frudtrated I was thinking about quiting. I would have her do one on the floor then on the little beam and then on the high beam stack up some matts and then take one away.. Im not saying this will work because we tried a lot of theings for me and I used to still get back into that fear..... I was the only one in level six and once i had girls come into that level with me the next year i relized if they were doing it with no coach why cant i? Make sure she doesnt lose hope in herself because I am pretty sure she is a wonderful girl and gymnast.

 

[d0nut_l0ver]

I used to be scared to jump to high bar as well, after one of my friends missed. She didn't break or injure anything, but I still was afraid of missing the bar. Then the coaches got a giant, squishy mat and put it under the bar, so if we fell, we would only fall a foot onto this giant mat. That gave me the confidence to jump to the high bar. Eventually, they took away the mat, and now I'm doing it without a problem.

That won't help if she's just refusing to catch the high bar, but if she's scared, mats can be great helpers for lots of skills, not only on bars, but on beam, too! Wish you luck!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Well - just a little update

I mentioned to her coach about all the tips posted here and last night we had a better session. I didn't help with her group but with the other group ( better for both me and her I think) and her coach stacked some mats under the high bar after they had been practicing their upstarts

and guess what

She did it !


Sh also didn't scream or stomp once - such a releif. I know its only one day but its so much fun when she is "in her happy place" and so bad when she isn't. we had a grreat drive home - she was cracking jokes all the way home.

 

[meeeshymoo]

excellent, my daughter had same issues she is okay now but I do wonder if she takes a deduction for the pause before jumping !.

Out of interest is there anywhere on line where you can see the requirements for the different grades ?, I have the levels but can't find the grades. Bog kindly directed me to a website a year or 2 ago but this seems to have disappeared now.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I've got 14-12 saved on here and I think I know which website I got them off - I'll find something to ping over to you.

 

[txgymfan]

Sometines we all need to celebrate a good day or even a good few minutes. Congrats to you for how you dealt with the situation and to DD for her patience and willingness to keep trying.