WAG Required Strength for USAG Level 7?

[katlinchen]

Hi,

So I got two questions.

I am not from the US, I come from Austria and we have very very very poor possibilities to train gymnastics here. We only have 2 gyms in the whole country that have uneven bars and the 2 best gymnasts of Austria + are probably a Level 9 USAG!

My little sister who is 12 is a level 6 going to be a level 7 soon. (I would say, we don't have those levels here either!)
She can do 10 pull-ups, 50 push-ups and 20 hanging leg raises on a free bar as well as 40 very good V-Ups.
Would you say she is strong enough to be a level 7 in the USAG system? In their gym they don't do a lot of conditioning, so she does 30-40 minutes at home every day.
How strong should a Level 7/Level 8/Level 9 and Level 10 gymnast be?

And the other question:

She can't hold a free handstand. She can do a press handstand, is able to hold it against the wall for 3 minutes, but is not able to hold it free. I guess ger body position is really good! What could the problem be?


Hope you can help me!

 

[iwannacoach]

How strong can she get? Strength isn't something you stop working on once you get strong enough for a particular level or skill, unless the time spent on strength is excessive and causing too much breakdown of muscle tissue. So If she's so sore she can't warm up and get past the muscle soreness it's time to ease up and figure a schedule of when to ease up on a regular basis.

To answer your question, she's plenty strong enough for level 7 in the exercises you listed, but there are other things she should do. So if that list is the entire scope of her strength training you should look for some help in getting a comprehensive strength program in place for her.

She can't hold a free handstand. She can do a press handstand, is able to hold it against the wall for 3 minutes, but is not able to hold it free. I guess ger body position is really good! What could the problem be?

My guess is that she's spending little time on free handstand work. If she works into the vertical with a consistent shape she can count on being the same every time, the skill will be reduced down to two things...... how much energy to put into getting to the handstand without going too far. and (assuming no wrist or shoulder range of motion restrictions) how to lift and press with her fingertips to maintain balance.

 

[Muddlethru]

I know many L9s and even L10s that can't do the strenght excerises you listed. They are able to do the minimal routines and may not be that competitive. I am not certain if your question pertains more to whether your daughter is strong enough to be competive in L7. If that is so, she may very well be strong enough to compete L7 but to be competitive, there are other considerations. I know some girls who appear very strong but cannot do the skills, and vis versa.

 

[Redford]

Nana, last time I checked Austria had 7 gyms on highly competitive niveau and I stumbled across a lot more Uneven Bars, during my stays there

Strengthwise your sister surely is strong enough to do L7, but while having the conditions to do certain skills is crucial, only repetition of the drills and skills can get you to an higher level. A stabil handstand is one of them.
Does her gym let her compete on L6 niveau?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Hi,

So I got two questions.

I am not from the US, I come from Austria and we have very very very poor possibilities to train gymnastics here. We only have 2 gyms in the whole country that have uneven bars and the 2 best gymnasts of Austria + are probably a Level 9 USAG!

My little sister who is 12 is a level 6 going to be a level 7 soon. (I would say, we don't have those levels here either!)
She can do 10 pull-ups, 50 push-ups and 20 hanging leg raises on a free bar as well as 40 very good V-Ups.
Would you say she is strong enough to be a level 7 in the USAG system? In their gym they don't do a lot of conditioning, so she does 30-40 minutes at home every day.
How strong should a Level 7/Level 8/Level 9 and Level 10 gymnast be?

And the other question:

She can't hold a free handstand. She can do a press handstand, is able to hold it against the wall for 3 minutes, but is not able to hold it free. I guess ger body position is really good! What could the problem be?


Hope you can help me!

1. as strong as they need to be to handle the rigors and demands of the gymnastics that they must do at those respective levels you are asking about. the question can not be answered quantitatively.

2. the answer could be as simple as no balance. practice off the wall more often. other than seeing video, one can only speculate.