curlymomof3
Proud Parent
Hello all,
I just wanted to update you on our situation. Dd finally switched gyms a couple weeks ago and loves it! Her old gym only had gymnasts training up to level 5 and this new one has them all the way up to Elite. It has been so good for her to see the higher level gymnasts training and see what she can aspire to! It has also been humbling for her too, as she was one of the "best" at her little old gym and now she has some competition. The new gym also has foam pits and I have been amazed at how much the coach uses them in practice, even at this level. So much less wear and tear on the little bodies to land in the pits instead of the spring floor. And it's fun too
Another thing Dd has noticed is how much better the coach is at teaching and explaining technique. At her former gym, the coaches would just have them practice kips over and over and Dd could never get straight arms. The coaches would just tell her to straighten her arms without any advice on how to get that to happen. On the first day at her new gym, the coach taught her how to shift her hands/wrists (whatever that means) to help straighten her arms. Huge improvement in her kips since she was given that one little tip! I think it is the difference between coaches that are learning to coach kips as they go and one that actually know how to teach them! This new gym is also vaulting Dd at a "3" where the old gym would have all of them vault at "0", including older/taller girls. This has been a difficult transition for Dd but I'm sure it will help her be a better vaulter in the long run.
I have to say though, while it is fun for Dd to see all gymnasts doing all the "cool tricks," I almost have a heart attack every time one of them does a release move on the bars! And they are not even my child~ kind of glad she has a few years before she starts practicing those tricks!!
Thank you for all your helpful advice in making this switch. It has been a long road getting to this point, but I can already see a difference and, as many of you have said, I wish I would have done it sooner
I just wanted to update you on our situation. Dd finally switched gyms a couple weeks ago and loves it! Her old gym only had gymnasts training up to level 5 and this new one has them all the way up to Elite. It has been so good for her to see the higher level gymnasts training and see what she can aspire to! It has also been humbling for her too, as she was one of the "best" at her little old gym and now she has some competition. The new gym also has foam pits and I have been amazed at how much the coach uses them in practice, even at this level. So much less wear and tear on the little bodies to land in the pits instead of the spring floor. And it's fun too
Another thing Dd has noticed is how much better the coach is at teaching and explaining technique. At her former gym, the coaches would just have them practice kips over and over and Dd could never get straight arms. The coaches would just tell her to straighten her arms without any advice on how to get that to happen. On the first day at her new gym, the coach taught her how to shift her hands/wrists (whatever that means) to help straighten her arms. Huge improvement in her kips since she was given that one little tip! I think it is the difference between coaches that are learning to coach kips as they go and one that actually know how to teach them! This new gym is also vaulting Dd at a "3" where the old gym would have all of them vault at "0", including older/taller girls. This has been a difficult transition for Dd but I'm sure it will help her be a better vaulter in the long run.
I have to say though, while it is fun for Dd to see all gymnasts doing all the "cool tricks," I almost have a heart attack every time one of them does a release move on the bars! And they are not even my child~ kind of glad she has a few years before she starts practicing those tricks!!
Thank you for all your helpful advice in making this switch. It has been a long road getting to this point, but I can already see a difference and, as many of you have said, I wish I would have done it sooner
