Jump to high bar

[Billy]

My DD is really good on bars. They're her favorite event and she places 1st in almost every meet (including state). But, she's just moved up to AAU L4 and had her first big fall.

She recently started wearing grips (the coach introduced them for the whole team) and has had some trouble feeling comfortable with them. During practice last week, she tried a jump to the high bar (which she has always been able to do with no problem), and missed. Her coach was able to break her fall so she didn't get hurt but she did fall to the mats on her back. She did eventually get back up to the bars (a different set) and made the jump one time but she hasn't done it since. At practice last Friday and yesterday, she wouldn't do the jump, even with the coach there. She can jump and touch the high bar but she won't catch it. She can do all of the L4 bars routine, except now this. Any suggestions on helping her get over her fear?

 

[bogwoppit]

Give it a little bit of time, splatting off the high bar is scary, and it will take a little time to go for it again.

My little one peeled off the bar doing exactly the same thing, landed hard on her back on the mat. She too had the solid squat on and jump, it came back, the coach didn't really do more than say, "when you can jump to the high bar you can practice the rest of your routine".

Instead she would practice standing on the ground on a longish spotting block in a push up position, she would do the squat on the block and then jump to a medium height single bar. This really helped her regain her confidence.

Funnily enough our base routine sounds just like you AAU 4 routine, except they have a sole circle dismount off the high bar. Once little one cast up for the dismount, got her feet on and went over the top of the bar, the coach caught her on the way down, but she didn't like that much either.

All that to say give it time, this will just be the first of very many things that she and all gymnasts get hung up on. I wouldn't even mention it to her, if she thinks you are bothered by it, she may become even more hung up by it.

Grips are a challenge with little gymnasts, neither of my girls wear them, even working giants, oldest just hates them, youngest just has no interest. Lots of girls do bars here without them, I have never been to a gym where they are mandatory, different strokes I guess.

 

[Billy]

I don't know if the grips are mandatory or not. I just know that all the girls got them on the L4 team.

I have talked with DD about the jump to high bar. I reminded her that she can do it and that she should imagine herself making the jump, rather than worrying that she can't make it. I also thought if she looks at it as "now I'm going to do my long-hang pullover," she will be focusing on that instead of the jump to get there. Anyway, she has practice again tonight so if they do bars, we'll see what happens.

 

[margymmom]

My daughter's gym doesn't allow them to wear grips til level 5, but some girls still have problems with them and are allowed to opt out (but she competes USA, where they don't use the high bar til level 5). My daughter has extremely small hands, and even in the smallest dowel grip that our gym uses they are still quite wide for her hands. We bought them, tried them a few months, then she was allowed to go without. All that to say, maybe the smallness of her hand is a factor and she may not be ready for the type of grips you are using. Give it some time and she'll work thru the fear.

 

[gym law mom]

Sometimes just backing off and not making a big fuss for a little while is best. I'm sure to her the fall was scary and unexpected. In a year, falling like that will be nothing. Let her just work on jumping and touching the high bar. You may slowly see her get her confidence back about trying to grab it.

Don't think grips are needed for a L4, but I'm not a coach. Many little ones have trouble really feeling the bar at all with that leather on their hands plus they haven't really learned to grip it yet anyway and can get that dowel hung up. Talk with the coach and see if she can try her bars without grips. She might feel more comfortable going for the jump to high bar without them.

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

I agree with gym law mom - that is pretty much what I was going to say. Remember with little kids - especially girls who tend to be dramatic to begin with - if you talk about something too much they then start thinking it is a big deal even if in there mind it wasn't to begin with. In a month if she is still not doing it - then maybe I'd be concerned. They all get skills, then have some weird mishap, don't do it for a few practices and then go right back to it like nothing happened. Nothing you do or say can rush that process - she has to get through it - and she will

 

[Billy]

Thanks, everybody. I appreciate the advice and suggestions. DD had practice tonight and she did make the jump to the high bar with the grips. Yea!!! She did it three times, even going right into the long-hang pullover each time. I hope they do bars again tomorrow just to kind of reinforce it. But, hey, she did it!!!

 

[canadiangymnast_eh]

i had the exact same problem!!!! these are some of the things i tryed:


- bribing (didn't work)
- moving the bars close enough together so i could fall to the bar then gradually making the bars farther appart
- spot so i could get the feel of catching the bar
- lots of stacked mats so i cold just touch when i hung on the high bar
- just went for it with my coach there to catch me (and mats)

 

[eeyoretumbles]

I used to have a fear too! One of the obvious ways to get over the fear, is to put the bars really close together, so she can just lean and touch it, then gradually pull it apart. When I started to overthink myself and get scared, I would stand underneath the high bar, so that my head was directly underneath the high bar, and that I was facing the low bar. Then I would jump from the ground to the low bar and catch it. That way I was confident, that when I would jump from the low bar to the high bar, it would be the same distance that I had jumped before, the only difference was that I was on the ground the time before. I hope that that made sense, if not i could explain it again.

 

[Billy]

Thanks, guys! DD is actually doing really great now. She is jumping to the high bar all the time and can do it at the FIG setting, too.

 

[ShootingStaRr]

i also have a fear of jumping to high bar (not as big as it used to be)

in pre comp my coach(rip) got me jumping to high bar. i then started to try them on my own but for some reason one time i jumped an the bar was really slippery and i slipped of and fell on my back and after then i got really scared of them.
at that point that point i was just going in to competitive gym, i was lucky i did have to do it for competitions. my new coaches started to get me jumping to high bar with mats and gradually making them smaller but then the holidays came and i lost all confidence in doing it and i stopped again. then i got another coach and it was at one of my comps she told me i was ready for level 4 and i then moved up. i was compulsory to jump so i started jumping and i never caught the bar i just touched it. i eventually got over the fear of doing it but now i have stopped doing it i still have an ongoing fear when i am doing it. i suffered many falls; mainly on to my bum but a few were to my back and stomach i knew i just had to keep doing it and not let it beat me.

what does you DD have to do on bar ??

 

[Billy]

She was doing a pullover, front hip circle, cast squat on, jump to high bar, long hang pullover, under swing, and tap swings. Now she's moved up to L5 so she's doing kips, too.

 

[midwestgymmom]

Glad she's doing better it is so hard to watch them struggle with their fears:hug:

 

[Billy]

Thanks. She's doing really great and has absolutely no problems on bars anymore. Whew!

 

[ShootingStaRr]

there isn't any need for grips in L4 and not really in L5 either.
my coach told me we weren't aloud them until we were doing
kips, sole circles, clear hips or flyways.