WAG Ballet class?

[gymnastmom38]

I'm curious how important everyone thinks adding a ballet class would be to someone who is already on team, going 13 hours/week (level 5)? I know dd could use some polishing up when it comes to turns and basic positioning that you would probably only get if taken at a ballet class.

Our team used to have a ballet-type class incorporated into the workouts once a week for a rotation (about 45 minutes) but that's gone away and they just practice on the the spring floor, not ballet.

If your dd takes a ballet class in addition to team, would you say that it makes a big difference or do you think it is just something that I should let go and figure will be taught enough during practice time?

My dd scored pretty well in level 4 last year on floor (usually her highest event score) but I just wonder if she would have taken a ballet class in addition if that would have helped some of her gracefulness. Not sure how much of that can be taught - lol.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[gymcoach26]

I'm a huge advocate for a supplemental ballet class!

 

[MaryA]

I could never talk my gymmie into taking a dance class (because that's her twin sister's thing... the same way my dancing DD eschews gymnastics) but now she is at a gym that has dance class 2x a week as a part of her instruction. She was fairly graceful already (has "nice lines" apparently) but I think that it made a HUGE difference this year when she needed to learn her floor routine at level 7. As I was watching the choreographer teach her the "dance" parts of her routine, I thought about what a train wreck it could have been if she hadn't been taking dance this past year. I don't think I'd force her to take dance if she's really against it, but if you can talk her into it, it can only help her. And I'm sure any ballet teacher would be thrilled to have a girl who is already super strong and flexible in her class!

 

[wallflower]

DD does an hour of dance a week at her gym. She took on her own before that, but we have dropped dance since they do it at gym. It's with an outside teacher in a ballet room. I don't exactly know what goes on in there, but she really enjoys it. I figure it can't hurt right?

 

[iwannacoach]

It's a great idea!

That one hour ballet class will help her get more out of the 13 hrs she puts in at the gym. She'll gain background knowlege in moving her body in the proper sequences, balance, turn posture and technique, how to softly and properly move her arms, and techniques that can be adapted to the gymnastics method of leaping and jumping.

More than that.....she'll learn "core" awareness and methods to keep her core tight. The core training alone will pay big dividends when she discovers that her body moves more easily and powerfully when the top and bottom halves are tightly connected through her core, as it works for gymnastics as well as dance.

 

[Danica76]

My DD just started ballet this past week, after many years of saying she hated ballet, it was boring, etc. And you know what, she loved it and has been talking all week about going back again! She is 8 and I think the major difference for her is maturity and her work ethic from gymnastics. The instructor came out after class and commented on how great of a student she is and how she is really focused. My DD had taken ballet at 5 and she was bored to pieces. Fast forward 3 years and she is in there to work and learn. And as Mary said, any dance teacher would love to have a strong, flexible, hard working competitive gymmie in their class. The only thing that the instructor mentioned was that she will have to break my DD of her "gymnastics claw hand" - LOL.

Iwannacoach has some great points about how much ballet complements gymnastics. I notice a real lack of turn out on my DD, shaky turns due to improper technique (very little releve, poor arm positioning, tension in her shoulders). I think that ballet is the best way for a gymmie to learn all of the above mentioned things in previous posts. Pretty much all of the dance elements in gymnastics are ballet, so I feel that if my DD is supposed to be doing an arabesque, she might as well learn the proper way to do one. I hope she continues to enjoy it! That could always change though...

 

[GymBeeMom]

Absolutely yes to ballet if your daughter is willing. NO doubt it makes a difference!

 

[Muddlethru]

I don't know if a ballet background improves scores if that is what you are looking for. If you compare the Russian gymnasts to our U.S. gymnasts at the Olympics, the grace of the Russians is indisputable. They were stunning to watch. But they were not rewarded for their artistry. And mind you, a dance class or two, even three, for a couple of years will not produce close to those results. But may make a difference in the lines, turn out and because a ballet class goes so slow, it gives the student time to be more aware of the placement of their arms, position of their feet, and posture. But it does take time. In the end, the athleticism of the Americans prevailed. I am a big advocate of dance and putting more value in artistry. To me that is what differentiates women's to men's gymnastics. Wish I could force my daughter to take ballet. But ballet in its basic stages is truly boring and if you take only one or two dance classes a week, you will be in beginning ballet for years. Nonetheless, it can't hurt.

 

[sglemon]

YES!!! It makes a HUGE difference. My DD is a dancer and has been in ballet for 6 years now. You can definitely tell the difference between gymnasts who take ballet and those who don't. Turn out is HUGE, we have had judges start deducting on the floor routine as they walked out to the floor, looking for turnout. There are so many small thing in a routine, where judges can deduct .10 because a foot isn't turned out. Releve, is another skill from dance. Judges look for high releve positions, especially on turns, on the floor. It is also a benefit on the beam, to remain in high releve. Posture, gracefulness of hand and arm motions, chin up, body awaremess, I can go on and on. You can really tell on the floor and on the beam, who the dancers are. Sometimes it is the little attention to detail, that really separate the girls out, when scoring. I think the most beneficial for gymnasts is barre work, if you can't get that in the gym, I would recommend going elsewhere for it.

 

[sglemon]

FORTHELOVEOFSPORTS

I think the new scoring system awards gymnasts with the bigger skills, not so much the artistry. Everything is about getting start value up.

But for "normal" US gymnasts, competing Level 5, or 4 or 9, with the 10 point scale, it makes a much bigger difference. There are .3 worked into the 10 point scale on floor, that judges can award for artistry. It makes all the difference with the girls scoring 9.5s and above, when it comes to winning floor at a meet.

 

[UnoMas]

Ballet has helped my older DD immensely. It has completely changed the way she holds herself on beam and floor. She looks like a completely different kid. She actually ended up doing a year of competition dance after doing ballet for 2 years. She had to give that up this year, but she is still doing 3 hours of dance a week and is taking her first pointe class this year. Her ballet helps her gymnastics AND her gymnastics helps her ballet/dance. I say, if you have the time and can find a good dance studio, go for it!

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

Coming from a figure skating and dance background helped me immensely in compulsories. Not so much in optionals, where my routines aren't really built to showcase dancing ability, but whatever.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

The problem with the FIG scoring is that the judges are not taking the deductions, there are plenty of deductions for posture, form and artistry. It is a sad day when this kind of gymnastics gets Olympic medals...

 

[wandrewsjr]

FORTHELOVEOFSPORTS

I think the new scoring system awards gymnasts with the bigger skills, not so much the artistry. Everything is about getting start value up.

But for "normal" US gymnasts, competing Level 5, or 4 or 9, with the 10 point scale, it makes a much bigger difference. There are .3 worked into the 10 point scale on floor, that judges can award for artistry. It makes all the difference with the girls scoring 9.5s and above, when it comes to winning floor at a meet.

Totally agree with this. Back in June went to National Congress and the olympic trials. One day I went to an optional beam judging clinic/session, where I did practice judging on level 9/10 beam routines that received the full 0.2 overall footwork deduction for non value parts plus the 0.05 flexed feet deductions on multiple dance and acro skills. Went straight from there to watch day one of the trials where I saw beam routines with as bad if not WORSE foot form(especially lack of releve) which received little or no such deductions. Very dispointing to see lack of artistry/form being awarded. And makes it very hard to get my little level 5's to value toe point and releve when their heroes are earning olympic medals without it.

 

[elitegymnast]

well at one point i did ballet with one of my friends and athough it wouldn't help majorly but it does help with the turns and things

 

[Moxiegrl83]

The only dance my 5 yr old wants to take is hip hop. And unfortunately I don't see that helping too much with gymnastics. And some of those songs are torture to hear over. and over. and over. again.

 

[mamaoftwo]

DD's gym has mandatory ballet 1 hr per week. They actually have a dance studio in-house and their own instructor. If you don't want to do dance, you don't do team there. It is at a greatly reduced cost compared to going someplace else - we just pay for an extra hour of "gymnastics" at the team rate of (I think) $15/month. She has dance immediately following one of her practices so it's no additional extra work for me, really.

I can't compare as since actually competing, DD has only had dance. There's no before/after. But DD does seem a fair bit more graceful than she was when we left her old gym. Could some of that simply be some maturity? Sure. But I think the dance has helped quite a bit.

At first, she did not like it at all. Now, she's starting to enjoy it now that she's starting to "get it" some. That said, would I drive extra a separate day per week and pay the full rates elsewhere? I'm not certain that I would. Gym takes up so much family time already.

What is particularly great about the program, though, is that the instructor spends a portion of the class on the actual movements they'll need for gymnastics, like fluid hand movements, etc, while doing beam routine. So, it's sort-of like ballet-for-gymnasts-101.

I have to say, though, it's a bit funny watching her try to contain 8 hyperactive gymnasts at the barre.

 

[Amusibus]

Our gym does a bit of dance with each practice- 3 times a week(preteam), but my 6 year old also does a ballet tap acro class just for fun. so her life isn't all gymnastics! I do see her toe point improving gradually though. and honestly, it seems like ballet at a regular dancing school is a lot more graceful than gymnastics ballet.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Yes. I can say from experience that ballet had helped my daughter tremendously when she was in gymnastics. She started gymnastics rather late at the age of 9, so getting her into ballet helped "jump start" her a bit. As she stayed with the ballet I could see a major difference (and so could the judges) in her events.

She quit gymnastics last October and is now 13 yrs old going on her 3rd year on pointe for ballet.

 

[BlairBob]

Specified dance time should be in their gymnastics programming somewhere. One rotation a week in off-season, possibly two if they were half rotations (which I'd rather see being done as one can be on positions and movements and another can be on leaps/turns) During season I would not advocate for it though. Maybe for optionals but if L4/5 are only coming 3x/week, giving up one rotation a week is a lot. Easily doable if they come 4x/week.

I might be willing to sacrifice 1/2 of a rotation a week for dance time in season and probably about half a rotation for L4 doing 45 minute rotations. In truth, I'd be more willing to sacrifice an entire floor rotation a week for L4 than for L5's.

There is some benefit for boys as well, but I don't believe it's absolutely necessary as enough basic dance can be taught by a men's coach divvying up some of his floor time for it (think chasse, arabesque/scale, basic dance stuff). It's hard to warrant 45 minutes for a men's program and give up one full rotation for it. It's not really worth the bother to have a dance coach come in for 20 minutes a week.