MAG Starting horizontal bar

[jayGatsby]

Hello everyone! Soon I would like to start training horizontal bar. I have access to proper gymnastics facilities, but coaches only know about WAG skills, although it seems that the beginning elements of horizontal bar and uneven bars are similar so perhaps they still can help. I am a beginner adult, I have been doing floor for a couple of years and more recently some vaulting, but I have no experience with other apparatus. Googling around it seems that the initial elements should be

- Tap swing (hollow - arch - hollow, regrip)
- Pullover
- Cast to horizontal
- Back tuck flyaway
- back hip circle
- Glide swing to kip to support (or is the kip more advanced?)

It's probably too much to focus on at once, so I was thinking on start working on tap swing, cast to horizontal and pullover, is it sensible?

It seems to me that back giants and hip circles are more useful/important than the fwd version, is it so?


For a longer term plan I imagine reasonable progressions would be, likely with intermediate drills added,

Kip to handstand
- Glide swing to kip -> Glide swing to kip to support
- Cast to horizontal -> cast to handstand
And putting all together should give the kip to hs (?)

Bwd giant
- Tap swing increasing amplitude -> giant

Back layout flyaway
- tuck -> pike -> layout

Free hip back circle
- pullover -> back hip circle -> free hip back circle

 

[Carabistouille]

Those progressions look sensible to me. WAG coach can indeed be helpful as some skills are similar.

However, I would be very careful about a few things :
- is the facility you are using WAG only ? If so, the high bar is probably used as a strap bar only, which means you can't use it without strap. The high bar must be prepared with care is you want to use it without straps/with grips on. There is a very strong risk of peeling off (especially on tap swings, back flyaway and, to a lesser extend, back hip circle) if the bar isn't properly prepared and this can be extremely dangerous.
- for the same reason (risk of peeling off), if there is no qualified MAG coach and if there is no one strong enough to spot you, I would only work some of those skills (big tap swings, giants, probably free hip to handstand) on strap bar.
- if the high bar at your gym is an actual high bar used by MAG gymnast, you should find one guy (coach, experienced gymnast) to explain to you how to prepare the bar safely (for instance you shouldn't use it without chalk becaus eit would make it dangerous not only for you but also for the gymnast who will go after you).

A few remarks about your progressions :
- don't learn a pike flyaway, it will only make it harder to achieve a layout shape. I would recommend not learning a tuck flyaway either (I feel like it mostly leads to bad habits) but I know not everyone agrees. I would learn a layout straightaway, especially if you have a pit available.
- a back hip circle doesn't have much to do with a pullover, you can learn those independently.
- a kip might be a bit more advanced than the other elements you mentionned but you can start working on it right away.
- yes, you can focus on backward giants and back hip circle, at least for now.

 

[jayGatsby]

Those progressions look sensible to me. WAG coach can indeed be helpful as some skills are similar.

However, I would be very careful about a few things :
- is the facility you are using WAG only ? If so, the high bar is probably used as a strap bar only, which means you can't use it without strap. The high bar must be prepared with care is you want to use it without straps/with grips on. There is a very strong risk of peeling off (especially on tap swings, back flyaway and, to a lesser extend, back hip circle) if the bar isn't properly prepared and this can be extremely dangerous.
- for the same reason (risk of peeling off), if there is no qualified MAG coach and if there is no one strong enough to spot you, I would only work some of those skills (big tap swings, giants, probably free hip to handstand) on strap bar.
- if the high bar at your gym is an actual high bar used by MAG gymnast, you should find one guy (coach, experienced gymnast) to explain to you how to prepare the bar safely (for instance you shouldn't use it without chalk becaus eit would make it dangerous not only for you but also for the gymnast who will go after you).

A few remarks about your progressions :
- don't learn a pike flyaway, it will only make it harder to achieve a layout shape. I would recommend not learning a tuck flyaway either (I feel like it mostly leads to bad habits) but I know not everyone agrees. I would learn a layout straightaway, especially if you have a pit available.
- a back hip circle doesn't have much to do with a pullover, you can learn those independently.
- a kip might be a bit more advanced than the other elements you mentionned but you can start working on it right away.
- yes, you can focus on backward giants and back hip circle, at least for now.

Thanks for the detailed answer, much appreciated