WAG hitting feet while learning the flyaway.

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munchkin3

Proud Parent
DD was on her way to doing beautiful flyaways and really loved them and kept jumping up and down on the days of training flyaways.....
she was almost solo when she hit her feet.........
fast forward about 2 months, she still can't figure out when to let go. Coach is still heavily spotting her and she seems to not enjoy this skill anymore......
she can't muster the guts to do it in the pit either and says the coach wont let her tuck ....
tough it out? or talk to Dcoach? (my gut says tough it out, it will click)
 
Stick with your "tough it out" feeling. She will get it. Once she will realize that she can do it, and she will. D smacked both ankles (like the tendons where the foot attaches to the leg) hard one day on the metal bar. It took a few weeks and he was over it and ready to do it again, but it was ugly for a long time.

She will get it :) She and the coach will figure it out!
 
Can she put a pit block or noodle around the bar in-between her hands? That way, if she hits her feet, it would be on a soft surface (honestly, it doesn't hurt much less, but just the idea of having something there seems to make the skill less scary).
 
Been there done that. Caused all sorts of problems last fall to the point where Pea wouldn't even let go. Level 6 was layout dependent and Pea waffled all fall, lots of tears etc. She competed 5 again this past year, very successfully, and no one talked about flyaways for months. After states got up on the bars, went from cast-tucked flyaway to giant-giant-layout in one practice. Give her time, let the coaches do their thing. Easier said then done, but keep quiet (learned my lesson the hard way :oops:)
 
This is my DD's biggest fear now that she is learning the flyaway. And the reason she has not moved them from the pit bar...
 
My older dd hit her feet at the end of meet season. She did compete it at states but then successfully avoided that rotation for the next several months. Sneaky girl. Finally the coach caught on and she had to start back at the basics to get it back.

My younger dd casually mentioned she had whacked her feet last year on the way home. I got all tense and said "well, are you ok?" and she laughed and said "oh yeah, I hit my feet all the time". Um ok, as long as you are good with that. LOL caused no fear issues for her.

Time will help her get over it - and a patient coach.
 
My daughter currently has not had this problem (let's hope it doesn't develop either!), but what I was going to say was she did hit her feet one time, and she told me in the car the reason was because she let go too early. The coach snaps her fingers for when to release...we are at the stage now where the coach isn't really needing to snap because my kid is "hearing it" in her head. Hope I am making sense. So...maybe she is letting go too early? I am no coach, and have no knowledge other than what my child has said. I do think it is interesting how all our kids have different challenges within the different events, and believe me, my girl has some!!!
 
I stand corrected, she hit her feet today also so that is twice. And clearly heard HC say she was letting go too early that time.
 
Releasing too early wouldn't cause the feet to hit. The most common cause is that there is an angle between their arms and body as they release. This causes the body to go back towards the bar. It's possible to hold on too long and that can have the same result but without that angle, it'd have to be a pretty big swing to hit without that shoulder angel.
 
Its gotta be just right......too soon and you will drop low and have no arc as you fly. Too late and you go too high and hit your feet. Mine can't figure out exactly when to let go......this is the cause of SO MUCH DRAMA!!!!
 
Releasing too early wouldn't cause the feet to hit. The most common cause is that there is an angle between their arms and body as they release. This causes the body to go back towards the bar. It's possible to hold on too long and that can have the same result but without that angle, it'd have to be a pretty big swing to hit without that shoulder angel.

actually, you're part right. most of these problems are caused by the athlete's head. when they pass thru the bottom of the swing they "throw" or "rotate" their head backwards. this causes them to feel like they are going to peel and fall on their head (many do). so the reaction to this action is to hold on and pullover and THEN release the rail. THIS action causes them to hit the bar.

so then folks, the kids need to be instructed to keep their heads still and eyes focused forward when their basic swing rises above the bar and at that point when you release the rail. some call this position a "candle" and others call it the top of the swing. :)
 
I'm not sure you'll find many kids hitting the bar with their head back and an open shoulder angle. I'm sure most with a shoulder angle also throw the head. The "pullover" you describe is the angle between the body and arms I was speaking of. I may not have been clear. Sorry about that.
 
Hence the drills for DD are swinging and reaching the top of the swing she blocks back on the bar (open shoulders), releasing and flopping down on the mat in a flat back...........tears,
"everyone else is either doing their tucks or layouts and I'M stick doing flat backs!!!!!"
you'll get it little grasshopper.....remember the kip? remember the BHS? remember the presses??? remember the ______?
just focus on what you have, and improve the form.....everything else will fall into place...

I must keep saying this.......
 
I'm not sure you'll find many kids hitting the bar with their head back and an open shoulder angle. I'm sure most with a shoulder angle also throw the head. The "pullover" you describe is the angle between the body and arms I was speaking of. I may not have been clear. Sorry about that.

I think dunno acknowledges the shoulder angle, but was just trying to explain that it typically stems from the head being thrown out of alignment first. You can tell a kid to open their shoulder or not to pull in until you are blue in the face, but if their head is out (which some newer coaches here may not know to look for), they will not be able to fix the shoulder angle upon release.
 
actually, you're part right. most of these problems are caused by the athlete's head. when they pass thru the bottom of the swing they "throw" or "rotate" their head backwards. this causes them to feel like they are going to peel and fall on their head (many do). so the reaction to this action is to hold on and pullover and THEN release the rail. THIS action causes them to hit the bar.

so then folks, the kids need to be instructed to keep their heads still and eyes focused forward when their basic swing rises above the bar and at that point when you release the rail. some call this position a "candle" and others call it the top of the swing. :)

I love the detail in this explanation. I wonder as a parent if it might be helpful for athletes to hear this full rationale instead of just the instruction "keep your head still and eyes forward". In my (admittedly removed) observations, coaches typically focus on the physical corrections instead of also describing the intellectual theory and the subconscious feelings, which is a mistake. My YDD is a horseback rider, and they are constantly sharing theory with her of not just how to position her body but why from a "physics" standpoint. They also have her do things wrong to feel what's right. Curious if any coaches have input into why they would take only a "do as I say" approach - and do you super successful coaches incorporate more explanation?
 

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