WAG L5 Training L7

[txgal]

My DD (9) just moved to L5 at the beginning of the year. Her coach told me today she wants to move her to L7 (she's been uptraining a lot since she already has all her L5 skills clean) but she's not strong enough yet for bars. Her plan, from what I got from her (there is a bit of a language barrier as her coach is from China) is that she needs to compete one sanctioned meet at L5 and score out (for her coach, that's a 36 AA or 9s on 3 of the 4 events and a mid-8 on the 4th) which she is confident she'll do (at a test meet she scored 9.5 on vault, 9.6 on beam, and 9.2 on floor, but only scored an 8.25 on bars as the free hip still needs some work). So my question is this: I trust her coach that if she says she'll be ready for L7 by January then that's where she'll be. BUT...I know my DD and she doesn't do well if she feels someone is putting undue pressure on her. When her coach said she wanted her to compete L7 in January, her eyes got quite big and the whole drive home she kept telling me that her coach was crazy because bars would not be anywhere near ready for L7 by January. What, if anything, can I do to either help strength/conditioning at home AND to help her not succumb to pressure that is nonexistent (her coach said if she's not ready, she's not ready--not a big deal, she'll compete where she's at, so I know her coach is not putting any pressure on her or setting expectations that she can't meet)? Parents and coaches who have been in a similar situation, any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[gymdog]

January is in a year. All our level 5s will be level 7 by next January. I'm a little confused about why this would be a pressure filled scoring out situation.

 

[txgal]

She has to score out by May. Compulsory competition season in TX is in the summer. If she doesn't score out in May, she'll be forced to sit out an entire year as her L5 season would end in December--not enough time to get her optionals routines down to compete them in January.

 

[wallflower]

It's quite common in Texas to do level 5 (old 6) in the fall and turn around a month later and compete 7. I'd say more kids do it than not. Look up level 6 state results from 2012 and you will see the majority of those kids competed 7 in the spring. So like gymdog I can't imagine why it would be difficult to go from 5 (old 6) right now to 7 in a year unless she is really weak on bars.

 

[flippingtogether]

This is common, and I know I've seen many threads on this topic....maybe do a quick search. My DD is in similar situation - finished L4 in Jan., has learned the L5 routines in Feb,, will compete a L5 meet in March, and the plan is to be L7 by the end of the year. And this isn't as accelerated as plenty of other cases I have heard about!!
You mentioned trusting the coaches....yes, do that absolutely and unconditionally if you've seen them work really well with your DD to date. I would consider not bringing gym exercises home - I know my DD loves her 'down' or 'just being a kid' time - this keeps balance in her life and stress level down if mom doesn't interfere.

Good luck and don't worry at all!! Exciting time for your DD!!!

 

[txgal]

Maybe it is just her coach, but at DD's gym the girls who finish L5 in December don't compete L7 until January a year later. I'm not sure why, unless the coach simply feels like there isn't enough time to get routines choreographed. She normally doesn't bring gym stuff home with her, but her coach is adamant about conditioning at home (that's gym homework). She's not particularly weak on bars. She's having difficulty with the free hip (she has it, sort of, but it's not very clean--it is connected to both kips and her high bar work and dismount are pretty amazing...at the test event she scored mid-8s on bars, so I don't think she is really weak there), but other than that, she's ready for L7 everywhere else. I think part of her fear is because she is the youngest on her team (she'll be 10 next month) and her coach has really high standards for scoring out, she doesn't want to be the only one left behind...

 

[GYM0M]

Our gym (in Texas) competes compulsories Aug-Dec. Coaches will usually decide on which level a child is competing around June. Once the compulsory season has begun, levels will not change so I understand her needing to score out by May. As far as being ready to compete level 7 in January, there's not much advice that I have to offer. If your gym competes level 6 and her coach approves, you could always mention it as a fail safe only in case she needed a few extra weeks to prepare for level 7. My DD, 8, is also on track to compete level 7 in January '15. Our coaches also require a 36+ AA to move up (generally, not always enforced), but we have competed in 2 L5 meets and scored over 37 at both so we are good there. As far as skills go, vault won't change, floor she has a solid layout (working full), but I think her coaches want her to have a FHS, Front Layout, beam is rock solid, switch split 180 and BHS BHS consistently.......BARS on the other hand......Giants are not consistent on high bar, she also needs to get her flyaway from a giant, BUT we are not stressing over it, because if she's not ready for level 7 come January, her coach will let her compete level 6.

 

[iwannacoach]

Just tell the her you're pleased as can be and she can be proud of herself, and........ you're totally behind her wherever she drags you. I used to put a fair amount of pressure on myself as a gymnast, but guess who made my level of pressure and stress go to the next level?

Yup, my loving mother who pleaded with me to ease up and set more realistic goals. Think of that for a second............ and see if you can get to my "there" from your "here," because what her pleadings actually did was to cause me to put more pressure on myself to show her I could handle the work and had set reasonable goals. She was either a hapless genius or innocently the original cgm...... I'm thinking the former more so than the latter.

I guess what I'm trying to say is you gotta let her tread where she wants while you approve and watch over her from a discreet distance.

If she begs for help in setting up an at home training program, do that. If she says nothing, do that instead.

 

[EastCoastGymMom]

It seems to me like there is no issue at all with her competing L7 an year from now, given her age and current skills. Hopefully she gets more than one chance to "score out" of L5 given her coach's high expectations, but otherwise it all sounds great. A year is a very long time, especially if she's not competing for most of those training months.

 

[gracyomalley]

common in past for girls to do brief level 6 (DD did 4 meets at age 9) then up to L7 here....although our "score out" is more like a 34....

Bars are quite a buggaboo for L7 etc....but if your DD is strong and getting stronger, and your team has been uptraining giants for a few years, its not as big of a stretch as you imagine. The BHS on beam and a series is a fear issue for some, but floor is an easy move and vault the same just judged harder.

She will either need really big consistent free hips OR beautiful giants and a solid cast handstand in order to do well at L7 bars...but its doable. I would say this is a common path, not accelerated - and its great if she makes it, but also fine if she takes more time (my DD did well at L7 as a 10 year old, but decided to repeat due to fears with L8 skills....I'm glad she is repeating L7 instead of L6/L5 but either way its their journey - we are the support!)

 

[txgal]

Thanks for the input! She's rock solid on vault, beam and floor. She's working the round off vault (not sure what the name of it is); she can do a BWO-BHS on beam, and her coach says that her baby giants are the best of the new ones learning them (I'm guessing she's projecting that her giants will also be solid?). Her L5 flyaway is huge (her coach says she's afraid she may accidentally do a double because she has so much height and power). The free hip is still an issue, but we just started learning it at he beginning of Feb; given her natural strength and power, once she figures out when to shift her hands, that shouldn't be an issue either. She's working layouts and fulls on the tumble track at the gym and she's pretty confident with them, but her coach is all about safety so I think it will be a few months before she's allowed to try them with a spot on the floor.

As for gymnastics at home, the coach expects them to condition the 2 days they're not in the gym, but nothing more. She's got a list from her coach of the conditioning exercises she needs to do at home and she does them faithfully (usually in the morning and in the evening before she goes to bed). She has a floor beam and panel mats at home, which is why (I think) her beam series is not a problem for her (but beam has been her best event for a little while).

I think (maybe) she's looking at May as being her only opportunity to score out. Her coach doesn't choreograph optionals routines until October, so she theoretically has all the August and September meets to get there, but being only 9 I don't think she's capable of looking at it from that perspective. She also knows what she does in the gym is what she does in the gym--I'm merely a spectator watching what's going on and learning as we go. But, she also knows that she plays head games with herself and I try to head those off so she doesn't talk herself into a mental block. We have our annual meeting with her coach in a few weeks and (hopefully) her coach can assuage some of her fears and uncertainties.

 

[iwannacoach]

Given what she has now, October should be a cake walk.

 

[flippingtogether]

common in past for girls to do brief level 6 (DD did 4 meets at age 9) then up to L7 here....although our "score out" is more like a 34....

Bars are quite a buggaboo for L7 etc....but if your DD is strong and getting stronger, and your team has been uptraining giants for a few years, its not as big of a stretch as you imagine. The BHS on beam and a series is a fear issue for some, but floor is an easy move and vault the same just judged harder.

She will either need really big consistent free hips OR beautiful giants and a solid cast handstand in order to do well at L7 bars...but its doable. I would say this is a common path, not accelerated - and its great if she makes it, but also fine if she takes more time (my DD did well at L7 as a 10 year old, but decided to repeat due to fears with L8 skills....I'm glad she is repeating L7 instead of L6/L5 but either way its their journey - we are the support!)

Isn't bars being a "buggaboo" for L7 the truth......(as well as for L4, L5, L8, etc. etc. - that certainly is the case in our area and with many girls in our gym - and the reason many girls have to repeat/not move on up when they are otherwise ready!)

The other thing that our coaches look at, in order to make sure girls will be competitive/confident at a L7, are some of the dance moves like split leaps, 180 degrees on beam/floor leaps and jumps, etc. - as they say, those deductions can really start to add up if the requirements aren't met.

But I'm guessing your DD has those as well

 

[berrisweetness]

Can I ask why if her level 5 skills are clean and she really nwats her to go to Level 7, is a 36AA used as a score out all around instead of USAG's minimum mobility score.

 

[gymnasthadesty]

If you have concerns talk with her coaches. Our gym has specific requirements for L7. BHS-BHS nothing less then 180 on beam. Floor a full. layout, whip back. Bars consistent giants and free hip to handstand is a must. Vault they must be close to a L8 vault.

 

[txgal]

@berisweetness: The 36 is her coach's standard across levels; no one moves out of a level until they can score a 36 AA. Period. She makes no exceptions.

I stayed and watched DD's entire practice yesterday and here's what I saw...anyone feel free to jump in and tell me what you think (and I apologize, I don't know the names of all the skills):

Vault--RO onto the table, BT off
Bars--Free hip, free hip handstand, giants, double back (heavily spotted)
Beam--Handstand/BWO (series), BHS, BHS step out, BWO/BHS (series)--these 3 she's working on floor beams only right now; switch leap 1/4 turn, RO, front tuck off the end
Floor--back tuck, switch leap, front lay/front tuck, back lay (on tumble track) and full (on tumble track as well) (neither of the previous 2 spotted--only watchful coaches)

To me, it looks like she's working a different level on each event. Bars is her weakest event, but her coach said she isn't worried since it's not a strength issue (the free hip is causing her some grief because she hasn't quite figured out when to shift her hands) and the other events her progression has been lightning fast. I'm guessing she's on track to compete 7 in January (once she figures out the free hip issue) because the other events look like they're in the 7/8 range...but I'm just a gymmie mom, so I don't know necessarily what to look for...

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Pretty standard move up time frame.