L4 bars shoot through question

[UnoMas]

My little DD has just started doing her shoot-through on bars again (it was lost for a long time!)

She is casting and getting her foot over the bar, but then falling forward into a sort-of-mill circle, getting stuck upside down! It's like she is surprised that she has gotten her leg over, and falls.

My question is...does this mean that she is "close" to getting this skill? What is she doing wrong exactly when she falls forward? Sometimes her coaches forget that she is only 6 and I wondered if I could try explaining it to her in little kid words (her training group is made up of 9 yr olds right now).

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[gymcoach34]

Her coaches know she is 6, please let them explain & coach her. You can just continue your cheerleader role.

 

[nevertooold]

Tell her that her arms can NOT get lazy 1/2 way through the skill. she has to push down on the bar and hold herself up the whole time she is putting her foot through. they often get preoccupied by the work that the shooting leg is doing and forget about the arms... if she thinks about starting in a strong front support (ie, leotard above the bar, not belly on the bar) and finishing in a clear stride support (front leg finishes w/out slamming down into the bar) she can see that her arms are what is holding her up the entire time. If she pushes on her arms she might even be able to "shoot through" without even casting, just by pressing up and through. just to emphasize the important role of the arms in this skill.

also she might be looking down too long, look down during the cast and shoot and as the leg goes through the head and focus need to rise back up to forward position.

good luck to her!

 

[UnoMas]

nevertooold, thanks, this kind of plain, simple language is just what I was looking for. I love the "leotard above the bar" description of the front support. She has a different coach every day, some of whom know how to work with young gymmies better than others. I really appreciate your insight!

 

[Kiwi]

I am wanting to learn this skill also, and asked a coach about it last night. She said you need to have your shoulders forward when putting your leg through, then once the leg is through you need to lean them back to stop yourself falling forward.

This sounds very similar to what you do in a mill circle, leaning forward to start the mill circle and then leaning back to stop it, but in this case it all has to happen very quickly, whereas with a mill circle you have plenty of time as you circle around the bar before you have to stop. I hope that makes sense. I haven't tried it yet, but hope to next training session.