Home Conditioning

[SXS524]

How many coaches out there set home conditioning/gymmies required to do home condititioning?

I've been wondering whether to set my squad gymnasts (6-7 years old) some home conditioning.. they only train twice a week, on 2 consecutive days. They have to show all 3 splits (none have all 3 yet but some are close) at their club grade 6 competition in just over 3 months time, also have to do a bar routine with slow leg lifts, chin ups, long hang up hip circle (pullover) amongst other things. They're only training 5 hours a week and may well be against clubs training much more hours. Most of the girls have home chin up bars and I have on occasion asked them to practice things like leg lifts/chin ups (not set numbers or anything just to practice in general). When the girls have taken this on board its made a huge difference however not all the girls do it, and may do it one week but forget to do it the next. So I didn't know whether to take it a step further and make a chart or something of exercises and ask the parents to remind/encourage them to do it? Perhaps make it optional?
On the other hand I don't want them to resent conditioning or feel like it's a chore so feeling a bit torn.
Any thoughts?
Those who set/do home conditioning what sort of things do you set?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

mine has never been set home conditioning, but she sets it for herself ! I keep finding sheets round the house with conditioning routines on them !

I had one girl who was way off all her splits and over the summer holidays she got all three splits, but she was a particularly hard worker. I think if they are motivated they will do it themselves, if that aren't they wont.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Both my DDs have been given home conditioning lists and stretch lists to do daily. They asked for the lists, though, and a coach was nice enough to make them.

 

[bookworm]

we've never had any home conditioning assignments in all our years of gymnastics (16+) ..they're in the gym enough so we leave it there

 

[xrachx]

DD will hopefully be doing her club grade 6 in 3/4 months, and her HC has actively encouraged her to do home conditioning to ensure she's ready.

She's not been given a list however, but DD knows her routines and knows what parts she's weaker on (bad leg splits, leg lifts) so she works on those.

 

[Ex member]

How many coaches out there set home conditioning/gymmies required to do home condititioning?

I've been wondering whether to set my squad gymnasts (6-7 years old) some home conditioning.. they only train twice a week, on 2 consecutive days. They have to show all 3 splits (none have all 3 yet but some are close) at their club grade 6 competition in just over 3 months time, also have to do a bar routine with slow leg lifts, chin ups, long hang up hip circle (pullover) amongst other things. They're only training 5 hours a week and may well be against clubs training much more hours. Most of the girls have home chin up bars and I have on occasion asked them to practice things like leg lifts/chin ups (not set numbers or anything just to practice in general). When the girls have taken this on board its made a huge difference however not all the girls do it, and may do it one week but forget to do it the next. So I didn't know whether to take it a step further and make a chart or something of exercises and ask the parents to remind/encourage them to do it? Perhaps make it optional?
On the other hand I don't want them to resent conditioning or feel like it's a chore so feeling a bit torn.
Any thoughts?
Those who set/do home conditioning what sort of things do you set?

My Yougest dd is doing 5 hours a week as well and dd has been told that they will be doing grades next year as well (don't know when), they do a lot of conditioning in her group and they do get conditioning homework set everyday for one week and then have a week off homework and then get some again. Not all girls can do all 3 splits, dd can on a good day after warming up and stretching, none of them have their long hang pullover from the high bar yet consistently, one can do it sometimes.

Going back to the homework, they usually do the following:

All 3 Splits (held for 90 seconds each one)
Bridge (3 x 10 seconds)
Leg lift circuit (30 lifts each leg x 3, then both legs together - this is done sitting on the floor)
Press up circuit (10 of each type of press up - normal press ups, hands in diamond shape press ups, elbows in press ups)
Dish - lift and lower top half x 30, same for bottoms half, hold dish shape for 15 secs)
Arch - same of dish
Burpees x 25
Squat jumps x 30
Ankle raises, 20 each leg and 20 both together

They do different conditioning exercises from time to time but always do the bridge hold and splits.

Edit.. One thing I forgot to add, the gymnasts got asked to provide a notebook, the coach sets their homework in there and we have to tick it off as they do it and sign the book at the end of week. The coach also writes any targets and routines in the back of the book. The gymnast is also able to write their own target in there.

 

[Ex member]

we've never had any home conditioning assignments in all our years of gymnastics (16+) ..they're in the gym enough so we leave it there

That is true if you do high hours, some of our gymnasts don't. During the summer and October half term my dd's group changed to daytime training and were doing double to hours, they didn't get homework set during that period as they were doing plenty of hours.

Just wondering.. How many hours is typical for gymnasts doing grades? I was always under the impression they did more hours and days than dd's group ( 2x 2 1/2), in an ideal world perhaps 3 x 2 hours or even 3 x 3 hours would be better for them.

 

[bookworm]

That is true if you do high hours, some of our gymnasts don't. .

We didn't do a high number of hours in the beginning years but still never had home conditioning...

 

[Noideaaboutgym]

If you are going to set home conditioning then my suggestion is to keep it short, it is reasonably easy to fit in a 20 minute session a few times a week but once that set is 45 minute plus it becomes a lot harder to fit in.
For grades this year DD was set homework that basically helped the R&C so holds, splits, dish arch or Bars so leg lifts, chin ups, reverse chin ups, holds. It became a bit of healthy competition between the group as to who had done the sheet and how many times. I am sure it helped.

 

[Hayleigh]

My club sets conditioning and flexibility for all squad and competition groups. But it varies depending on what we are doing competition wise. We have target sheets, which have all our current skills, and for every 5 in a row stuck we get a tally line. We also have moves we are working on, a tally line for every one stuck, and moves we aren't working yet but could, same applies as above. And finally conditioning etc which is tallied when we do it at gym and at home. For every 5 tally marks we get a sticker. And there is a monthly and annual award for achievement on a sticker basis and on competition results. We also get stickers for things like sticking a new move in competition.

Sorry this is slightly off topic.

 

[Hayleigh]

@TinyDancer my clubs group that does the club grade path, train 3 days a week for 2.5 hours to start with and then build to 2 days a week for 2.5 hours and 1 day a week for 4 hours. But when I did club grades we did 2 days a week for 4 hours. So it is possible on lower hours.

 

[stillgotmyleotard]

At my daughter's gym, conditioning homework isn't given. But the girls do have a tailored programme and they do take it home. My daughter spends a lot of her free time practicing low-impact skills, such as spins and handstands, and she works at her conditioning as well. I think most of our girls probably do. She may be a bit unusual in that she loves conditioning and would sooner do that than her homework from school.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

Both my gymnasts had homework tasks set for them when they were in lower levels/hours, mainly flexibility and stretching - all three splits, oversplits, shoulder stretches etc. Fairly easy to do, dd still watches tv in the splits lol. Once the hours increased they were in the gym so often that set home tasks just didn't occur. Handstand practice, with and without a partner is still encouraged now, but that is about all.
If they were struggling with particular skills, then the coach would give them a list of drills and exercises that they could work on at home to help - these ranged from leg lifts, practising turns, split jumps on the home tramp, v snaps etc. Coaches suggested it would be helpful if parents reminded and encouraged, but there was no penalty for non completition.

 

[Ex member]

Dd will be doing Grades next year, found out tonight. They will start with the new Club Grade 6 or 5 and then go from there, they could go down the National route from there if the coach thinks they are good enough or if not then down the Regional route.

Dd's group has been given back their notebooks tonight and the coach has put the Range and Conditioning (for them to work on at home on non gym nights instead of the usual homework) and the Floor, Beam, Vault & Bars for 6 & 5 have been placed in their book.

They have also been given a challenge, the first to get a press handstand gets a prize.