Women press handstands--when?

[mommyof1]

At what age/level should girls ideally be able to do a press handstand? I keep reading here about 5- and 6-year-old preteamers doing press handstands, but the other day I noticed our L5s working on press handstands and only one girl could actually do one.

 

[wallinbl]

We've seen several gyms (two DD has attended; one DD had a trial with), including a highly successful gym. Most girls at those three gyms cannot do them (even up through optional gymnasts), but coaches love girls that can do them.

 

[cbifoja]

My child discovered them the summer before she was a 7YO L3. She fell in LOVE with them and worked for three days (CONSTANTLY) until she could do them. The only other kid in our gym who could do them was an 8YO L5.

I don't know how those two examples fall in line with "typical" but those are the only two that could do them that summer.

 

[mimi]

My dd does them. She has been doing them since she was probably about 7. She is 10 now and moving to optionals next year. I'm not sure but I think being able to do it has something to do with the strength to weight ratio. I imagine the coaches like it because of the strength thing but I've wondered the same. It looks pretty cool but a lot of strong girls I know can't do them. Coaches, what is it that you love so much about the press handstands?

 

[LizzieLac]

I am not a coach but here are my observations.

1) Strength to weight ratio is a factor.
2) Body mechanics is a factor (.i.e. some will never be able to do it because they cannot clear their feet, although that is also tied to strength)
3) If not learned/acquired while young (by 10ish) I have noticed the girls can't get it.

 

[cbone]

My daughter was doing them at 6. Strength is her strength. We have some incredibly artistic 10-year-olds that can't do them, still. It's individual. People look at my daughter and wish their daughter was that strong. I look at their daughter and wish my daughter was that graceful. It'll all come together.

 

[cbifoja]

That's interesting about body type being brought up. My daughter is the short, muscular variety of gymnast while the other girl who can do them is the tall, slender variety. However, both girls are exceptionally strong (always finish 1-2 in pull up contests, handstand holds, leg lifts, etc) and both have similar body weight. Even though girl 2 is a few inches taller than my gymmie, they probably weigh about the same.

So neither is carrying a lot of extra weight, both are pretty strong, but they have very different body types.

 

[MaryA]

DD can do them now, but she didn't join a gym where they were even worked on till she was 10. I would probably say she could do them about age 11. One of their coaches told them that, if they didn't have them by the time they were 12, they'd never get them. She can't do a ton of them, like you see in the girls who are TOPS testing, but she can do a couple of them from sitting. Much easier from standing, obviously.

 

[thefellowsmom]

My dd got them I think just before she turned 7? She was the first in her larger group to get them. Now at 8 there are only a dozen or so in compulsories that can do one and only maybe 6 that can do multiple in a row. For my dd they came pretty easy and she can do five or six in a row. She always had a great stalder roll and now has really pretty roll handstands in several positions (they do these during warmup). I remember when she was very small they would have her go do stalder rolls in front of the older girls to show them what they were supposed to look like. She felt really special when that happened.

I think only one of our optional girls can't do them and she is very tall.

They focus on being able to do them at her gym but they don't train them for tops testing or anything. They work all the tops stuff, but don't test. They have been working lately with her an a few other girls on doing them in a pike position. She's close, but can't seem to get her toes through. She can do them on the floor handle things, sorry don't know what the proper name for those are.

But, I really don't get the strength thing sometimes. Obviously she is very strong, but she can barely do five pullups. Who knows.

 

[Faith]

I think 99% of girls on team at dd's gym can do them. But all wag team girls train a lot of physical prep- I'd say depending on season at least a 1/3 of practice time is spent on range and conditioning.

The little dot with amazing flexibility and no weight got them first, them dd from strength and determination, then the taller girls.

Dd is just 8 and she now has straddle press as her beam mount.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

At what age/level should girls ideally be able to do a press handstand? I keep reading here about 5- and 6-year-old preteamers doing press handstands, but the other day I noticed our L5s working on press handstands and only one girl could actually do one.

age doesn't matter. only that they eventually learn 1.

 

[gardenia01]

My daughter was 5 when she did her first press. Honestly, from my observations it is more about flexibility than strength. The most flexible girls in our gym can do them; many of the strongest can't. I think good balance helps as well once you are trying to do ten in a row.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

age doesn't matter. only that they eventually learn 1.

This.

As a side note, I've noticed that most girls programs put a LOT more emphasis on press handstands for young, low-level girls than most boys programs. And I've never really been able to figure out why. I mean, it's certainly an important skill for both boys and girls, but boys use it a LOT more in routines than girls do.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Length of limbs is also a factor. If then child has long arms and a short body they are easier. For a child with a long torso and short arms, doing them from a clear straddle hold is almost impossible.

 

[tooootsie]

I have no clue... but I know at DD's gym I have seen very few girls do them. My 4 year old has done them a few times and practices them all the time (she is super tiny) my 6 y/o tries but I doubt she will be able to, she is really strong but tall.

 

[Kiwi]

At our gym, all the IDP girls can do them but very few STEPs girls can. The IDP girls train them a lot more (they are the most talented and train twice as many hours, plus they are chosen for body type, very small and strong). DD has never done one, she can't even do a straddle hold on the floor, can only just manage it on the beam which is part of her mount this year. She has a short body and long legs and just can't get off the ground.

 

[MVJ]

There isn't really an age when you "should" have a press, but it's nice to have it early on. A proper straddle press from feet usually seems to come around sooner, before the kipping starts.

A straddle press handstand from sitting is less predictable. I've seen four year olds do them quite easily but some of the national level girls can't even do them. I haven't gotten mine even after several years of gym since I have a really long torso and erm, a bit of a heavier rear end...

 

[Gymmommy71]

My DD got hers at 8. She worked on them for several years and finally figured out the mechanics...as long as she is practicing/doing them regularly, she can do about 3-4 in a row, so she's pretty good at them (of course I'm sure there are girls out there who can do 10+ in a row, right? ). However, if she stops doing them she will regress pretty quick - I remember coming back from a long vacation once and she lost it (but she got it back). Only a couple other girls on her L6 team can do them, and a few of the L5's...more of the optionals can, but not all. There are some really great gymnasts at her gym who aren't able to do one, so I don't believe not being able to do one is a big issue. Oh, and there are some kids who can just do them almost the first time they ever try them at a really young age - like they are just naturals at them. Those kids really impress me, like a 4 year old doing press handstands - amazing when you see that.

 

[vagymmomma]

There's still hope everyone! DD's 12 and just got her press up at the beginning of this season after we changed gyms. She's still one of a relatively small number of optionals who can do one though. She's on the strong, not particularly flexible side,and fairly small. In the beginning she was muscling it up, but now she understands the mechanics she can make it up straight arms everytime. It was just a lot of trying till she figured it out. Sometimes stubborn is good.

 

[my4buffaloes]

Length of limbs is also a factor. If then child has long arms and a short body they are easier. For a child with a long torso and short arms, doing them from a clear straddle hold is almost impossible.

Very interesting! My younger dd got hers in 2 months of gym. It drove my older dd crazy! She has been actively working on it for 2 years now and can not seem to get it for anything. She has a very long torso and her arms are on the short side, esp for such a long torso. Maybe that explains it.