Parents How can you tell if they will be a good bar worker?

[gymgirl0514]

Just thought I would get some opinions here. My daughter had her second year at level 4 and still struggled on bars her highest score was 8.30... big improvement from last year but still not great. Consistently her coaches tell me that bars are going to be her thing. I just don’t get it?! Is there something they see that I don’t? I mean do you ever see girls that don’t have early success on bars all of a sudden become good at them?

 

[LindyHopper]

Short Stack was one of the lowest scoring bar workers on her team in L4 & L5. She was the first on her team during her L6 season (just ended) to get her cast handstand and the second to get her giant. (But that squat on is STILL incredibly inconsistent). She took 3rd on bars at State this year. If you'd told me a year ago, I don't know if I would've believed you.

 

[Sminty]

Let me just say that bars prevented my kid from progressing to L3 (mill circle), L4 (kip), and L5 (free hip circle). She wasn't a stranger to scores in the 7s. In the last year, she's finally been able to put it together, placing 3rd at States in L5 and L6 with scores in the mid-9s. So it is possible to "suddenly" improve.

That said, DD's first coach predicted vault would be her best event. Nope.

 

[kayjaybe]

Dd struggled with her squat on and took forever to get her giant. She didn’t start to come into her own with bars until L7. This year in L8, she took 2nd at states and 8th at regionals on bars.

 

[gymgirl0514]

This is all very encouraging! My daughter is terrible at floor she has that super tight body type and is extremely inflexible compared to the other girls especially in her shoulders! She has to work twice as hard sometimes to get the skills. Last season she was middle of the pack for every event except floor she would still place in lower half. I just would love to see her have some success in at least one event!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

My daughter has had some really terrible bar scores I L4-6. It has always been the event that has held her back. And she is really started to shine on bars in L7. And one of the furthest along in her group for L8. She doing her pirouettes, getting to handstand and her giants. Where previously she was dead last to get skills. If you based her L7/8 performance once L4/5 it would of been wrong.

And it’s been the conditioning that has made all the differed, strength work, jmo

 

[RTT2]

So, are there certain things more likely to produce a strong bar worker?

 

[AWOL]

Our one was fair to poor on bars while doing compulsory but at level 9 never got less than 2nd including Regionals.
Now we use to call her gueen of the beam in the lower levels but she is now fair to poor on it. In fact it was beam that kept her from going to Westerns

 

[tomtnt]

my DD was pretty good bar worker in the compulsory level but it's her toughest event now that she's a 10. She is what you would consider a "leg" or "power" gymnast with strong vault and tumbling.

I think "natural" bar workers tend to be the "tall"/"long" body structure where you get a more "easy" swing due to center of mass/momentum/and other concepts we learned in physics but forgot many years ago... lol... think Shawn Johnson versus Nastia or Simone versus Ashton

 

[M2Abi]

My dd's lowest scoring event in 3 and 4 was bars. She is training level 7 now and it's becoming a strength.

 

[kiwi2406]

Bar workers are often stronger in the upper body as opposed to their core and legs, which can be seen from early on in a gymnast's career, and they usually have lines that can hit a nice handstand, which is why so many successful bar athletes are taller (think Nastia, Kyla Ross, Nadia Comaneci)

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Bar workers are often stronger in the upper body as opposed to their core and legs, which can be seen from early on in a gymnast's career,

I’m sure that’s true for some.

And I think you really can’t say until they get through puberty and see where their. body shapes and strength ends up.

Again, my kid has gotten stronger on bars because her body has changed. And as someone else mentioned, my kid was also a beam queen, first coaches term at 3 & 4 Yrs old and on. And since her body has changed, not so much these days.

As her changes are not finished it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out for her.