WAG Help teaching "tightness"!?

[coachvalerie8]

I have a current lvl4 who has great potential. She learns skills very quickly, has all her current l4 as well as almost all l5 skills and is so hard working and determined! Her one MAJOR problem is her form! She has plenty of muscle and training ect. But it's like she doesn't know how to use her muscles all together. I've used every metaphor I can think of but I can't get her to tighten her core, keep her arms extended or even (i.e. One lower than the other on BhS, ect), point her toes, keep her chin up, push up through her shoulders, hollow body, flat back, dance hands, neutral head positions, ect. I've given her all sorts of conditioning for hollow body, pelvic tilts, core strength, pointed toes, and whatnot. I just cannot get her to understand it!! I have her watch videos of herself and other girls doing the same skill with proper form but she just hasn't made that connection. My new assistant team coach can't seem to get her there either. I took over this team about 6 months ago and have barely made any progress with her on this particular issue. I know she wants to do well and is so excited about gymnastics. Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated!! Please share ANY AND ALL thoughts you have on the subject. Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Hands on, poking, shaping and back her up skill wise.

 

[iwannacoach]

Hands on don't let me bend your leg.... flex your toe.... push your core out of a straight line. Once that's done you impress upon her that the only thing you care about is that she recreate the muscular tension she had to use to keep you from doing all of the above. If that doesn't work, then pick one skill and tell her that's her entire day until she can do it with straight legs and pointed toes...... and stick to it. Keep show her how to recreate the sensation of a straight leg, and keep working with her in a positive way, but no new skills until the "one" is done right. The reward is a second skill, and a new skill every time she can properly review those previously done correctly.

It takes about 1-2 weeks and makes a world of difference, because form ain't just for looking pretty and avoiding deductions. It contributes to muscle readiness and shape consistency, and that makes skill work much, much easier.

 

[meganliz77]

Just a gym mom but I watch a lot! Our HC is always poking and shaping and correcting the girls. Pointed toes, where their arms and hands should be, poking their belly to remind them to tighten... Very hands on..DD loves the butt squeezing competition-- she wins regularly! For the littler ones they make a game out of a lot of those things to keep kids interested.

 

[billise]

I'm "just a mom" too, but my DD really seems to respond well to the little activity when you have them lay flat on their back then coach or mom (whoever) stands up by their head and stands them upright by grabbing them at the armpits. DD's challenge is to not let her body bend as she is being "hinged" up to standing. Then you reverse it and lay her back down, again challenging her not to let their body bend on the way down.

After doing that a few times DD seems to do a better job of staying tight for a while.

 

[CanAmGymMum]

How old is this gymnast? My best advice is to be patient. From your description, it sounds like she's in a good place, skill-wise, for her level so there is plenty of time to go back to basics to relearn the skills with good form. For example, instead of working round off back handspring back tucks, work on back handspring to land flat on stomach on an 8" mat. Make sure to use lots of hands on spotting to model the proper shapes. Once she can do that with perfect form, she gets to do back handspring to her feet. Break down all of the skills she's having problems with into their components and don't let her move to the next step until she has perfected the drill. It's probably more of a brain-body disconnect than it is an unwillingness on her part to practice good form. The drills will help establish the proper pathways needed to have good form.

 

[coachmolly]

Break everything down, go slowly, stick with one skill until she gets a better sense of how to control her body through it, lots of spotting.
Tight body drills- the one billise mentioned as well as lying on their backs, squeezing, and trying to pick them up by their feet while they stay perfectly straight. It's VERY hard for some kids to not bend at the hips because they really do not understand how to squeeze multiple muscle groups at one time.
You can also hold them in a handstand and try to pull their feet apart, letting them know that they should be so tight you are not able to get any give from their legs.