WAG problems about coaches expactations...DD is insecure

[sportymom]

My youngest DD is a L5. She trains 9 hours a week. During summer, the training is 12 hours per week.
I would say she is somewhere in the middle with her skills and strength. She is not too competetive. She is a shy girl and always want everyone to like her and want to meet the coaches expectations!

None of the girls at her team can straddle press to handstand from a straddle L, but all of them can do the standing press and the straddle L support. Coach wants all of them to be able to do the straddle press handstand by beginning of October!!!

Is this realistic? I mean, this seems to be a skill that is sooo hard!

I just asked DD to show me her straddle press and straddle L. She can press to handstand, starting with legs closed, then straddle and then up to handstand. She did 8 in a row with breaks of less than 3 secs. She held her straddle L for exactly 37 secs.

If she is standing towards a beam, she can "pike" up (I think it's called pike drags) and she almost is able to put her feet on the beam. But she can't get from straddle L to standing or push-ups position yet!

Coach said they will now do 20 minutes of conditioning for the press to handstands each training.

I don't know if it is realistic. The coach is quite new (since 3 months) and seems to be very strict and rough sometimes. I just have the feeling that his expectations are too high sometimes ( I guess this is the mother instinct )

So I would love to hear your opinion...

Thanks

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Mmmm...i'd like a million bucks by the beginning of October...

 

[sportymom]

Mmmm...i'd like a million bucks by the beginning of October...

So it is totally unpossible?!

Or are you really rich^^

 

[Deleted member D3987]

anything is possible, but you can't predict when they learn this stuff.

 

[sportymom]

Mmmm...i'd like a million bucks by the beginning of October...

DD is really having a hard time with this, she is really insecure and I would like to tell her that it is possible by October (or almost) but I don't want to lie to her. I just don't have the experience to tell whether it is possible or not...

 

[Gymsanity]

DD is really having a hard time with this, she is really insecure and I would like to tell her that it is possible by October (or almost) but I don't want to lie to her. I just don't have the experience to tell whether it is possible or not...

Anything is possible with hard work and dedication. Sounds like she goes 4 days a week, devotes 20 minutes a day towards it, why wouldn't she get it? It's a skill that definitely comes easier for some kids than others, but I would certainly keep a positive attitude towards it for you and your daughter. I would love for you to keep us updated and let us know come October, but I would actually be surprised if she didn't have it. Good luck.

 

[Seeker]

Anything is possible, but you cannot predict where she will be in 4 months time. The only thing she can do is go to practice and work hard everyday. October will come and she will be where she will be. If she's shown up every day, put in the work and done her best, that is really all you can ask. The coach may be giving them some stretch goals or trying to incent them all to work harder, compete with each other, etc. but it's not like the coach will kick them all off if they don't get it.

Just encourage her to do her best and keep working hard.

 

[Flossyduck]

I agree that it's impossible to know where she will be in four months and I'm wary of making false promises because I don't know your daughter BUT from where I think you are saying she is at right now it is definitely possible with practice. It took my dd three months from scratch and from her first attempts I also felt she was never going to get there, but she practiced, practiced, practiced and she got it. She isn't the only one. Whenever new girls join our development squad they start working on them and many get them within that time frame. It's a required skill and they work on them every session.

I think I've understood roughly where she's at, but you've used some different terminology - I don't know what a straddle L is, but I'm guessing it's what we would call a straddle sit, where you sit on the floor in straddle with your bottom and legs off the floor and weight supported on your hands. And I'm really not sure I understand the beam and pike drag thing, sorry. But if she can straddle up to handstand from standing (what we call elephant stand) and she can hold a straddle sit well, she's progressing already.

So definitely possible and not unreasonable with work. Is it possible for everyone I don't know, probably not. But if she works at it she will be a lot closer and that's all anyone can ask.

 

[gymmomof1]

Totally agree with Seeker and of course like dunno I to would like the million . The thing is you just never know when any skill will kick in. If the coaches are expecting it then hopefully they are also working on it with the girls. Hang in there

 

[Iwannabemargo]

if you look on here I'm sure about a year ago there were loads of post with tips on how to get the straddle lever

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Nothing wrong with goals and deadlines. If she can press from a stand and hold a straddle l, then it is totally possible, But certainties do not exist in gymnastics. However, Based on the info you have given I will put my money on your child.

 

[iwannacoach]

Anything's unreasonable and impossible if that's what a child makes of it. Those who see a challenge as an opportunity will usually enjoy the process used to make goals become reality. That my be your best strategy because reasonable or not, the challenge is there for the taking. So tell her to work toward this goal with complete enthusiasm and dedication. With that level of energy she'll make enough progress to appreciate the challenge and agree it was reasonable.

This skill requires excellent pike and narrow straddle stretch flexibility. That and average gymnast strength will be enough, but more strength is always better.

 

[Committed]

It's definitely possible. Perhaps the coach is trying to light a fire under their booties to work hard? It sounds like the girls have been training it a bit, so I bet with some hard work your DD can do it.... or at least come REALLY close

 

[sce]

None of the girls at her team can straddle press to handstand from a straddle L, but all of them can do the standing press and the straddle L support. Coach wants all of them to be able to do the straddle press handstand by beginning of October!!!

Is this realistic? I mean, this seems to be a skill that is sooo hard!


I don't know if it is realistic. The coach is quite new (since 3 months) and seems to be very strict and rough sometimes. I just have the feeling that his expectations are too high sometimes ( I guess this is the mother instinct )

So I would love to hear your opinion...

Thanks

Sounds pretty ambitious, and if it's not realistic it will become apparent the closer October nears. BUT, the conditioning towards gaining the skill will be beneficial. So as long as they don't get punished or held back when they don't achieve the October goal, then there is no issue. Along the way, the girls will be stronger and the coach may gain a more realistic perspective.

 

[LinnieC]

Anything is possible... with that said, my daughter is struggling the press handstand from a straddle sitting position (I do not know the technical terms!) She wants it so bad and is getting frustrated because she can't seem to master it.... my hope is that she will have it by the end of the summer so she can focus on other skills. LOL

 

[Gymettemom]

12 hours a week? My DD is training level 5, but summer training 18 hours a week. DD can execute a press handstand from standing, but not from sitting. She's been working on them since pre team.

 

[my4buffaloes]

I think it is reasonable. My dd started real gymnastics at 6 years and within 2 months had her straddle press handstand. While they worked on it in class, it was her determination at home that got her this skill. For whatever reason (probably because her sister couldn't do it) she WANTED this skill. So she worked on it nonstop at home - to the point that I would frequently have to tell her to stop. So, I would not discourage her with saying there is no way. Encourage her to practice at home if she wants it.

 

[gymjunkie]

I added conditioning and press stations all over the place to try to get a group of about 20 kids to learn to straddle press up and down. Most of the kids still do not have it, but after about 4 months, 5 of them do. 4 can only make it up and down once, the 5th one can make it 5X in a row. The 5 kids who got it were the ones who really wanted it bad and worked on it at home as well as working hard on the stations we did at the gym. The one who can do 5X in a row was the one who was furthest from getting it when we started!

 

[Jenny]

12 hours a week? My DD is training level 5, but summer training 18 hours a week. DD can execute a press handstand from standing, but not from sitting. She's been working on them since pre team.

UK level 5 is not as hard as USA JO new level 5

More like new level 4.

12 hours a week with 20 mins on it each session at gym. If they are doing all the right things then yes very possible. Our girls get them with good form on much less than this but learn it young. If she is over 9 say, it is harder to get but mostly it depends on their conditioning (which is sounds like she has already) and how much she wants it. If she does 10 mins at home every day during the school holidays she will likely get it by the end of the summer.

Make her a tick sheet for stickers for the holidays.

@Flossyduck Straddle L = straddle half lever hold.