Conditioning Exercised

[juliasmom]

I knew we didn't go to the best gym, but I didn't really realize how bad it was until I took my daughter to a clinic at another gym the other day. The gym that I took her to is 3 hours a way so there is no chance that she will ever be able to go to that gym. The gym I took her to trains up through level 10, but our gym only trains to level 8 or 9. Right now we don't have any optional gymnasts.

Anyway, my daughter will be competing level 5 this year. At the other gym, they said she was not ready for level 5 and is only a level 3. They said that her conditioning and form is terrible and wanted to know what they were doing at gymnastics. They said that we had skipped over so many of the basics that there is no way that she will do well. I am so frustrated. There is no other gym to take her to. All the other parents at our gym think that it's the greatest.

I would love to tell our coach what I was told, but we are not allowed to go to any other gym for any type of extra help. We are also not allowed to have privates.

So my question is: are there any kind of conditioning exercises that my daughter can do at home to help with her form?

 

[gymgurl]

best thing is conditioning, lots of dish holds, V-snaps, chin up bar maybe, crunches, superman holds, etc just basics will get her stronger and the stronger you are the better you are at the skills and the more advanced skills you can do, e.g. i have the ability mentally and progression-wise to start flicing (BHS) on beam but i am not strong enough so i have to wait until my shoulders are strong enough. with strength better form should come just get her practicing squeezing her legs in pike and pointing toes sitting in pike so she feel the squeeze. bear in mind, let her choose to do this you are the mum not the gymnast

 

[CoachTodd]

Does she have all of her level 5 skills? I find it hard to believe that one gym would have a kid compete level 5 that only had level 3 skills, there's a huge gap there. At the same time, I think it's odd that you can't ask the coaches at your current gym. I think you should speak to the gym owner at your current gym and see if you can get a better line of communication going.
You will find out that some gyms don't condition enough while many condition too much. I don't know what kind of conditioning your DD is already doing so I really don't have any suggestions. Most of the best conditioning is done on the equipment. Thinks like toe touches on the bars and rope climbs. There are thousands of variations of exercises that can be done. Most of the focus should be on core strength and flexibility.

 

[juliasmom]

My daughter has all of her level 5 skills, but they are not as pretty as they should be. She does not keep her legs straight and together on bars. Her toes are not always pointed. She is wobbly on beam. At our gym I was told that her back walkover and back handsprings are perfect. At the other gym, they were trying to correct it. I have never seen gymnasts as perfect as the ones at the gym I went to. I know that our focus is different. They are trying to prepare girls to get college scholarships or go elite. Our gym does gymnastics for fun. My daughter wants to place higher. I never knew why she didn't until I saw the differences in gyms. Our coach says that when a girl scores a 35 she has pretty much mastered that level and is ready to move on if she has her skills.

We only have one coach at our current gym and he is the owner. I have tried to talk to him about my daughter, but he says that she is doing great. He just says she needs to be tighter. He says that she is very strong. I was shocked when the other gym told me that she was weak.

I think part of the difference in coaching is that the owner of the gym that we visited is a former olympian and our coach is former cheerleader.

 

[Bella's Mom]

I think part of the difference in coaching is that the owner of the gym that we visited is a former olympian and our coach is former cheerleader.

I think that right there says it all.

 

[All Chalked Up]

Really, since it's your money and it seems you and your daughter are not happy with the coaching, you should probably look for a new gym. Not necerssarily the gym she did the clinic at, but a new gym!

 

[juliasmom]

There is no other gym within driving distance. The one I went to is the closest so that is not an option. So my question is: Is there anything extra that she can do at home to help? If not, then I guess we'll just have to deal with what we have. The main things that she has trouble with are jumps, turns, balance, her arms and hands do not look pretty, she bends her legs, and she doesn't always point her toes. She is a very strong tumbler. It's the little things that she has trouble with. I'm not going to complain about our gym anymore. It's all we have, and she is very happy there. She just wants to be able to perform better at meets. So I just want to know if there is anything else we can do at home.

 

[gymcoach26]

Is there a good dance studio near you? Sign her up for a dance class and that should help with the turns, leaps, pointed toes, straight legs, and pretty hands that are not being corrected at the gym.

 

[juliasmom]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have planned to enroll her in dance next year anyway if it will work out with her schedule. She does gym 9 hours a week and takes piano. Our dance studio is not that great either, but hopefully it will help.

 

[Kiwi]

Dance lessons sound like a good idea for the prettiness side of things. For balance, you can use a wobble board at home for just a couple of minutes every day or two. Also, standing on releve, and releve walks can be practised, which helps for balance and tightness, and foot strength.

 

[thefellowsmom]

A balance suggestion: I have been doing some Pilate ball workouts lately and the ball has been laying around the living room. The fellows has been playing around with it, making up little games for herself. She does things like jump (very gently and not near anything hard - safety first folks) up onto the ball and land on her knees.. At first she would just roll off the other side, then she could jump and hold for a second before rolling off and then she could jump on and hold with her knees apart and now she can jump and hold with her knees almost touching.

This is just a game she plays with herself, but I was watching her work on beam the other day and she was much less wobbly than usual. I think it forced her to find and use those core muscles used for balance.

She also balances on her tummy and back and is now figured out she can sit in a V on it, but still falls off with that one.

I told her to stop when she first started doing this because it looked dangerous, but she seems to have a good handle on it so I just steer her away from the furniture. I would watch carefully at first.

 

[gymcoach34]

I knew we didn't go to the best gym, but I didn't really realize how bad it was until I took my daughter to a clinic at another gym the other day. The gym that I took her to is 3 hours a way so there is no chance that she will ever be able to go to that gym. The gym I took her to trains up through level 10, but our gym only trains to level 8 or 9. Right now we don't have any optional gymnasts.

Anyway, my daughter will be competing level 5 this year. At the other gym, they said she was not ready for level 5 and is only a level 3. They said that her conditioning and form is terrible and wanted to know what they were doing at gymnastics. They said that we had skipped over so many of the basics that there is no way that she will do well. I am so frustrated. There is no other gym to take her to. All the other parents at our gym think that it's the greatest.

I would love to tell our coach what I was told, but we are not allowed to go to any other gym for any type of extra help. We are also not allowed to have privates.

So my question is: are there any kind of conditioning exercises that my daughter can do at home to help with her form?

The coaches at the clinic you went to singled you out to tell you your daughter's gymnastics was terrible, she was really a level 3 and told you there was no way she could be successful? This is NOT professional behavior at all, and I cant believe they would do that. I have run/coached many clinics and there is barely time to say thanks and goodbye to visitors. Just because she is sloppy (not that that's ok)-if she had her level 5 skills that doesnt make her a level 3.

I would not force her to work on her form at home-it wont transfer to the gym. I'd like to offer advice other than that, but unless you talk to the coaches or take her somewhere else, there isnt much you can do.