WAG Parents, coaches, gymnasts....

[1canadiangymmom]

So my dd is determined to get her bail on bars, any specific (safe) drills and exercises she can do at home? She has a floor bar to work on Pirouettes.

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

No idea if you have all of the equipment, but that is all i could think of (i think instead of a barrel you could use a yoga ball and every not too high bar should work)

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Please do nothing at home, just be a parent

 

[1canadiangymmom]

No idea if you have all of the equipment, but that is all i could think of (i think instead of a barrel you could use a yoga ball and every not too high bar should work)

Sorry this would not be what I was asking for. No home equipment other than a floor bar

 

[1canadiangymmom]

Please do nothing at home, just be a parent

Not arguing, dd was wanting not me. Any specific conditioning? I would rather get good advice here, than her googling drills, and seeing something like the above, and wanting to figure out a way to do that at home.

 

[ayyyrial]

I'm not sure there's much you can do for a complex release skill like a bail at home. It's pretty hard to set up a truly simple drill for a release on bars. You need a bar you can swing from at a minimum. And anything like that should not be done at home.

Bails really aren't much about strength so much as technique and timing (especially since by the time they get to the level they're working on bails, they're probably already pretty strong), so it's hard to suggest strength exercises that would help. If she wants something to do at home, she could ask the coach for a list of conditioning exercises that she could work on when she's not in the gym.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Bail is a mental skill. Staying completely out of it is most helpful.

 

[sce]

Not arguing, dd was wanting not me. Any specific conditioning? I would rather get good advice here, than her googling drills, and seeing something like the above, and wanting to figure out a way to do that at home.

Have her ask her coach fir hone conditioning recommendations. If they want her doing it, they will tell her what to do.

 

[gymdog]

There isn't really anything she can do at home for skills at this level. This requires hands on coaching and feedback to even be able to attempt, much less achieve with technique.

 

[bookworm]

So my dd is determined to get her bail on bars, any specific (safe) drills and exercises she can do at home? She has a floor bar to work on Pirouettes.

You pay for coaching , let them coach her. If she's to the point of attempting a bail, she is surely in the gym enough that she doesn't need to ( and shouldn't be) doing extra stuff at home. Bails aren't an overnight skill, there's a lot of timing that goes into "getting" it so while I get that she is determined to get it, just realize, and help her to realize, that not getting it right off the bat isn't an indictment of her work ethic but that it's a tough skill to master in the gym...

 

[kitkat]

I got nothing for you...but Alex is now learning a bail and is having a heck of a time. Because she does a pak she is finding a bail really hard to do as she is so use to flipping. From what I see at the gym - its a lot of spotting on her coaches behalf. Be safe

So my dd is determined to get her bail on bars, any specific (safe) drills and exercises she can do at home? She has a floor bar to work on Pirouettes.

 

[wallinbl]

Not arguing, dd was wanting not me. Any specific conditioning? I would rather get good advice here, than her googling drills, and seeing something like the above, and wanting to figure out a way to do that at home.

If she wants it, she should ask her coaches. If they want her doing something at home, they'll tell her. It's a hard enough skill without having to overcome whatever bad habits were picked up from trying something at home.

My daughter broke her thumb twice in her first season of doing that skill. I wouldn't mess around on my own with that one.

 

[rjb123]

I think that visualization would be a great thing to work on at home. It could help build her confidence and mental game. My DD works on this a lot and she says it really works for her- especially when working on things that are new or a bit scary. She also does it during meets to help her relax.

 

[1canadiangymmom]

If she wants it, she should ask her coaches. If they want her doing something at home, they'll tell her. It's a hard enough skill without having to overcome whatever bad habits were picked up from trying something at home.

My daughter broke her thumb twice in her first season of doing that skill. I wouldn't mess around on my own with that one.

Yikes, not what a wanted to hear

I think that visualization would be a great thing to work on at home. It could help build her confidence and mental game. My DD works on this a lot and she says it really works for her- especially when working on things that are new or a bit scary. She also does it during meets to help her relax.

Great advise, this is something she can do. Thank you.

 

[duyetanh]

I have heard more than one story about a broken thumb. I hate hearing these stories! UGH!

 

[bookworm]

For what it's worth, both of my former level 10 daughters have said that the bail is "the scariest thing they've ever had to do in gymnastics"...which kind of surprised me because they did layouts on (over?) the beam and tkatchev and yaeger on bars but they both said "think of it mum, you hurl yourself from the top bar and are hoping to catch the bottom one in some controlled manner, and if you don't...." Neither was ever hurt doing it but this is the perspective of two who did them well...

So my point on this is, it is totally a skill to be attempted and perfected in a gym with proper spotting and coaching, not in the home.

 

[1canadiangymmom]

So my point on this is, it is totally a skill to be attempted and perfected in a gym with proper spotting and coaching, not in the home.

Why is everyone so quick to just jump to not at home, leave it in the gym etc? I am asking for simple things she can work on, not full blown drills and equipment that needs spotting and corrections. Anyway, had a minute last night with her coach, and she said dd asked her about it, and she is to be working shoulder strength and shoulder flexibility, and core strength, handstand work on the floor bar, and something else that I have no idea what she meant - knee handstands -

 

[bookworm]

Why is everyone so quick to just jump to not at home, leave it in the gym etc? I am asking for simple things she can work on, not full blown drills and equipment that needs spotting and corrections. Anyway, had a minute last night with her coach, and she said dd asked her about it, and she is to be working shoulder strength and shoulder flexibility, and core strength, handstand work on the floor bar, and something else that I have no idea what she meant - knee handstands -

I guess the point with "not at home" is that the athletes are in the gym so much, especially when they're at the level to be attempting bails, that the gym time should be for gym and to me, time at home does not include gym drills etc...I think gymnasts need family and home time and it's almost once you start down that slippery slope of "working on stuff at home", when does it stop? A gymnast working a bail is at least level 9 or 10 ( or the Canadian equivalent) and that's completely different from the early levels who are cartwheeling all over the yard .....

Their lives are consumed with the sport by the number of hours at the gym, at meets, traveling etc, that I always felt it was part of my responsibility as their parent to draw the line when anything at home was even thought about...home was for family and school, period.

If that's not how you roll, fine ....but that's why you see a lot of "keep it in the gym" comments...

 

[l_gymnast]

I don't have much to add to this other than there are ways to work safely at home as long as you are doing nothing that you're daughter can do incorrectly such as flexibility and conditioning. There's nothing wrong with wanting to do extra at home to help in the gym and that mentality is what makes or breaks a gymnast. I would say keep conditioning and stretching but as I'm sure you know don't do anything crazy.

 

[Muddlethru]

Please don't get this the wrong way. I relate to you as a mother trying to help her child along. And in an effort to help, I had to look'/read back to get a background. It appears your daughter just completed her second year as a Level 7 this past season. I know you or your daughter have goals and want to get ahead with her skills. But a bail is really a L9 skill and as indicated by many of the posters above is better left to the coaches. You've indicated she was not able to compete L8 this season because her bars and beam skills were still not there. So, I can only say it really is in her best interest not to try to get ahead of the coaches. She could develop bad habits that may make learning a skill even more difficult. If she is adamant in doing something at home, conditioning, strengthening her core will go a long way.

Btw, I think your daughter looked beautiful in the video you posted of her floor routine. She is quite graceful and she articulated her movements quite well.