arabesque

[twinklytoes9468]

i have just started volunteering at a gym and waiting to do my first coaching certificate.
I was working with beginner 5 and 6 yos practising their floor routine working towards their first little in-house competition. one of their mo0ves says 'arabesque'' but I notice they are all leaning forward to make their leg go higher, I though this was wrong and that would be a scale?
So where should the head be in relation to the balancing foot?
Also where should the arms be? In a Y or T?
I asked one co0ach and she told them to lean forward but another said it is better for a beginner to have the foot just off the ground as long as the chest and head are upright ??
So I am asking the clever people on here for advice!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I always learned an arabesque to be a "cup" shape - stomach 90 degrees to standing leg and head and shoulders and foot raised slightly have a look here http://www.chalkbucket.com/forums/s...119-how-do-u-teach-really-good-arabesque.html

 

[Kiwi]

Over here an arabesque is taught with chest upright. The leg position depends on the requirement for the step, for example for the step 2 beam routine the leg must be at at least 45 degrees, for the step 3 beam routine the leg must be at at least 90 degrees (horizontal or above). Some gymnasts may not be able to get their leg to horizontal with a completely upright torso, but the chest should still be up. If there is no requirement for the leg angle, I would say teach them with upright torso, then they can work on increasing the leg angle over time.

For a scale, the body can be leaning forward but the shoulders and head should still be lifting up, it is like you are making a curve that goes up at each end (as IwannabeMargo described above).

As far as I am aware the arm position is optional and depends on the coach's preference or perhaps fashion. At our gym the coaches tend to teach arms pointing backwards, but with arms out to the side it is easier to balance and also helps to prevent twisting in the hips.

 

[BlairBob]

In the states, for both girls and boys, the arabesque should have an upright chest lifting the rear leg as high as possible. 45 degrees is what we generally shoot for but you'll notice in ballet, many arabesques are just under horizontal.