leading with the wrong leg?

[Deanna]

okay im new here so..be patient with me...lol

my DD Kadee...who will be 4 yrs old on the 11th of this month...just cleared her "yellow level" at her gym...now im not sure if every gym goes by this same "leveling code" or if everyone is different...ive seen alot of folks talking about L-yada yada.....anywho..she cleared her yellow level..and now is in a red level....the leveling system in the gym she was in (we are moving this weekend to Hot Springs from Fort Smith) went by colors...first level was white..second was yellow..third is red...fourth is orange..and so on and so forth...so i am assuming that the levels start at 0 meaning she just entered L2? i dunno...to clear her yellow level she had to be able to do a backbend on a wedge (although she can do them without one most the time)...straight leg cart wheel....handstand hold....bridge one leg up for 5 seconds..and some other stuff..i cant remember off the top of my head...they say she is advanced for her age..and she has been in an intermediate or advanced class since she left her mommy and me class at almost 3 yrs old

okay im babbling...as you folks get to know me..you will see my posts are often long..and not much is said..lol

i guess my question is....by my discription..do you think she has just been bumped up into a level 2 class?...i can give a more detailed list of things she does if you would like

and my second question is...they say she does her cartwheels and handstands really good (for her age) but she often leads with the wrong leg...her left instead of her right..they are always correcting her on this....is it a rule that they HAVE to lead with the right?

i know that its not that she is left dominant because she writes with her right hand..although she does do alot of things with her left hand as often and as well as her right...she could be like me and her two grandmothers and be amdectrous (sp) and just right with her right?...rambling again..sorry..anywho...does she have to lead with her right or are they just being over picky?

 

[starmaker]

lol- actually I found your post kind of funny!!

Every gym has different level systems. I had acutally never heard of a color one though....

It sounds to me like you have a talented dd. They may be prep-ing her for preteam and eventually a level 2 team or level 4 depends on what level they start competing at your gym. Some gyms start at level 1 or 2 and some not till level 5. It all depends. All the gym in my area start competitions at level 2. My dd started competed L2 at 4 yo but she was a very rare case. Most are 5 or 6 yo when competing L2.

Does your dd have her pullover on bars yet? Do they work headstands as well or forward rolls on beam? If so she could be training L2. If not, it could be preteam for a higher level.

As far as leading with the wrong leg.....I know many many gymnast that are righty but do gymnastics with their left. It's a matter of prefrence. As long as it's all left or all right it doesn't matter. She just can't do a right cartwheel with a left handstand. The routines would look all messed up. Hope this helped. If not I am sure many others will jump in.

Good luck

 

[Deanna]

sorry im kinda lame when it comes to gymnastics "terms"..but on the bars she can pull herself up into the position she is in in my avatar from the low bar....also from the position she is also in she will hold her legs straight and together..and swing them back..bouncing her pelvis off the bar like three times then....let the momentum carry her around the bar..and back into the position she is in (thats what she was doing when that pic was taken..thats why her hair is all kinds of diconbobulated..lol)...she can do this basically by herself..although her coach is right there to spot her...cause sometimes she cant get herself stopped at the top..and ends up doing a one and a half and is hanging upside down..lol...so the coach holds her hands there just in case she over rotates on it.....she hangs from the low bar and does a stradle hold.....she has also learned how to mount the low bar from a spring board.....as for the beam...she walks every which way.....she also does a handstand and a cartwheel..both being spotted by the coach (she looses her balance if she isnt)....she stands on one leg brings her other knee up..and stands kinda like one of those long legged birds..and then kicks her leg out parallel to the beam...she hops down the beam....and they were working on teaching her how to get up off them beam from a sitting position by just using her legs..putting the one foot up close to her crotch (sorry dont know how else to say it) and holding the other out in front..and pretty much just using that one leg closest to her to push herself into a standing position. on the floor she does the handstand...cartwheel..backbend..bridge....she can do a back hand spring ( i guess is what it is called)..using a barrel...i dunno..she does alot..she amazes me everytime i see her...she loves the sport so far...and she is very determined and self disaplend....she will work at something until she gets it...the coach sometimes wants to move on...and she flat out refuses till she does it good enough to make herself happy

as far as the gym she used to go to...they start going to competition at age 5 at a level 2....so i dont think even if she stayed there that she would be able to compete for another year even though she is doing the things the girls a year older are doing...i dunno

 

[starmaker]

LOL! Sorry but I find your descriptions histerical!! Based on what you said she is doing on bars is a level 2 routine. She is doing a pullover, cast, back hip circle and straddle dismount. Her position on your avatar is called front support. Here's a video of my dd doing the level 2 bars routine when she was recently 5 yo: YouTube - Olivia's Level 2 Bars (age 5)


Handstands on beam is a level 3,4 and 5 skills with higher requirement on vertical and hold. A cartwheel on beam is a L5 skill which she won't really need till she atleast 7yo or in L5.

It sounds like your dd is very talented and can't wait to see more of her progress. BTW welcome to CB!!! It's a great place but word of caution: It can become addicting.....

 

[peace.love.gymnast]

I have to agree w/starmaker...it sounds like she is doing L2 skills for the most part. My niece is a competitive L2 & those are skills she works on for her routines. It very much so sounds like your little gymmie is talented!

 

[fuzi]

It sounds like you have a very talented young gymnast.

As for your question about left leg v. right leg, gymnasts can perform skills on either leg. However, it is important that they are consistent as it's required in the compulsory routines. Her coaches have probably determined that she is stronger on one side, and is encouraging her to use that side.

With young gymnasts, who do not understand right and left, I often find it helpful to stick a sticker or otherwise mark their good hand and foot so they remember to use it first. Eventually it becomes habit.

 

[UnoMas]

When my little DD started training L2 at age 4, we wrote R and L on her hands and feet so she'd know which foot she was supposed to use. Then we faded back to painting her big toe on her "good" leg so she would remember to do skills on that leg. Funny, huh? Our coach finds the girl's "good" leg, and then they are taught to lead with that leg and do all the skills on that leg...if they switch legs they get corrected!

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Those sound like level 2 skills for sure. She seems to be very talented!! I would not worry to much about the right or left, her coaches will work with her. My daughter does that as well, and you should see her jumping jacks...they always make me laugh. When her legs are apart her arms are down and when legs are together her arms are apart. Its hilarious...I have tried to get her to do them the "normal" way but it just messes her up. BTW..I am from Arkansas also...but now live in Missouri. I miss it down there...Lucky you to be in Hot Springs...I used to love going to Oaklawn.

 

[nasticscoach22]

I have a lot of girls on my competitive team now that all are right hand dominant, but tumble and perform skills lefty. There is no "right" way. I am the same way with my left leg; the only issue (I think someone said above) is that it has to be consistant. You can't just make a lefty gymnast a righty.

When she begins to learn beam and floor routines, she will need to be starting all the skills with the left foot (i.e. chartwheels, kick overs, handstands, ect). That is something judges look for as well.

 

[T.Gymnastics]

There is NO wrong leg. I cartwheel right, and handstand left. my skills are pretty evenly Split with which leg i use. ( i also write with my right hand.) to make it easies in the future, i would reccomend making sure all of her skills are with the same leg in front (leading) but you most certainly cant lead with the wrong leg.

 

[T.Gymnastics]

I have a lot of girls on my competitive team now that all are right hand dominant, but tumble and perform skills lefty. There is no "right" way. I am the same way with my left leg; the only issue (I think someone said above) is that it has to be consistant. You can't just make a lefty gymnast a righty.

When she begins to learn beam and floor routines, she will need to be starting all the skills with the left foot (i.e. chartwheels, kick overs, handstands, ect). That is something judges look for as well.

as i mentioned earlier i do not do this... and i scored nines on beam and floor from levels 4-6. (haven't competed 7 yet.) however it may be easier to do it all the same way. therefore it is not required at all. just helpfull.

 

[coachmolly]

All of the skills in compulsory level routines are required to be done with one leg or the other. Maybe some judges don't deduct for it, but that's the way it's suppose to be. When I was a compulsory level gymnast (12ish years ago), I had the worst problem doing things with the correct legs. Tumbling I did with the right, leaps with the left. Fortunately, at that time the level 4 floor routine had a leap on each leg. After one year of level 4 I started training for level 5 as a 10 year old and the level 5 coach would not tolerate my switching back and forth. We did a mock meet at the end of the summer and I remember being brutally criticized for not picking one leg as the dominant one. When I told her I could do skills equally with both legs she just got even more mad. It had to be one leg or the other for ALL skills. And it's a heck of a lot easier to correct before you've learned a ton of skills with the "wrong" leg.
For the preschoolers and older rec kids I teach, I let them choose which leg feels the best. If the skill is just not improving I will have them try it with the other leg as well but I don't really stress doing it one way or the other at that level. Whatever they are more comfortable with is just fine by me.
One way to test for leg dominance would be to have her stand up straight, legs together and push her from behind. Whichever leg moves forward first to catch herself is, in most cases, dominant. When my coach did this to me when I was a level 4 I stepped forward with the left leg though and ended up being a righty, so it's not always accurate. And as a coach, I usually don't feel comfortable pushing my girls!
Most kids figure it out for themselves at some point, some need a little more help. Learning skills on both legs can be a really good skill to have anyway, I work bad leg cartwheels frequently with girls who have mastered them already. As she learns more skills (back walkovers, leaps, turns) and improves her cartwheels and round offs just keep an eye out for if one leg is used more than the other.
Sorry this was so long, hopefully I'm making sense! And I too love your descriptions of the skills! My mom was the exact same way but as I got better so did she! Your dd sounds like an awesome little gymnast!

 

[gymnut1]

When my little DD started training L2 at age 4, we wrote R and L on her hands and feet so she'd know which foot she was supposed to use. Then we faded back to painting her big toe on her "good" leg so she would remember to do skills on that leg. Funny, huh? Our coach finds the girl's "good" leg, and then they are taught to lead with that leg and do all the skills on that leg...if they switch legs they get corrected!

The painting the big toe idea is sooo cute. I have heard some gyms have their younger girls wear a band on their good ankle to remind them

 

[gymkat]

All of the skills in compulsory level routines are required to be done with one leg or the other. Maybe some judges don't deduct for it, but that's the way it's suppose to be.

Actually, certain skills are allowed to be reversed on compulsory beam/floor without deduction.

And I would agree that finding a consistent handstand/cartwheel leg is important and will make things easier in the future.

 

[Mustanggal99]

I have coached many a preschool child, and at that age, no matter their talent level, they have confusion with the "correct" leg to lead off with. The coaches are well trained to see which leg is better for the gymnast to use, but that does not mean it is the leg that is most comfortable for the gymnast to use. To (attempt to) clarify- her cartwheel might be more correct using her right leg first but in her mind it feels more comfortable to put her left leg in front. The more they practice with the more correct leg in front, the more comfortable they become. I agree with the suggestion of putting a stamp/sticker/nail polish on the leg that they want in the front because it reduces a LOT of confusion.

 

[CoachGoofy]

It's easier if they pick a leg (as you've heard) but some gyms are pickier about it than others.

On my entire level 4 team, half of them leap one way, tumble the other, and the rest either handstand and dance the same way but cartwheel the other (which kind of makes sense, that left roundoff is a right twist), or do everything the same way.

We've made copious use of the directions in the compulsary book on how to reverse skills.

 

[Deanna]

thank you ladies...so sorry it took me so long to get back at ya...we moved on the 8th...and things are just now settling down...hope to get back on and moving around here soon