Anon Would you be upset?

[Anonymous (76f0)]

I have two questions related to the same situation. My DD (11yo, L6) has been at the same gym since she was 6yo. She started to work on twisting tumbling skills over a year ago. Mostly front and back layout halfs on the tumble track and more recently Arabians (also on tt). Her coach told her this week that she has been twisting the wrong direction. (She’s a righty and I guess she’s been twisting like a lefty.) She tried twisting the other direction and said she felt very disoriented and had some unsafe landings.

My questions are:
1. Am I justified in being upset that this was not caught earlier/taught correctly in the first place?
2. Does it really matter which way she twists? My DD said her coach said it matters coming out of a round off (like for a beam dismount), but aren’t most twisting skills coming out of a handspring?

Thank you!

 

[Anonymous (7634)]

Have her stand and jump 360 degrees. THAT is her twisting direction. It’s an immutable trait like being right or left handed. Learning to twist the other direction is like learning to shave with a straight razor using the non-dominant hand: it’s possible but dangerous. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to make the change. She will just have to do her back twisting skills out of a handspring instead of a round-off. No big deal. She’s not the only one and there are even a few skills where this pattern is beneficial.

As for being upset, I would not be upset about them missing it but I’d be upset about them advising her to attempt twisting the wrong direction. That’s dangerously dumb.

 

[Anonymous (6d1d)]

Urgh. I REALLY hate coaches who do this junk. Your twisting direction does not matter at all. I twist in two directions - one for front and one for back. It is FINE. Tell the coach to join the 21st century and shove it.

 

[JBS]

The key is not the direction of the twist... it's that the coach fully understands the concept of twisting.