Spotting blind changes

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Muddlethru

Proud Parent
I've been watching my daughter practice and/or trying to get her blind change. I've never seen her being spotted and she has confirmed she rarely gets spotted. I've watched my 10 yo. daughter painstakingly swing up to a handstand to perform a blind change all by herself and fall short of doing a blind change and then just jumps off. This is how she has been practicing or trying to get her blind change.

Our team is very weak on bars. I wonder if it is because of the lack of spotting. Our coaches very rarely gets on a block to spot bars. Our coaches mostly spot while standing on the floor and assisting by "smacking" (my daughter's words--she said it stings and she feels the nails of her coach) the back of the gymnast on her way up. When asked by my husband shouldn't the coach stand on block to spot bars, our coach replied, "oh you don't need that". I've seen the coaches spot L4 and L5 but rarely higher levels and mostly from the floor. Is that adequate? Is my daughter just spinning her wheels trying to learn blind changes herself or am I too pessimistic and truly do not know anything about teaching a skill? Coaches, how do you teach blind changes and/or any bar skills?
 
Teaching Blind Changes

Coaches, how do you teach blind changes, pirouettes, or any higher level bar skills? Do you always stand on a block or do you let the gymnast practice it on their own but providing some introductory drills? My daughter seems to be practicing getting her blind chane on her own. She goes to a handstand, tries to perform a blind change, falls short, and jumps off. Then does the whole thing over and over again with only verbal instructions from the coach. Is this adequate? Can you also suggest drills she can practice on a handstand bar at home? Thank you. Any suggestions would help tremendously as my daughter is working so hard to get this skills.
 
Personally I'd support it on a block, on a raised low bar at first. I'd also do plenty of drills first.
I'd make sure my gymnast could swing half turn really well first too.
Can't comment for every coach, but in my experience the gymnasts who have support and lots of correction from the beginning learn the skills properly faster.

Good Luck!
 
DD and her teammates (level 8-10) are spotted on their bar skills with coach standing on a block. They also do a lot of drills.
 
We spot most of our blind work. Channel first and then on a single rail with a spotting deck. We even have a belt that the coaches strap in with like this link:

gymnastics safety – spotting Bars — Gymnastics Coaching.com

Typical blind spotting when learning the skill:

[video=youtube;oL-b1gYJLNM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL-b1gYJLNM[/video]

Great spotted drills:

[video=youtube;rO_D8s8ZF6M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO_D8s8ZF6M[/video]

[video=youtube;cvOiFLMd5TM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=cvOiFLMd5TM[/video]

Here is a video of some (usually) un-spotted drills.

[video=youtube;Z8a-57go9yA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8a-57go9yA[/video]

[video=youtube;ZODH-PcqouQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZODH-PcqouQ[/video]
 
I've seen the coaches spot L4 and L5 but rarely higher levels and mostly from the floor. Is that adequate?

Not in my opinion. I rarely spot anything from the floor on bars. Low rail or high rail...I am usually on blocks, platforms, etc. The only time I am on the floor is at meets and when using the channel bar.

EDIT: As far as high level...here's a video for you. This is the type of hard work it takes.

[video=youtube;IlkYx4qG1BU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlkYx4qG1BU[/video]
 
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Thanks for the responses above and JBS, thanks for the videos. Well, our gym does not have a channel bar, nor is my daughter customarily being spotted. I've seen some of the videos JBS had posted and many others in youtube. So, I feel spotting is pretty important. Ugh!! I don't know what to do. I'll show my daughter some videos and maybe she can set up some of those non-spotted drills herself. We have a handstand bar but we do not have the thick mats. I wonder . . . does anybody know if there are clinics specifically for bar work?
 
I wonder . . . does anybody know if there are clinics specifically for bar work?

For coaches...

Forster and Resnick Bar Camp — Gymnastics Coaching.com

That's the one that I want to go to. Coaching bars is very hard...takes lots of training. I am always trying to better myself on this event.

EDIT: You don't need a channel bar. Just go to Home Depot and get some wood and build some nice platforms...be sure to pad them. Or...you could build a full above ground channel.
 
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We start very early on teaching the lead up to the blind change on the floor. The backward roll to handstand and with 1/2 turn too. We also use a bar secured to our tumble-trak. As level 5, our young ones learn to turn under the bar from a hang. When giants are being perfected, we start blinds right away. And yes, we spot until they are safe enough to try on their own. As they are learning, we teach them what to do if the turn is short or over, and how to fall.
 
everything posted is very good.:) just want to add that the "Mas" video is the easiest to apply and the easiest for the athletes to understand...and even when they are young. and this 1/4 1/4 drill requires spotting.
 
Can you please tell me then if a gymnast can learn difficult bar skills without a spot? My daughter does not get spotted. She said she only gets spotted on a low bar but she has to bend her knees because the bar is very low. Practicing on the high bar, she is pretty much on her own, she climbs up swings to a handstand, attempts a blind change and then falls off. (She is able according to her to the second half of the blind change.) On a low bar, the coach stands on the floor and spots her but she has to break form because the bar is too low--this low bar is lower than the low bar in the uneven bars set. Is this a serious problem as far as coaching bars? CaLelitecoach? Dunno? Anyone?
 
Can you please tell me then if a gymnast can learn difficult bar skills without a spot? My daughter does not get spotted. She said she only gets spotted on a low bar but she has to bend her knees because the bar is very low. Practicing on the high bar, she is pretty much on her own, she climbs up swings to a handstand, attempts a blind change and then falls off. (She is able according to her to the second half of the blind change.) On a low bar, the coach stands on the floor and spots her but she has to break form because the bar is too low--this low bar is lower than the low bar in the uneven bars set. Is this a serious problem as far as coaching bars? CaLelitecoach? Dunno? Anyone?

no, not really. it'll just take a bit longer. and sometimes that's not a bad thing. non-spotting methodology is an accepted form of teaching. we all use it to some degree.
 
Thank you, dunno. Was somewhat glad to hear that. I just did not want my daughter spinning her wheels. I guess it would be nice if she was spotted once in a while in the high bar. But, not much choice here. Just as long as there is a chance she'll get it.

In our whole team right now, there is only one other girl who can do blind changes and front giants and she was an elite and attended several developmental camps. My daughter has her pirouette anf front giants. We have 3 girls in L9 and 1 in L10. And all of them don't have their front giants. In fact, all our L9 don't even have perfect giants. They have to bend their legs to get over. Our gym is pretty good in the other 3 events. But very lacking in bars.
 
You are really answering your own question right there.

However, I learned a blind change without a spot.

JBS, what question did I answer? Our gym is "lacking" in bars I think not necessarily because it is the hardest for our gymnasts, or for my daughter in particular, but thought maybe it is because of the coaching or lack thereof. The know we do poorly in bars, yet there are no attempts to get better. They've chosen to concentrate on the other three (actually more beam and floor) and try to make up scores there. But my daughter loves bars. And she will spend her entire practice on bars. She comes home frustrated because she says she keeps having "wasted turns on bars" (meaning she keeps falling short of a blind change, falls off, then has to wait her turn again, just to not be able to do it, fall off and then wait again). When her coach senses her frustration, all that my daughter is told is "I am glad you want it so bad. Just keep trying." If I can, I'll post a video with her making her attempts.

So, JBS, what helped you the most in doing blind changes?
 

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