WAG Do college gymnasts learn new skills?

[reluctant]

Do college gymnasts learn new skills or do they just maintain the skills they already have. And if they don't learn new skills does it get boring?

 

[skschlag]

Do college gymnasts learn new skills or do they just maintain the skills they already have. And if they don't learn new skills does it get boring?

I am sure they learn new skills. I know the guys do! They are always learning something new!

 

[Lunde]

Some certainly do. At the moment I see many college gymnasts looking to upgrade to get a 10 vault. I have seen Kyla Ross doing drills for an Omelianchik vault in UCLA's videos - I don't think she ever competed that as an elite.

 

[reluctant]

Some certainly do. At the moment I see many college gymnasts looking to upgrade to get a 10 vault. I have seen Kyla Ross doing drills for an Omelianchik vault in UCLA's videos - I don't think she ever competed that as an elite.

But her bars looks significantly "easier" than what she was competing before.

 

[Seeker]

But her bars looks significantly "easier" than what she was competing before.

Of course. Doesn’t make sense to compete Elite bars under NCAA rules— her current routine was constructed to maximize her score under the NCAA rules. She also had to transition from FIG setting to wide, so that was probably a big hurdle.

 

[duyetanh]

But her bars looks significantly "easier" than what she was competing before.

But still there changes, and sometimes easier is harder because of other things.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Kyla's routine has three connected release moves(D+D+C) and an E dismount. Not so much easier as shorter.

 

[duyetanh]

Kyla's routine has three connected release moves(D+D+C) and an E dismount. Not so much easier as shorter.

Thank you, thats what i meant.

 

[thefellowsmom]

I heard Kyla is training a full twisting double layout bar dismount. This was not possible for her in elite because of the bar settings. Now with a more flexible setting she is able to get this skill. That’s what I heard anyway

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Do college gymnasts learn new skills or do they just maintain the skills they already have. And if they don't learn new skills does it get boring?

Yes

 

[bookworm]

Depends on the school....at my daughter's school, the running joke was that the HC's forte was taking great gymnasts and making them mediocre....kids would come in with some great skills and they weren't even maintained....it happens.

Some coaches will dumb down a routine because it makes it cleaner and more consistent as well...I don't think I can ever remember seeing a gainer off the end of the beam in JO, but they're a dime a dozen in NCAA because they tend to be stuck more than the double back dismount. An athlete's injury history can also dictate how much difficulty can remain in a routine or be added to a routine.

The most significant upgrades per se, in NCAA have been the desire for teams to have vaults with a 10.0 SV...for so many years, the yurchenko full was a strong, usable vault, and gymnasts arriving with one and halfs didn't maintain them because they didn't need to...but with the downgrading of the full, you now see more gymnasts arriving with a more difficult vault, and continuing with it. And there are schools continually trying to upgrade bar release skills as well to get to full value in the routine.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I heard Kyla is training a full twisting double layout bar dismount. This was not possible for her in elite because of the bar settings. Now with a more flexible setting she is able to get this skill. That’s what I heard anyway

Yes she was too tall and was hitting her feet on the floor. FIG should allow for the bars to be raised as high as the athlete needs , its stupid.

 

[gymgal93]

Depends on the school....at my daughter's school, the running joke was that the HC's forte was taking great gymnasts and making them mediocre....kids would come in with some great skills and they weren't even maintained....it happens.

Some coaches will dumb down a routine because it makes it cleaner and more consistent as well...I don't think I can ever remember seeing a gainer off the end of the beam in JO, but they're a dime a dozen in NCAA because they tend to be stuck more than the double back dismount. An athlete's injury history can also dictate how much difficulty can remain in a routine or be added to a routine.

The most significant upgrades per se, in NCAA have been the desire for teams to have vaults with a 10.0 SV...for so many years, the yurchenko full was a strong, usable vault, and gymnasts arriving with one and halfs didn't maintain them because they didn't need to...but with the downgrading of the full, you now see more gymnasts arriving with a more difficult vault, and continuing with it. And there are schools continually trying to upgrade bar release skills as well to get to full value in the routine.

As always, @bookworm is spot on. It really depends on the program... I will add that D2/D3 schools seem to pride themselves on teaching their athletes new skills and connections as many don't come in with all 10.0 SVs. I, for one, learned many new skills in college!

 

[Muddlethru]

Based on the Div. 1 college coaches we've met, most don't "teach" new skills. One college however indicated that if their girls want to learn a new skill, they have a private gym the girls can go to to learn a new skill. For the most part, they try to perfect the skills they already have. From what I gather, it is more important to have perfect skills than to keep upgrading skills which may be subject to deductions. That said, if a gymnast has been training a skill but has not competed it yet, they continue to perfect the skill; so somewhere down the road, they eventually compete the "new" skill. But starting or teaching a skill from scratch is unlikely. Mind you, I of course have only spoken with a handful of coaches for my daughter. The goal is to have a 10.0 SV with as little deductions.

 

[reluctant]

Based on the Div. 1 college coaches we've met, most don't "teach" new skills. One college however indicated that if their girls want to learn a new skill, they have a private gym the girls can go to to learn a new skill. For the most part, they try to perfect the skills they already have. From what I gather, it is more important to have perfect skills than to keep upgrading skills which may be subject to deductions. That said, if a gymnast has been training a skill but has not competed it yet, they continue to perfect the skill; so somewhere down the road, they eventually compete the "new" skill. But starting or teaching a skill from scratch is unlikely. Mind you, I of course have only spoken with a handful of coaches for my daughter. The goal is to have a 10.0 SV with as little deductions.

This is what I mean. Performing skills you already have scores better. It would seem that Kyla Ross is an outlier of an example.