Parents Trying to get the parent forum active again! Can you think back for me?

[cadybearsmommy]

To when your dd was a Level 1 or 2? Did she have a hard time getting a handstand?

In Level 1, they just had the girls assume a handstand position against the wall on a wedge mat. But now they are learning actual handstands and dd is struggling a bit. She has done them before, and she was getting them about half the time, but her progress has went backwards a little bit. She will get one leg all the way up and then the other one just comes up a foot or two off the floor. It is actually pretty cute though! LOL

I am in no hurry for her to progress, I am happy as long as she is having fun, I was just curious as to whether this is usually a hard skill for little ones to get?

Maybe it is an issue with getting her legs straight in the air? She still has problems keeping her legs straight in cartwheels and roundoffs sometimes too.

And don't even get me started on the pullover!!! How do these little five year olds on youtube make it look so easy? LOL

She only goes to one 45 minute class a week, so I am guessing it is normal for it to take a while to get the skills as opposed to a gym that trains Level 2s for team though.

 

[UnoMas]

It took my younger daughter about 7-8 months to get her pullover in L2. Same with the back hip circle. She got them at about the same time. She was 5 at the time, and going to gym about 5 hours a week. She has also had issues with handstands, but what would happen to her is she would kick up and then her arms would go out from underneath her. She has improved SOOOO much with the handstands, you would not know it is the same kid! If you look back to her level 2 meets on my youtube, you will see what I mean! I think her handstand issue was arm strength, that and she is very double-jointed and sometimes things just "give out" on her. She now struggles with kicking them all the way up on the beam in her L4 routine, but man I can't blame her for that...it's gotta be scary!!! Your DD will be doing beautiful ones all the time soon, and you'll look back and be amazed! I think they really have to get the "feel" of being vertical, get used to it, and not be scared of it. My DD is there on the floor now, but not on the beam!!!!

 

[clrmom]

My daughter is just finishing up with her L2 season. She had a hard time with handstands at first too but she practiced them all the time. (I think she is upside down more than right side up, LOL) She started a little later than your dd, so that may make a difference (not sure) but I definitely think all her practice has paid off. I think part of it is that it is just one of those things that gets better the more you do them.

 

[flipper's fan]

The key to the handstand, and every other skill to come in gymnastics, is "tight body". Your arms can be strong, you can be able to lift your feet, and you can hold it against a wall, but until you can squeeze your abs, glutes, and every other muscle in your core, you cannot stand on your hands without external support. A lot of times little gymmies can tell you they need a tight body, but htey don't know what that means.

 

[Shewhodrives]

I think one of my daughters favorite things to do is handstands and color. LOL She would (still does) do handstands everywhere with good form, but once she was introduced to doing them on the beam, it seemed like her handstands on the floor got a little weak. On the beam, she would start with good form and then would quickly raise the second leg to touch the other and she wouldn't be vertical and I think it kind of transfered to the floor, because that was what the floor handstands started to look like. Did that make sense? haha! It didn't last very long and she has since corrected the floor handstands, but she still doesn't get vertical on the high beam; not even close. Hope that helped.

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

I do not even remember when the girls learned HS!
They are level 4 now and I am sure they had it when they started preteam!
I have also figured out some things come easier than others, Oldest dd had a heck of a time getting the dang BHS while middle dd is
having issues with getting the dreaded Kip!

Baby dd well she will be in Target and stop dead in the way of everyone and do what she calls a HS (hands on floor and 1 foot in the ar LOL she is only 2 tho LOL)

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I also do not remember daughter getting handstands but I remember her doing self taught cartwheels at 5 that she did constantly. I actually do not even remember daughters earlier skills till she got to level 4 than it was the bhs and front hipcircle. She is young and she will get it I would not worry about it too much if she stays with the sport you will find that each skill comes when it comes and there is no control or predicting what will be easy and harrd for her. I would just trust your coaches and do not worry about your daughters progress in comparison to others. I know this is easier said than done!

 

[emorymom]

With my daughter she got her pullover when I told her, if she worked on chinning every day then she would have her pullover in 2 weeks. She was five and in a 3-hour preteam at that point. It took a little over a week of chin-ups on a tree branch outside and she got the pullover in gym class. If she wants her pullover, she can chin on a bar or tree branch and also work on her leg lifts.

Some kids do have to work at home more than others. My 7yo L2 dd struggled with a decent handstand for a long time, and still does them almost every day at home.

 

[Bajanswife]

My 8 yo Level 4 still struggles with handstands. It's beginning to affect her more than ever now, because she can't hold and control the handstand the way it's needed in L4 e.g. the hold before going into the forward roll (floor) and the beam dismount. If that handstand is not straight and right over the beam, it's going to be impossible to make that quarter turn. I could work with her at home on them, but I'm afraid of taking some of the fun out of it for her. I am supposed to be working out at home, so I'm going to try to get her involved. She is a very strong girl, but she either isn't in touch with her body or she forgets to engage all of her muscles to create good form.

 

[Galadriel]

The key to the handstand, and every other skill to come in gymnastics, is "tight body". Your arms can be strong, you can be able to lift your feet, and you can hold it against a wall, but until you can squeeze your abs, glutes, and every other muscle in your core, you cannot stand on your hands without external support. A lot of times little gymmies can tell you they need a tight body, but htey don't know what that means.

My dd was like this - i mentioned to her at home that her coach had said that if she squeezed her muscles she would hold her handstand easier - and it was a lightbulb moment - drastic improvement!

The language coaches use, the little gymmies dont always know what it means, although it can be obvious to us! (although i must admit i was clueless about what an 'open shoulder angle' was for a very long time!)

 

[3stars]

The headstand was the bane of my daughter's level 2 season last spring. It was painful. No matter how much she practiced, she just couldn't get it. Even her coach was stumped because she made every correction ever asked of her, but just couldn't hold it. I think everyone thought we were crazy when we (the other parents on the team and my family and the coach) all started cheering at state when she piked the headstand but didn't fall over. It was the first time that she hadn't fallen over. It was a huge success in our eyes. She still has difficulty with them and was hugely jealous when her 4 year old little brother tried it one day and got it on the first try.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

Thanks for the input ladies! I guess it is just like anything else, some kids pick it up more quickly than others. But dd got her backwards roll fairly quickly in Level 1, so that was good! LOL

I think there is probably just a little fear issue. I'm sure she will get it though!

 

[Shewhodrives]

My dd was like this - i mentioned to her at home that her coach had said that if she squeezed her muscles she would hold her handstand easier - and it was a lightbulb moment - drastic improvement!

The language coaches use, the little gymmies dont always know what it means, although it can be obvious to us! (although i must admit i was clueless about what an 'open shoulder angle' was for a very long time!)

I have NO CLUE what an "open shoulder angle" is. Ah, help.

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

I have NO CLUE what an "open shoulder angle" is. Ah, help.

I am right there with you!

 

[Megley]

I only remember this from my dd's beginner developmental classes. She was 4 yo and at first she did have a hard time getting all the way up in the handstand. I don't remember it taking too long for her to get better at them. I know by the time she started on pre-team later that year (still 4yo), she was doing them pretty well. I agree that staying tight is the key. They all get it eventually, some more quickly than others, and eventually learn to hold them.

 

[gymjoy]

SHH:shhh: This is our dirty little secret - dd is not the greatest at her handstands - even now as a L9!!
No one ever spent the time to teach her when she was a young gymnast. It is like schools promoting kids not quit ready into the next grade. They kept moving her along, I guess hoping the next coach would finally fix it. UGH!! Eventually she landed at a gym that fixed her as much as they could - they still work on her with it - and with her presses (don't get me started on her trouble with those...) What a difference to her gymnastics that decent handstand made!!! She might not be able to hold it for as long as others, but it is now nice, straight and tight. The big difference, her 'new' coaches were very hands on with teaching her what they meant. This meant many, many wall handstands, forward and backward, and lots of hollow holds on the floor to learn the correct shape, and lots of working on her shoulder flexibility.

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

Shoulder flexibilty can make a HUGE diff! oldest dd has been working VERY hard on this and since she has done these daily she has gotten more things moslty her BHS even. I think it has made a HUGE difference.

 

[clrmom]

SHH:shhh: This is our dirty little secret - dd is not the greatest at her handstands - even now as a L9!!
No one ever spent the time to teach her when she was a young gymnast. It is like schools promoting kids not quit ready into the next grade. They kept moving her along, I guess hoping the next coach would finally fix it. UGH!! Eventually she landed at a gym that fixed her as much as they could - they still work on her with it - and with her presses (don't get me started on her trouble with those...) What a difference to her gymnastics that decent handstand made!!! She might not be able to hold it for as long as others, but it is now nice, straight and tight. The big difference, her 'new' coaches were very hands on with teaching her what they meant. This meant many, many wall handstands, forward and backward, and lots of hollow holds on the floor to learn the correct shape, and lots of working on her shoulder flexibility.

I agree about the hands on. Last night, I noticed my daughter's coaches using a more hands on approach. (dd is a L2 8-year-old) In the past, they have spent a lot of time telling the girls what they need to do to fix things. Last night, they would tell them while moving their body to the corrected position. For example: instead of just saying to my daughter while she did a step-lock on beam "put your back toes under your front tows," the coach physically moved my dds feet. I saw an improvement in all of the girls because of this. I thinks sometimes the girls just need to feel it in order to understand it especially at the younger ages.

 

[cher062]

The gym my DD was at at that time they didn't call the lower levels by Level numbers instead they called it Pre-team with levels Bronze (L1), Silver (L2) and Gold (L3). I think they did that because L1 - L3 don't really compete in my area at least so they start with L4 when they start calling it TEAM. To be honest it was so long ago too I can't remember what she really had a hard time with except at L4 that back hand spring was a hurddle for her. and at L5 the cartwheel on beam. Other than that the other skills came some faster some slower but in keeping with others on the team.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

DD had just turned six when she started gym, took her 8 months to get a handstand, that was after her obsessively practising them at home for weeks, and her form was just barely average. Another year to be able to hold it straight and tight for maybe a few seconds. It seemed to take her ages.