This week I accomplished...

[dannolynn]

awesome nicci. did you get nervous with people watching!?

 

[nicci1999]

It was only Cori and Gina, but I did get a little nervous lol. Its one thing to do it, and have people glance or watch a little bit, its a totally different thing to have people specifically watching you But its good practice

 

[GikiGirl]

This week I finally was able to be back in the gym my normal practice times. My stomach has not been perfect, but good enough and I've managed it enough to allow me to practice.

I did mostly beam and bars because my shins don't allow me to pound too much, and I had a meet coming up. I was able to get my bar routine connected more often than not finally (struggle to put the whole routine together), and I finally started sticking beam routine more often than not. Darn full turn still gives me the most fits. Also went bact to vaulting w/ the board, which I didn't vault for 2 months trying to let my sore shin get better (I had a new spot that hurt, but then I have spots on both that always hurt, which are just a chronic thing w/ me...but figured time off from the board made sense since thats pretty much the only thing that hurt).
The shins are improved, but not 100%.

I also did bhs on the medium height beam and also front walkover on the medium height beam, something I haven't done for over 2 years. I am really getting my confidence up on beam lately. Finally I have succeeded in stretching my carthwheel longer before my carthwheel tuck dismount, which makes it less scary AND makes the dismount higher, but it took awhile for me to be able to do this and not worry about missing a foot or hitting the beam on my dismount. So good week!!

 

[kyliesmith1]

That's awesome Gina. I'm glad you're feeling a little better and got to get back in the gym and have a good week. I'm trying to decide myself if I'm going to go ahead and compete or not. Like you, my full turns are a hit or miss. Somedays I do good others not so good. They are definitely frustrating so I understand where you're coming from. It sounds like you're doing pretty good on beam though. Thats the event I need the most work on and since I can tumble again, which is one of the things I love, I have been putting off beam and I really shouldn't. I've committed myself to working on beam & bars & maybe some vault with springboard on Thursday night. I really need to be connecting my bar skills consistently if I want to compete & doing full beam routines. Anyway I guess this forum is for telling what we accomplished so basically the big thing is I'm finally getting my front tumbling on the floor. I guess more than anything I'm scared of the landing sometimes. It can be hard on the legs if not landed completely right. Anyway I can finally do my fronthandspring and my punch front on floor. Now if I can just improve my fhs then maybe I can start to put the two together.
One thing I am wondering Gina, is how you can be so confident doing front walkovers on beam. I am actually pretty good at front walkovers on floor and have done them on beam b4 but because I've had such terrible falls just from one foot missing the beam by a centimeter I just can't bring myself to do them again. Do you have any tips to make them less scarey or do you just never miss?

 

[kgymn]

Got my front tuck onto mats stacked even with the rod floor!! My coach says I need to add a mat or two, then I'll be ready to try it on the spring floor. I'm just so excited I keep doing it better every week!

~Katy

 

[GikiGirl]

Re: front walkovers, I am not very confident on them, I usually do them on a beam w/ mats stacked up to the beam. However, once in awhile I push myeslf to do them on a beam I could fall on, and I have always got at least one foot on when I do it there. However, when I do them over the mats I sometimes miss.

The tips I have are: hold the beam w/ hands side by side; fingers off the side of the beam to stay square. Keep looking at your hands the entire time you do the skill; reach far out from your standing leg when you go into the handstand and kick hard; lastly push your shoulders back toward teh side of the beam where you started the front walkover, as you arch over.

LOL I know thats a lot, they are tricky. Mostly you just have to go for it aggressively and you are very unlikely to miss. Its when you go slow and are unsure that things go wrong. Don't try to stand up until you FEEL that first foot land on the beam. As long as that foot lands, its really hard to have a bad fall.

 

[GikiGirl]

Oh, another drill for front walkovers:

bridge walks on a line on the floor--walk forward and back w/ hands and feet on the line in a bridge

try to hold a bridge on a low beam w/ hands how you would do your front walkover

tick tocks on the beam--even if there are mats around a low beam, you will start to learn where to expect that beam to be w/ yoru feet

do your splits on the low beam--helps you learn to be square

 

[GikiGirl]

This week I wanted to spend some time working on skills I will use when I compete under level 8 rules again which will be in June (I decided to go to the AAU nationals in Georgia after all, because I am getting a lot of my level 8 skills back all of a sudden, and I would prefer to go to Georgia than to So. Cal where the USAIGC nationals are). There is no qualifying score required to go to the AAU nationals and it will be ladies division which should be cool.

So anyway, I started doing straddle backs again on the regular bars (was using a fat mat behind the low bar to land on). I have done them 4 practices now and caught them all; the worst that has happened is twice I hit my feet on the ground when gliding out.

I also did some back handsprings on the medium height beam and should be good to do them on the highest beam this week. I have a long standing fear issue w/ them, but thru lots of drills and reps and refining technique I think I am good.

I also went back to working tsuks and handspring full vaults. I hopefully will be able to compete the handspring full in June. I only vault with the board for a week or two before meets becaues of my shinsplints, and I can land about half of them using the mini tramp, but haven't tried them w/ the board in awhile.

I have been working my full turn on beam a lot and its still shaky but I am trying. Hopefully all the reps and drills will pay off at some point!

 

[dannolynn]

nice, gina! i wish i could be coming to open gym and stuff with you and see your progress!

 

[nicci1999]

Has the Dr given you any idea on what is going on Danielle? It was funny Gina, because I jumped SO high from the sound of the bars when you did your straddle back-I expected to see you in a heap on the floor!

I started working drills for front handspring on vault, and I have pieces of a floor routine put together. Extremely basic, but it will be very easy to build upon too. Any suggestions on how to get a higher cast? Doing a sole circle dismount on bars, and I need to cast a little bit higher. And my darned pullovers? Don't have em yet, but each time I do them, my coach spots me a little less

 

[GikiGirl]

I can show you some conditioning to help w/ the cast...the cast has so much to do w/ strength.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

The ankle was finally well enough to work more double-doubles today. Again, they're looking good. Hopefully I'll be able to put it on floor by the end of the week.

 

[nicci1999]

Thanks Gina! Geoff, I am glad the ankle is better and youre able to do stuff again!!

 

[GikiGirl]

Geoff, nice. Have you ever done it on the floor?

 

[LittleLady]

Great news, Geoff!
That is an awesome skill and it must feel great to be capable of performing it. I'm happy for you!
As for my accomplishments this past week....I started private lessons training a 12 year old and she's very talented. Unfortunately, the gym she attends never taught her the basics, so there's much work to be done. I actually demonstrated a front limber for her! I think I'm ready for my next step...front and back walkovers and back handsprings. I dream of tumbling once again.
On bars I can do the basics. Back hip pullover, cast back hip circle, underswing dismount. Front hip circles are never a problem. I just need more strength to get back my handstands, downhill somie, Giants and flyaways again. Then I will have the strength for my original skills I have planned.
I really enjoy coaching. It also motivates me to work harder on my comeback.
My accomplishments, however, were made not so important as I found out this morning my best friend has throat cancer. I've been through cancer twice with my son. He's in remission but it really puts life into perspective. Gymnastics is great, but life itself is far more precious. Anyone who believes in prayer, please pray for Roberta. Thank you all.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Geoff, nice. Have you ever done it on the floor?

I've been doing it to mats in a pit stacked to floor height. I'm heading in to train pretty soon; I may end up putting it on floor today.

 

[nicci1999]

I can do a quarter pirouette handstand!! Nothing major to talk about this week other than that, but I had a pretty decent workout tonight

 

[Jer505]

new skill

Ok all you Nadias out there ,

I started an adult class about a month ago and I landed a front tuck last night on the trampoline. Pretty basic skill, I know, but wow did it feel fantastic!

Jerry

 

[dannolynn]

nice job, jerry! a front tuck is actually not that basic! in usag you don't do them 'til level 6. so that's pretty awesome that you did it after only being in class a month! i have been doing gymnastics for 3.5 years and still don't always consistently stick front tucks.

 

[nicci1999]

Jerry, that is AWESOME that you landed a front tuck after only a month! I still cant land them! And it is not a basic skill