Well, First Take a Look at this Nine-Year-Old’s Dance Routine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwFjFFkWOz8

9-year-old dancer Sophia Lucia at the San Diego Dance Centre performing Requiem – Open Solo 2012 shows a level of artistry that gymnasts and gym owners should see before they decide if their routines have sufficient artistry. Choreography by Kristen Hibbs.

More Deductions for Lack of Artistry in Gymnastics

There has been much said about the lack of artistry in women’s floor exercise and how there should be more rewards for artistry or more deductions for lack of it. But don’t even talk to me about more deductions for artistry in gymnastics until gymnastics gyms are providing this level of artistry and dance demonstrated by a young 9-year-old dancer.

Time to Raise the Level of Competency of Your Gymnastics Dance and Dance Program

If your floor routine or your gym’s gymnastics dance program is not aiming for this level of competency (or you don’t even have a gymnastics dance program), then you need to up your game, widen your vision and look outside the box of your own program and sport and see what is being done. And don’t forget that a high degree of flexibility is required to have any chance at all to do some of the moves Sophia is doing.

No One in Other Sports or Youth Genres is Sitting Around Waiting for Gymnastics to Keep Up

Don’t think for even one moment that there are not other young athletes paying their dues and raising the level of their game. The above video is just one random dance video of one 9-year-old dancer showing off her level of talent and expertise and doing it with artistry, style and attitude. Gymnastics needs to stay competitive with other sports and activities.

Just In Case you Want to see More of Sophia and How She Got to Where She Is Now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laJkWsI9wk8

Kohei Uchimura Triple Twisting Double Layout High Bar Dismount

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vftx-ikXeF0

Kohei Uchimura Triple Twisting Double Back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cTTdJxsgAI

Triple Twisting Double Open off Tumble Trac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV7R8EMG5Jw

Ask The Coach
Subject: 8 Year Old Bored Gymnast

After this young gymnast watched video of Jordyn Wieber in training and heard one of the Twistars coaches say they make their girls do 10 routines and do about 10-15 of their problem work after that. She heard the Twistars girls said it really helps them and she was impressed that Twistars has 40 gymnasts that are between level nine through Elite gymnasts.

The coach emailed me and asked:
A 8 year old Level 5 bored gymnast
Thoughts?

Boredom is Not Her Problem, But Boredom is a Huge Problem in Most Gymnastics Gyms

Not sure where boredom comes into this situation, but it does happen frequently in gyms everywhere. Everyone should be impressed that this young gymnast is watching gymnastics videos. Many young gymnasts this age just train, but do not, or rarely, study the sport at all outside the gym. We have a winner here!

Eliminate Boredom From Gymnastics Practices

#1 – Look in the mirror. If what you see in the mirror is a coach with no sleep, burned out from doing two full-time jobs plus managing a gym and trying to handle the stress from dealing with coaches, parents and gymnasts, then that is what the gymnast is seeing as well. If you are excited and enthusiastic, then she will feed off that.

#2 – Each skill and every routine repetition should be done with a different emphasis, like focus on handstands in the bar routine, work on increasing lift and height in tumbling, focus on sticking landings, go all out and put on a theatrical performance, concentrate on hand positions on skills in beam and floor routines or emphasize grace and elegance in the dance sections of a floor routine. There are so many elements to choose from and a variety of ways to make every routine interesting, while simultaneously improving the routine.

#3 – She needs to know there is a difference between her and those Level 9 – Elite gymnasts. They are already high level optionals and are primarily focusing on training routines to compete this year. She is primarily training to learn new skills, catch up to them and pass them and just training Level 5 routines for this compulsory year is not as important as that.

#4 – Build a more clearer intense FutureVision of her gymnastics and get her gymnastics goals back in the front of her mind. What is she doing all this for?

#5 – Reevaluate your practices for too much similarity and not enough surprise, variety and excitement. You are likely coaching too mechanistically and with too much emphasis on repetition and drills. Concentrate on progress and keeping movement in the right general direction.

#6 – Compete every day, all day. Competition breeds excitement and enthusiasm. It gets gymnasts to give 110%.

#7 – Challenge her. Give her daily challenges, maybe with a little motivation kicker – “If you hit a cast handstand this turn, I have to do one, too.”

#8 – Coach with more emotional intensity and make her train with more physical intensity.

#9 – Don’t believe that motivation, drive and determination cannot be implanted in gymnasts. It is your job to coach and motivate, not just accept how an 8 year old is currently.

#10 – Make sure she makes progress every day and preferably learns a new skill every day on some event. Learning new skills is what makes gymnasts happiest and at her age, there is so much you can teach her and she can learn.

Captions:
“Confidence Cat”
“Confidence Kitty”

Tumble Cat

Captions:
“Nice Paw Point”
“Feline Full”
“Tiger Cat Tumbling”
“Tumbling Kitty”

Back Stalder Cat

Captions:
“Better known as holding on for dear life”
“I hate conditioning”
“Claws make the best grips”

Cat Headstand

Captions:
“This is messing up my fur”
“Coach Cat told me I shouldn’t try a triple back”
“Where am I?”

Pommel Cat

Captions:
“Feline Flairs”
“Let’s see human gymnasts do multiple level pommel horse”

This photo found on http://gymnasticscoaching.com was originally shared by FIG on Facebook.
Captions:
“Kohei can learn a thing or two from me”

Cat Spring

Captions:
“Catspring step-out”
“She’s like a cat on beam”

Cat Stand

Captions:
“Paw Press handstand”
“I’m just a kitten. Am I suppose to be walking like this?”

Cat Leap

Captions:
“No, really. I’m a cat, so this is definitely how you do a cat leap”
“You can’t deduct a cat on a cat leap”

Clear Straddle Kitty

Captions:
“Sure I can press to a handstand”

Cat Stretch Fever

Captions:
“This is how a pro does it”

Bar Cat

Captions:
“I should have used straps”

Stick Your Final Landing

Captions:
“What do you mean I didn’t stick?”

McKayla is Not Impressed with Catty Gymnasts

Comment to add your own Catnastics captions

Zero Injury Program

Here are some of the training policies and procedures for building a zero injury program:

1. Weight Training – Weight training strengthens ligaments and tendons. Regardless of any coach’s beliefs about the use of weight training for gymnastics strength, weight training should be used to strengthen ligaments and tendons and potentially prevent gymnastics injuries.
2. Careful Following of Proper Skill Progression – Even with the safety margin of error of the pit, coaches should carefully follow proper skill progression and have gymnasts master each step of progression for safe progress.
3. Use of Proper Equipment Progression – The use of proper equipment progression on every event, like the beam equipment progression from foam floor beams to high beams.
4. Pits – Every possible skill should be first learned and completely mastered technically and for consistency in a pit before being taken to harder surfaces. This gives the highest possible margin of error for avoiding injury.
5. Daily Use of Trampoline – The daily use of trampoline is not only the most efficient method of performing skill repetitions and gaining air awareness, but also allows the training of high numbers of repetitions of high difficulty tumbling skills without significant pounding and repetitive stress on the body.
6. Tumble Trac and Rod Floor – For tumbling training, the use of a Tumble Trac and rod floor protects gymnasts from too much pounding on their bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons.
7. Mats. Mats. Mats. – There can never be too many mats. The rule for mats should always be – wherever a gymnast might possibly fly or fall, there should be a safe, soft mat there.
8. Pad Vault Runway – For training purposes, there should be extra thick padding on the vault runway to save gymnast’s legs from the repetitive stress of vault training.
9. No Unnecessary Drills That Pound Gymnasts’ Bodies – Many gyms perform huge numbers of repetitions of unnecessary drills that do not teach new skills or create significant progress, but put significant stress on gymnasts’ bodies. Only steps of progression that actually make progress are worth putting stress on gymnasts’ bodies.
10. Constant Safety Evaluation and Reevaluation – We made a policy and habit of regularly evaluating the gym for safety and safety practices. And whenever we would see any potentially unsafe situation or near accident, we would immediately reevaluate and retrain all staff to avoid any possibility of that same situation ever causing an accident or injury in the future.

Implement a Zero Gymnastics Injuries Program Now

Most gymnastics coaches do not implement such comprehensive and stringent zero injury safety strategies. Not only that, but many gymnastics coaches do not even believe a zero injury program is even possible, so they do not even attempt to implement a program that could lead to zero injuries. We owe it to every gymnast to offer them the safest gymnastics program possible.

Gymnastics Coaches’ Training/Consulting

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To: Ask the Coach
Subject: HOPES

Sex: female
Age: 12
Gymnastics Level: 9

My daughter is going into her level nine season, and her coach has started training her for HOPES, but has yet to explain to me what that is, what is expected of her, or what this will lead to. I have been trying to find an overview of the program, and how it will benefit my daughter in her dream to become Elite. I need to know what this program is all about as I would like to encourage my daughter in the right ways. I am also wondering the ages of HOPES as my daughter is 12 and will be 13 in April of 2013. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

What the HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite Programs Are

The USA Gymnastics HOPES Program is one of two pre-Elite competition programs – HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite programs. The TOPs program is a testing program, that is managed under the same committee control as the HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite programs. None of these programs are classified as “being Elite.”

Age Problem

And you are right to be questioning and wondering about her age and the HOPES program. While there may be HOPES qualifiers while your daughter is still 12, she will be 13 next summer and too old for the HOPES Challenge and Classic competitions. She actually should be looking at the Junior Pre-Elite level, information and qualifying scores. While both programs have the same compulsory testing elements and test at the same qualifiers, there are differences between the two program’s qualifying scores, with the Junior Pre-Elite program requiring higher qualifying scores in both compulsories and optionals. The competitions, she is age eligible for this summer, would be the Junior Pre-Elite meets.

Elites, HOPES and Junior Pre-Elites Use International Scoring at Meets

The optional gymnastics meet scoring system used by Elites, HOPES and Junior Pre-Elites is different than the USAG Level 9 and Level 10 JO 10.0 scoring system. Elites, HOPES and Junior Pre-Elites use international scoring, which has two scores added together – an Execution score up to 10.0 and a Difficulty score (the highest has been about 7.2 – 7.4). So an international score will be above a 10.0 (hopefully anyway) and could currently be up to 17.4 on some events. A big difference between USAG and International scoring is that the deductions are higher in International rules, for example a fall is a .5 deduction in USAG and 1.0 in International competition.

Differences Between HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite

The primary differences between HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite are age differences, qualifying scores and modified competition rules. HOPES is for gymnasts ages 10 – 12. Junior Pre-Elite is for gymnasts ages 11 – 14. Gymnasts can qualify and become HOPES or Junior Pre-Elite by hitting the qualifying score(s) in Compulsories and/or Optionals.

HOPES Qualifying Scores

The HOPES compulsory qualifying score is 32.00 which must be scored at a Qualifier. HOPES optional qualifying scores for 12 year olds are 48.00. For ages 10 – 11, the HOPES optional qualifying score is 47.00

Junior Pre-Elite Qualifying Scores

The Junior Pre-Elite compulsory qualifying score is 33.5. The Junior Pre-Elite optional qualifying score for ages 11 – 12 is 48.00. The Junior Pre-Elite qualifying score for ages 13 – 14 is 49.00. Optional competition must be full routines on competition surfaces and all qualifying is done at National Qualifiers or a Team Training Camps. A summary of the qualifying information for HOPES, Junior Pre-Elite and Elite is listed here.

What The HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite Lead To

Of course, the TOPs, HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite programs are designed to help transition gymnasts into the Jr. and Sr. Elite program levels and get high level optional competition experience, judging and training camp opportunities.

The HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite Challenge and Classic Meets

After qualifying to become a HOPES or Junior Pre-Elite gymnast, they are eligible to compete in the HOPES or Junior Pre-Elite Challenge and Classic Competitions, which are held at the same venue and same weeks as the Elite U.S. Challenge and U.S. Classic competitions.

The Grand Prize for HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite Gymnasts

From the HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite US Challenge competition, gymnasts are selected to attend a Developmental Training Camp at Karolyi’s National Training Center. They get to work with (and become known to) the Elite National coaches, judges and USA Gymnastics staff. This is certainly a “political” advantage in a future Elite gymnast’s career.

NOTE:

We are currently in the period right after the Olympics and after the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) have just come out with the new rules for the next quadrennium (in this case 2013 – 2016). This is a time that Elite, testing and pre-Elite rules are often changed. Also note that information is not always posted to the USA Gymnastics website in a timely manner regarding HOPES and Pre-Elite. There is outdated information on their website right now in these areas and most of the 2013 information and schedule is not yet available or posted.

Keeping Up With HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite

The following links should help in keeping up with any changes to the HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite programs (bearing in mind the above warning):

New information for HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite is available here first.

You can find your State TOPs manager here, which may currently be the best local source of TOPs, HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite information.

The Current HOPES and Junior Pre-Elite Compulsory Routines are listed here.

The latest (but old) HOPES optional competition rules modification information is listed here.

Hope that helps! Good luck to your daughter and I hope to see her at the upcoming Pre-Elite and Elite competitions. If you have any more questions or we can help in any way, please let me know.

Women’s vaulting so far has mostly peaked with Amanar vaults (2 & 1/2 Twisting Yurchenkos). But Elena Produnova stands at the top of the list of all-time best female vaulters, doing the most difficult women’s vault ever, which is named after her – a handspring double tuck front. This video shows ten of the best female vaulters ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J2zWYjAgUo

State of the Art Men’s Vaulting

This is a video of some of the most difficult vaults ever done. As of the 2012 Olympics, no woman has ever done any of these vaults. The start values for these vaults for men comes from the 2009 – 2012 quadrennium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kdj2yJ9ktA

The State of Women’s Vaulting up to 2012

This video shows ten of the best women’s vaults and female vaulters ever, including McKayla Maroney and Elena Produnova. Oksana Chusovitina not being in the video seems to ba a major oversight, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J2zWYjAgUo

McKayla Maroney

But the vaulting of McKayla Maroney, who is capable of doing at least two vaults never done before by a woman, and other women with the power and air time, are most certainly going to do at least some of the vaults, done previously only by men, in the 2013 – 2016 quadrennium. McKayla Maroney has reportedly already worked double tuck Yurchenkos and many believe she is capable of of a triple twisting Yurchenko as this compiled vault video clearly demonstrates.

 

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Double Backs Timers on Trampoline

This double back timer does show both the back Tuck (very open tuck in this case) to a back drop and continues doing the back pullover out. Gymnasts first learn doing the double back timers without the back pullover out and then add it in. while this is certainly a demonstration of what a double back timer consists of, there are numerous technical improvements that need to be made to this one, including set, speed of rotation and body position.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQum3dz3HvU

Double Backs Timer Tumbling Uphill

This video demonstrates another type of time for double backs, tumbling uphill onto mats on floor exercise. Again, while this demonstrates the general method for doing uphill tumbling double back timers on floor, the technique could use improvement for the power, set, rotation, tuck and even the height of the mat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHPRkDefEQo

Timers for Double Backs

Like many of the higher level optional skills, double backs require significant time and work to master. Trying to learn double backs in one summer or even one year is often not enough and gymnasts and coaches should plan ahead and work work to master double timers, at least a year before they expect to learn double backs.

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7 Year Old Doing Double Backs into the Pit and Fulls on Tumble Trac

In this video, you see a 7 year old who has obviously been seriously working optional skills and progressions. This base of optional skills will serve as a boost to her entire gymnastics career. And this is the type of training that all young gymnasts should be exposed to. It will be of infinitely greater value to a gymnast’s career than doing nothing but compulsory training ever could. You also see her working TOPs routines, and she obviously been training for TOPs strength and flexibility testing. This is not something just for certain gymnasts, but is the way all gymnasts should be trained because it is the most successful training system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LP6EsrhWEo

7 Year Old Learning Double Fronts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PJoMaOCi28

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: Make sure any gymnasts first working double fronts, in or out of the pit, always do the skill in an open knee tuck position, so there is no possibility of the gymnast hitting their face/nose on their knees and injuring themselves. Htting your knees on your face and nose cannot only cause sever injuries, but can cause gymnasts to be hesitant in the future in doing those skills.can not only

Level 6′s Working Level 8 Tumbling

These Level 6 gymnasts are successfully working on optional tumbling skills and passes that are what Level 8 gymnasts might be competing. Gymnasts who work two levels above the level they are competing, on average, probably have about a two year head start over gymnasts who work only on their current competition level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtEtabvCwB0

One of the things many coaches and parents of gymnasts do not understand is that gymnasts who train like this will also likely compete much better in Compulsory meets, in spite of practicing Compulsory skills less. When you are training two levels higher, Compulsory competition seems easy and gymnasts are more confident in competitions.

Subject: Elite Testing

Sex: female
Age: 10
Gymnastics Level: 8

Hi. I am a 10 year old level 8 gymnast and would like to know when and where I could test for Elite. I live in Ohio. I have all three oversplits down, can do straddle press handstands, cast kip handstands. I have a 14″ vertical jump. I can only hold a handstand (without walking) for 30 seconds and really struggle with the pike rope climb. Can you offer any advice to help with upper body strengthening and when should I start thinking about testing for Elite?

PLEASE NOTE: Traditionally, the Elite program goes through significant changes right after the Olympics as priorities and strategies are revised for the next four-year Olympic preparation. This article is being written right after the 2012 London Olympics so be aware that lots of new changes may be coming and that state and Regional representatives may change.

You have shown that you are training some of the skills for TOPs and Elite testing. The first step for both is passing the strength and flexibility testing. When you pass those, then you test for the skills. In the Elite program, you must pass off on the Compulsory skill testing before competing/testing Elite level optional routines. So before you test for Elite, you should be training both the Elite Compulsories and optional routines. Click here for the list of those skills. even better, here are videos of the Elite Compulsories.

Elite Qualification

At 10, you are old enough right now to test and qualify for HOPES, a pre-Elite program. The question is whether you have trained the Elite Compulsory skills and are ready to compete International FIG rules event routines. The FIG rules, scoring and even the bar settings are not the same as USA Gymnastics. Here is the summary for HOPES, Pre-Elite and Elite qualification.

Elite Testing Information

Since there are so few gyms producing Elite gymnasts, Elite information is not widely published. In general, coaches have to make a few phone calls to get Regional Elite testing information. For a variety of reasons, Elite information is just not as easily available as it should be. It is supposed to be online or emailed, but the email list is often just the coaches and gyms who are already producing Elite gymnasts, not every gym in the Region. Traditionally, if you are interested in Elite information, you must track it down at the source and continue to pay attention, because the information can changes frequently without you being notified.

Elite Testing and Other Information Online?

As far as I know, right now, there is no information posted online about Elite testing in your region. So you will need to contact one or more of your state and regional directors to get on the list or find out when and where they are going to post the information or have the information emailed to you or your coach. One of the best places to start to get the information that you need is with the new State TOPs program managers:

and/or

Contact your Ohio State Chairman:
Nina Dent
10808 Watkins Road
Pataskala, OH 43062
(home) 740-927-8465
(cell) 614-316-6391
ninadentoh@gmail.com

and/or

Contact the Region 5 Chairman
Bobbi Montanari, RACC
Universal Gymnasts, Inc.
2881 Scioto-Darby Exec. Ct.
Hilliard, Ohio 43026
(gym)(614) 777-9430
(home)(614) 876-2930
(cell)(614) 507-0524
r5bobbi@aol.com

and/or

Contact the RJCOCC
John Geddert
Twistars USA Gymnastics
9410 Davis Hwy.
Dimondale, Michigan 48821
(517) 322-0360 gym
(517) 622-3699 home
USATwistar@aol.com

Are You Ready to Test?

So after you have looked at all of the above material, you will have to decide whether you are ready to test yet or not. Even if you are not completely ready, some girls like to test so they can see what the process and the competition is like. But at least you should have a better idea of what you need to do.

Upper Body Strength Advice

The first thing about strength training is to make sure you don’t assume that the TOPs/Elite strength testing is all of the strength work you should do. Those are testing programs, not strength training programs. you need to do many more types of strength exercises than just those.

Strength Training Intensity

To get really strong, you have to work really hard. When you are doing strength exercises you should do as many repetitions as you can in a row without stopping, right to the point where you just cannot do even one more. If you do less than that, you will not get as strong.

Ideas for Strength Training

1-Arm Handstands – In addition to training to hold handstands for 30 seconds to a minute without moving, you might want want to do some 1-arm handstands against the wall for time. Do both hands and then doing two arm handstands will seem easier.

Rope Chin-Ups and Holds – In addition to climbing the rope, you can do chin-ups on the rope, which works the same muscles as climbing but in a different way. You can also grab the rope and hold yourself in a pike V (with bent arms) for as long as you can. If you are strong enough, you can even try to hold yourself on the rope with only one arm.

Upper and Lower Body Plyometrics – This just means doing fast, powerful exercises like punch jumps from a height for the legs and hand bounding on a trampoline.

Weightlifting – Even though you are young, I recommend gymnasts do weight training with weight machines. It is an easy way to measure your strength improvement and medium to light heavy weightlifting strengthens ligaments and tendons, which makes it less likely you will be injured.

Strength (and Elite training and testing ) are very complicated topics that I literally could write a whole book about (actually I am doing just that), but I hope this helps. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.