Women Training Up?

[hearts_and_stars]

Is it common for coaches to want their gymnasts to train up a level before competing? DD is competing 7 this year, but HC wants her training 8 first. I'm guessing (though it hasn't been said) that if she's not training 8 on all 4 events before season starts, she'll compete 6?

I think she's started training 8 skills, but is this enough?

And is 6 now a required level? (I didn't think it was, but another parent told me that was only the first year of the new changes...)

 

[raenndrops]

6 is NOT a required level. It is the most basic Optional level. It is for girls who are proficient at L5, but not yet ready for L7.

 

[gymjunkie]

Is it common for coaches to want their gymnasts to train up a level before competing? DD is competing 7 this year, but HC wants her training 8 first. I'm guessing (though it hasn't been said) that if she's not training 8 on all 4 events before season starts, she'll compete 6?

I think she's started training 8 skills, but is this enough?

And is 6 now a required level? (I didn't think it was, but another parent told me that was only the first year of the new changes...)

6 is not required and up-training standards such as what you have described are good!

 

[hearts_and_stars]

Great! I had a pretty good handle on compulsories, but we are still very new to optionals. DD is happy and does not care what level she competes--so long as she is being challenged and not purposely held back, I'm happy. But all the new level changes are so confusing!

 

[cbifoja]

Our girls seem to always be uptraining so I guess my answer would be yes.

Now we don't "sandbag". For example, my DD will be competing L8 this upcoming season and she is definitely working on L9 skills but she doesn't HAVE L9 skills and would even be able to hang with the little dogs at an L9 meet.

Sometimes when people say train up but compete down, they might mean that their child has everything necessary for L5 but are instead going to compete L4 to clean up on the podium.

So there can be some ambiguity in this concept....

 

[lovemygymnast]

I've always heard that you should be training at least a level up from the level you compete but I honestly don't know that this is true for all of our gymnasts. So, no sandbagging at our gym but they are definitely uptraining them.

 

[HannahGS]

We definitely try to train up during pre-season/summer-fall (optional season starts in late December for us)

For example, let's say Jill is competing level 8 this season. Once she gets all her 8 skills, the coaches will most likely start her doing 9 skills because they know that the jump from 8 to 9 is massive and she'll need.a lot of time to get her skills.