WAG Needs of a L9-10 program

[flipperdad]

I'm trying to find out if a gym needs special equipment to train high level 9-10 gymnasts. Is a pit with loose foam required for advanced bar and beam work? Or can a gym get away with not having that equipment. I'm concerned about safety and how a lack of proper equipment can impact progression.

Thanks in advance!

 

[iwannacoach]

I'd want to use a pit for bar release moves and dismount work, new vault work and general reduction of wear, tumbling the same as vault, and beam dismounts beyond round-off to layout full. Other coaches will have other preferences, but that's my take on the pit issue.

Generally, the kids should train on the same equipment they compete on, but more than a few gyms make good use of slightly outdated equipment in ways that make sense.

 

[Gymmommy71]

I believe you need a higher amount of "extra space" around your floor for L9/L10 stuff...like it's not okay to have a floor in the corner of the gym w/ only a few feet or so before it goes into wall or some other obstruction when you have L9's and L10's... The higher level floor stuff can tend to go pretty far out of bounds if there is a mistake and you don't want people hitting into a wall. The lower levels this really isn't an issue because the girls are smaller (so they don't take up as much space running and tumbling) and aren't doing anything all that powerful.

 

[CalEliteCoach]

The gym I coach in has a floor in the corner and no loose foam pits. We have over head spotting rigs and European style training pits. It is the quality of the coaches and team atmosphere that helps create level 9's and 10's NOT the equipment.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

uh...no disrespect intended but you kinda contradicted yourself in the 2nd sentence. ^^^ i submit that without those training aids/devices it won't matter who coaches or what the environment is that is created by coaches and athletes alike where level 9's and 10's are made. but i do agree with the 3rd sentence.

 

[Seeker]

...and European style training pits.

What is a European-style training pit? I tried Google, but didn't come up with much...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

trampolines and resi's i assume.

 

[Flipomaniak]

I have always felt that pits are a MUST for high level vault, even though I learned a yurchenko tuck, pike, and layout without the pit, so it's possible and ok up to layouts (imo). There's no way I would have a full if it wasn't for the pit.

Bar releases and dismounts would be pretty hard to learn without a pit. That would be pretty scary!

Beam: I don't find pit necessary at all for beam! I've never done anything into the pit for beam. We have girls doing 5/2 twist and double backs for dismounts. We so have a low resi though.

Floor: I feel that the pit and a resi are pretty necessary for levels 9 and 10! And yeah no walls near the floor, that would terrify me! Level 8s might need it for twisting but many do fine with a resi mat on the floor, I learned to twist into our resi.

When I say levels 9 and 10 included elite

 

[dmytv]

Pits are a must for vault, bars and tumbling for floor. Rod floor and tumble trak for floor. Spotting rig for beam and bars. Just bought mine for the city gym I coach at and it is awesome for teaching flyaways and bhs on beam for my older girls who just need a little confidence. Resi mats and other mats to soften landing for tumbling skills. I just don't think you can progress without a pit. We don't have a pit, so I have arranged to take my girls over to another gym every other week to have access. We are starting weight training with the older girls, so I think good exercise equipment in important. Trained coaches are important, but all the training in the world won't do any good if you can't fail at the skills safely.

 

[gymnastflip]

I think that at higher levels pits are really needed. I learned how to double back of bars and yurchenko layout and full twisting double back without pits... But it definitely takes more time and is more scary. Until you get pits you can't start progressing fast at high level (unless rly good spotting etc.) release moves on bars were really scary to learn without pits as for the first few months they are pretty hit(your feet on the bar ;P) and miss. Also for vault and tumble it allows freedom to correct mistakes and change stuff easily. On bars also I don't think I could have progressed from double pikes to layouts without pit- they are pretty different.