Parents Need advice

[dancingimmie]

I'm very new to gymnastics. My DD is 7 & just started to workout with the Excel Silver team at our gym but they are using it as a pre team for her (I'll get to that later).
My DD flew through the rec. levels at our gym, went from new level 2 to 4 in less then 6 months & only 3 hours at the gym per week. She's a beast! They finally moved her on to the excel silver team and are using it as a pre team because they don't currently have a JO pre team. I wanted her put with the current level 4 team but they won't. The excel team is much older 10-13 yrs old & the level 4 team is closer to her age. She has her ROBHBH, FHS, FHSSO, front & back walk overs. On the bars she has her pull over, back hip circle, working on her front hip circle. Her front handspring vault is pretty good. Beam is her worst but she can do a cartwheel, just not consistently yet & handstand 1/4 dismount is coming along nicely. She's only been working out with the silvers for a few weeks and is only getting 4 hours of gym time per week and they are currently getting ready for states. I really like the coaches at this gym but I'm wondering if I should be looking else where or should I give it a couple of months? Any and all advice appreciated...

 

[Aussie_coach]

From the skills yiu have listed she is not ready for USAG JO level 4 yet. She could still be quite a way off.

Bars in particular is important. For JO level 4 they need their kip, squat on and jump to high bar and lomg kip. If she only really has a pullover and back hip circle on bars this is still going to take quite some time to develop.

If she is training low hours she can supplement this with extra strength work at home. Strength is the biggest key to unlocking bars. I would chat to her coach about writing a conditioning program for her to do at home and she can work on that.

If you want more hours could she do open gym, or be added into another advanced rec class of some sort?

 

[dancingimmie]

I am thinking about adding an advanced rec class on Friday, once her dance class is done for the year. The funny thing is I haven't seen a single level 4 girl be able to do a kip yet but at least they are working on them. My daughters group is not... Thank you for the advice of conditioning supplement. I will ask her coach.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

From the skills yiu have listed she is not ready for USAG JO level 4 yet. She could still be quite a way off.

Bars in particular is important. For JO level 4 they need their kip, squat on and jump to high bar and lomg kip. If she only really has a pullover and back hip circle on bars this is still going to take quite some time to develop.

If she is training low hours she can supplement this with extra strength work at home. Strength is the biggest key to unlocking bars. I would chat to her coach about writing a conditioning program for her to do at home and she can work on that.

If you want more hours could she do open gym, or be added into another advanced rec class of some sort?

Yes to this.

Our gym, no kip, no level 4. Its what held my girl back last year.

 

[IreneKa]

Is there a level 3 team, or they start competing at 4? Based on her bars skills she should be a 3. But then of course she would be bored on other events. I guess that's why they put her in Xcel, because it's more flexible. She can practice higher skills on floor, beam, and vault, while catching up on bars.

 

[twinmomma]

I would agree L3 sounds more appropriate. Though it depends on when the compulsory season is for your area. Ours isn't until the fall, so I'd say there are still a few of our girls training L4 who don't have a consistent kip yet (out of like 18?). But they all competed mill circles and FHC etc. last year.

 

[dancingimmie]

No level 3 team at our gym. I guess she's in the right place. She has the level 3 bar routine down except for the shoot through (?), before the stride circle, she's having trouble with that. It's only been a few weeks. I guess we shall wait and see what happens. I don't want her to get stuck in excel and never have the opportunity to try JO.

 

[twinmomma]

The shoot through is a PITA. DD fell on bars because of it and as a result spent the rest of the season hitting her foot on the bar on it because she was so determined NOT to fall again. She's only 7. Gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint, and if she's in the right place with the right coaches and working hard it sounds like she's well on her way.

 

[dancingimmie]

Thanks for all your input!

 

[needcoffee]

Speaking from experience, you really don't want your DD put into a level before she has the skills required for a level. This year has been hell for my DD, madly trying to get skills she just can't do with a time frame on it, or she can't compete in July. It's maddening, and I wish they had put her into a level she could do.

 

[lovemygymnast]

The thing about xcel that is great is that she can do the skills the has while trying to acquire skills for 4. She's not stuck in Xcel (unless that's the way your gym works). Many gyms actually use the xcel program and score out of the JO levels as they go through all the way to optionals. My DD's friend moved from our gym hours away. Her new gym has her competing gold, but the skills she's doing are much higher than 5 & 6 even in certain events. They started on old 3 (new 2) together at our gym. My dd is 7 just finished 4 going to 5, but her friend is 8 now about to score out of 5 & go to 6 possibly 7. So, there is a lot of flexibility in xcel. But if you're still not 100% certain, you can always check out other guns in the area so you don't wonder.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I agree with others in that she is probably right where she needs to be as she sounds pretty far from L4 skills on bars. Hopefully her coaches will see what she is doing on other events and do what they can do get her working in her kip soon. Don't be discouraged yet though, they may be doing lots of things to WORK on kips or get her ready for that even if you don't know it!!

 

[z2akids]

Try not to worry too much about the different ages. Your DD will do just fine learning with girls a couple of years older than her. Being similar in skills is more important and the level 4 team is beyond your daughter's current level in bars and probably beam as well.

Remember that "having" a skill and being competition ready for that skill are two different things. My DD who just finished competing L3 "has" her beam cartwheel. She stays on the beam every time, but if she competed it right now, her scores works be terrible - it is safe, but it isn't pretty, tight, long, verticle, etc.

Excel is such a good option for girls whose skills are uneven between events because she can work toward higher level skills in flour while getting up to speed on bars.

 

[GYM0M]

Remember that "having" a skill and being competition ready for that skill are two different things.

Yep! And having a skill competition ready and comfortably competition ready have proven to be 2 different things, at least for my DD.

 

[wallflower]

I'm very new to gymnastics. My DD is 7 & just started to workout with the Excel Silver team at our gym but they are using it as a pre team for her (I'll get to that later).
My DD flew through the rec. levels at our gym, went from new level 2 to 4 in less then 6 months & only 3 hours at the gym per week. She's a beast! They finally moved her on to the excel silver team and are using it as a pre team because they don't currently have a JO pre team. I wanted her put with the current level 4 team but they won't. The excel team is much older 10-13 yrs old & the level 4 team is closer to her age. She has her ROBHBH, FHS, FHSSO, front & back walk overs. On the bars she has her pull over, back hip circle, working on her front hip circle. Her front handspring vault is pretty good. Beam is her worst but she can do a cartwheel, just not consistently yet & handstand 1/4 dismount is coming along nicely. She's only been working out with the silvers for a few weeks and is only getting 4 hours of gym time per week and they are currently getting ready for states. I really like the coaches at this gym but I'm wondering if I should be looking else where or should I give it a couple of months? Any and all advice appreciated...

It sounds like her bars are behind so that is likely why they think she isn't ready for level 4.

 

[mobeans]

Yes to this.

Our gym, no kip, no level 4. Its what held my girl back last year.

Same here...you absolutely must have a kip to even move to L4. It takes so much time to perfect even after s gymnast "gets it".

 

[lovemygymnast]

Completely agree about the kip also! But she can work on the kip the whole level 3 season to get ready for 4, but even once they get the kip, it takes a while for most to perfect & get straight arm kips. Just give it time.

 

[duyetanh]

I am just a naive gym mom (seriously), but from watching my kid's season, here is how I see it. Getting the kip means you are standing at the gate that leads to the advanced gymnastics path. Maintaining it (meaning doing it consistently) means you are given a key that might unlock the gate. And perfecting it (straight arms, etc!) means you actually have the right key to open the gate...and whether you decide to go down the path is up to you.

 

[duyetanh]

And I finally figured out how to edit, woo hoo!!!

 

[needcoffee]

That kip is a bloody nightmare.