WAG amazingly quick progress - what is the secret?

[pumpkinpie]

Last month a girl (she has done power tumbling for some years but has never been on a very high level) joined our gym. She started at Level4, because she couldn't do any bar skills, although with her tumbling skills she would have been at least a Level6.

Anyways, this was 6 weeks ago. When I watched her train, she did the following on bars: back+front hip circle, cast to above horizontal, very nice underswing and tap&turn dismount, glide kip, long hag kip, long hang pullover, and she was working on straddle cast handstands and free hip circles with her coach!

I couldn't believe it! Ok, some are quick learners...but isn't this too quick?

I then talked to her mom who picked her up. She said she has never done bars before, she only could do long hang pullovers and back hip circles from playing around.

Is it possible, that if someone is really strong (she can do straddle press handstands and has a good overall strength) and has a little bit of a feeling for the sport to get to this skill level? She could definitely compete Level 6 and with a little work Level 7!

I talked with her coach and she told me that she thinks it is normal, because this girl was really well conditioned. She could do various pull ups and leg lifts, more than the other Level4 and Level5 girls.
She said she already guessed that this girl will have an easy game until Level 7 skills. From there on it gets a little trickier and she will definitely need the "normal" amount" of training time!

What do you think?

 

[2gymkids]

DD has (well, had, I think she's full time moved to team now) a girl like that in her group. Coach kept her on pre-team part time for most of the year to work on form, etc, but she seriously had a new skill every week. It was unbelievable! I just attributed it to natural talent. But maybe there's more to it.

 

[bogwoppit]

Definitely at the top end of normal, but I have seen it myself. We had a kid who could kip within days of being in the gym, could do anything really. MInd you within a year she had quit as she didn't really like gym. Left me dumbfounded.

 

[coachmolly]

It's absolutely possible, some kids just have a knack for it. The strength factor is hugely helpful, whether it was trained through another sport or just something that comes naturally to the kid.
I coached a kid whose older sister was a very talented gymnast, this girl just did some rec classes. She had seen big sister do a kip, marched into open gym one day and did one herself just from what she had seen her sister do . It wasn't consistent at all, but still an impressive feat for a 7 year old rec kid! Her older sister is now on the elite track, so the whole family just had incredible natural strength and ability for the sport.

 

[Midwestmommy]

We have one like this. Anything that requires power or strength, she just picks up really quickly. She struggles a little more on the other stuff (struggle probably isn't even the right word, just needs to work at it).... She is fun to watch. She is also a nice kid who is humble and sweet--that makes it even better. She is a great addition to our team!

 

[Jenny]

Definitely at the top end of normal, but I have seen it myself. We had a kid who could kip within days of being in the gym, could do anything really. MInd you within a year she had quit as she didn't really like gym. Left me dumbfounded.

frustrating!

 

[Gymishome]

We've got a girl like this, she started about two years ago maybe? She's 9 now. Every skill she has tried, she got almost right away. She is level 8. She's a little daredevil, great drive, and is the funniest little girl you'd ever meet. The first time she put a mat in for a double back, she stuck the landing. HC had her work standing fulls into a pit not too long ago. If there's anyone in our gym with Elite potential (who wasn't already elite), it's her.

 

[iwannacoach]

...has done power tumbling...but has never been on a very high level...

Is it possible, that if someone is really strong (she can do straddle press handstands and has a good overall strength) and has a little bit of a feeling for the sport?

She has the advantage of good over all fitness and strength beyond what most kids her level possess. Combine those two qualities with her tumbling experience and it's easy to see why she's zipping through the beginning level skills.

A great deal of learning skills relies on allowing your body to go upside down without fear or resistance. This shows up when kids try to go upside down but fight to keep their head as close to upright as possible, like when they stick their head way out or arch to allow their chest to face the floor.

With out that handicap, and knowing how to be coached, the sport gets a lot easier. I wouldn't be surprised if her progress continues beyond L7, as the other obstacle to learning is having enough success in an extended time frame to stay motivated.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

I think that when you combine what others have said before, with excitement of trying something new (thus giving her drive) and an obvious tendancy towards being good at it, that can happen.

You also see with kids that they hit "spurts" of skill learning...... one day they just start pulling out skill after skill that lasts for several months. I think their little bodies are just ready for it.

 

[pumpkinpie]

Thanks all of you for the replys! Amazing how some kids progress so fast...thank you

 

[3LittleGymmies]

One of my daughters is like this. She just turned six two weeks ago and started gymnastics about 5 months ago. Within a few weeks, she had a handstand, cartwheel, round off, bridge kick over, back bend, back walkover, pull over, back hip circle, front hip circle, splits all the way down, she almost has her kip, has handstand on beam, cartwheel on beam, rope climb all the way up without legs, back extension roll, almost her press handstand, and her standing back handspring looks really good. She learns VERY fast. She is very frustrated in her pre-team group and hates that they only do "easy stuff" (her words). Our older team daughter does not learn this quickly by any stretch of the imagination. BUT the younger one is extremely naturally strong and very mature for her age and WANTS "it" in a way that I rarely see in my older daughter.

 

[gymdog]

There are a couple factors here:

1. Power tumbling is still gymnastics. She may not have had much formal training on bars, but she was exposed to the sequential patterns of gymnastics that allowed her to development orientation, bilateral coordination, and balance. These transfer to the other events.

2. That said, bars requires a great deal of strength. Some people simply develop muscular strength and endurance more easily than others. A child that has the movement patterns down AND the strength would catch on to bars fairly easily. It doesn't really surprise me.

It would be odd if she had just started any gymnastics six weeks ago, because her brain wouldn't have developed the specific patterns of upside down and backward movement.

Finally, this is why when you watch people who start or try gymnastics moves as an adult, it often lacks a smooth quality of movement even when they complete the skill. I'm inflexible and out of shape too but my brain allows me to move more fluently upside down and backward because of intense early exposure during critical developmental periods. And probably better overall body development even in small muscles and tendons in the upper body particularly that rarely develop in the course of ordinary life.

 

[BlairBob]

Physical preparation helps as can body awareness.

Older kid?

 

[stillgotmyleotard]

While body condition and former skills would obviously always play a part in fast progress, I have always believed in the existence of the natural born gymnast. Some people are born it, some people achieve it and others have it thrust upon them.

I'm more interested in why you seem to be at a gym that is working the American system when it appears you are in the UK?

 

[pumpkinpie]

While body condition and former skills would obviously always play a part in fast progress, I have always believed in the existence of the natural born gymnast. Some people are born it, some people achieve it and others have it thrust upon them.

I'm more interested in why you seem to be at a gym that is working the American system when it appears you are in the UK?

That was actually a mistake and now I can't change it anymore I am from Brethren, Michigan!

 

[stillgotmyleotard]

I see. My apologies.

It seems the recent discussions about wilfully deceptive participants has rendered me paranoid.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Definitely at the top end of normal, but I have seen it myself. We had a kid who could kip within days of being in the gym, could do anything really. MInd you within a year she had quit as she didn't really like gym. Left me dumbfounded.

easy done...easily bored.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

I got girl like her almost a year ago. 12 years old back then. Her big sister was in team and their mother asked me if the younger daughter could come and try. She came. I made her do handstands, cartwheels, walkovers. She did them with very good form. Then asked her try bars. She did pull over and a little bit of tap swings. I asked if she knew what is BHC and she watched me for a long time and said yes. I asked her if she could do that. She said.. maybe? She tried and did it perfectly. When I went to work with other kids she stayed on bars. When I happened to watch her for the second time she was trying to do a kip. And she was very close. I went to her and asked where did she learned that. She mumbled something about watching her big sister. I told her right away she was welcome to join the team if she was willing to work hard and liked the sport. She joined and now it has been almost 11 months... And she has done three levels this season and won every competition she has participated.

Later I heard she did artistic gymnastics almost a year when she was something like 6. But she didn't like to stretch so she quit.... And started aesthetic group gymnastics (pretty much like rhythmic but with a team). So she was pretty well conditioned and had a good body control and average flexibility. For her current team mates it was kind of hard to watch their former team mate behind 6 years come and learn everything they had learned in 6 years since she quit in 6 months. Now she is the best gymnast in team and starting optionals next fall. Fortunately she's a kind girl and she's not glitzy at all so the they are all friends now and the others are not jealous about her progress.

 

[Kiwi]

We've got a girl like this, she started about two years ago maybe? She's 9 now. Every skill she has tried, she got almost right away. She is level 8. She's a little daredevil, great drive, and is the funniest little girl you'd ever meet. The first time she put a mat in for a double back, she stuck the landing. HC had her work standing fulls into a pit not too long ago. If there's anyone in our gym with Elite potential (who wasn't already elite), it's her.

We have a girl like this at our gym, too. She comes from a sporting family who are all champions at other sports. As well as her natural physical ability she has incredible drive. I saw her get a handspring vault on her very first try. I think with some people it's in the DNA.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

innate ability.