Women How long do you think it takes to learn giants?

[rjb123]

On average. Lets say the gymnast has a good cast HS and has competed it several times. Just curious.

 

[gymjunkie]

The giant is something that evolves from their developmental (pre-team) days in the form of drills set up around the bars. So while a gymnast with a cast HS might learn it in one summer, in reality they have been working on it for years. Does the gymnast in question have a well shaped strap bar giant that they can initiate from a tap swing (without tucking their knees/arching over the bar)?

 

[GymnastMomX2]

My daughter just got her giant on the real bar alone yesterday for the first time. Two days ago was her first time doing it on a real bar with a spot. I'm assuming all her progressions and strap bar work must have been really solid in order for it to just happen that quick??? Also, she cannot cast handstand yet.

Edited to add when I say real bar I mean a single rail, she hasn't tried it between the bars yet.

 

[stxrdusty]

A cast handstand has nothing to do with being able to learn and do a giant in my experience. I learned a giant without having a cast to handstand. The handstand just enables the gymnasts to come from higher and therefore generate more speed. Because I didn't have a handstand I was forced to perfect my tap, the forcing the toes down (past the low bar) before making the stretch position.

It can take anywhere from a couple days to a year to learn good giants depending on the gymnast and prior training. I mean good hollow, TAPPING tap swings, a baby giant that doesn't freeze on top of the bar because the gymnast pikes (although my gym has level 9s with decent giants that have horrid baby giants so what do I know...) and giants on a strap bar.

 

[zgymnast96]

I personally find cast handstands to be helpful when learning a giant. It is not needed but it definitely helps. Also, strap bar is very helpful. That is how I learned to do giants, with a lot of practice.

 

[kimute]

My DD has been doing pretty good cast handstands for about a year now and just got her baby giant. Sounds from previous posters that maybe they aren't related. I have no idea. I'm still not quite clear even on what the baby is...

 

[Ex member]

My dd has been doing drills for giants more or less as soon as she started her group in January, the do really high swings on the metal bar, they have to use good form and be strong enough before being allowed to go all the way over the bar with a spot, dd hasn't gone all the way over yet as I doubt she is quite strong enough yet.

 

[htimcj]

It took my DD about 9 months to get hers on the real bars and that is without a cast handstand. Boy can she tap Now they are a bit shaky because she is now doing a cast handstand (most of the time) and it has thrown her timing off. Right now it seems she either casts to handstand and then misses her giant or makes a great giant but missed the handstand.

So basically it varies A LOT!

 

[Pea'sMom]

What they said! Pea's group has been training spotted giants (no strap bar) since about April. The two go-getters in the group had them shortly there after. Two got their 'ugly' giants last week. The remaining six are still struggling. Pea has a beautiful CHS, totally vertical and straight. But really struggles with the timing of the tap and keeping her head in.

 

[lovemygymnast]

On this topic, if a gymnast has the kip-cast-HS and just got giants on strap bar with pretty decent form, how long does it take to get real giants? My DD just got her giants on strap bar last night and while I'm excited for her, it makes my heart palpitate a bit.

 

[gasrgoose]

It depends on what the gym considers a giant. If the only goal is to have the kid spinning around the bar they can be learned very quickly. I'm always amazed at what some gyms allow to compete!?!? Sometimes it's too scary to watch.....

 

[hearts_and_stars]

DD's coach will not teach any kid giants who does not already have a solid, consistent cast handstand. Having said that, DD has 12 girls on her team learning giants. DD and one other girl have them beautifully on their own (unspotted), stopping vertical in handstand consistently. DD seemingly got her giants overnight--one practice the bar coach was heavily spotting her, the next he was only ensuring she got completely to handstand before initiating the second swing. I'm not sure if this is the result of DD having had a consistent cast handstand for a while before learning giants or because her tap swings were amazing from the time she began level 4 (she has a lot of power and naturally hits the gymnastics shapes--this is from HC, though I am still learning exactly what she means by that). The other girls who are struggling with giants cannot hit cast handstand consistently (until I read this post I believed the cast handstand was the precursor to the giant), but I think the bigger issue for them is that they don't have the timing of when to change their grip on the bar and when to kick their toes upward (shift and kick, shift and kick--I sometimes think the bar coach can only speak 3 words all of practice!) Some of the higher level optionals parents have told me giants are one of those skills that just have to click--for some girls it comes very quickly, for others it can take quite a bit of time. I likened it to the kip at level 4, though I'm not sure that analogy works?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

a giant swing without a proficient handstand is not only ugly but unsafe. not to mention that a handstand is a required skill. everything we do in gymnastics comes from, goes thru or ends up in a handstand. can't get around it.

 

[gymjunkie]

I have never seen a giant executed from anything but a HS (not intentionally anyway). So there are gyms that teach giants out of a regular cast? That would force the kid to throw their shoulders over the bar to get over. So from now on when I see entire teams that compete HS-yucky giant with shoulders leading the way over the top, I am going to assume that these are the same gyms that teach giant swings to kids who have not yet mastered their kip HSs!

 

[cassafrass]

My DD got her first strap giant July 25 of this year. She did her first real giant earlier this month, then 2days later 2 giants layout flyaway. Now she is connecting giant to kip cast. She CAN kip hs but not every time and the last I saw the giants they weren't stellar.

 

[Hayleigh]

There is one girl at my club that is a bit like that (throws shoulders over bar), but can cast to a tight vertical handstand, just doesn't feel in control of her giants coming from handstand, so HC lets her cast to horizontal into them.
It is just plain scary to watch, especially on strap bar, the other day the only way you could describe it was a bridge. Hands were on bar, shoulder were about 4 inches past bar and feet were in line with bar still coming up from the swing. I was worried for her safety. :O

 

[kayjaybe]

According to dd, it will take FOREVER to get her giants and she is NEVER going to get them.

But not sure that is what you were looking for.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

According to dd, it will take FOREVER to get her giants and she is NEVER going to get them.

But not sure that is what you were looking for.

not true. she'll get them.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

btw, a giant swing is never fully mastered. the body changes and grows causing constant vigilance by a coach to keep their eye on the subsequent taps needed during the giant swing and during the skills that come out of them. it never ends.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

On average. Lets say the gymnast has a good cast HS and has competed it several times. Just curious.

there is no average. they learn it when they learn it and it will change during the course of their career.