WAG Curious Level 6 or Level 7...

[GYM0M]

Coaches-just out of curiosity, since the level changes and level 6 is no longer required, what do you use to determine whether a gymnast will move up to level 6 or level 7? If skills, please be specific.....

 

[Coach2400]

Level 7:

Bars: giant or clear hip to handstand and cast handstand
Beam: solid series
Floor: layout
This is what Im using

My 6's are throwing the series on beam this weekend as a test but they don't know it's a test

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Don't forget that flyaway out of giants! Thats the big IF.

 

[GYM0M]

I want to say ahead of time that I fully support DD's HC and he will ultimately make the decision where she will compete about a year from now. (We haven't even scored out of 5 yet, but hopefully, we will this weekend).
She isn't quite 8 years old yet, but she will be pushing 9 just before the competition season in question. She's never attempted a flyaway out of a giant, but she does have giants, vertical cast to handstands, a clear hip, but not sure about a clear hip to handstand. Beam she has a solid BHS BHS series, consistently and a BHS BT dismount. She works layouts, fulls, And front tumbling on floor. Most of these skills are not perfect yet and HC is a stickler on form so I was just curious. Thanks for the quick response!

 

[iwannacoach]

Focus on the future by skipping L6 entirely. Well, maybe I'd look at it from a different direction and use L6 to keep the kids happy with meets and spend more time on the fundamentals for skills they can use while scoring out of L7 on their way to L8.

Level 7:

My 6's are throwing the series on beam this weekend as a test but they don't know it's a test

That's how it's done. Train beyond the level and then put in what's allowed while banking future skills.

 

[Bajanswife]

Giants with flyaway is our usual gatekeeper skill for level 7, mainly because the girls tend to get beam and floor sorted out before bars. But if there's a girl who is strong in bars and gets there first, but is lagging behind in floor or beam, then a different measure will be used. We do compete level 6, so there is no rush to 7 - they move up when their routines are strong level 7 routines. Until then they play with their level 6 routines, substituting bigger skills until they start to look like level 7 routines. We have no level 8, 9 or 10 at our gym right now, so we use level 6 as our intro to optionals and don't spend much time on level 5. Our girls will stay in 6 as long as necessary perfecting their skills and form. Most won't get out of 6 - we are a small population and it's not easy to find girls with the right combination of natural talent and determination/drive to succeed in optionals. Once the training goes over 12 or so hours per week the kids and their parents tend to get fed up. It's hard to juggle that much training with school, friends etc., and most kids just aren't willing to make the sacrifices. If we had a bigger population to draw from we'd find more committed/obsessed gymnasts! So level 6 is an important level for us (moreso than 5) because it keeps the kids interested for longer - having your own routines and music is way more fun! Most of the girls are probably very suited for Xcel, but our closest neighbours don't compete it so there's no point at this stage in having it. Level 6 is our Xcel.

 

[iwannacoach]

Gymnastics? What about the beach?

 

[Bajanswife]

Gymnastics? What about the beach?

Exactly!

 

[iwannacoach]

I tink id a goot dayfoda beech, mon.