Fear of being spotted at pit bar and being left out

[AlexsGymmyMom]

My DD has an ongoing fear of being spotted on anything related to the bars and balance beam. I have asked this before here on chalkbucket but maybe with some new members someone may have a new idea or two to help her get past the fear. It all started last year when she hurt herself doing a flyaway timer into the pit....(mind you she was NOT being spotted at the time). Now since meet season is over they are working upper level skills and progressions.

When doing the bar rotation they have a list and the 2nd thing on this list is casting with a spot on the pit bar. Since my DD is petrified (which is real to her but her coaches think it is totally irrational) she is left to work on kips and front hip circles while the rest of the team is progressing with the rest of the list. My DD has no need to spend the entire rotation working on kips as she has a very strong kip. She felt very left out and isolated. I understand that she needs to get past the fear but this made her feel punished by not letting her move on to the other things they were working on like long hang pullovers and casting on the high bar. Her only issue currently with bars is the pit bar and being spotted.

I guess my questions are .... any ideas to help get her past this fear of spotting and

is it a normal practice to leave her working kips (unneccessarily)....or should she have been allowed to move on with the group even though she is afraid of the pit bar? Most of the "list" does not include the pit bar.

Also, is it possible to learn new skills without being spotted? She is not the quickest at picking up skills but once she does they are usually done very well and with good form. (on bars that is.....lol!)

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

I don't know but I just want to add support and say my DD is PETRIFIED of the pit bar and generally loves the bars and says bars are her favorite event. I asked her why and she said something to the the effect of-- it's just so much higher than the bars b/c of the drop into the pit and the extra added height scares her. Do you think your DD could be having a similar issue? I am not sure if there is a solution- maybe someone on here has advice. I am not sure about the fear of being spotted either- maybe she is afraid she will get hurt or hurt the coach. As for doing the sills unspotted, I guess I would request a meeting with the coach/coaches and your daughter and see if she can explain what she is concerned/afraid of and if they have any advice and/or modifications.

 

[marie83]

Just a quick reply because I am about to go out to coach.

1) There is no need for your DD to be separated and should not feel punished for having a fear.
2) I'd speak to her coach and ask if there is anything else she can be working on
3) Are they using A bars in the pit or just a single rail? Is an option available to use a lower bar? I have my girls use the low bar into the pit as there is just no reason for them to use the high bar if they can't reach the floor on the low bar!
4) Ask the coach if there are any drills your DD can be doing without a spot OR if it's a trust issue, more than one spotter to be taken through the skill without having to actually do anything?

I may expand later but I really must go now!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

here we go again...it's vestibular! train on a lower bar! in time they won't be afraid of the pit bar. it's perfectly normal...not irrational. geesh...

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

I don't know but I just want to add support and say my DD is PETRIFIED of the pit bar and generally loves the bars and says bars are her favorite event. I asked her why and she said something to the the effect of-- it's just so much higher than the bars b/c of the drop into the pit and the extra added height scares her. Do you think your DD could be having a similar issue? I am not sure if there is a solution- maybe someone on here has advice. I am not sure about the fear of being spotted either- maybe she is afraid she will get hurt or hurt the coach. As for doing the sills unspotted, I guess I would request a meeting with the coach/coaches and your daughter and see if she can explain what she is concerned/afraid of and if they have any advice and/or modifications.

Unfortuntaly she cannot tell me why she is afraid. She says she doesn't know. This fear of being spotted has gone on for almost a year. It started on beam but has moved onto the pit bar as well. Best I can figure is it is a control thing! IDK I wish she knew how to put it into words!! Also, she can work on pit bar but just not with a spot... I think its going to be a long summer!!

 

[mariposa]

I think it is silly that someone can't set up a low bar for her for her to practice cast to HS on. My DDs coach always sets up a station for them to practice their cast to HS on and it is a low bar. Seems they are punishing her for her spotting fear, which is silly. I am sure she doesn't WANT to be afraid to be spotted and would LOVE to be able to work on uptraining skills with a spot, but she can't because she has fear of it. Sometimes I wish someone could directly say to one of these coaches with these types of attitudes (and the types of coaches that get all mad at a girl that falls/forgets routine/etc at a meet) "Do you REALLY think that this gymnast WANTS/WANTED to have fear issue/fall on beam at that meet/forget her routine at that meet????? Get a clue!"

 

[gymdog]

So...what happens if she is spotted on a cast on a lower bar? She won't cast? She'll do a low cast? I would probably make her do them somewhere, even if she was barely doing a cast. I've seen a lot of kids afraid to do cast HS even on a lower bar until they work up to it, so I don't think it's a good idea to push it until they get comfortable or they'll purposely open their shoulders on the wrong side of the bar and make it impossible even to spot them. Anyway, if she would do anything at all, then I would work with that. If she wouldn't do anything at all, then I think she should take a break and just lay off it for awhile, work on other drills, but perhaps that wasn't communicated well in a way where it didn't come off as punishment (and I don't know why she wouldn't do other things like long hang kips, so I'm kind of confused).

I don't believe in punishing a child for fears, however I would note that it can be very difficult to work a child into the regular rotation if they refuse to do things (whether that is in their control or not, I'm not making a value judgment), particularly when you only have limited equipment to set up. I'm afraid at some point in order to go back and work past fears, some "isolation" and independent work on whatever stage the child can do is inevitable. Obviously how this is handled is key. I think you need to speak with your daughter's coaches and ask to set up a plan that she is committed to and has input on to work past this block. You may start by asking your daughter to write down such a plan of what she thinks she needs to do in order to get to the appropriate point. Then see how realistic her plan is or whether she can even describe one. The only way to work past some of these blocks is for the coach and gymnast to get on the same page. There needs to be a plan that both are committed to where progress is incremental and realistic. It may need to be adjust over time, but I believe it should be mostly laid out as a starting point (using a conservative timeline).

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

So...what happens if she is spotted on a cast on a lower bar? She won't cast? She'll do a low cast? I would probably make her do them somewhere, even if she was barely doing a cast. I've seen a lot of kids afraid to do cast HS even on a lower bar until they work up to it, so I don't think it's a good idea to push it until they get comfortable or they'll purposely open their shoulders on the wrong side of the bar and make it impossible even to spot them. Anyway, if she would do anything at all, then I would work with that. If she wouldn't do anything at all, then I think she should take a break and just lay off it for awhile, work on other drills, but perhaps that wasn't communicated well in a way where it didn't come off as punishment (and I don't know why she wouldn't do other things like long hang kips, so I'm kind of confused).

I don't believe in punishing a child for fears, however I would note that it can be very difficult to work a child into the regular rotation if they refuse to do things (whether that is in their control or not, I'm not making a value judgment), particularly when you only have limited equipment to set up. I'm afraid at some point in order to go back and work past fears, some "isolation" and independent work on whatever stage the child can do is inevitable. Obviously how this is handled is key. I think you need to speak with your daughter's coaches and ask to set up a plan that she is committed to and has input on to work past this block. You may start by asking your daughter to write down such a plan of what she thinks she needs to do in order to get to the appropriate point. Then see how realistic her plan is or whether she can even describe one. The only way to work past some of these blocks is for the coach and gymnast to get on the same page. There needs to be a plan that both are committed to where progress is incremental and realistic. It may need to be adjust over time, but I believe it should be mostly laid out as a starting point (using a conservative timeline).

She is not afraid to cast. In fact she can almost cast to handstand on her own on the low bar. It has something to do with being spotted! IDK, she is ok as long as no one is touching her on pit bar.

I do agree that some independent work is in order but I think it should at least be something that she NEEDS to work on not just whatever is the last thing on the "list". I honestly don't think they are purposly trying to punish her. They just go by the list and you don't move on to the next thing until you complete the last thing if that makes sense. She tells me she wants to work on the other stuff but they will not let her move on without completing #2 on the list. "her words exactly"

 

[gymdog]

Well, I have no idea how that factors into what they have set up. It's possible they have been trying to encourage her by adhering to the list. Personally I often will not let kids move on until they complete the assignment to a satisfactory degree, but this sounds like a slightly different situation. She does need to work past the fear of being spotted, so unless she refuses to go on that bar at all, I don't understand why they don't just make her do it to whatever degree she can (even if it's a baby cast). I could understand not doing it if she flat out refuses to get up there, otherwise I feel she should do what she can.

I think you need to speak with your daughter's coach...that is the only way to resolve the situation. For me the spotting fears described would be too difficult to work around moving forward so I would need the gymnast to commit with me to a plan to resolve them this summer.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

She is not afraid to cast. In fact she can almost cast to handstand on her own on the low bar. It has something to do with being spotted! IDK, she is ok as long as no one is touching her on pit bar.

I do agree that some independent work is in order but I think it should at least be something that she NEEDS to work on not just whatever is the last thing on the "list". I honestly don't think they are purposly trying to punish her. They just go by the list and you don't move on to the next thing until you complete the last thing if that makes sense. She tells me she wants to work on the other stuff but they will not let her move on without completing #2 on the list. "her words exactly"

okay, i'm confused. sorry if i missed something. will your daughter go on the pit bar and do stuff including cast handstands by herself and without a spot?

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

She will cast on the pit bar by herself but she cannot yet get to HS...even on the low bar. She is just afraid of the spotting. IDK...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

then she doesn't belong on the pit bar up that high. if you can't do it on a low bar, you have no business doing the same on the high bar whether it's in to a pit or over a mat. this defies sequential gymnastics logic. that's that!