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If you have a gymnast who thinks she will eventually be trying to compete all the way up through level 9/10 and you want to pick one gym for the whole journey, you want to know a) the gym has the capacity to support high-level gymnasts AND b) the gym has the capacity to get many lower-level...

The best underwear for me would be anything a little thicker and dark in color. I always used tampons - I couldn't imagine using a pad for gymnastics, I think it would worry me and feel so awkward. But I know other girls do that and don't have issues with it. The brand doesn't really matter...

This sounds really hard for her. I imagine there's all kinds of psychological things going on for her after four years of this, so I think your sport psych suggestion is a good one. The other thing to consider might be how competition-format warm-up and routine order impacts her. Do you do...

For summer camps, we had a show at the end of each week with music. We'd have each group of kids suggest 6-10 songs they liked, and then narrow it down with a combination of gauging the level of interest in the group and assessing the appropriate-ness of the different songs. Each kid got to...

When I've seen young girls placed into a training group that is mostly older, sometimes the gym can do an individualized schedule to accommodate. For example, they might have her leave an hour early, or give her an extra break. Usually when a younger kid is placed with older kids it's because...

It sounds like she and her coaches are working on it and it's not about shoulder flexibility, so it might just be a pervasive habit that will take a while to change. I've known gymnasts who could not get their arms by their ears due to flexibility issues who were quite good on tumbling and...

There's so many reasons why a gymnast might be not scoring well but still advancing. Without knowing the individual or their family/coaches, we can't know their personal goals, their background, their personal experience with the sport (both in practice and in competition), etc. As others...

I think coaches often give general feedback (e.g. "try harder!") either as motivation/encouragement, or because they don't have a technical understanding of what the gymnast needs or how to communicate that to the gymnast. Sometimes the coach misinterprets a technical issue as a mental state...

I don't believe it would matter as long as you showed a controlled exit and finished the turn on toe.

I think any style of leotard can look polished and professional if the team has matching attire in their team colors with a nice design. That's really what sets it apart from practice. Long sleeved, tank style, with shorts, attached shorts, with leggings...doesn't matter. The thing that makes it...

I worked at a gym that did a semi-structured open gym night on Saturdays from 5 to 9, so parents could drop their kids off and go out on a date or something. We'd do an organized warm up and maybe a few games, and then it was open gym with some time for pizza. Attendance was usually mostly rec...

Also, training for many optional-level skills starts years before the athlete would be expected to compete them. With OP's example, training for BHS-salto on beam would probably start in level 7 or 8 with drills on lines, floor beams, and pads, for gymnasts who have a strong BHS on beam. But if...

I'd guess your hunch is correct and it's about speed and/or active flexibility. There's often not much of a difference between "strength" and "speed" in gymnastics. But also what's considered "weak legs" for a gymnast might not be considered "weak legs" for a normal person.

I thought the bent arms on the kip looked like a pretty normal amount of bend for someone at this level, who is newer to practicing kips. The kip should sort itself out in time. The main issues I saw with the routine were overall tightness and body shape issues, which also are the type of thing...

I never really had it consistently - could never do a straight body cast to handstand and couldn't get the straddle down consistently. Competed up through one and a half seasons of old level 7. I couldn't get my hips high enough without leaning too far over the bar to come back. Based on when it...

It can be hard to formulate the words to talk about something when you're very upset or feeling overwhelmed, like when she started crying at practice recently. So she may have an easier time telling you more about what's going on if you plan a time to talk about it in a relaxed setting. She...

I also think there is a difference between a sport that demands that an adult reach or maintain a certain weight, and a sport that demands that of children and teenagers. Adults are vastly more likely to be able to notice and think critically about the trade-offs of restricting food, and more...

One thing I've noticed is that many women and girls who have a lower strength to weight ratio or are overweight are unable to do pull-ups and pull-overs. These skills tend to be hard for most beginner gymnasts, and I've had students with a range of body sizes and types who struggle with these...

I don't think that would be worth escalating. Lots of coaches think it's detrimental, but lots coaches also do it sometimes or in certain situations. And for some kids it does work. At the end of the day, doing more conditioning is usually not a bad thing. Maybe not ideal but not a big deal...

I think it depends on what the specifics of the situation are. If you don't love their techniques, that doesn't matter so much. But if they're doing things that could implicate safety or create an abusive environment, you probably need to take action on it. There's also differences depending on...