I'm really sorry, my blogger account is having a ton of issues right now and it's making it difficult to type in these comment boxes. I'll do my best but it might be a while before I answer tons of questions.
Off the top of my head...
Floor: Punch front Front handspring Round off, handspring, tuck Straddle jump (180) and split leaps
Beam: Handstand turn dismount Leaps Jump series Back walkover Scale Full turn
I'm having trouble with my half on half off on vault. I used to be able to do it, but now my coach says I only twist half my body and I always land on my butt :( I try to tighten my whole body and twist evenly, but that doesn't work, nor does looking at my hands. Any tips?
Also, I'm a very inconsistent tumbler, which isn't the best thing to have during meets. I always have a handspring that's really light on my hands that causes me to undercut my tuck. Could you help?
Hello Sisi :) Nice to "meet" you! Are you a level 7??
Hmm. I don't know about the vault. I guess I would first try to just do a half-on and don't twist off, just to focus on maintaining a straight, tight body position. From there you could work up to the half-twist (start with a quarter, etc.) When you are doing the half-off part, make sure you aren't trying to twist too early. That could be part of the problem, especially if you're trying to twist right out of the block. Is it the bottom half of your body that's twisting?
As for the tumbling... What do you mean by undercutting your front tuck? Are you over-rotating? Sorry, I've only really heard the term used with back handsprings so I'm not 100% sure what you mean. Let me know, and I will get back to you :)
Anyway, I'm so glad you like the blog! Subscribe if you want updates!!
Hi(: weeell, I'm still a beginner, so i can't do too much. :/ i think i've asked before, but i'm wondering, do you know at all what kind of skills people should have for high school gymnastics? i'm in 9th grade, so i wanna be able to compete as an individual in at the least 11th grade, but i would love to in 10th. That gives me one or two years to work really hard and get the neseccary skills, which was why i was wondering what they were. i watched some youtube videos, but i don't know what a lot of the skills are called. also, i was think of starting dance. would that help me with my gynmastics at all do you think? Thanks you do much! I love this blog.(: -gymnastics4ever
I think every school has different requirements, so you might want to shoot an email to the sports director at your high school.
Just from what I've seen on youtube (and remember I really don't know for sure about requirements since my high school, sadly, did not have a gymnastics team - though I put up a huge fight to get one started) it seems like the bare minimum is basically...
-Handstand, jump series, scale, leaps, and a salto dismount of some sort on beam. -Round off back handspring, some sort of acro-jump connection (ex: back handspring directly into straddle jump), leaps, and full turn on floor. -Handspring vault -Basic stuff like kips, back hip circles, baby giants, flyaways, jump to high bar, and all that good stuff on bars.
Again, I think the best thing you could do would be to go directly to the coach or the athletic director at your school. You don't even have to go to them in person, just ask them over email if you want to. I'm sure they will be very happy to reply :)
ok, thanks!(: my high school doesn't have a team either. :/ But a lot of gyms in my area, including the one I go to, allows you to compete in high schools meets as an individual.(: So, I'm hoping to be able to do that. again, thanks so much!(: -gymnastics4ever
OK so When i started level four in july i had a PERRRFECT BACK HANDSPRING and now it keeps getting glitches ): first it was i leaning to much, then it was my set was weird, then it was that i getting getting off my feet fast enough, not its that my backhandspring isnt long enough, and im doing a backbend type thing then jumping? ;/ my roundoff backhandspring is a little high, but i fixed it todayy anddd was able to do it :) but my standing backhandspring...cough..what should i do? im starting to get a little mad ;/
If you're having this many problems with it, I honestly would suggest taking a few days to go back to the basics and actually just doing drills and sort of re-learning. From the people I've talked to, this has been the most helpful strategy in getting their handspring solid again!
my back handspring is really bad! on tramp i do the set but when i go back my arms fly to the side! I always try to "glue" them to my ears but it never works!! And on my round off back handspring i do my roundoff but i dont land in an open postion so therefore my bhs is all jacked up! I dont know what to do! and it also doesnt help that im VERY VERY hard on my gymnastics so yesterday i started crying because i couldnt get it! Please help!!!(:
Don't get discouraged! You'll get it eventually. Sometimes gymnastics is a slowww climb, but your work will definitely pay off. With the back handspring, some coaches use a large rubber band type thing and put it over your arms, behind your head, so that you are forced to keep your arms near your ears. Does your coach do that? Some coaches think it's a bad strategy, other's love it, so it'll be up to your coach to decide what to do about that. For the roundoff, keep practicing snap-downs off of a panel mat to really work on ending in an open hollow instead of a pike. The more you practice with these types of drills, the more it will become natural when you're really performing the move. :)
Anything that needs work! Work on your tumbling passes on tumbletrak or into the pit. That front tuck of yours, maybe :) Obviously don't try anything that you haven't done before, but maybe you could work on perfecting some of those level 5 and 6 skills that you're working on!
hi hakuna! :) question quetion :D i was doing cast back hip circles the other day, and by accident. i went around the bar, without anything touching, untill the very end when i got to front support. did i do a free hip circle? just curious! :D
ok i have ANOOOTHER question :* i get distracted REALLY easy and if the coach isnt there watching me, i really have a hard time staying motivated. how can i stop being distracted, and stay motivate to keep working? :*
Haha, cool :) I once did a double back layout flyaway on accident, before I was even learning to connect my giants to a dismount. I peeled. It was scary but kind of funny lol.
What you did is almost, but not quite, a free hip. In a free hip circle, you don't end in front support. After the cast, your hips never touch the bar, so when you come all the way around you will swing down into another kip (unless you're doing a free hip to handstand, then you have a few more options, like a sole circle). As you're coming around the bar, you have to consciously open your shoulder angle and shift your wrists. Free hips are actually one of those skills that have quite a bit of mechanics behind them, but you wouldn't know from looking.
As for getting distracted at the gym, maybe when you feel like that you could stop, get a drink, re-focus, and then come back ready to work. Sometimes it helps just to take a really quick break and remind yourself to get back on track.
Hi(: Ok, so one thing kind of holding me back right now is lack of mucsle. Not so much arm muscle, but abs. Do you have any kind of ab (I hav no idea if there are one or two b's. haha) excersizes other than crunches? They don't seem to help much anymore, plus they are boring. I did some leg lifts, but all they did is kill my back. Anything else I could do?
And also, I nowhere near have my splits. :/ Everyone else in my class is much closer to getting theirs than I am. About how long should I stretch my splits a day to catch up? Thanks.(: -gymnastics4ever
For abs, there are a couple of different things you can try... V-ups (30 in 30 seconds), hollow holds, hollow rockers, or you can do this one exercise whose name I do not know but it's where you lay on your back and have a friend push your legs down, and you bring your legs close to the ground without letting them touch, then lift your legs back up and do it again. Leg lifts are good, but they do work other parts of your body as well.
For the splits, I would recommend practicing each split for two minutes, twice a day. Search for my post on splits for an extra strategy :)
hey so my teammate is HORRIBLY skinny! she DOES NOT look healthy, me and my friend tried to talk to the counselor wwith her but she told them everything is FINE! but its NOT! she hardly eats at lunch! sometimes shell have ONE granola bar and thats it!! and in her leo you can see her spine and ribs!! and when she does pullups her muscles dont look healthy!! they look like shes on steroids!! and on her arms her vains are like popping out of her skin!! and her legs are twigs!!! and i think by now she weighs 70-80 pounds and shes 12 almost 13, i dont know what to do! but my mom said if something bad happens to her atleast i know i tried, and the people just didnt listen. and shes also VERY tired and gets FREEZING COLD after doing 30 minutes of conditioning or like 30 casts in a row, and the fans arent on!!! any advice? -gymnasticsluver12
guesss whatt :) i got my round off backhandspringg. its not consistenttt, and ( in the terms of sometimes its high backhandspringg.) butt i've only worked on it a few timesss, like four or threee :) and i'm the ONLY one in my level four group who can do itt ! :D
hey can you please answer my question pleasee(: and just comment about the first please!!(: (: LOVE THIS BLOG! on the other ones i signed my name at the bottom! lol!
Oh my goodness, I totally missed your question! I apologize. Thanks for reminding me!
Arm exercises... Well, they're all sort of standard, but wide arm push-ups, regular push ups, pull ups, military presses with weights (hold the weights at your shoulders and then extend your arms above your head), bicep curls with weights, handstand push ups (with a spot from a coach), etc. Enjoy your conditioning :)
if you could delete this post ^ after you answer it thatd be great :) i'm really torn, because theres this relatively new gym that gets really good scores in the area ( high AAs.)a nd its REALLY nice and only 45 minutes away..
@gymnasticsluver - What would you like to see posted? :)
@Callie - I think those are good scores! Quite a few 34 AA's in there and a 35, that's great. Those are the types of scores I got, and in my division, those scores won me almost every meet. I don't know how tough the judging is in your division, but those sound pretty decent to me! Not having a pit is a little bit of a disadvantage, but if you love your coaches and your teammates, I think you'd be fine staying there. If they're producing college-material level 10s, then it's definitely a solid gym. But the other gym sounds nice too! I guess I would just think about your priorities in gymnastics - are you in it because you want to go elite? If so, maybe switching gyms is a thought. But if you're in it to hopefully win a few meets and to have fun and progress at a steady level, then I think your gym sounds great! Maybe see how you like the upper-level coaches at your gym once you reach optionals, and at that point if it's not working for you, then consider switching to the other gym. That's my advice, but again, it's totally your and your family's choice!
I'm not really sure, you'd have to ask your doctor about that. Whatever it is, though, keep in mind that your weight should naturally be higher than the average since you have so much muscle as a gymnast (muscle weighs a lot more than fat). Sorry I still haven't gotten a new post up! I'll work on one soon :)
gymnastics lover if you google BMI calulator, they'll tell you if youre a heathly weight or not :) but anywaay. i got a chinup/pull up bar recentely for strenght and idk what kinda strength should i do? will it damage my muscles if i do extra at home? i heard if you don't let youre muscles rest, you'll end up making youre muscles smaller rather then bigger? is that true? and anotherr question, i was doing ' kips' on it, and i was getting up all the way ( as much as you can on that type of thing ;P not w/ straight arms) does that mean i'll get it soon? i havent practiced them in practice w/ the coach, but i do them on my free time on bars :P
@Callie - Yeah, it's good to let your muscles have time to relax between workouts, but it won't hurt you if you want to do a few pull ups here and there at home! And I hope that does mean you'll get your kip soon! It'll feel pretty different on a low bar that's set at regulation height, but I'd take it as a goodish sign if were you :)
@gymnasticsluver - Any kind of fruit is great! Celery with peanut butter is an AWESOME healthy snack. Air-popped popcorn, trail mix, power bars, peanut butter and honey toast, anything like that!
on tuesday i got my kip with a one hand spott!! IM SO CLOSEEEEEEE!!!! i really hope ill get it soon!!! thats about the only 5 bar skill i need!1!!! EEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!! im soo happyy!!!! Do you have any advice on how to make my ankle turn faster for snap turns and half turns on beam? I can't get it!! I'm so mad!!!! but if you could also give me overall advice for stuff thatd be great!(: thankss!(:
Wooohoo! I hope you get it soon! That's so cool. :) Getting your kip is the best feeling ever. For the half turns, make sure you're in releve (up on your toe as high as you can go) and keep your body tight. You should be able to get a good snap.
soo guess whatt! :) today during a lecture on the girls in my class, about not being tight and pointing toes etc etc. She used me as an example. :D because im usually very tight and pointed toes, and said i'll probably be gone by the time they start competing because i'll be in level five in DEC/FEB. and i've only been doing gymnastics since last october, but had to wait to go to level four, so i started level four in july 10th or somethin :) and then we starting doing round off bhs, and i got to do it by myself, then she let me do round off backhandspring backhandspring, and she said i just had to open my chest when i came down from the handsprings, and i'd have it in a week or two depending on how well practices go w/ the younger girls. andd thenn, she told me to do front tucks up to the mat vault for level four ( idk what purpose it serves?!) but since my level three coach never corrected the problems with my front tuck, ( arms sticking out, chest out) it have to relearn it, but she said i did good for a first time :) and idk if i told you this, but shes letting me work on my level five routine :) ( minus kips) :D but my level three coach teaches really bad habits/doesnt inforce good form. on things like handstands or casts or roundoffs ( she taught me how to do a backhandspring wrong and round off wrong and cartwheel on beam wrong and other stuff!) and as a level three, i never noticed it but now jeez! these girls needa learn how to cast right and do things right, because if theyre inforced in level three and other levels they'll be better level fours because the level four coach can spend more time on skills and routines, then having to reteach every little thing like casting, and handstands and roundoffs etc etc. and they can't really fire her since she owns the gym! it sucks because my level four coach is REALLY good for level four, and they could do REALLY better if they inforce better habits in the lower levels! D:
heyy(: so i got my RO BHS today with a one hand spott!!! I'm so happyy!!!!!!!! i cant believe it!! now i have my front handspring on floor and punch front perfect and i almost have my kipp!!!! im so happyy!!! oh and check that email i sent you my story(:
Woah, Callie, that's a whole lot of awesome news!! congrats on everything! :D That's too bad about the level 3 coach. Having a solid foundation is so important. I hate that when coaches don't correct you and you start forming bad habits without realizing it!!
heyy(: so i got my RO BHS today with a one hand spott!!! I'm so happyy!!!!!!!! i cant believe it!! now i have my front handspring on floor and punch front perfect and i almost have my kipp!!!! im so happyy!!! oh and check that email i sent you my story(:
Awesome! Sounds like you're practically ready for level 5 :) *High five* You should try to send the story again, cause I didn't receive it for some reason :( gymnasticsuniverseblog@gmail.com
Hello!(: Okaaay, so I really feel like I'm not going to move up very fast at the pace I'm going. And as I think I've said before, I want to be able to compete in high school gymnastics in a year or two. So, what kind of things could I try to do during open gyms? Like, some skills that maybe we aren't working on in class? Right now, it really is kind of the basics, so what are some things I could begin to work on on my own? Thank yooou!(: -gymnastics4ever
And also, could you do a whole post on back handsprings, since they are so important for floor excersizes? Such as, starting with the kind of stretches and strength excersizes we should do to get ready for when we start working on them, up to some tips for when your learning them/perfecting them. Thanks again(: -gymnastics4ever
@gymnastics4ever - I'm not sure what you're working on in class right now, exactly, but I would just work on perfecting those skills at OG for two reasons: 1) If you have a really strong foundation of the basics, you're going to start improving at a faster rate and your gymnastics will just be such better quality in general, and 2) It's not safe to work on moves you've never done with a coach, not to mention that without constant correction, you might learn it wrong and then have to RE-learn, which wouldn't be fun at all.
I will definitely try to get up a post about back handsprings. That seems to be something that a lot of the blog readers are working on right now, so I'll work on that post soon :)
@gymnasticsluver - First of all, I love your story!!! Thanks for sending it!! The last three pages wouldn't load but I just had fun reading what was there :) It was awesome! And about your ankle, usually that's just the term for when you land short and crunch your ankle. It hurts but it's usually not a serious injury. If it's still bothering you, you might wanna talk to your coach or see a doctor.
so today is class we ( more like i) started working on kips for the first time ever :) idk if we will work on them next class, but i think i have strong enough legs for it ( because i can do more pike hold leg lifts then some of the girls who can do kips ) just my arms need work :)and i think i'll get ittt by december! can you give me an arm workout for my chinup bar? because im afraid to ask my coach! dont say ask her please :P because im realllly shy inrl. ;P but yeahh! these two girls are injured, and one broke her elbow doing a round off and the other has tendontis thats been bothering her since last yr but didnt get diagnosed till now, i cant say im sad about it. i mean, i am. but we get more time because we have two less kids..so yeah ! :p
I was wondering if u hav any advice on bhs.. I know there a verryyy popular topic lol. But my coach says I need to over turn my bhs more so i can get that strech for a back tuck ( im a leval 5 hoping to compete level 7 nxt yr xD.) nd my vaulting is a mess! Ido u hav any adivce on how to get over that fear of it nd vault better?
ps. I totally get where u mean callie my family gets sick hearing it to nd they havvvv nooo idea what im talking aboutt. but what can i say im gymnastics CRAZYYYY!!! <3 :)
Hey so I ALMOST have my kip i have my glide and then the toes/shins to the bar PERFECTLY! my coach keeps telling me to roll my wrists and lean over the bar! i have issues with that! do you have any advice? cuz thats all i need to do to get my kipp!!!! thankss!
You guys are all MORE than entitled to eternal bragging rights! You work so hard! That's partially the purpose of this blog, to let people share their achievements :)
I'll try to get the BHS post up today or tomorrow but this is a really busy week for me, so forgive me if I'm a little slow. But the quick fix (@anonymous - what's your name?) for your BHS issue is just working on the snap down. Try some drills where you kick up into a handstand on a panel mat and then snap down into a good hollow and get a rebound out of it.
@gymnasticsluver - That's the tough part. At this point, for you, it's basically just getting down the timing and the feel for it. Practice practice practice. :D
haha ok!! i willl!!! thankss!! im determined to get it this week!!! :D I have this feeling in my stomach that the 2011 competition season ill be competing 6 or 7(: probably 6(: cuz i can do the front handspring front handspring, the punch front, full turn, straddle jump, i can sorta do a clear hip and almost a baby giant and i think if i tried i could do the flyaway! and on beam with more practice i could do the back walkover! and same ith the full turn! im afraid to do the handstand quarter pirouette twist thoo!!1 :O and i cana kinda do the fhs vault(: so i hope ill compete 6 next season(:
if i do one minute pike holds three times a day will this help my kip alot? also, what arm excersies can i do to improve my kip dramatically? the pike holds doesnt really hurt til the last 10-20 seconds..i use to not even be able to hold them for longer then 30 seconds..and now i can do them like that? its weird :P
So i have fear issues on beam...i was able to my side handstand twist off 2 weeks ago and then i messed up and scraped my arm and ever since i havent been able to do it!! any advice? and then on like everything i do i have straddled legs!!! idk what to do!!!! and on my round off i apparently dont get my feet together fast enough..and then when i do my back hipcircle i have issues and end up doing a clear hip!! im getting better but got any advice? but at least i can do a clear hip(: and how can i get my cast closer to horizontal? sorry this is a lot but if u can answer one of em or all thatd be great!!!!(: and ive come a long way since febuary of last year(: and i have almost all level 6 skills!!!!!!!!!(: and then i have another post ^^^^ so if u can comment on that to thatd be great(: thanks sooooo mcuh!!!!!!(:
@Callie - Pike holds definitely help! I would also do some V-ups and then just basic arm exercises like push ups and pull ups. The kip is also a matter of timing so definitely keep working on the strength but if you can't get it right away don't get discouraged!
@gymnsticsluver - I know how that goes :/ You really have to push yourself to get back up there and do it again despite your fear. Think positively, visualize yourself doing it well, and just go for it. If it helps, that dismount was one of my favorite level 5 skills, so hopefully when you are comfortable with it you'll love it and have a lot of fun with it too :)
For the cast height, focus on leaning your shoulders over the bar, keeping your chest nice and hollow, and really driving your heels. You'll get it!
thank you so muchh!!!! and is it normal for me to sometimes feel like im not doing good? cuz sometimes i feel like im losing my skills and get really mad at myself if i dont get a skill!! is it normal?
i think i pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve :/ i was at practice today and i cried for three hours. it hurt so bad, i really tried to do it but man, i couldn't even get on the bar to do strength! it usually hurts, but not as bad as it did today! the older girls coach said she thinks i could of pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve. :/ i forgot to take motrin today because i had to leave the house really early to go the ortho and then to gymnastics. it was only the two of us, so i could of gotten ALOT done. freakin arm ):
@gymnasticsluver - It's normal to get discouraged every now and then, but don't be too hard on yourself! Sometimes it's hard for us to recognize how awesome our own achievements really are until after the fact. You're doing an AMAZING job. :)
@Callie - Ugh, that's not good :/ How's it feeling now? Pinched nerves and pulled muscles can both be really uncomfortable. Hope it feels completely better really soon!
I will consider writing a post about the kip! Any other suggestions of things you'd like to see?
i like callie's idea for the hardest skills on each event from 5-7(: lol and thanks so much! it is hard to realize how good we are. I always lok at my teamates and im like "wow their really good" and then i discourage myself!!! ill try not to do that as much! oh and yesterday i got my first BLOODY rip!! it was a gusher!! lol!
so i just thought id tell you something: Ever since i started gymnastics all ive wanted to be an elite gymnast, i started very late but im so determined to accomplish things its not even funny. The only thing i want in my life is to win a gold medal at a big competition. I feel that it'll never come true. I know that if i work hard and never give up i might have a shot. I love gymnastics more than anything. I wish i could live at the gym. I love everything about it. I love the beauty and grace of it. It makes me wanna cartwheel a person in the face when they say gymnastics isnt hard. They dont know what we go through everyday. It makes me really mad how people don't realize how hard we work. And yet we do it for a total of a like a 6 minute show. I love gymnastics so much. Do you havev any advice on how to get closer to acheiving my goal? im sorry that i typed all that but i thought you should know how passionate i am aabout this amazing gourgeous sport
I know exactly what you mean. It's BEYOND frustrating that people don't understand how hard gymnasts work. But our job as competitive gymnasts is to make what we do look effortless, so try to think of it that way. If somebody tells you, "I could do that. It looks so easy," then you've done your job. You've made one of the most difficult things in the world look easy because you've done it over and over and over again until it looks really beautiful. That's pretty cool :)
I know how passionate you are about the sport, and I think that's so awesome. Keep doing what you love and striving for your goal!!! I really look up to people who can put so much focus and determination into a goal, even if it sometimes seems like a long-shot. I really think perseverance is the #1 characteristic that successful people possess. I think you DO have a shot, to be honest, and even if you don't end up exactly where you want to, you'll be amazed looking back on your years as a gymnast and realizing that the journey, rather than the final destination, was the most important part. I feel like even though I wasn't able to become and elite like I wanted to, I learned so much in gymnastics and it'll always be a part of my life. That's why I coach now, and I hope to own a gym someday. It stays with you forever. :)
Sorry for the long and dramatic pep talk, but I hope you know that even though I don't know you personally, I believe in what you can do! :D
thanks so much!! that really inspires me that i DO have chance! I'm just gunna keep striving for my goal and im never gunna give up no matter how hard it gets!! its what i love to do! i hope ill be an elite but if not ill be a coach! id much rather be an elite! i look up to shawn johnson and rebecca bross!
new post pleaseE??(: like kip tips, the hardest skills to get in compulsery and elite? maybe something like that? and advice on how to eat healthy like a gymnast should? lol thanks!!
so at practice todaay, we worked on kips ( i did anyway) andd we only worked on them a few times like three, and she said she wasnt really doing anything when she spotted me and i'd have it really soon :)! my standing backhandspring is also getting better, just have to jump higher :P andd i also beatt my coach at front tuck stick contest on the trampoline :) on tuesday i had a really AWFUL practice so its was really encouraging to go out of the gym not feeling frustrated and upset :* but yeahh :c gymnasticsluver do you have msn or aiim? you seem cooll ! :D
haha sorry callie!! i dontt!! i only have a yahoo!! sorryy!!! but congrats on everything! i had a bad practice on tues and today thanks to round off bhs and my stupid ankle!!! but you sound good! what level r u?! and what are ur hardest skills on each event?!
haha aw! whats youre yahoo? :) aw thats no fun! im level four, going five in dec :) ahaha, not alot of hard skills. my gym doesnt really uptrain harder skills in like level six and seven untill youre like in a level below it.. ): on bars liiikeee, nothing..if you consider the squat on a skill :P roundoffbackhandspringx2 on floorrr, uhhm front handspring vaultt, backwalkover on balance beam :P andd front layoutt and tucks on ttrampoline. compared to you i soundd like a level too! hahaha :P
awhh thankss!! that means a lot!! and omg!!! you sound so goodd!!!! imma 4 too! but im competing 4 this year but i might go to 6 next year if i get all my skills!!! i have so much trouble with my ro bhs!!! i think so hard about i LITERALLY roll into a ball after my ro!!! its so scary!!! but i almost have my kippp!!(: but u sound really good(: my hardest skills on floor are: front handspring and then a front tuck/pike beam: cartwheel and a back walkover on floor beam oh! and a front tuck dismount vault: a partial front handspring and bars: baby giant, sole circle then jump to high bar..and i think a tucked fly away (like i know i could do it but my coach wont let me) haha[:
hiii(: Ok, so my coach had us practicing round off dismounts off of beam the other day. I can do my round off fine on floor, and even when I was waiting to try it I didn't think it would be too bad, but when I was actually going to do it, I got really scared. I don't even know what of, since she was there to spot me, but I end up keeping my legs bent when I kick over, instead of keeping them straight. Are there any things I could practice at home to get over that fear, and straighten my legs? And also, she had us working on arabesques on the high beam. Again, if I were to do this on floor its fine. But once I'm up on beam, I start to get nervous and don't do as best as I could. How can I get myself to be not-so afraid of beam? And one last thing! haha, I need help with my handstand. :/ If I take a step into it, its fine. But shes trying to make us just stand and kick up into it without taking a step. I always end up getting the leg I'm kicking with all the way up, but then my other leg stays bent the whole time. What should I do about this? Sorry for this really long post!! Its been a long time since I've been on here. :/ haha(: Thank you soooo much! -gymnastics4ever
I think I've already asked this but what all do I need on eaach event to move up to 6?
ReplyDeleteI'm really sorry, my blogger account is having a ton of issues right now and it's making it difficult to type in these comment boxes. I'll do my best but it might be a while before I answer tons of questions.
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head...
Floor:
Punch front
Front handspring
Round off, handspring, tuck
Straddle jump (180) and split leaps
Beam:
Handstand turn dismount
Leaps
Jump series
Back walkover
Scale
Full turn
Vault:
Handspring
Bars:
Clear hip
Baby Giant
Tucked flyaway
ok thankss!!!! I have more then half!! so if i keep working i might be able too(: thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Keep me posted! Let me know whenever you get a new skill :) You're doing great.
ReplyDeleteHello :)
ReplyDeleteI'm having trouble with my half on half off on vault. I used to be able to do it, but now my coach says I only twist half my body and I always land on my butt :( I try to tighten my whole body and twist evenly, but that doesn't work, nor does looking at my hands. Any tips?
Also, I'm a very inconsistent tumbler, which isn't the best thing to have during meets. I always have a handspring that's really light on my hands that causes me to undercut my tuck. Could you help?
Thanks so much!!!! :D I love this blog.
Hello Sisi :) Nice to "meet" you! Are you a level 7??
ReplyDeleteHmm. I don't know about the vault. I guess I would first try to just do a half-on and don't twist off, just to focus on maintaining a straight, tight body position. From there you could work up to the half-twist (start with a quarter, etc.) When you are doing the half-off part, make sure you aren't trying to twist too early. That could be part of the problem, especially if you're trying to twist right out of the block. Is it the bottom half of your body that's twisting?
As for the tumbling... What do you mean by undercutting your front tuck? Are you over-rotating? Sorry, I've only really heard the term used with back handsprings so I'm not 100% sure what you mean. Let me know, and I will get back to you :)
Anyway, I'm so glad you like the blog! Subscribe if you want updates!!
Hi(: weeell, I'm still a beginner, so i can't do too much. :/ i think i've asked before, but i'm wondering, do you know at all what kind of skills people should have for high school gymnastics? i'm in 9th grade, so i wanna be able to compete as an individual in at the least 11th grade, but i would love to in 10th. That gives me one or two years to work really hard and get the neseccary skills, which was why i was wondering what they were. i watched some youtube videos, but i don't know what a lot of the skills are called.
ReplyDeletealso, i was think of starting dance. would that help me with my gynmastics at all do you think?
Thanks you do much! I love this blog.(:
-gymnastics4ever
Hello, gymnastics4ever :)
ReplyDeleteI think every school has different requirements, so you might want to shoot an email to the sports director at your high school.
Just from what I've seen on youtube (and remember I really don't know for sure about requirements since my high school, sadly, did not have a gymnastics team - though I put up a huge fight to get one started) it seems like the bare minimum is basically...
-Handstand, jump series, scale, leaps, and a salto dismount of some sort on beam.
-Round off back handspring, some sort of acro-jump connection (ex: back handspring directly into straddle jump), leaps, and full turn on floor.
-Handspring vault
-Basic stuff like kips, back hip circles, baby giants, flyaways, jump to high bar, and all that good stuff on bars.
Again, I think the best thing you could do would be to go directly to the coach or the athletic director at your school. You don't even have to go to them in person, just ask them over email if you want to. I'm sure they will be very happy to reply :)
ok, thanks!(: my high school doesn't have a team either. :/ But a lot of gyms in my area, including the one I go to, allows you to compete in high schools meets as an individual.(: So, I'm hoping to be able to do that.
ReplyDeleteagain, thanks so much!(:
-gymnastics4ever
OK so When i started level four in july i had a PERRRFECT BACK HANDSPRING and now it keeps getting glitches ): first it was i leaning to much, then it was my set was weird, then it was that i getting getting off my feet fast enough, not its that my backhandspring isnt long enough, and im doing a backbend type thing then jumping? ;/ my roundoff backhandspring is a little high, but i fixed it todayy anddd was able to do it :) but my standing backhandspring...cough..what should i do? im starting to get a little mad ;/
ReplyDeletewhenever i do it with someone else, its good..but then i go to her and its not.. why is this? lol
ReplyDeleteHello Callie! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you're having this many problems with it, I honestly would suggest taking a few days to go back to the basics and actually just doing drills and sort of re-learning. From the people I've talked to, this has been the most helpful strategy in getting their handspring solid again!
my back handspring is really bad! on tramp i do the set but when i go back my arms fly to the side! I always try to "glue" them to my ears but it never works!! And on my round off back handspring i do my roundoff but i dont land in an open postion so therefore my bhs is all jacked up! I dont know what to do! and it also doesnt help that im VERY VERY hard on my gymnastics so yesterday i started crying because i couldnt get it! Please help!!!(:
ReplyDelete@gymnasticsluver,
ReplyDeleteDon't get discouraged! You'll get it eventually. Sometimes gymnastics is a slowww climb, but your work will definitely pay off. With the back handspring, some coaches use a large rubber band type thing and put it over your arms, behind your head, so that you are forced to keep your arms near your ears. Does your coach do that? Some coaches think it's a bad strategy, other's love it, so it'll be up to your coach to decide what to do about that. For the roundoff, keep practicing snap-downs off of a panel mat to really work on ending in an open hollow instead of a pike. The more you practice with these types of drills, the more it will become natural when you're really performing the move. :)
ok thanks!!! i really wanna get it! i really want to get my ro bhs bhs! cuz then i can do almost all 6 skills! cuz in my gym they teach bt i 6!
ReplyDeleteWhat should I work on at open workout? You know some what of what i can do! so can you help me pleasee?
ReplyDeleteAnything that needs work! Work on your tumbling passes on tumbletrak or into the pit. That front tuck of yours, maybe :) Obviously don't try anything that you haven't done before, but maybe you could work on perfecting some of those level 5 and 6 skills that you're working on!
ReplyDeletehi hakuna! :) question quetion :D i was doing cast back hip circles the other day, and by accident. i went around the bar, without anything touching, untill the very end when i got to front support. did i do a free hip circle? just curious! :D
ReplyDeleteok i have ANOOOTHER question :* i get distracted REALLY easy and if the coach isnt there watching me, i really have a hard time staying motivated. how can i stop being distracted, and stay motivate to keep working? :*
ReplyDeleteHaha, cool :) I once did a double back layout flyaway on accident, before I was even learning to connect my giants to a dismount. I peeled. It was scary but kind of funny lol.
ReplyDeleteWhat you did is almost, but not quite, a free hip. In a free hip circle, you don't end in front support. After the cast, your hips never touch the bar, so when you come all the way around you will swing down into another kip (unless you're doing a free hip to handstand, then you have a few more options, like a sole circle). As you're coming around the bar, you have to consciously open your shoulder angle and shift your wrists. Free hips are actually one of those skills that have quite a bit of mechanics behind them, but you wouldn't know from looking.
As for getting distracted at the gym, maybe when you feel like that you could stop, get a drink, re-focus, and then come back ready to work. Sometimes it helps just to take a really quick break and remind yourself to get back on track.
ReplyDeleteHi(: Ok, so one thing kind of holding me back right now is lack of mucsle. Not so much arm muscle, but abs. Do you have any kind of ab (I hav no idea if there are one or two b's. haha) excersizes other than crunches? They don't seem to help much anymore, plus they are boring. I did some leg lifts, but all they did is kill my back. Anything else I could do?
ReplyDeleteAnd also, I nowhere near have my splits. :/ Everyone else in my class is much closer to getting theirs than I am. About how long should I stretch my splits a day to catch up?
Thanks.(:
-gymnastics4ever
Hi!
ReplyDeleteFor abs, there are a couple of different things you can try... V-ups (30 in 30 seconds), hollow holds, hollow rockers, or you can do this one exercise whose name I do not know but it's where you lay on your back and have a friend push your legs down, and you bring your legs close to the ground without letting them touch, then lift your legs back up and do it again. Leg lifts are good, but they do work other parts of your body as well.
For the splits, I would recommend practicing each split for two minutes, twice a day. Search for my post on splits for an extra strategy :)
Ok, thanks a lot!(:
ReplyDelete-gymnastics4ever
hey so my teammate is HORRIBLY skinny! she DOES NOT look healthy, me and my friend tried to talk to the counselor wwith her but she told them everything is FINE! but its NOT! she hardly eats at lunch! sometimes shell have ONE granola bar and thats it!! and in her leo you can see her spine and ribs!! and when she does pullups her muscles dont look healthy!! they look like shes on steroids!! and on her arms her vains are like popping out of her skin!! and her legs are twigs!!! and i think by now she weighs 70-80 pounds and shes 12 almost 13, i dont know what to do! but my mom said if something bad happens to her atleast i know i tried, and the people just didnt listen. and shes also VERY tired and gets FREEZING COLD after doing 30 minutes of conditioning or like 30 casts in a row, and the fans arent on!!! any advice?
ReplyDelete-gymnasticsluver12
do you know any good arm muscle workouts? please and thankk youu!!(:
ReplyDelete-gymnasticsluver12
guesss whatt :) i got my round off backhandspringg. its not consistenttt, and ( in the terms of sometimes its high backhandspringg.) butt i've only worked on it a few timesss, like four or threee :) and i'm the ONLY one in my level four group who can do itt ! :D
ReplyDeleteCOOL!!! Congratulations!!! That's awesome :D
ReplyDeletehey can you please answer my question pleasee(: and just comment about the first please!!(: (: LOVE THIS BLOG! on the other ones i signed my name at the bottom! lol!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I totally missed your question! I apologize. Thanks for reminding me!
ReplyDeleteArm exercises... Well, they're all sort of standard, but wide arm push-ups, regular push ups, pull ups, military presses with weights (hold the weights at your shoulders and then extend your arms above your head), bicep curls with weights, handstand push ups (with a spot from a coach), etc. Enjoy your conditioning :)
another post pleasee??(: i loveee this blogg! thankss!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteif you could delete this post ^ after you answer it thatd be great :) i'm really torn, because theres this relatively new gym that gets really good scores in the area ( high AAs.)a nd its REALLY nice and only 45 minutes away..
ReplyDelete@gymnasticsluver - What would you like to see posted? :)
ReplyDelete@Callie - I think those are good scores! Quite a few 34 AA's in there and a 35, that's great. Those are the types of scores I got, and in my division, those scores won me almost every meet. I don't know how tough the judging is in your division, but those sound pretty decent to me! Not having a pit is a little bit of a disadvantage, but if you love your coaches and your teammates, I think you'd be fine staying there. If they're producing college-material level 10s, then it's definitely a solid gym. But the other gym sounds nice too! I guess I would just think about your priorities in gymnastics - are you in it because you want to go elite? If so, maybe switching gyms is a thought. But if you're in it to hopefully win a few meets and to have fun and progress at a steady level, then I think your gym sounds great! Maybe see how you like the upper-level coaches at your gym once you reach optionals, and at that point if it's not working for you, then consider switching to the other gym. That's my advice, but again, it's totally your and your family's choice!
maybe just like overall advice for everything? like tips on how to do good, tips for back handspring? idk stuff like that maybe?
ReplyDeletedo you know like what the average weight of a 12 yr old should be? thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure, you'd have to ask your doctor about that. Whatever it is, though, keep in mind that your weight should naturally be higher than the average since you have so much muscle as a gymnast (muscle weighs a lot more than fat). Sorry I still haven't gotten a new post up! I'll work on one soon :)
ReplyDeletegymnastics lover if you google BMI calulator, they'll tell you if youre a heathly weight or not :) but anywaay. i got a chinup/pull up bar recentely for strenght and idk what kinda strength should i do? will it damage my muscles if i do extra at home? i heard if you don't let youre muscles rest, you'll end up making youre muscles smaller rather then bigger? is that true? and anotherr question, i was doing ' kips' on it, and i was getting up all the way ( as much as you can on that type of thing ;P not w/ straight arms)
ReplyDeletedoes that mean i'll get it soon? i havent practiced them in practice w/ the coach, but i do them on my free time on bars :P
what are some healthy snacks for gymnasts to eat? thankss!
ReplyDelete@Callie - Yeah, it's good to let your muscles have time to relax between workouts, but it won't hurt you if you want to do a few pull ups here and there at home! And I hope that does mean you'll get your kip soon! It'll feel pretty different on a low bar that's set at regulation height, but I'd take it as a goodish sign if were you :)
ReplyDelete@gymnasticsluver - Any kind of fruit is great! Celery with peanut butter is an AWESOME healthy snack. Air-popped popcorn, trail mix, power bars, peanut butter and honey toast, anything like that!
on tuesday i got my kip with a one hand spott!! IM SO CLOSEEEEEEE!!!! i really hope ill get it soon!!! thats about the only 5 bar skill i need!1!!! EEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!! im soo happyy!!!! Do you have any advice on how to make my ankle turn faster for snap turns and half turns on beam? I can't get it!! I'm so mad!!!! but if you could also give me overall advice for stuff thatd be great!(: thankss!(:
ReplyDeleteWooohoo! I hope you get it soon! That's so cool. :) Getting your kip is the best feeling ever. For the half turns, make sure you're in releve (up on your toe as high as you can go) and keep your body tight. You should be able to get a good snap.
ReplyDeletesoo guess whatt! :) today during a lecture on the girls in my class, about not being tight and pointing toes etc etc. She used me as an example. :D because im usually very tight and pointed toes, and said i'll probably be gone by the time they start competing because i'll be in level five in DEC/FEB. and i've only been doing gymnastics since last october, but had to wait to go to level four, so i started level four in july 10th or somethin :) and then we starting doing round off bhs, and i got to do it by myself, then she let me do round off backhandspring backhandspring, and she said i just had to open my chest when i came down from the handsprings, and i'd have it in a week or two depending on how well practices go w/ the younger girls. andd thenn, she told me to do front tucks up to the mat vault for level four ( idk what purpose it serves?!) but since my level three coach never corrected the problems with my front tuck, ( arms sticking out, chest out) it have to relearn it, but she said i did good for a first time :) and idk if i told you this, but shes letting me work on my level five routine :) ( minus kips) :D
ReplyDeletebut my level three coach teaches really bad habits/doesnt inforce good form. on things like handstands or casts or roundoffs ( she taught me how to do a backhandspring wrong and round off wrong and cartwheel on beam wrong and other stuff!) and as a level three, i never noticed it but now jeez! these girls needa learn how to cast right and do things right, because if theyre inforced in level three and other levels they'll be better level fours because the level four coach can spend more time on skills and routines, then having to reteach every little thing like casting, and handstands and roundoffs etc etc. and they can't really fire her since she owns the gym! it sucks because my level four coach is REALLY good for level four, and they could do REALLY better if they inforce better habits in the lower levels! D:
heyy(: so i got my RO BHS today with a one hand spott!!! I'm so happyy!!!!!!!! i cant believe it!! now i have my front handspring on floor and punch front perfect and i almost have my kipp!!!! im so happyy!!! oh and check that email i sent you my story(:
ReplyDeleteWoah, Callie, that's a whole lot of awesome news!! congrats on everything! :D That's too bad about the level 3 coach. Having a solid foundation is so important. I hate that when coaches don't correct you and you start forming bad habits without realizing it!!
ReplyDeleteheyy(: so i got my RO BHS today with a one hand spott!!! I'm so happyy!!!!!!!! i cant believe it!! now i have my front handspring on floor and punch front perfect and i almost have my kipp!!!! im so happyy!!! oh and check that email i sent you my story(:
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Sounds like you're practically ready for level 5 :) *High five* You should try to send the story again, cause I didn't receive it for some reason :( gymnasticsuniverseblog@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHello!(: Okaaay, so I really feel like I'm not going to move up very fast at the pace I'm going. And as I think I've said before, I want to be able to compete in high school gymnastics in a year or two. So, what kind of things could I try to do during open gyms? Like, some skills that maybe we aren't working on in class? Right now, it really is kind of the basics, so what are some things I could begin to work on on my own?
ReplyDeleteThank yooou!(:
-gymnastics4ever
And also, could you do a whole post on back handsprings, since they are so important for floor excersizes? Such as, starting with the kind of stretches and strength excersizes we should do to get ready for when we start working on them, up to some tips for when your learning them/perfecting them.
ReplyDeleteThanks again(:
-gymnastics4ever
hey so last night at open workout i think i hyper extended my ankle. What exactly does that mean?
ReplyDelete@gymnastics4ever - I'm not sure what you're working on in class right now, exactly, but I would just work on perfecting those skills at OG for two reasons: 1) If you have a really strong foundation of the basics, you're going to start improving at a faster rate and your gymnastics will just be such better quality in general, and 2) It's not safe to work on moves you've never done with a coach, not to mention that without constant correction, you might learn it wrong and then have to RE-learn, which wouldn't be fun at all.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely try to get up a post about back handsprings. That seems to be something that a lot of the blog readers are working on right now, so I'll work on that post soon :)
@gymnasticsluver - First of all, I love your story!!! Thanks for sending it!! The last three pages wouldn't load but I just had fun reading what was there :) It was awesome! And about your ankle, usually that's just the term for when you land short and crunch your ankle. It hurts but it's usually not a serious injury. If it's still bothering you, you might wanna talk to your coach or see a doctor.
ok thankss!! and glad you liked it! im sad the last 3 pgs didnt load cuz thats the main part!!)':
ReplyDeleteso today is class we ( more like i) started working on kips for the first time ever :) idk if we will work on them next class, but i think i have strong enough legs for it ( because i can do more pike hold leg lifts then some of the girls who can do kips ) just my arms need work :)and i think i'll get ittt by december! can you give me an arm workout for my chinup bar? because im afraid to ask my coach! dont say ask her please :P because im realllly shy inrl. ;P but yeahh! these two girls are injured, and one broke her elbow doing a round off and the other has tendontis thats been bothering her since last yr but didnt get diagnosed till now, i cant say im sad about it. i mean, i am. but we get more time because we have two less kids..so yeah ! :p
ReplyDeletesorry if i post alot about me and my achievements..my mom doesnt listen to me when i say things about gymnastics! nor does she understand so :P
ReplyDeleteHey!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if u hav any advice on bhs.. I know there a verryyy popular topic lol. But my coach says I need to over turn my bhs more so i can get that strech for a back tuck ( im a leval 5 hoping to compete level 7 nxt yr xD.) nd my vaulting is a mess! Ido u hav any adivce on how to get over that fear of it nd vault better?
ps. I totally get where u mean callie my family gets sick hearing it to nd they havvvv nooo idea what im talking aboutt. but what can i say im gymnastics CRAZYYYY!!! <3 :)
Hey so I ALMOST have my kip i have my glide and then the toes/shins to the bar PERFECTLY! my coach keeps telling me to roll my wrists and lean over the bar! i have issues with that! do you have any advice? cuz thats all i need to do to get my kipp!!!! thankss!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are all MORE than entitled to eternal bragging rights! You work so hard! That's partially the purpose of this blog, to let people share their achievements :)
ReplyDeleteI'll try to get the BHS post up today or tomorrow but this is a really busy week for me, so forgive me if I'm a little slow. But the quick fix (@anonymous - what's your name?) for your BHS issue is just working on the snap down. Try some drills where you kick up into a handstand on a panel mat and then snap down into a good hollow and get a rebound out of it.
@gymnasticsluver - That's the tough part. At this point, for you, it's basically just getting down the timing and the feel for it. Practice practice practice. :D
haha ok!! i willl!!! thankss!! im determined to get it this week!!! :D I have this feeling in my stomach that the 2011 competition season ill be competing 6 or 7(: probably 6(: cuz i can do the front handspring front handspring, the punch front, full turn, straddle jump, i can sorta do a clear hip and almost a baby giant and i think if i tried i could do the flyaway! and on beam with more practice i could do the back walkover! and same ith the full turn! im afraid to do the handstand quarter pirouette twist thoo!!1 :O and i cana kinda do the fhs vault(: so i hope ill compete 6 next season(:
ReplyDeleteif i do one minute pike holds three times a day will this help my kip alot? also, what arm excersies can i do to improve my kip dramatically? the pike holds doesnt really hurt til the last 10-20 seconds..i use to not even be able to hold them for longer then 30 seconds..and now i can do them like that? its weird :P
ReplyDeleteSo i have fear issues on beam...i was able to my side handstand twist off 2 weeks ago and then i messed up and scraped my arm and ever since i havent been able to do it!! any advice? and then on like everything i do i have straddled legs!!! idk what to do!!!! and on my round off i apparently dont get my feet together fast enough..and then when i do my back hipcircle i have issues and end up doing a clear hip!! im getting better but got any advice? but at least i can do a clear hip(: and how can i get my cast closer to horizontal? sorry this is a lot but if u can answer one of em or all thatd be great!!!!(: and ive come a long way since febuary of last year(: and i have almost all level 6 skills!!!!!!!!!(: and then i have another post ^^^^ so if u can comment on that to thatd be great(: thanks sooooo mcuh!!!!!!(:
ReplyDelete@Callie - Pike holds definitely help! I would also do some V-ups and then just basic arm exercises like push ups and pull ups. The kip is also a matter of timing so definitely keep working on the strength but if you can't get it right away don't get discouraged!
ReplyDelete@gymnsticsluver - I know how that goes :/ You really have to push yourself to get back up there and do it again despite your fear. Think positively, visualize yourself doing it well, and just go for it. If it helps, that dismount was one of my favorite level 5 skills, so hopefully when you are comfortable with it you'll love it and have a lot of fun with it too :)
For the cast height, focus on leaning your shoulders over the bar, keeping your chest nice and hollow, and really driving your heels. You'll get it!
thank you so muchh!!!! and is it normal for me to sometimes feel like im not doing good? cuz sometimes i feel like im losing my skills and get really mad at myself if i dont get a skill!! is it normal?
ReplyDeletei think i pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve :/ i was at practice today and i cried for three hours. it hurt so bad, i really tried to do it but man, i couldn't even get on the bar to do strength! it usually hurts, but not as bad as it did today! the older girls coach said she thinks i could of pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve. :/ i forgot to take motrin today because i had to leave the house really early to go the ortho and then to gymnastics. it was only the two of us, so i could of gotten ALOT done. freakin arm ):
ReplyDeletecould you do a post on the kip :)? or maybe the main skills that will be the hardest to get and tips to get them from L4-L6/7 :)?
ReplyDelete@gymnasticsluver - It's normal to get discouraged every now and then, but don't be too hard on yourself! Sometimes it's hard for us to recognize how awesome our own achievements really are until after the fact. You're doing an AMAZING job. :)
ReplyDelete@Callie - Ugh, that's not good :/ How's it feeling now? Pinched nerves and pulled muscles can both be really uncomfortable. Hope it feels completely better really soon!
I will consider writing a post about the kip! Any other suggestions of things you'd like to see?
i like callie's idea for the hardest skills on each event from 5-7(: lol and thanks so much! it is hard to realize how good we are. I always lok at my teamates and im like "wow their really good" and then i discourage myself!!! ill try not to do that as much! oh and yesterday i got my first BLOODY rip!! it was a gusher!! lol!
ReplyDeleteso i just thought id tell you something:
ReplyDeleteEver since i started gymnastics all ive wanted to be an elite gymnast, i started very late but im so determined to accomplish things its not even funny. The only thing i want in my life is to win a gold medal at a big competition. I feel that it'll never come true. I know that if i work hard and never give up i might have a shot. I love gymnastics more than anything. I wish i could live at the gym. I love everything about it. I love the beauty and grace of it. It makes me wanna cartwheel a person in the face when they say gymnastics isnt hard. They dont know what we go through everyday. It makes me really mad how people don't realize how hard we work. And yet we do it for a total of a like a 6 minute show. I love gymnastics so much. Do you havev any advice on how to get closer to acheiving my goal? im sorry that i typed all that but i thought you should know how passionate i am aabout this amazing gourgeous sport
I know exactly what you mean. It's BEYOND frustrating that people don't understand how hard gymnasts work. But our job as competitive gymnasts is to make what we do look effortless, so try to think of it that way. If somebody tells you, "I could do that. It looks so easy," then you've done your job. You've made one of the most difficult things in the world look easy because you've done it over and over and over again until it looks really beautiful. That's pretty cool :)
ReplyDeleteI know how passionate you are about the sport, and I think that's so awesome. Keep doing what you love and striving for your goal!!! I really look up to people who can put so much focus and determination into a goal, even if it sometimes seems like a long-shot. I really think perseverance is the #1 characteristic that successful people possess. I think you DO have a shot, to be honest, and even if you don't end up exactly where you want to, you'll be amazed looking back on your years as a gymnast and realizing that the journey, rather than the final destination, was the most important part. I feel like even though I wasn't able to become and elite like I wanted to, I learned so much in gymnastics and it'll always be a part of my life. That's why I coach now, and I hope to own a gym someday. It stays with you forever. :)
Sorry for the long and dramatic pep talk, but I hope you know that even though I don't know you personally, I believe in what you can do! :D
thanks so much!! that really inspires me that i DO have chance! I'm just gunna keep striving for my goal and im never gunna give up no matter how hard it gets!! its what i love to do! i hope ill be an elite but if not ill be a coach! id much rather be an elite! i look up to shawn johnson and rebecca bross!
ReplyDeletenew post pleaseE??(: like kip tips, the hardest skills to get in compulsery and elite? maybe something like that? and advice on how to eat healthy like a gymnast should? lol thanks!!
ReplyDeleteso at practice todaay, we worked on kips ( i did anyway) andd we only worked on them a few times like three, and she said she wasnt really doing anything when she spotted me and i'd have it really soon :)! my standing backhandspring is also getting better, just have to jump higher :P andd i also beatt my coach at front tuck stick contest on the trampoline :) on tuesday i had a really AWFUL practice so its was really encouraging to go out of the gym not feeling frustrated and upset :* but yeahh :c gymnasticsluver do you have msn or aiim? you seem cooll ! :D
ReplyDeletehaha sorry callie!! i dontt!! i only have a yahoo!! sorryy!!! but congrats on everything! i had a bad practice on tues and today thanks to round off bhs and my stupid ankle!!! but you sound good! what level r u?! and what are ur hardest skills on each event?!
ReplyDeletehaha aw! whats youre yahoo? :) aw thats no fun! im level four, going five in dec :) ahaha, not alot of hard skills. my gym doesnt really uptrain harder skills in like level six and seven untill youre like in a level below it.. ): on bars liiikeee, nothing..if you consider the squat on a skill :P roundoffbackhandspringx2 on floorrr, uhhm front handspring vaultt, backwalkover on balance beam :P andd front layoutt and tucks on ttrampoline. compared to you i soundd like a level too! hahaha :P
ReplyDeleteawhh thankss!! that means a lot!! and omg!!! you sound so goodd!!!! imma 4 too! but im competing 4 this year but i might go to 6 next year if i get all my skills!!! i have so much trouble with my ro bhs!!! i think so hard about i LITERALLY roll into a ball after my ro!!! its so scary!!! but i almost have my kippp!!(: but u sound really good(: my hardest skills on floor are: front handspring and then a front tuck/pike beam: cartwheel and a back walkover on floor beam oh! and a front tuck dismount vault: a partial front handspring and bars: baby giant, sole circle then jump to high bar..and i think a tucked fly away (like i know i could do it but my coach wont let me) haha[:
ReplyDeletehiii(: Ok, so my coach had us practicing round off dismounts off of beam the other day. I can do my round off fine on floor, and even when I was waiting to try it I didn't think it would be too bad, but when I was actually going to do it, I got really scared. I don't even know what of, since she was there to spot me, but I end up keeping my legs bent when I kick over, instead of keeping them straight. Are there any things I could practice at home to get over that fear, and straighten my legs?
ReplyDeleteAnd also, she had us working on arabesques on the high beam. Again, if I were to do this on floor its fine. But once I'm up on beam, I start to get nervous and don't do as best as I could. How can I get myself to be not-so afraid of beam?
And one last thing! haha, I need help with my handstand. :/ If I take a step into it, its fine. But shes trying to make us just stand and kick up into it without taking a step. I always end up getting the leg I'm kicking with all the way up, but then my other leg stays bent the whole time. What should I do about this?
Sorry for this really long post!! Its been a long time since I've been on here. :/ haha(: Thank you soooo much!
-gymnastics4ever