Coaches Sole Circle Drills!!

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PalmTree

Coach
I am desperately scouring the internet for sole circle drills. How do you teach a sole circle? Not the dismount, the real, all the way around the bar sole circle. We only have a high strap bar. I have never spotted them but I know how, but I still don't feel like that's a safe way to start.

Any advice??
 
Yea, what Iwannacoach said, I spot them maybe one day and thats it. Then I put a super soft mat under them and make it a side station for all level 5's. Make sure when they feet on bar they are pushing real high, (on toe and straight legs on top). Then teach them to drop heels and bend legs at the end of the circle. Dropping the heels at the end will keep feet on bar, so they don't slip off. Other than that, every once in a while I will offer up some free tramp time for the whole group if one or two kids are close but just not getting it. In the end most will get it, and the ones that don't, oh well. I have a level nine that does toe shoot to handstand but cannot do a sole circle, figure that on out...
 
So would you spot it by standing to the side and holding onto their wrist and leg, or standing on the other side of the bar, and then when they swing towards you pushing them up on their shoulders (like example below with stalders):
Stalder Circles Some Low Bar Progessions and Spot - YouTube
Do you instruct them to always hold on to the bar and not let go, in case they don't make it all the way around?
 
I just stand on the side and push them around, put a soft mat under them. They will let go if they feel the need. I seriously spend maybe a day or two on this, then just let them figure it out. You can also have them do it on strap bar, if you have a low strap bar. Reason I say low strap bar is they may end up in a german grip, and being on a low strap bar will protect them. :) Spend you time on other things.
 
I guess I'm just overly nervous because when I learned the sole circle, I fell on my neck and it hurt! I had no progressions and my coach said she couldn't spot it. I don't want any of my kids to fall on their head!
 
Adjust the bar to a height even with your arm pit, or close to it, as that will allow you to spot the skill from low to high. I'll describe the spotting motion like I'd do it......

I'll stand with my right shoulder about 6-10 inches away from the bar, standing on the upswing side, with a wide stance that allows me to move from close to the bar to away from the bar as the skill moves through the upswing. I reach my right hand under the bar and reach into the nook of their hip, and as they swing through the bottom reach across my chest and place my hand on their lower back toward the opposite side.

Try to reach in as early as possible because you'll be able to give them an earlier boost on the upswing, and expect a few of them to need a pretty good boost.

Make sure the kids are either in a narrow straddle or a pike, because a wide straddle is going to force you out of position.
 
Last year I spotted a lot of the optionals on an adjustable strap bar set to low. Standing off to the side in front of the bar or straddling a box with a leg over each bar. Spot wrist and sometimes push stomach/hip.
 
Not a drill but something that really helped when I was learning them. Draw a picture and explain what you need to do in each phase. Somehow it all made so much more sense.
 

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