WAG Level 5 vs 6 vs 7

[raenndrops]

DD is working her giants in practice, but not trying them in meets, because she is consistently in the top 3 on bars without them...so doesn't want to chance it - where I see MANY girls out there with poorly executed giants scoring much lower - they may not have the free hips to meet the circling elements and HAVE to giant, but for L7 a clean routine without giants BEATS them any day - so I wonder about gyms holding hard and fast to that rule...although DD will have to bite the bullet for L8....

I couldn't agree more. We have a L7 (2nd year) that doesn't do giants, but beats a lot of the girls that do have them... but ugly. Last year, she was consistently beating a girl with giants. That girl has since moved on to L8 and her giants are getting better, but I hope her gym keeps her at L8 for another year (she is 11) so she can PERFECT some of her skills before moving up, especially since our league only goes to L9... after that, she will have to switch to a private club and pay 4x what she pays now. The L7 on my team will be a L8 next year and will have to add giants too - but that will just help her as she prepares for HS gymnastics in 2 years

 

[BarCoach]

Iwannacoach, we work upgrades year round and are well on our way to giants, layouts and back handsprings. But couldn't i do the same thing if they are competing level 6; continue to work those skills most of the time and work routines just a little? All the girls that would be moving up already have tucks on floor, back walkovers on beam and beginner clear hips on bars. They would just need a little extra work in some dance and to figure out which B will be best, but we'd be doing that anyway, too. That seems to make the most sense to me.

 

[sleeping judy]

BarCoach, your thoughts are the same as mine. In our gym the 6's and 7's are in the same training group and the 6s get to uptrain. My dd is one of those girls who takes FOREVER to get new skills so she needs to up train because she does not get the new skills in the months between state and the new year. However, in the past month due to the up training she has gotten about four new 7 skills that she wouldn't have an opportunity to try if she was with the 5 group. She is still working on the basics too.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Iwannacoach, we work upgrades year round and are well on our way to giants, layouts and back handsprings. But couldn't i do the same thing if they are competing level 6; continue to work those skills most of the time and work routines just a little? All the girls that would be moving up already have tucks on floor, back walkovers on beam and beginner clear hips on bars. They would just need a little extra work in some dance and to figure out which B will be best, but we'd be doing that anyway, too. That seems to make the most sense to me.

this (level 6), in IWCs schedule of waiting and not focusing on routines more than necessary seems to be the route our gym is taking. Seems to be working if not a bit disjointed in this transitional year.

 

[iwannacoach]

Iwannacoach, we work upgrades year round and are well on our way to giants, layouts and back handsprings. But couldn't i do the same thing if they are competing level 6; continue to work those skills most of the time and work routines just a little? All the girls that would be moving up already have tucks on floor, back walkovers on beam and beginner clear hips on bars. They would just need a little extra work in some dance and to figure out which B will be best, but we'd be doing that anyway, too. That seems to make the most sense to me.

An awful lot can be accomplished by putting expectations in palce and nurturing an atmosphere of something like, we can kick ***. Given where they are right now the possibility is good that they will have that attitude and enjoy the lift that comes with it. My philosophy is to get the most with the least amount of stress because you want to choose what stresses the kids and avoid all the others.

The step from L5 to L6 is such a tiny one that they may get the impression that anything is good enough for your optional program. Considering the healthy start your group is off to, you may not need that particular tweak. I think the idea is to choose a path that allows the most up training possible while making competition something thqat drains the least amount of energy from the entire group.

The bottom line is to get the kids ready through a progression of steps that are tolerable but significant enough to take pride in. Spin the saucers hard, and don't let them fall.

 

[Lynn]

The scenario at our gym is this...we have level 3-4, no level 5 or 6 then level 7-10. We do have the excel teams as well. I believe where our gym went wrong this season was holding back last yrs level 5's to the new level 4 and dropping all levels in between. We now have a mixed bag of level 4's that who knows what they will do with them next season. The old 5's on that team are bored and ready for new skills but we don't do a whole lot of training ahead until after state. Part of the problem could be we only have 2 team coaches and 1 preteam coach. Anyone else have a similar issue in your gym? Coaches how would you handle this?

 

[BarCoach]

That's pretty much where we are at too, and why I asked the question. I had a level 4 team made up of 4 repeating level 5s from last year and 4 who moved up from old 4. Next year 6 of them will be level 6s (including all of the second years) and two will repeat 4 and be joined by 3 new 4s. We had a huge 6 team this year that will be 7s or go to excel.
So this year we had only levels 4,6, 9 and 10. Next year we'll have 3,4,6,7,9 and 10.

 

[beamer]

In my opinion, this new level has been a rousing success, and not just for the kids like my daughter, who tend to gain skills/confidence slowly and surely. It also worked exactly as intended for the gym's superstars.

Her coaches moved all of last year's L6s to the new optional level 6. A number of girls in this group had giants and beam BHS by the end of summer training. Almost every girl competed a floor routine with three tumbling passes. A couple of the girls with more advanced skills moved to L7 mid competition year. The girls who remained at L6 are consistently working on upgrades to their routines in order to prepare for L7 next year.

Every one of them was so happy to escape the soul-stultifying misery of another compulsory year. Every one of them has had success at this new level -- whether that is big success or small success!

Bars scores have been consistently strict. Only the gymnasts with huge casts, perfect form, or well-executed giants have been getting good scores. Everyone else lingers in land of the high 7s/low 8s.

 

[gymnasthadesty]

Thanks it is very interesting to see all the differences that each gym has as requirements. We are required to have 2 giants which my DD does along with her free hip to handstand. Now last night at practice she came home and they put a side aerial in her beam routine, she also does a front salto off the side of beam as dismount which I was under the impression was not needed until L8 but I get confused with all the changes.

 

[Quadqueen]

Thanks it is very interesting to see all the differences that each gym has as requirements. We are required to have 2 giants which my DD does along with her free hip to handstand. Now last night at practice she came home and they put a side aerial in her beam routine, she also does a front salto off the side of beam as dismount which I was under the impression was not needed until L8 but I get confused with all the changes.

A side aerial in a L7 routine? That doesn't make sense - why add something risky that could incur additional deductions?

 

[Seeker]

Thanks it is very interesting to see all the differences that each gym has as requirements. We are required to have 2 giants which my DD does along with her free hip to handstand. Now last night at practice she came home and they put a side aerial in her beam routine, she also does a front salto off the side of beam as dismount which I was under the impression was not needed until L8 but I get confused with all the changes.

Those may qualify as maxed out L7 routines, but they are far more difficult skills than we've seen in competition this year. Also seem more like L8 skills to me. Is she going to compete those at L7?

 

[gymnasthadesty]

No actually at every meet her coach is pulled aside and told she has to many element in her routines. She scores in the 9's on all events. Talked about moving to L8 because she has everything including side aerial on beam but would have to really work hard on vault she is only 60 pounds and struggles with the the L8 vault getting the lift off spring board.

 

[Seeker]

If that's the case, it seems like it would be good for her to move to L8 and just compete the FHS until she gets the other vault. Lots of L8's still compete a FHS.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

DD competed L8 at a meet a couple of weeks ago (in the US) and while her normal beam routine at home has a side aerial, it was pulled because the coaches said a D skill wasn't allowed at L8.

ETA: at the same meet DD competed a FHS vault. Her tsuk jut wans't quite consistent enough. She was definitely NOT the only one.

 

[gymnasthadesty]

Plans are to move to L8 because she has C skills on beam and has bars and floor. Just needs a little more work on vault. I try not to get to involved and let her coach decide what is best for her. She is only at the gym for a total of 6 hours a week, but I am sure that will have to change if she moves from L6 to L8.

 

[gymnasthadesty]

I was told she had to do a Tsukahara (forgive me if I spelled that wrong). Thank you for the information. It would probably beneficial if I did some research if she is going to progress.

 

[Seeker]

You CAN do a Tsuk, but you don't have to. If you do a FHS, it has a 9.0 start value.

 

[Quadqueen]

I wonder why the coach continues to put the extra skills in your DD's routines, if she's being told she doesn't need them. Many of our optional girls have skills beyond the level they compete, but the coach doesn't put them in if they aren't needed.

 

[gymnasthadesty]

A side aerial in a L7 routine? That doesn't make sense - why add something risky that could incur additional deductions?

She is a L6 and does above mentioned now in routines (giants and so forth). The side aerial is something they just added if she moves to L8 in the fall. I am just apprehensive to move her up I don't know what the rush is.

 

[Quadqueen]

She is a L6 and does above mentioned now in routines (giants and so forth). The side aerial is something they just added if she moves to L8 in the fall. I am just apprehensive to move her up I don't know what the rush is.

Right, and I am confused as to why they would put a side aerial in her beam routine. It's just something our coaches wouldn't do, since they know the requirements.