Flyaway Trouble

[gymnut29]

I am currently coaching a Level 6 team. One of my girls is a second year Level 6. She is struggling on bars this summer. She successfully competed her flyaway most of last season and just before states pulled in too soon and kicked the bar with her toes. She wont do them anymore and its getting frustrating for both her and me. Bars is the main reason she wont be going to Level 7 this season.

I have been trying to start from square one with her and even have put her with the level 5s that are just learning this skill so try and do that but it wont work.

Does anyone have any reccomendations? I am setting up a private lesson with her when she comes back from vacation in a week and I think I may work some progressions with her starting on low bar and then moving to high bar. Does any one have experience with this skill and mental blocks and how to get her over them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ryantroop]

Depends on you as a coach. I'm a big guy and can hand spot from the floor. If you feel you can do that, try this for fun.

Raise the low bar to as high as it can go. Put a porta pit or 2-3 8" mats in front with enough room to swing, getting her hips above the mat with her knees bent. From here, you can hand spot the nifty swing away from the bar to her back/ shoulders. You will have 100% control of her and she will feel it.

When this is comfy, move the bar back and have her do the same thing on the high bar. As long as she does, stays tight, and you can hand spot, she will flip over. It will take a few times before she can do it on her own, and may not happen the same day. Be sure you can pancake spot and you drill the release until she hates it.

Other than that... Its just a lot of confidence work. It sucks, but she will get over it if she wants to. She needs to learn to trust herself again, and in some ways she needs to learn to trust you and your technique again.

Good luck!

Best wishes,

Ryan