Piking on FHC?

[MaryA]

I am posting this for a friend. I told her she should post on here to ask her question, but she said she always worried about sounding like an idiot. I, however, am fairly comfortable sounding like an idiot, so I'll post.

Her daughter (8 years old, level 5 training 6) pikes her body while doing front hip circles on bars. She knows she's doing it, but she doesn't know how to not do it. The coaches suggestion for her was to "tighten her butt" but then the coach determined that her butt is actually tight... somehow she's figured out how to do a tight-butt-piked-front-hip-circle (see, I told you I didn't mind sounding like an idiot). The coaches have said that, once all of the States meets are over, they'll work with her with a coach on either side of her and help her unbend her body so she gets used to doing it in the correct position. However, my friend would rather her daughter not continue to practice it incorrectly in the meantime.

Any suggestions to help this girl unpike herself? Many thanks!

 

[gymdog]

Well, you have to pike in a FHC, to some extent. I'm guessing the issue is that she is piking too early (before she is parallel to the floor on the "fall" forward).

Just in the term of "hints" like verbal cues, since it sounds like there won't be many drills, there are a couple hints she could try. First when she falls she can think of pushing the bar backwards hard to lock her elbows out while she kicks her heels up. Her elbows should stay locked until she is parallel to the floor. This is hard for the kids to understand, they need to shown what parallel means relative to the floor, and how they have to fall to this place in a stretched body. Also she can sit in a seal stretch on the edge of a panel mat (hands on the mat, legs on the floor, so some of the mat is still in front of her face/torso to "catch" her) and try to fall forward by kicking her heels up and land on her chest with her head looking straight ahead. She should finish in a "superman" position, except her hands will by her hips instead of arms by ears, because she started in front support.

 

[Bajanswife]

DD's coach always says they are going to feel like they are going to fall right forward and down on to their heads, and many are afraid to get to that point, but it's necessary in order to be parallel. If they only go as far as they feel "safe", then they won't get parallel - they'll always have a pike because it feels safer and more in balance to keep their feet a little lower than their head and shoulders.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

she's bending her elbows. you can't do that. you must keep the elbows/arms straight going in and coming out. 'push' the bar as opposed to 'pulling' yourself around.

sometimes...simple stupid is the best solution...

 

[MaryA]

Oops! I guess I ended up sounding more stupid than I intended. I sent my friend the link and she replied, telling me that it's actually her BACK HIP CIRCLE that she's piking on! So can I now request suggestions for someone who is piking on her BACK HIP CIRCLE???? So sorry!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

same thing. she has to keep her arms/elbows straight. this factoid is what causes about 12957365869% of problems on bars. make that all gymnastics. and for boys also.

 

[JAO]

In either case:

YouTube - Front Hip Circles

Or:

YouTube - The Back Hip Circle Process (With Underswings)

 

[Deleted member D3987]

and notice those beautiful arms/elbows!

 

[gymdog]

same thing. she has to keep her arms/elbows straight. this factoid is what causes about 12957365869% of problems on bars. make that all gymnastics. and for boys also.

Yup. She's probably bending her arms at least a little as soon as she comes back to the bar from her cast, oftentimes the kids will do this early on to slow their drop (but at this point she probably isn't really afraid to do it right, just in a bad habit). It might help her to think of getting to a straight arm hollow body hold/candlestick as quickly as possible after the cast. (This position is shown at 1:14 in JAO's excellent video).

 

[BlairBob]

I try to have them learn that it's the heels that drives their chest down. Similar to the lever action in a lever to handstand from lunge.

If you can, you get basically stretch your arm out across their chest, near throat or ribs and lever them by pushing the heels up. It does become not so easy because of the leverage on your outstretched arm. Not exactly fun.