Level 5 bars advice

[Ingymmom]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gymmonkeymomma OK, so here's an update. I emailed her coach last nite and brought up the frustration, the confidence (lack of), suggested the stacked mats (like they did for her last yr when she first started) and did not even mention moving the bars closer. So the reply was that DD "does very well on bars except the jump" HELLO that is a necessary skill for this and all successive levels????!!!?!?!? She said that DD is "very negative" about the jump and will make a deal with her to move the bars closer IF she shows more confidence. Of course she is negative if she knows she is going to fall everytime! I'll have a talk with her before practice today and may have to offer some kind of bribery!!!

Since she had already learned the initial drill with the mats stacked last year and she is making the jump at times during practice, I say let it go and trust the coach to do their job. The coach is right she just needs the confidence. just my 2 cents, but I would say don't focus on it at all when talking to your little one. She will get more and more confident over time. Feeling the pressure could keep her "negative thinking" in place.... Make sure you let her know, if you think you can, you can

As to the parent that suggested it was lazy coaching - I beg to differ. It has nothing to do with lazy coaching... but rather more effective, organized coaching.

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Quote:
Originally Posted by lannamavity I'm a little concerned about the assumption that a coach is "lazy" when he/she doesn't adjust the bars for each kid. The truth is that it is in the TEAM's interest to have as few bar settings as possible so that the kids can get more time to warm up on bars at a meet. Most (high level) gyms have two bar settings and stick to them (one is usually FIG). The kids need to fall into one of the two settings...and that's that. Many hard working coaches use this strategy, and it's not to avoid moving the bars.

I never assumed that DD's coach was lazy, and I know they are pressed for time during warmups. However, when they see a child struggling, why not take the time to work with her on whatever the issue is - whether it's fear, lack of skill, etc. Also, we are not allowed to approach the coaches (after practice) so I've learned more here in the past 2 days from all of you, than in the 4 yrs since my oldest started at this gym, or the year that my little one has been struggling with this skill!!

Our gym does have 2 sets of bars, one set for the smaller kids.

[coachamyamerican]

I have a girl with the same fear and issue. She is tiny. (These are LV 4's but they are now working the new skills for 5) She was the only one that wasn't catching the bar. After reading this thread, I tried putting our big mat under the bar (is as tall as the low bar basically) and letting her see that from that she can actually touch the bar and there isn't really any height difference. She caught the bar last night and now it all makes sense!
Thanks for the advice..... and good luck with yours mom... she will get it!

[TuesdayPillow]

This could stem from a number of problems. Unfortunately, not all cases of no catching the high bar are the same.

First of all, has your daughter caught the bar before? Has she ever even been able to tap it? I usually work with the girls who are new to the skill and tell them to hit the bar with their palm after the squat-on. If they can get their palm on the bar, they can fit their whole hand. Also, some kids when they do try to grab it try to grab with with their fingers only. If she trying to get her thumb over the bar, as well?

In terms of bar settings, I used to set bars to accommodate height. This can work for and against the gymnast. The better and longer the jump, the easier it is to kip out of it. Also, it is more progressive.

This is what I would do: If she had caught the bar before, and goes backa nd forth between catching it and not catching it, then it is mental. The coach should know this and decide what to do. Stack mats? Spot? Put bars in? If your gym teaches that all kids jump on the same setting, then that is just how it is. I have worked in gyms that do that and gyms that don't. I cannot say that one way is better than the other, as both systems had their problems.

Is your child touching the bar at all? Are they diving towards the bar, rather than jumping up and trying to get their hands on top of the bar? If the child jumps with all her might and simply cannot tap it with her palms, then there is strength issue.

If she jumps and can touch it but chooses not to hold onto it, it is purely mental. It becomes her decision at that point.

I have had kids that were capable of reaching the bar but would not catch it. All throughout private lessons you could move the bars in, stack up mats, spot, etc., and they still wouldn't catch it.

A child that WANTS to catch it will. I had had kids at the age of six and seven - all of them were short - that could jump to the bar.

My suggestion? schedule a private lesson and see if the coach can work with her and so some things the coach doesn't have time for in practice, like bar settings, mats and the like.

Otherwise, she is still very young, and it is a scary skill. Give her time.

[Gymmonkeymomma]

TuesdayPillow - thanks for your detailed reply. I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can. Sometimes it is difficult to find out the exact details from a young child (i.e., where the thumbs are, etc.)

First of all, our coaches do not believe in giving privates just because you ask for one. The last time either of my DD's had one was hmmmm, probably close to 2 yrs ago. Older DD needed work on her clear hip, and I threw younger one in just to give extra help/gym time with mill circle. Our head coach believes there is no reason why all training cannot be done during pracitce.

DD can jump and touch the bar. She has gotten her fingers on it, although I have no clue about where her thumb is. Where is it supposed to be?

I don't think strenght is an issue. She is strong and powerful - you can tell by the way she tumbles & vaults.

Is it mental? According to her coach (when I finally brought the problem to her attention), she believes it is definitely a lack of confidence. My problem is why was this never addressed before? She has been training this skill for over a year, and has competed in 3 meets already. She caught the bar once (first meet) when the bars were set closer. Each time I would ask the coach whether she was 'ready' and they would say yes, she'll be fine.

There is the problem of inconsistency as to whether the bars get moved or not. In our gym there are 2 sets with different settings. At meets, it is a guessing game.....

When my older DD was a Level 4, there was a Level 5 gymnast who was small like my little one. She WOULD NOT jump to the high bar. She used to have to stay at practice when everyone else went home and was not allowed to leave till she jumped/caught the bar X times. This is how I would handle a situation (not as a coach, but an everyday life problem if one of my child would not or could not do something - make them repeat it till they "get it".

Anyway, I've posted an update on the Parents forum. Long story short - she has been getting extra attention from the coach and is gaining confidence and has been able to jump and catch the bar.