WAG Goofy slightly bent arms on kip

[Deleted member 18037]

Bars for my kid not her strong suit.

Her kips at L5 still have slightly bent arms.

Is there any conditioning at home that would help?

If not its fine. it is between her, her coaches and her training.

 

[dancemom]

My daughter was given conditioning for this problem by her coach. At gym, she would wrap a theraband over the low bar or 1 pbar, holding one end in each hand, and do straight-arm pull-downs. At home, we looped a longer band over the doorway pull-up bar.

 

[duyetanh]

My daughter was given conditioning for this problem by her coach. At gym, she would wrap a theraband over the low bar or 1 pbar, holding one end in each hand, and do straight-arm pull-downs. At home, we looped a longer band over the doorway pull-up bar.

This is done at our gym also.

 

[rjb123]

All I can say is that everything seems to be easier when you are stronger. DD routinely does extra conditioning at home- she does press HS, HS holds, push ups etc. I don't let her do more than 15 min a day extra at home on gym days, 30 on non gym days. She would spend all night doing it, so a timer helps

 

[QueenBee]

I would agree that this might be a strength issue, it may be a timing issue. Or a combo of both. Has your daughter been growing? I see she is 10 and often times growth spurts can amplify form issues.

I wouldn't try to do home conditioning. Her coaches would let you know if they thought that was a good idea. Bars seems to be all about form and timing. Drills and more drills is probably the solution. And time. Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I would agree that this might be a strength issue, it may be a timing issue. Or a combo of both. Has your daughter been growing? I see she is 10 and often times growth spurts can amplify form issues.

I wouldn't try to do home conditioning. Her coaches would let you know if they thought that was a good idea. Bars seems to be all about form and timing. Drills and more drills is probably the solution. And time. Good luck!

No, no growth spurt yet.

Her coaches have let the girls know that they should be doing some conditioning on their off days. We are a low hour gym. They don't want them practicing skills but they would like them to condition at home.
We don't "make" her do conditioning (exception vacation as she is out of gym for 7-10 days). In fact they would love them to do stretching stuff for leaps. We have stuff (like a pull up bar) available. Exercise and being fit is important regardless of sports.. Heck I would like her to do more wrist strengthening as that is a weak spot for her and that is hard enough.

So just want to be able to offer her some options. Up to her to do or not.

 

[QueenBee]

Oh, if you are looking for options on what to do home conditioning - then I would say:

a. rice exercises for wrist and hand strength. you should be able to look up youtube videos for them - our PT highly recommends.

b. press handstands, handstand holds and good form pushups (not the super speedy ones I sometimes see the girls doing, but rather the slow ones putting chest to the floor and then lifting it completely finishing in straight-arm position).

c. stretching is always good, the big part is to make sure form is maintained. some gymnasts naturally have good form and good lines, but if your gymmie doesn't - you should make sure you know what it is supposed to look like so she isn't just making bad form permanent.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Oh, if you are looking for options on what to do home conditioning - then I would say:

a. rice exercises for wrist and hand strength. you should be able to look up youtube videos for them - our PT highly recommends.

b. press handstands, handstand holds and good form pushups (not the super speedy ones I sometimes see the girls doing, but rather the slow ones putting chest to the floor and then lifting it completely finishing in straight-arm position).

c. stretching is always good, the big part is to make sure form is maintained. some gymnasts naturally have good form and good lines, but if your gymmie doesn't - you should make sure you know what it is supposed to look like so she isn't just making bad form permanent.

Thanks we have those. And the coach has given the girls general conditioning workouts. I was looking more specifically targeting for the straight arm thing.

 

[QueenBee]

Yeah, then back to drills and more drills at the gym. Eventually she'll get it.

 

[profmom]

It will come if she's patient. Some girls don't master it until L7. Once she needs it to be able to do other things, she will figure it out if she really wants to do the other things (i.e., kip-cast handstand-giant).

 

[Deleted member 18037]

It will come if she's patient. Some girls don't master it until L7. Once she needs it to be able to do other things, she will figure it out if she really wants to do the other things (i.e., kip-cast handstand-giant).

Thank you that was nice to hear, err, read.

 

[Aero]

Make sure she effectively knows how to activate her triceps!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Make sure she effectively knows how to activate her triceps!

And she does that how?

 

[Aero]

The arms can straighten without the triceps muscle group being fully 100% activated. She has to really feel those muscles solidify as her arms straighten.

Once these arms are straight and solid, the lats do all the work to pull the arms to the hips. Tell her whenever she does pull down type exercises, she has to feel the triceps become hard as rocks.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

The arms can straighten without the triceps muscle group being fully 100% activated. She has to really feel those muscles solidify as her arms straighten.

Once these arms are straight and solid, the lats do all the work to pull the arms to the hips. Tell her whenever she does pull down type exercises, she has to feel the triceps become hard as rocks.

That I understand. Triceps sets kill, that dang tiny muscle. Thanks.

 

[CanAmGymMum]

Have her rotate her arms so that her "elbow pits", as my gymnasts call them, are facing forward at the end of the kip and while casting. This will activate the triceps which is the large muscle at the back of your arm responsible for straightening the arm.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Have her rotate her arms so that her "elbow pits", as my gymnasts call them, are facing forward at the end of the kip and while casting. This will activate the triceps which is the large muscle at the back of your arm responsible for straightening the arm.

OK what are elbow pits, purely for my own education.

I wouldn't tell her anything as it relates to doing an actual kip. She doesn't need me inside her head, that is her coaches job. I'll stick with approaching it from a tricep standpoint with conditioning. Heck I can do tricep work with her, heaven knows I would love to have my cut arms back.

 

[CanAmGymMum]

The crease on the front of her arm when she bends her elbow. The anatomical term would be anticubital fossa. Her triceps may not be weak. She may just not be activating them. More than likely, though, there are more technique issues with her kip that will improve over time. How are her leg lifts and core strength?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

The crease on the front of her arm when she bends her elbow. The anatomical term would be anticubital fossa. Her triceps may not be weak. She may just not be activating them. More than likely, though, there are more technique issues with her kip that will improve over time. How are her leg lifts and core strength?

That what I thought. And you are so asking the wrong person. She is a cut little kid. Kid has V back, and tummy I would pay for. But as it relates to her bars. I have no idea. They are her weakest event (not unsual) and she is always nearly the last to get a skill on bars. But usually with good form. Her form is not bad. Those kips are not crazy bent. Just slightly. Her cast height is getting up there but arched. Again, I know time and coach will help. But just wondering what we can do out of the gym to potentially help.

But reading and chatting with you all, has made me realize; 1-My sorry self could use some work on triceps, core and legs along with pretty much everything else . 2- Since she can surely kick my butt in any conditioning work, I could make this a Mom and daughter thing and 3- approach it as me asking her to help keep me in shape, honest and on program, she can be my coach/training partner

At the very least her arms won't be any straighter, but I might look a heck of lot tighter

 

[CanAmGymMum]

If it's a strength issue at all, the first place I would start would be hanging leg lifts, keeping head between arms so ears are covered.