WAG Kinesthetic / Body Awareness

[MMG2006]

Then why do I feel like I always hear that "8" is the magic number where it "clicks "... Isn't it subjective, and too individualized to lump into age categories?

 

[gymmomx2]

Then why do I feel like I always hear that "8" is the magic number where it "clicks "... Isn't it subjective, and too individualized to lump into age categories?

I have heard "between 7 and 8", and that was part of the reason I asked. My dd is working on her kip and her coach said it could come any time as she is now at the age where kids typically develop the coordination and body awareness for the skill (she has more than enough strength).

 

[LJL07]

I have heard "between 7 and 8", and that was part of the reason I asked. My dd is working on her kip and her coach said it could come any time as she is now at the age where kids typically develop the coordination and body awareness for the skill (she has more than enough strength).

Well, good. I hope it magically clicks then for my DD since she just turned 7. This will be the year for them! Ha!

 

[3 little monkeys]

I think it's different for everyone. My just turned 7yo has very good form. My 8yo always had awful form but is very strong and picked up moves quickly yet rarely "perfecting" them. Her awareness is definitely improving but I am unsure if this is down to her age or just better attention to detail from new coaches.

 

[littlegirlsdream]

If there is a magic age my daughter hasn't experienced it. She slowly plugs along. She knows what her corrections are and often feels like she is making them. She knows how skills are suppose to look and I believe she often feels she is doing them the correct way even when she isn't. Video helps her to see and make corrections that she can't feel.
So There seems to be no magic age for my DD yet but Maybe there will be

 

[Tumbellina82]

Then why do I feel like I always hear that "8" is the magic number where it "clicks "... Isn't it subjective, and too individualized to lump into age categories?

In the UK that is the age of transition from primary to middle school (usually actually the same physical place) and from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 educationally. You do see a number of big differences and changes in children at around that age, in terms of maturity, cooperation, coordination and physicality but it is very ballpark and you may have a chicken and egg situation going on. Are the children divided into two groups like that to reflect an age at which they change a lot quickly or do the children change in reaction to the grouping? Probably both. Also the extent to which the general coordination and body awareness kids develop for everyday activities is transferable to the higher demands of gymnastics is probably questionable.

Seven is suggested as an approximate age of transfer from the Pre-Operational stage to the Concrete-Operational stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

I would guess that attempts to pin down a magic age at which this "clicks" are quite strongly influenced by other child development milestones.

 

[Aero]

In my opinion and from my personal experiences learning skills on my own, there are three things that can really help "air awareness."

1. Trampoline Work. Training regularly on trampoline has helped me immensely when it comes to air awareness of skills. Training very basic trampoline skills like back drops, front drops, pull overs, cruises, kabooms, etc. can help the body learn how to make the minute movements and shifts in balance to control the body in the air and upon take off. Plus, when the student begins learning saltos and twisting skills on the trampoline they can do them at various heights and speeds, experimenting with tucking fast and opening early, setting longer, delaying the twist, etc. Basically, just how to play around with each skill and alter it in different ways to learn how they work. In addition, when they get comfortable with massive height on trampoline it teaches them to be in tune with doing skills with high amplitude and the value of setting their aerial skills.
2. Visual Cues. Something you never, ever, ever want to do in any skill is close your eyes. It forces the body to rely strictly on how a skill feels and makes it much more difficult. There will always be points in certain skills such as saltos with or without twists where everything will be a blur of colors, but there are numerous times throughout these skills where one can spot the ground or some other point. The eyes are heavily relied upon by the brain to decide where the body is in space. If the eyes focus on a certain point in space during the beginning and end (set and landing phase) of most skills, as well as during the middle (flight phase) of certain skills, they become way easier to control and land, as well as stick. The more you can see, the more you can control.
3. Practice. This one is probably pretty obvious, but the more a skill is practiced, the more the body learns its process. Every skill has an order, a sequence of movements, and a distinct feeling or sensation. Practicing through repetition can cement the feeling of the skill into muscle memory as well as conditioning your mind to know the movements. Another thing that helps is to experiment with the skill. Learn it in different forms, varying speed and height, different take off and landing techniques, even learning how to fall out of the skill in different ways. This will help your body and mind be ready for any situation and can also help recover the skill if things go awry. The feeling of a skill, along with what the eyes see during the skill will provide an incredibly strong base for truly mastering that particular skill.

I don't think I've ever used the word "skill" so many times before... But yeah, you must essentially "be one with the skill."