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.

 

[Anonymous (ecf7)]

More often, the "mess" comes out when kids learn cartwheel the opposite way. General persons believe that a right-handed would do cartwheel with right foot front, while the right (strong) leg is intended to be the kicking leg.

This mistake happens often in kindergarten classes and early years of gymnastics. It's not a huge deal tho, since quite a few gymnasts (olympic medals too) twist the opposite way compared to their round off.

I personally have changed some kids' round off or twist direction, but with some of them I had to give up. My dad was an international gymnast and they changed his twist when he was 13 and joined the national team. In his period (early 70's) they didn't do more than 2 twists tho.

Anyway, like JBS said, it is more important for the coaches to fully understand how to twist.

 

[JBS]

I taught my first daughter to blind change the direction that I thought she should be turning... 2 years later... she changed to the other side and immediately had it just fine. Why... I had this notion in my head that she needed to go my way and it would be better. She was a L10 for 7 years and is now in college running 39+ AA. I taught her wrong and she is not broken.

My second daughter is a L10 right now. I wanted her to be a lefty left so she could Kaz on vault... again... just a thing my mind could not get over. She had a 1.5 left twist that was awkward at best. Again... about 2 years in she changed to the other side so she was now a lefty right... she can 2.5 twist to the right. Her right twisting went for zero to hero about 1 week after twisting her hard way and fully understanding the concept of twisting for 2 years.

I was just wrong about both of these skills on both my own daughters. At this point... I can work with whatever they do... no worries.

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.)

Just to be aware... there is someone else that is a righty RO and twists to the left... she is in the below video...