Parents Hello!

[newgymMama]

Hello all,

I've been lurking for a while now-.-just decided to join in.
I have two gymmies, my ds who is 9 and doing rec and my dd who is 6 on the level 2 team.
My question is about dd, this is her first year of gym, but started competitive cheer at 4. Her tumbling is great for cheer but not great form. She is extremely flexible, but has never done bars so she doesn't have a back hip circle yet.
I guess my question is how to make sure she maintains her tumbling while she is focusing on other skills? She has her bhs but since they never practice that skill I'm afraid she will lose it. Her practice is 2x a week for 2 hours.

 

[htimcj]

If she is at a good gym, she'll continue to get lots of tumbling time Don't be surprised if they take your DD back to some really simple things and drills to fix her form if necessary. Poor form= poor scores generally.

 

[GymMomXcel]

I put my DD in separate tumbling classes at her gym, aside from her team practices. That might help?

 

[newgymMama]

Gymnastics tumbling in general is so much prettier than cheer tumbling Her form has improved a lot already in only a couple months.
I don't think our gym offers tumbling classes although she does occasionally go to open gym and clinics at the cheer gym.
I just wonder if such a small amount of time(4 hrs a week) is enough to gain and maintain?

 

[Ariekannairb]

Gymnastics tumbling in general is so much prettier than cheer tumbling Her form has improved a lot already in only a couple months.
I don't think our gym offers tumbling classes although she does occasionally go to open gym and clinics at the cheer gym.
I just wonder if such a small amount of time(4 hrs a week) is enough to gain and maintain?

I have never heard of a gym that doesn't offer tumbling. Two thoughts though, I would not be letting her go to cheer clinics for tumbling. As you pointed out, the tumbling in gymnastics requires form that does not get taught in cheer. She will only enforce bad habits by practicing them. Second, early levels are about form. They may back off on her tumbling while they take time to increase her strength and to help her gain some muscle memory regarding proper gymnastics form vs the cheer stuff she was doing before. Don't fret about the tumbling. If she can do it now, she will pick it back up. Don't be surprised if she actually loses it while they are fixing form. I found that any time my daughter is working on a big correction, she goes at least a few practices with sloppy tumbling, but then it suddenly comes back and is much prettier.

 

[newgymMama]

That makes sense. I know form and technique are key,I don't understand why it isn't key in cheer, should be imo.
I'll talk to her coach about tumbling class at the gym,we are new there so I just probably haven't heard of one offered. She has a lot of friends at cheer still so maybe the open gym is the best bet to see them, instead of the clinics.
Any pointers on how to get the back hip circle?

 

[Ariekannairb]

That makes sense. I know form and technique are key,I don't understand why it isn't key in cheer, should be imo.
I'll talk to her coach about tumbling class at the gym,we are new there so I just probably haven't heard of one offered. She has a lot of friends at cheer still so maybe the open gym is the best bet to see them, instead of the clinics.
Any pointers on how to get the back hip circle?

The BHC is a nightmare. It generally comes with time. By the time you get through level 3 you will be so happy to see the backside of that skill.

 

[GymMomXcel]

Any pointers on how to get the back hip circle?

Don't throw head back..Big cast so you can get enough power..make sure your hips come back to the bar after you cast and don't let the hips drop from the bar throughout the whole skill..Visualize trying to kick yourself in the head, lol (thats what my DD was told by someone)..so you're like chasing yourself around the bar.

If the problem is getting back up on the bar (to front support) then do some ab exercises to make your stomach stronger.

I asked my DD for these tips, BTW! She took a bit to get it and then when she did get it, she did a lot of them and got her first rip!

 

[newgymMama]

Omg, thanks so much! I just read this to dd. She said " you want me to kick myself" with a confused look. Lol

 

[LJL07]

Oh yes. One of my DD learned all kinds of tumbling at a cheer gym, and I was indignant when our first gym put her on the level one team. A couple of things: they have to have the skills on all 4 events to move up, and there is little focus on gymnastics form in cheer tumbling. I agree with someone above who said that a good gym will work with her on the back handspring form. The first gymnastics gym did not let her work on any of the tumbling, they did minimal conditioning, they spent little time on critical basics like handstands, and spent a whole lot of time drilling level one routines for high scores at the meets. Hopefully you are at a gym that is doing the opposite of all of that. I switched DD to a new gym, and she has come so far with her form, strength, and is even making progress on her handstands. The back hip circle will come! If there's one thing that helps in this sport, it's having a lot of patience!! . Good luck!

 

[LJL07]

Oh, and we have the same issue with lots of friends at the cheer gym, so it's hard to steer completely clear of it. She likes to go to the camps and open gym with her friends. In all honesty, the cheer gym we have used is staffed with former optional level gymnasts, so my DD's form on skills was and is definitely fixable. I just find that the cheer gym isn't nearly as nitpicky about form and they tend to rush on to getting the next skill. Gymnastics just isn't as popular around here. And our first gymnastics gym did not offer tumbling classes, though most other gyms seem to have it.

 

[newgymMama]

I think you hit the nail on the head, with the patience. I know correct form and technique take time. It's just hard to keep my tornado of a gymnast from doing skills she thinks she knows how to do.

 

[GymMomXcel]

Omg, thanks so much! I just read this to dd. She said " you want me to kick myself" with a confused look. Lol

Too funny! She will not actually be able to kick herself, obviously, if her hips stay at the bar and her body is good and tight. It's just the thought/intent of the motion. A visual! That's funny, though. Good luck!

 

[GymMomXcel]

I love this persons videos, too.. She has a lot of great Gymnastics tips. I recommend visiting her YouTube channel! Anyhow.. My DD watched this when she was learning them, too if you want to let your DD watch. She's fun when teaching..

 

[LJL07]

I think you hit the nail on the head, with the patience. I know correct form and technique take time. It's just hard to keep my tornado of a gymnast from doing skills she thinks she knows how to do.

Ha ha!! Same problem here! I have a tornado who also tries to do skills before she is ready for them. The good news is that once their form catches up, they will probably have a lot of potential.

 

[newgymMama]

Oh I think I've seen dune of her videos, coach megan right?
I'm so glad I found cb, so much info!

 

[GymMomXcel]

Yep.. Coach Meggin

 

[newgymMama]

So tonight I checked with the front desk at our gym, and they don't have tumbling classes. I guess they used to, but didn't have much of a turn out. She suggested privates for a specific skill, but that really isn't my concern yet.
I guess just going with the flow for now is how it's going to be.