What is your gym focusing on now?

[Mariainlv]

My question is: What is the main focus right now @ the gym? Uptraining, conditioning, routines or something else?

Just curious what other gyms work on now that it is the offseason (for the most part)

 

[gymnut29]

My team has states this weekend, so for this week it is routines, routines, and more routines and a lot of crossing my fingers that they do well this weekend! Starting next week we will concentrate more on uptraining skills and conditioning. Since our season doesnt begin till December we wont start routines again till August.

 

[bogwoppit]

Hmm, well some girls have provincials this weekend, so they are all about routines, the rest are uptraining. However next week is evaluations and the end of gym until September! Imagine that??

There is summer camp, but it is quite pricey, so probably only 5 of the team girls ever go. As you can guess our gym has no elites!

 

[Ingwe]

During the summer our gym focuses on uptraining. There are no routines done between June and the end of August.

The Gym also plans a lot of fun activities for the girls.

The optionals were given lists of skills that they need to have in order to move up. My Dd is busy trying to get all of her Level 8 skills by August.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Same here with dd--she has Championships (what you guys call States) this weekend as well, so it has just been routines, routines, and more routines. They usually start back up with the uptraining after Championships and work towards the skills for the next level.

 

[Pickle's Mom]

Uptraining. Evaluations and placements are next month, so they want to see how much the girls can do and if they are ready to move up.

The girls, of course, love it. After months and months of perfecting details on routines, now they get to try something new. However, uptraining also means uptraining conditioning (to see if they can handle the rigor of the higher levels) so we have some very tired, sore little gymnasts at the end of the day.

 

[fishchimes]

Uptraining! If we were doing anything else, those impatient little ones would start nibbling on the coaches... lol

My coach has gotten himself thinking that we're going to start doing tougher conditioning. That's fine with me, but if he wants to keep the goofy ones in line and the whiny ones on the floor, he's going to have to learn raise his a voice a little.

 

[All Chalked Up]

Well, we have a inter-gym competition soon, so it's routines AND uptraining. But for me, mostly routines because I'm competing a level higher which I am absolutly PUMPED about!!!!!!

 

[Bajanswife]

The team is going to Trinidad for a competition from June 4 - 6, so we're gearing up for that - extra training sessions, polishing routines, some extra dance sessions to get the floor routines looking good etc. It's my DD's first "real" competition ever! She's in Level 3.

After that we are working on the end of term fun show at the end of June. This is DD's first year on the team, so I'm not sure what they do over the summer when the regular rec classes are off. Usually she and her sister (in rec) do a few weeks of gymnastics camp - it's just a fun camp, not serious training. Over Easter holidays the team trained twice a week, and one of the options was to do your training during camp hours, so that worked for us - the girls could still go to camp as usual, but twice a week by DD on the team would break away from the fun group and do serious training with other team members. I suspect that's what they'll do over the summer too - gotta keep those skills and fitness levels up!

I have no idea when the next competition will be after the summer - we do so few during the year, because we have to fly to each one.

 

[DedicatedToMySport]

My team is focusing on basics and skills. But mostly we are focusing on conditioning because summer is coming and season is ending. Its the perfect time to get stronger

 

[UnoMas]

Move-ups have happened for our girls already, so they are working skills for fall/spring competition, some routines, and lots of conditioning.

We don't uptrain much unless girls have all their skills for the current level 100% perfect.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Our competition season has just begun. Most of the gymnasts started competing in late April or early may.

 

[MamaofEnS]

Our season for optionals ended last weekend at J.O. Nationals. So, we have new level 4's competing, and our gym is hosting a meet this weekend for compulsories. They are training routines. Elites are also training routines, preparing for VISAS. The optionals are uptraining. We have A LOT of gymnasts who are injured, my DD included, who are spending most of the time conditioning.

Good thread.

MamaofEnS

 

[marie83]

Well in GB our structure is quite different to the USA, however for my gymnasts there are no more competitions (not regional level ones anyway) until September so right now we are a) doing a lot of conditioning b) either working on the skills they need in Sept OR uptraining if they have them and c) playing with new ideas for skills/choreography.

- In my group I have half who are British level 4 this year and half who are British level 5 this year - level 5 is easier than 4. My level 5's almost all have everything they need so are perfecting skills and uptraining for level 4.
My level 4's are struggling a bit, so they are working on achieving their skills.
Levels here are voluntary meaning no set skills, so we are also playing with which skills which gymnasts will be competing. EG - I have 1 gymnast who I don't think will be ready to bwo - bhs on beam by Oct, so we are working on cartwheel-roundoff as she needs an acro series with flight.

All the girls are also practicing their range and conditioning for National Grades next March!

Over the summer we have summer camp which is really just fun. The girls do 1.5 hours in the morning and just spend time achieving skills that we don't really work on in WAG. Then in the afternoon they come in for 3-4 hours and work on what they need! We also have to start learning routines over the summer because a lot of gymnasts go off on holiday and when they return there is only about 4 weeks until their first competiton!

All in all, it's a pretty busy time!

 

[BreezyGymnast]

mostly uptraining..some of the injured girls do dance throughs on floor when they get bored though..

 

[gymfan4ever95]

We do conditioning at the beginning and at the end now that it is the offseason. In competition season, we usually just condition at the end. But we are mainly doing uptraining right now, and trying to get all of our skills ready for the upcoming season! It is really stressful, because we have to have almost all our skills for the level we would like to compete by October! So it is really hard in the off season!

 

[MissBear]

Marie83 - Are they in age or out? It sounds like they are 1 year out if they will be doing national grades? Grade 8 or 7 ish? It is so nice to have another UK coach to hear how your gymnasts are doing!

As marie83 our gymnasts are in different places right now. Our youngest gymnasts (age 6 and 7) are preparing for their first ever floor and vault competition, to begin 4 piece competition next year. They compete VERY basic skills, to practise performing in front of an audience and learning and remembering a routine.
If they have an upstart (kip) they will be competing voluntary comps in June, and again in september/october, so all of our older gymnasts (about US levels 5/6-9) are working routines.
The gymnasts in the middle are uptraining, but some are close to an upstart and some are not. If they get it by september they will compete then, but if not they will wait until January to compete the next Grade (grade 13).
In addition our pre-elite gymnasts are preparing for Espoir nationals in June, so they are also working routines.
It's very busy!

 

[CreateMagic]

Its mostly business as usual and getting ready for the annual show, at the end of June, for my little ones. We're doing some routines, some uptraining, some perfecting of skills.

 

[marie83]

Marie83 - Are they in age or out? It sounds like they are 1 year out if they will be doing national grades? Grade 8 or 7 ish? It is so nice to have another UK coach to hear how your gymnasts are doing!

I have a mixed group. Most are 9 this year so will be in age level 4.
There is no in or out of age at grades (don't know if this is just in our region, all I know is that the minimum age is 10 in year for national grade 8) We don't do compulsory grades at our gym at the moment - not enough training time available!

I have 1 gymnast who is 11 and one who is 10 this year but they are really the same standard as the younger girls

I have 2 9 yr olds who will be doing level 4 in Sept (provided they have their skills - one does already, the other is struggling big time!) And my 10 and 11 yr olds are level 4 also.

The rest of the girls will repeat level 5 this year, with perhaps the exception of 1 who I may push for level 4!

 

[MissBear]

Yes, we also have no in or out of age at grades (except 14 and 13), although I believe many regions do. All I meant is that if you go from 13 to 8, the grades skills line up neatly wth voluntary competitions 1 year out e.g 10 year old level 4, 11 year old level 3.
I am interested - do you have a level 6 below level 5? Below level 4 we have Novice, and before that Pre-Novice. Level 5 voluntary is only for in age gymnasts planning on compulsory level 4, and that is new this year.
It is amazing the difference between regions. I think it's great, as each region has a different population, different clubs, different strengths. It really puts the decisions in the hands of the local committee who know the area.