All-Star Slowing Progression?

[FlexyTumblerMom]

That's valid. It does change your center of gravity. Takes some adjustment.

Yep - happens. Developing hips

I was that way, when I was about 12-13 I had a GORGEOUS tuck (better than they are now) and one day I just couldn't throw it, I could get spot a million time or have a coach just stand near me and I would throw it but once they stepped away I wouldn't be able to do it, my mom and coaches thought it was because I had just grown about 4 inches in 2 months and I wasn't used to the height adjust

Yep - it's for this reason I've learned to be way more impressed by older tumblers than younger ones. It's gotten to the point where you show me a little 6-7 year old tumbling like crazy across a mat or circling around the uneven bars like a pro and all I think is "yeah - let me see you still be able to do that when you're 14 sweetie and then I'll be impressed" ;). Even my CP at 11 already understands this.

 

[12stepCheermom]

Yep - happens. Developing hips


Yep - it's for this reason I've learned to be way more impressed by older tumblers than younger ones. It's gotten to the point where you show me a little 6-7 year old tumbling like crazy across a mat or circling around the uneven bars like a pro and all I think is "yeah - let me see you still be able to do that when you're 14 sweetie and then I'll be impressed" ;). Even my CP at 11 already understands this.

Hahaha! I say the same thing! Little Susie perfect is great throwing her skills at age 7-8-9 whatever. Wait until puberty hits! If they can survive that without mental blocks, regression etc just for changes in height, hips, center of gravity, chest development and general teenage hormones then I'll even call them little Susie perfect.

Fact: outside of the first year of life there is no other time in adolescent development where more changes occur than puberty.

 

[notimeforthat]

Just reading this thread now.

There are so many parents out there want to be able to say that their kid can do X skill (pointed toes and straight legs aren't as easy to brag about as being able to say "my kid got her full").

This is because the majority of people are of the mindset that the kid who has the highest skill is the better athlete - there are far fewer feel that the kid that has the prettiest skills is the better athlete. I've always been a stickler for technique myself, and I find that I can clash w/ the "difficulty over execution" types ;) - lol - which may make CP's first year in cheer a little interesting, huh?

As for the cheer coaches, as long as janky skills result in more points than well excuted versions of lower-level skills, I think they are going to keep pushing kids to progress as fast as possible.

I also think that how stunting progresses faster than tumbling has something to do w/ the rush to put janky tumbling skills on the mat - like say you are a newer gym and you quickly develop a team capable of level 3 stunting, but only a few kids can do a good tuck - you are going to rush the tucks of those remaining kids just so you can put that level 3 team out there. Levels like senior 4.2 help w/ this, but people still want to get the all-around level out there. It's the same situation as the parents who would rather brag about their kid having skill X, a gym would rather say "we have a level 5 team", than they would "our level 4 team has the best technique going".

Ahhhh the rush to gain a higher skill.... i remember those crazy instances...
but truly, in actually, your kid gets x skill.... suzy has x skill AND Y skill.... Its never ending!
This is a competitive sport. Most competitive kids are a result of competitive parents.
Please listen when i tell you.... It doesn't matter at the end of the day!!!
With todays evolving score sheet there is room for specislists... Every major worlds team has them! Its about balance and what each team needs which evolves every season.
If your CP is an amazing back but struggles with tumbling.... Embrace it! Stop stressing about the tumbling and be the best back spot ever!
No matter how amazing your CP may be there is always going to be someone better....
Take that extra time snd $$ and invest it into some sports training, stunting or flexibility classes.
If your CP is a tumbler than that could be thier thing.
Make sure your tunble coaches are USASF certified as well!

 

[Cheer Dad]

Read @Cheer dad and @cheermommaRN post about people just throwing it which is obviously the discussion on my video that I posted late last night


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Totally confused, where did you post a video?

 

[mamabear]

@Kris10boo - I think there is a big difference between J "going splat" as my cp calls it ;)and a kid doing something dangerous without the knowledge and training or without the coach's approval. I doubt any parent on here would criticize a child for not landing something when they are learning.

 

[123jump4!]

@12stepCheermom I just saw this and thought of your CP...

 

[gymmomla]

Instagram

 

[gymmomla]

Ok I'm not sure if this works but here is Noah

Instagram

 

[gymmomla]

Lol ignore the commentary in the background

 

[notimeforthat]

He will get it! Go Noah!

 

[gymmomla]

Thank u ! He's definitely determined !

 

[cheernerd5678]

That's mine. 6-2, 160 and wears a 28/32.

28?!

Really?!

I hate him. He eats like a horse. There is no justice in the world.

My brothers are like that too! Luckily they hate jeans and wear basketball shorts 24/7 so the only time she has to buy real pants for them is for band concerts, but still.... Why did the tall and skinny gene skip me?

 

[Lisa Seye]

I know we all want to see skill progression in the athletes but as parents, and athletes, at what point do we look at our athlete throwing a jank a$$ skill and say STOP you are going to kill yourself because it is obvious they need a stronger foundation to build upon?

I'm talking of the kids throwing back head springs because the elbows are so bent there is no support, ROBHS to a full where the feet on the 2nd BHS are landing apart and one or both feet land on the quarter turn so they can attempt to spin a full, back tucks where knees are barely clearing the floor.

You get the idea. Coaches, I know you all will have a different perspective but have you ever had a parent come to you scared for their child's safety and if so did you listen to them or just blow them off?

I know when my daughter was trying to work on her full at her old gym, she was working it in a tuck position and was out of control on her landings. I decided to step in and ask coach if she could work on it in a layout position and I told my daughter to go back and rework her layout. My daughter was so mad and frustrated but I stuck to my guns lol. She worked and worked on her layout and tried her full again and was landing it but not very consistently. When she went to her new gym, she was given more tips for her layout and her full became much better looking. She had never been made to do any "hollow" positions at her old gym. She said that at her new gym she was given hundreds of corrections in her technique and she finally realized that going backward and reworking those foundation skills would make her a better tumbler and flyer. That lightbulb moment! Now I can't say that she always wants to go backward to move forward BUT she is more apt to listen and understand that all those "boring" drills will help her be a much stronger and prettier tumbler and flyer.
On the other hand though, how many parents push coaches to let their kids progress or they threaten to take their kids to another gym? As coaches/owners at small gyms, how hard is it to make the kids do those drills and other things if they have to cave in to parents' wishes or worry that parents will take their business elsewhere? Some of the parents I have seen are more concerned with getting their kids out of the house into ANY activity and do not take it seriously. So there are parents who will pull their kids if it is too hard and not fun enough. Again, small gyms have to contend with these kind of parents and kids who don't want to work hard or take their sport seriously. At big gyms, it seems like there are ALWAYS others who WILL take it seriously and they don't have to worry as much that they will lose business due to these two kinds of parents because there is always someone to take their place. At small gyms, they may be struggling to have enough kids to make a team. So coaches give in to a certain extent just to keep their doors open. I feel for them. I know my girl learned a lot at her old small gym and we wouldn't trade the experiences there for anything. However, she learned a TON of stuff at her new big gym in just a few short months that helped her improve soooo much. Why did she improve? Drills, drills, and more conditioning lol. Being in the gym with SERIOUS athletes who inspired her to get with the program. This is not to say that there were no serious athletes at her old gym, just fewer of them. So more peer pressure at her new gym :)

 

[Cheer Dad]

There's a huge difference between crash and burn coaches allowing progression to skills the athlete is not ready for (I just got my round off handspring tuck, time to attempt a full) and a coach that isn't spotting a kid on a skill that they are capable of and ready to be working on, or moving to the floor. (I got my RO HS Full, I'm going to work on RO Fulls)

If you're not a coach, I wouldn't get too crazy with pointing fingers on what's good or bad, or proper or improper. Every single coach has probably learned things differently. Are there bad coaches? Absolutely. But are coaches that don't do things the way you agree with bad coaches? No, and I'd be careful of getting too deep into that conversation.

I'm not pointing fingers on what is good or bad but rather the crash and burn style or the coaches that are pushing kids to hard to gain skills before ready.

In my example originally posted are you happy with a kid throwing s back handspring where there head consistently touches the ground?

I assume that is a skill you would not encourage that kid to keep throwing just because they can, but rather you would want to break it down and even take a step backwards so the kid can learn the proper technique and be able to progress in a safe manner? Am I correct in my speculation?

 

[notyourcheermom]

Ahhhh the rush to gain a higher skill.... i remember those crazy instances...
but truly, in actually, your kid gets x skill.... suzy has x skill AND Y skill.... Its never ending!
This is a competitive sport. Most competitive kids are a result of competitive parents.
Please listen when i tell you.... It doesn't matter at the end of the day!!!
With todays evolving score sheet there is room for specislists... Every major worlds team has them! Its about balance and what each team needs which evolves every season.
If your CP is an amazing back but struggles with tumbling.... Embrace it! Stop stressing about the tumbling and be the best back spot ever!
No matter how amazing your CP may be there is always going to be someone better....
Take that extra time snd $$ and invest it into some sports training, stunting or flexibility classes.
If your CP is a tumbler than that could be thier thing.
Make sure your tunble coaches are USASF certified as well!

My CP is a beast little base who will try her heart out. She usually ends up basing center of routine. She wasn't basing center for part of the buildup to the start of this season and she was going to have a tumbling pass for the first time in three years. She is a solid level tumbler. She is now basing center of routine and bye-bye tumbling pass. She is not needed to walk anywhere, just stay where she is. First year I was a little bothered she had no pass, I did finally inquire of coach if something was wrong with her tumbling. No! Big roll eyes from coach. It's where I need her to be. Second year I didn't ask, I just knew. This year when I saw her get moved from basing a far left group to center group I said to myself, bye, bye tumbling pass. Maybe next year. She is in all the sync passes, but she says she gets to breathe for a second now instead.