I have some good news! And a few questions :) First off I stuck my beam routine without any falls at my meet and earned a 8.6 and 1st place :) I've achieved to keep my long hang pullover and kip pretty consistent :)My question though was although I asked before but do you know how to get rid of mental blocks? I can do my squat on but sometimes I just get scared and its starting to affect my scores :(.
Hey lilprincess, congrats on your stuck beam routine!! And your pullover and kip, too! That's great! As for mental blocks... It's tough to give too much advice for that, but there are a couple of different tips I can give you. One is just to trust yourself and your ability to physically perform the move (or in other words, just remember that the only thing holding you back is the mental part). Keep practicing with a coach standing there, and when the coach moves away just pretend that he/she is still there. Sometimes it helps to count to three and then just go. Also working on visualizing yourself doing the squat on well might help. Give those things a try and see if any of then work for you. Good luck, you can do it!
Thanks :) I've been working at the squat on and its seems if I just do it without thinking I can do it. But the problem is on bars its all about connections and sometimes I can't make that back hip squat on connection in my routine because I freak out on the squat on. Maybe you could do a topic on connections on bars? Connections are probably something you just learn but I'd love to know if you have any tips :)
Ps. I've finally cured my cartwheel phobia on beam! I practiced a ton and got a spot on beam and now I'm able to stick them by myself perfectly!!! :D Thanks so much!
Excellent, way to go on your carthweel! AND your squat on. That's fantastic! You should be proud of yourself! I'll think about it and see if I have any tricks up my sleeve for connections. Mostly, like you said, it's about practice and repetition. I'm thinking you'll get more and more comfortable with the feel of the squat on, and once you're not so afraid of it, the connection will come easily. :)
UGH. my coach said if i didn't get my robhs and standing bhs by the end of june i won't be moving to TEAM level five. ( which is practice with the level fives and up and goes for four hours 3/4x7 and is the " real level fives" im practicing with the level fours right now..and i really want to get these skills. My bhs is really just a mental problem i think some days im comfortable with it other days not so much and i think i just really to work on getting more comfortable with it but my robhs..im not snapping down on the RO and my feet are apart when i land and makes for a bad bhs. I dont really know how to fix this problem. My coach said i did it fine when i did a ro by its self, but when i did a robhs my ro gets "wacky" and i tend to do things i normally wouldn't do. ( not sit back or not snap down and get my feet together. How do i fix this..? its really starting to get on my nerves because i really want this skill so bad..
I am SO confident that you can get your roundoff back handspring by the end of June. Mostly you've just got to work through the mental aspects of it. I obviously can't tell your coaches what types of drills to assign you in the gym, but if I were you I would check out this video from coach Ben (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecX-D9ckBls) where he shows a lot of RO BHS drills. These are all very, very simple and deal mostly with muscle memory. Some of this stuff, like the lay back from a sit, you can try at home if you have mats or big pillow cushions or an extra mattress lying around. I think this might help you get more comfortable with the backwards motion. Obviously don't try the stuff they were doing on the tumbletrak at home since I don't want you to get hurt, but you can give the simple stuff a try if you're interested. You never know, it might really help. :) Keep working at it!
hi how to do i stop shaking on beam? im a level five. i had a meet the other day and on beam i shaked SO BAD that it caused me to wobble on a few skills that i've done a million times in practice without wobbles. My coach ( a former judge) said if i didn't wobble i could of gotten up to a 9.7 but got .3 taken off due to the fact i wobbled so much throughout my routine. i was literally SHAKING and it messed up my snap turn, half turn and my other turn and im pretty sure i did it a few more times on other things. it wasn't just a little un-noticable wobble, either! im not really nervous.. actually, im super confident when it comes to beam. i dont understand why i get so shakey!
@anonymous - Your coaches should have access to all the deductions for each routine, but in the meantime, you can check out my two posts on Level 5 bars and floor requirements. It has some notes on what judges are looking for and a few areas where deductions will be taken. Once you're on the main blog page, scroll down to categories (right-hand side) and click on requirements. :) Hope that helps!
@jennax - Dang, you sound like you're excellent on beam! Shaking is pretty normal at meets. Even if you don't feel too nervous, adrenaline still kicks in during meets, and when you add that to trying to balance on 4 inches, most gymnasts tend to get a little wobbly. There are a couple of tricks you can try...
The trick I used was really just focusing on one move at a time. For some reason that seemed to help. Your "inner voice," as I'll call it, can be really helpful. When you're doing your beam routine, do you find yourself thinking about your dismount in the middle of the routine? Or do you not think about much of anything at all? If that's the case, try to think about what you need to do for the particular skill you're doing at that moment.
Another thing to think about is keeping your core muscles really tight. That will help control the shaking a little bit if you focus on it hardcore.
One last thing is visualizing your routine right before you go up there and taking a few deep breaths before you start.
Do you think it would be okay to get private lessons from the HC ( not my coach, the optionals and +5 compulsory levels. i will be her group this summer if i get my robhs.) to work on my robhs? my robhs use to be okay..now its REALLY bad. like i dont even know what happened to it..its just, not good.. :/ i really need it.
Hey Callie. I'd ask your parents what they think and then maybe have your parents talk to both of the coaches (your current coach and the head coach) about it too, just so everybody knows what's going on. Are you sure that the head coach offers private lessons? It never hurts to ask, but that's something to think about. I'm definitely a fan of private lessons to a certain extent. Maybe just one or two would be a good idea. That one-on-one time really helps, especially coming from a coach who will have a fresh perspective.
Yes i think she does. It was my older sisters idea who use to pay for my gymnastics, she talked about it with my mom and thought i should try it with her because she doesn't think my regular coach pushes me enough? haha, i dont know! Im a little worried what my regular coach would react..But whatever! I did my standing BHS by myself today like six times! ( on the edge of the tumble trak onto a hard mat. but it still a start:) I dont know if it will stick but i guess i will know Saturday! :3 i Also did a long hang kip on bars. It wasnt very good, but.. I've been working on these for like two months, its good to know i can do it i just need to work on it like i had to with my glide kip to get it consistent, right? Now i just need my robhs and ill be set! I hope i can get it before June 21st :/ I really want to start working on flyaways and back tucks this summer! I want to compete level six with the this year level fives, so hopefully i can get my routines better have a beetter " woww" factor and make them standout and score out and compete level six by january. x: This time i really want to go into a new level feeling prepared and being prepared. In level four and five i really haven't been 'prepared' IE lacking skills and confidence on your skills. How do you exactly make your routines stand out? Sorry to post so long hehe!
Wooo Callie, you're making tons of progress! Good for you! :) Practice practice practice to get those skills consistent. I know you can do it!
To make your routines stand out, the most important thing is just paying attention to detail. It's one thing to do your handstand on beam, it's another to do it with a completely tight body, pointed toes, and held for two seconds. Even on the little things like pivot turns, there are always details you can pay attention to in order to make the skills look sharper. When you go on toe, go on HIGH toe - that kind of thing. It'll instantly set you apart from gymnasts with sloppier form and will definitely impress the judges. Another thing to remember, at least on floor, is so smile at the judges and give some attitude :) Put personality into your routines while still paying attention to technique. Sometimes it helps just to practice your beam and floor arm movements in the mirror at home and make them cute :)
hi there! okay so i really want to switch gyms. I've been looking at my gym's scores at usag meets on mymeetscores and well..they arent really all that great. scoring from 29-35 ( very rate 35s!! ) AAs and don't seem to have very great form. I mean, i see girls on beam and they bhs needs some serious fixin. they have bent legs on them! shouldn't they fix that? it seriously annoys the crap out of me. A girl who left the gym last year was in level four, and scoring the same 33s and 35s ( low 35s.) and usual placed low at sanctioned meets and took second at states this year once she moved! i was like wow! im seriously suprised how much she improved! i like dont know.. they have one girl who went on to college gymnastics at a D1 school. but shes also very smart, and it wasn't a really highly competitve gymnastics team to start with compared to yale and stanford. but anyway, i really want to switch gyms. Despite the fact that scores shouldn't mean everything to me..they do. and i want to be the best i can be, but if i don't have exactly the best coaching around i can't do that. I really like the competitive atmosphere of top gyms, and this one..well. i don't really love the laid-back feeling of it all. I think i would do better at a competitive gym also. Im fourteen and im in level five, ive been in gymnastics for a year. I really want to presume to top level gymnastics with top gymnastics. not sloppy, formless, low scoring gymnastics! :/ i really like the coaches, and i would really hate to dissappoint them by leaving but..i dont know. I would have a really hard time with not getting high scores. and yes, i know. scores aren't everything.. but if youre getting 37s AA that gym must be doing something right! so yeah..kind of just a rant? but :/ yeah... i dont know what to do. Maybe i could give it till ..next season is over? or something.. if i dont get my 37s lol. ;x or idk.. maybe
Scores aren't everything, but I love that you're conscious of your form and want to be the best gymnast you can be. There's no harm in looking into other gyms. You've gotta do what's best for you. Have you brought this up with your parents yet? If not, let them know what you just told me and maybe they can look into getting you in for a trial practice. If you're willing to go through the extra hours and intensity, then I think you should do that!! Obviously distance and cost per month makes a difference, so those are things you'd wanna discuss with your parents. But if you go in for a trial and you really feel like this other gym is where you belong, then your current coaches will understand. They want the best for you, too!
How do i not get upset when i get corrections or when the coach gets mad at me? how do i just suck it up, nod and be chill? i always get really upset sometimes...
Hey Chanelle. I don't think I've seen you here before, so if you're new to the site, welcome to GU :)
I used to have the same problem you do with getting frustrated and upset at the coach's corrections. That's tough, especially when you really want to know you're doing well. There's not really an easy fix. The best advice I can give you is this: when you feel like you're getting really upset, ask to go get a drink of water and just take a few seconds to breathe and remind yourself it's not a personal attack on you or your work ethic, it's just a correction on your gymnastics. Sometimes we just have to take a few seconds to compose ourselves and then go back to work with a positive mindset.
When your coach gets frustrated, let him/her know that you're really trying and you are listening to the corrections, you're just having trouble figuring it out. Sometimes coaches need to remember to cool it on the criticism, too. Positive reinforcement from the coaches is just as important as constructive criticism. Keep in mind that the coaches are just REALLY into the sport and they want to see you succeed, so sometimes they go a little over the top with the yelling. Don't take it personally and just remember to breathe. :)
I hope that helps you out a little bit. Let me know how things go after your next practice!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI have some good news! And a few questions :) First off I stuck my beam routine without any falls at my meet and earned a 8.6 and 1st place :) I've achieved to keep my long hang pullover and kip pretty consistent :)My question though was although I asked before but do you know how to get rid of mental blocks? I can do my squat on but sometimes I just get scared and its starting to affect my scores :(.
Hey lilprincess, congrats on your stuck beam routine!! And your pullover and kip, too! That's great! As for mental blocks... It's tough to give too much advice for that, but there are a couple of different tips I can give you. One is just to trust yourself and your ability to physically perform the move (or in other words, just remember that the only thing holding you back is the mental part). Keep practicing with a coach standing there, and when the coach moves away just pretend that he/she is still there. Sometimes it helps to count to three and then just go. Also working on visualizing yourself doing the squat on well might help. Give those things a try and see if any of then work for you. Good luck, you can do it!
ReplyDeleteThanks :) I've been working at the squat on and its seems if I just do it without thinking I can do it. But the problem is on bars its all about connections and sometimes I can't make that back hip squat on connection in my routine because I freak out on the squat on. Maybe you could do a topic on connections on bars? Connections are probably something you just learn but I'd love to know if you have any tips :)
ReplyDeletePs. I've finally cured my cartwheel phobia on beam! I practiced a ton and got a spot on beam and now I'm able to stick them by myself perfectly!!! :D Thanks so much!
Excellent, way to go on your carthweel! AND your squat on. That's fantastic! You should be proud of yourself! I'll think about it and see if I have any tricks up my sleeve for connections. Mostly, like you said, it's about practice and repetition. I'm thinking you'll get more and more comfortable with the feel of the squat on, and once you're not so afraid of it, the connection will come easily. :)
ReplyDeleteUGH. my coach said if i didn't get my robhs and standing bhs by the end of june i won't be moving to TEAM level five. ( which is practice with the level fives and up and goes for four hours 3/4x7 and is the " real level fives" im practicing with the level fours right now..and i really want to get these skills. My bhs is really just a mental problem i think some days im comfortable with it other days not so much and i think i just really to work on getting more comfortable with it but my robhs..im not snapping down on the RO and my feet are apart when i land and makes for a bad bhs. I dont really know how to fix this problem. My coach said i did it fine when i did a ro by its self, but when i did a robhs my ro gets "wacky" and i tend to do things i normally wouldn't do. ( not sit back or not snap down and get my feet together. How do i fix this..? its really starting to get on my nerves because i really want this skill so bad..
ReplyDeleteHey Callie,
ReplyDeleteI am SO confident that you can get your roundoff back handspring by the end of June. Mostly you've just got to work through the mental aspects of it. I obviously can't tell your coaches what types of drills to assign you in the gym, but if I were you I would check out this video from coach Ben (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecX-D9ckBls) where he shows a lot of RO BHS drills. These are all very, very simple and deal mostly with muscle memory. Some of this stuff, like the lay back from a sit, you can try at home if you have mats or big pillow cushions or an extra mattress lying around. I think this might help you get more comfortable with the backwards motion. Obviously don't try the stuff they were doing on the tumbletrak at home since I don't want you to get hurt, but you can give the simple stuff a try if you're interested. You never know, it might really help. :) Keep working at it!
what are all the deductions you can get on the level five routine?
ReplyDeleteWooo there are tons of them. Which event?
ReplyDeletefloor and bars
ReplyDeletehi how to do i stop shaking on beam? im a level five. i had a meet the other day and on beam i shaked SO BAD that it caused me to wobble on a few skills that i've done a million times in practice without wobbles. My coach ( a former judge) said if i didn't wobble i could of gotten up to a 9.7 but got .3 taken off due to the fact i wobbled so much throughout my routine. i was literally SHAKING and it messed up my snap turn, half turn and my other turn and im pretty sure i did it a few more times on other things. it wasn't just a little un-noticable wobble, either! im not really nervous.. actually, im super confident when it comes to beam. i dont understand why i get so shakey!
ReplyDelete@anonymous - Your coaches should have access to all the deductions for each routine, but in the meantime, you can check out my two posts on Level 5 bars and floor requirements. It has some notes on what judges are looking for and a few areas where deductions will be taken. Once you're on the main blog page, scroll down to categories (right-hand side) and click on requirements. :) Hope that helps!
ReplyDelete@jennax - Dang, you sound like you're excellent on beam! Shaking is pretty normal at meets. Even if you don't feel too nervous, adrenaline still kicks in during meets, and when you add that to trying to balance on 4 inches, most gymnasts tend to get a little wobbly. There are a couple of tricks you can try...
The trick I used was really just focusing on one move at a time. For some reason that seemed to help. Your "inner voice," as I'll call it, can be really helpful. When you're doing your beam routine, do you find yourself thinking about your dismount in the middle of the routine? Or do you not think about much of anything at all? If that's the case, try to think about what you need to do for the particular skill you're doing at that moment.
Another thing to think about is keeping your core muscles really tight. That will help control the shaking a little bit if you focus on it hardcore.
One last thing is visualizing your routine right before you go up there and taking a few deep breaths before you start.
Good luck!
Do you think it would be okay to get private lessons from the HC ( not my coach, the optionals and +5 compulsory levels. i will be her group this summer if i get my robhs.) to work on my robhs? my robhs use to be okay..now its REALLY bad. like i dont even know what happened to it..its just, not good.. :/ i really need it.
ReplyDeleteHey Callie. I'd ask your parents what they think and then maybe have your parents talk to both of the coaches (your current coach and the head coach) about it too, just so everybody knows what's going on. Are you sure that the head coach offers private lessons? It never hurts to ask, but that's something to think about. I'm definitely a fan of private lessons to a certain extent. Maybe just one or two would be a good idea. That one-on-one time really helps, especially coming from a coach who will have a fresh perspective.
ReplyDeleteYes i think she does. It was my older sisters idea who use to pay for my gymnastics, she talked about it with my mom and thought i should try it with her because she doesn't think my regular coach pushes me enough? haha, i dont know! Im a little worried what my regular coach would react..But whatever! I did my standing BHS by myself today like six times! ( on the edge of the tumble trak onto a hard mat. but it still a start:) I dont know if it will stick but i guess i will know Saturday! :3 i Also did a long hang kip on bars. It wasnt very good, but.. I've been working on these for like two months, its good to know i can do it i just need to work on it like i had to with my glide kip to get it consistent, right? Now i just need my robhs and ill be set! I hope i can get it before June 21st :/ I really want to start working on flyaways and back tucks this summer! I want to compete level six with the this year level fives, so hopefully i can get my routines better
ReplyDeletehave a beetter " woww" factor and make them standout and score out and compete level six by january. x: This time i really want to go into a new level
feeling prepared and being prepared. In level four and five i really haven't been 'prepared' IE lacking skills and confidence on your skills. How do you exactly make your routines stand out? Sorry to post so long hehe!
Wooo Callie, you're making tons of progress! Good for you! :) Practice practice practice to get those skills consistent. I know you can do it!
ReplyDeleteTo make your routines stand out, the most important thing is just paying attention to detail. It's one thing to do your handstand on beam, it's another to do it with a completely tight body, pointed toes, and held for two seconds. Even on the little things like pivot turns, there are always details you can pay attention to in order to make the skills look sharper. When you go on toe, go on HIGH toe - that kind of thing. It'll instantly set you apart from gymnasts with sloppier form and will definitely impress the judges. Another thing to remember, at least on floor, is so smile at the judges and give some attitude :) Put personality into your routines while still paying attention to technique. Sometimes it helps just to practice your beam and floor arm movements in the mirror at home and make them cute :)
hi there! okay so i really want to switch gyms. I've been looking at my gym's scores at usag meets on mymeetscores and well..they arent really all that great. scoring from 29-35 ( very rate 35s!! ) AAs and don't seem to have very great form. I mean, i see girls on beam and they bhs needs some serious fixin. they have bent legs on them! shouldn't they fix that? it seriously annoys the crap out of me. A girl who left the gym last year was in level four, and scoring the same 33s and 35s ( low 35s.) and usual placed low at sanctioned meets and took second at states this year once she moved! i was like wow! im seriously suprised how much she improved! i like dont know.. they have one girl who went on to college gymnastics at a D1 school. but shes also very smart, and it wasn't a really highly competitve gymnastics team to start with compared to yale and stanford. but anyway, i really want to switch gyms. Despite the fact that scores shouldn't mean everything to me..they do. and i want to be the best i can be, but if i don't have exactly the best coaching around i can't do that. I really like the competitive atmosphere of top gyms, and this one..well. i don't really love the laid-back feeling of it all. I think i would do better at a competitive gym also. Im fourteen and im in level five, ive been in gymnastics for a year. I really want to presume to top level gymnastics with top gymnastics. not sloppy, formless, low scoring gymnastics! :/ i really like the coaches, and i would really hate to dissappoint them by leaving but..i dont know. I would have a really hard time with not getting high scores. and yes, i know. scores aren't everything.. but if youre getting 37s AA that gym must be doing something right! so yeah..kind of just a rant? but :/ yeah... i dont know what to do. Maybe i could give it till ..next season is over? or something.. if i dont get my 37s lol. ;x or idk.. maybe
ReplyDeleteScores aren't everything, but I love that you're conscious of your form and want to be the best gymnast you can be. There's no harm in looking into other gyms. You've gotta do what's best for you. Have you brought this up with your parents yet? If not, let them know what you just told me and maybe they can look into getting you in for a trial practice. If you're willing to go through the extra hours and intensity, then I think you should do that!! Obviously distance and cost per month makes a difference, so those are things you'd wanna discuss with your parents. But if you go in for a trial and you really feel like this other gym is where you belong, then your current coaches will understand. They want the best for you, too!
ReplyDeleteHow do i not get upset when i get corrections or when the coach gets mad at me? how do i just suck it up, nod and be chill? i always get really upset sometimes...
ReplyDeleteHey Chanelle. I don't think I've seen you here before, so if you're new to the site, welcome to GU :)
ReplyDeleteI used to have the same problem you do with getting frustrated and upset at the coach's corrections. That's tough, especially when you really want to know you're doing well. There's not really an easy fix. The best advice I can give you is this: when you feel like you're getting really upset, ask to go get a drink of water and just take a few seconds to breathe and remind yourself it's not a personal attack on you or your work ethic, it's just a correction on your gymnastics. Sometimes we just have to take a few seconds to compose ourselves and then go back to work with a positive mindset.
When your coach gets frustrated, let him/her know that you're really trying and you are listening to the corrections, you're just having trouble figuring it out. Sometimes coaches need to remember to cool it on the criticism, too. Positive reinforcement from the coaches is just as important as constructive criticism. Keep in mind that the coaches are just REALLY into the sport and they want to see you succeed, so sometimes they go a little over the top with the yelling. Don't take it personally and just remember to breathe. :)
I hope that helps you out a little bit. Let me know how things go after your next practice!