Coaches Brag alert! :D

[marie83]

I started coaching my current gymnasts this time last year, they are British level 5 this October and need their kip so I started working on it in January knowing how long it takes!

well, my first one got hers tonight! I'm so pleased because she has been so close for a very long time. I've made her focus on lots of shoulder closing conditioining as this was the weakest part for her and tonight she just got up and did about 5 in a row, had a rest and did some more! yay!!

I currently have one other who is very close, just needs a teeny bit more aggression and she'll have it!

The others are still a long way off, but they'll all get there, they haven't been working on it as long as the other 2 as I've had some new gymnasts join me recently.

Just wanted to share this as it is one of those annoying skills that takes forever!!

Marie

 

[lifesentencegymmie]

nice work!!

 

[bogwoppit]

Wow Marie that is great, the kip is so coaching intensive with the number of repetitions needed for each gymnast. Isn't it lovely when it clicks with them. You must be feeling so proud of the way your group are coming alomng. What do you do in your gym to celebrate a new skill? Cheering, clapping, bell ringing all seem popular here.

My youngest has been working on hers for a year, she got it one night and it has never been seen since. Some days it is right there, other days I wonder if she will ever get it. But it's abonus skill here so she doesn't "need" it yet.

 

[marie83]

Thanks both! I love it when they get a new skill, especially something so important yet so hard to get as the kip!

At our gym, we tend to just mention at the end of the session who got new skills during that session and everyone claps or cheers. Most of the time if someone gets a skill, the whole gym stops to watch them do it again anyway so they all cheer and clap then too!
I actually like to reward the tough skills with something special though, so I give prizes for straddle press to handstand, kips and bhs on beam (those are the skills we are working on or towards at the moment) I will decide the other skills as and when we come to learn them - I expect backward and forward giants, somersaults on floor and tsuk on vault will also get a prize!

The prize is usually only something like a bear or a t-shirt, it doesn't cost the earth but they love getting them!

 

[coachinkal]

It really is great when they get a new skill. My son who I coach finally got his kip a couple of months ago after trying for 18 months (we don't do big training hours). He now has it from the long swing as well. One of the girls also got her kip a couple of weeks before my son. There was much cheering from everyone.

We are working really hard on straddle handstands too. They all seem to be unable to do without that little bounce off the floor. Do you do any specific strength drills. I am thinking I need a different approach. Any idea of the groups of muscles that need strength for this apart from the obvious hip flexor?

 

[MissBear]

Nice! I'm a little comfused about how level 5 works - is there a voluntary and compulsory set like 4 and up? Are they going on to do 4 next year, or grade 13? It sounds like at least some of them will be ready for 4!
Of the 4 we had doing 14 this year, 2 or 3 will be doing level 4 next year, and 2 have their kip.

Nice coaching though! I hope they know that it's as hard work for you as it is for them!

 

[marie83]

Nice! I'm a little comfused about how level 5 works - is there a voluntary and compulsory set like 4 and up? Are they going on to do 4 next year, or grade 13? It sounds like at least some of them will be ready for 4!
Of the 4 we had doing 14 this year, 2 or 3 will be doing level 4 next year, and 2 have their kip.

Nice coaching though! I hope they know that it's as hard work for you as it is for them!

Levels are all voluntary, no set moves, just set elements but I believe that each region decides on their own rules.
Here for example it is kept very basic -
Floor - 7 elements in total to include: Dance series of 2 elements, one with 180 degree split. Acro series of 2 elements, one with flight. Full spin. and any other 2 acro elements. No Somersaults, no twisting jumps other than 1/2 turn straight and nothing higher than a 'B'. 0.3 bonus for doing a backflip.
Bars - 5 elements with 1 change from low bar to high bar. Kips get 0.3 bonus each. no giants and nothing higher than a straight fly-away.
Beam - 7 elements to include coded mount and dismount, mixed series, dance series (1 element with 180 degree split) and 1/2 spin
Vault - Flatback 110cm

There is a big jump to level 4 next year!

At the moment I'm not sure about compulsory grade 4. They don't really train enough hours and only 2 of them would be likely to do it I think. The others will definately do grade 13.

I hope they know it is hard work for me too! They often point out that I'm sweating more than them! lol (no air con, and many windows makes for a hot gym!)

 

[marie83]

I

We are working really hard on straddle handstands too. They all seem to be unable to do without that little bounce off the floor. Do you do any specific strength drills. I am thinking I need a different approach. Any idea of the groups of muscles that need strength for this apart from the obvious hip flexor?

I've just really done lots of work on
* Holding straddle on a beam, really trying to get legs higher and higher, whilst keeping the head up. Their aim was to try to get their knees level with their shoulders, but nobody has managed that yet!

* Forward roll to straddle hold, lift legs through to forward roll ( I think these are called stalder rolls)

* We've worked a lot on flexibility as well, japanas (pancakes) with feet raised really helps!

* From sitting in straddle with back almost touching the wall, lift up to stand without feet ever touching the wall (toughie if they aren't flexible enough)

* Lots of work on moving shoulders forwards and backwards in handstand

Can't think of any more just now - other than many repetitions with support!!

 

[MissBear]

We work it in lots of little bits:
-Straddle 1/2 lever to straddle stand
-Straddle stand lift to handstand
-Handstand down to straddle 1/2 lever

Against the wall is really helpful, as is on parallettes (though i'm not sure why that works so well). A really good 30 sec held handstand means they understand how to control their handstand, which is essential.

Marie83; I was aware of the set elements - what I meant was do they compete set elements in spring and option elements in autumn, as Level 4 and up do? Sorry if my question was really badly worded!

It's also relly interesting that your Level 5 is very different to some other regions. This was found on youtube as a set-element type level 5.

YouTube - Janae Duporte-Clarke, 02-03-08, Floor, Comp/level 5,Uk

 

[marie83]

ah I see,

I think the video you posted is actually compulsory 5 which only some regions do - they do this in the spring alongside compulsory 4. It is for those who turn 8 in the year.
Our region don't do this unfortunately.