Struggle With Bars

[puppyluva0899]

So, I know that bars is (for many people) the hardest event, and often the one holding you back from going to the next level, whatever that may be. I recently switched gyms and was told at my old gym that my problem on bars was lack of strength, and I know that bars is an event where you really can't get by on technique alone, you need to be strong for good bars. Now, at my new gym, they've made it very clear to me that I am actually am really strong (I can do 10+ pullups, 25 leg lifts, about 60 V-ups and 60 push-ups in a minute, between 50-100 flutters/scissors hanging on the bar) I'm not in tremendous shape, but I am strong.

However, I can't do ANYTHING on bars. Can barely cast to horizontal, kips have nasty bent arms (no chance of casting out them) can't get over a giant even on straps, free hip barely gets to 45 degrees below horizontal.... Is there anything I can do to help this other than training bars like a madman as I've been doing for the past 4 years?? Everything about my bars is just so off, and it's frustrating me because I'm more than ready to move up to my next level on the other events.

Sorry this is quite long and very general, I've never posted before, and not quite sure how to do it!

 

[Redford]

I don't know, it is very hard to tell without actually seeing you, but you do seem strong enough for your level of bar work.
So could it be that your former gym failed to teach you the right technique for basic skills and shapes? What are your new coaches saying to this?
In my progressions a good, straight arm kip cast must be there before startig free hips and an horizontal cast even before that.
So you might in fact want to STOP working bars like a madman and start over with correcting basics: casts, glides, tap swings.... But that's something only your coaches can do with you.

 

[puppyluva0899]

I don't think it starts with bad technique from my old gym, because I do have good understanding of hollow body and stuff, but rather that I'm older so we rushed to scrap a bar routine together and just let my bad habits go by the wayside (so basically I knew proper technique, I just didn't have time to do it) .... I started working kips, free hips and giants all at the same time pretty much in order to get an xcel platinum bar routine together because my other routines were ready. My new gym has already fixed loads of these errors from learning skills out of order on bars alone. One of the biggest issues is that I never used my legs to cast, and I got almost to cast handstand that way. Now, using proper technique I can barely achieve horizontal. Also I've lost a lot of confidence from losing skills I used to have in order to do them properly.
I'm just not sure what to do because summer is ending and I don't really have time to go and fix my old skills because then I'm going to have to repeat platinum for the third year.