Tag: Coaching
How to Perfect Your Level 2 Bar Routine
5 Tips for a Great Level 2 Vault
Tips and Resources to Boost Your Level 6/7 Vault Score
This post was originally published February 10, 2020, and was updated August 29, 2020, August 29, 2021, and August 19, 2022. If you’ve been at a Level 6 or 7 gymnastics meet recently, no doubt you’ve seen the new vault setup. Gymnasts now vault from the table onto a mat stack, performing a handspring, Tsukahara, […]
How to Do the Best Level 3 Beam Routine 2022
What makes a great compulsory beam routine? It turns out, there are several components to it. I’ve been judging Level 3 beam routines for over 20 years (gosh, can that even be true?). Although the routines have changed a few times, many things have stayed the same. Today, we’ll take a deep dive into the […]
Xcel Floor: How to Score Big
This article has been updated to reflect the changes in the 2022-26 Xcel Code of Points. This is the final article in the Xcel series. I’m excited to talk about floor, one of my favorite events, and to share the most recent updates. If you’ve read the vault, bars, and beam articles, you know that […]
The Essential Guide to a Great Vault Run
Xcel Bars: Platinum and Diamond
This post has been updated to reflect the changes in the 2022-26 Xcel Code of Points. What’s the best way to get my Xcel Platinum bars score up? How about Xcel Diamond? There are many more considerations in these divisions, compared with Bronze, Silver, and Gold. And of course, there are intricacies specific to each […]
6 General Deductions You’re Probably Getting
What are the “intangibles” that can elevate your routine to the top? Every optional gymnastics routine is evaluated, at the end, on several general categories. These categories can result in general deductions for the routine, if there are deficits in these areas. Most routines receive a deduction in at least one of these areas. But […]
Xcel Bars: Bronze, Silver, and Gold
This article has been updated to reflect the changes in the 2022-26 Xcel Code of Points. Xcel gymnastics. These levels used to strike fear into the hearts of judges, when they were first being developed. The rules were so different from J.O. that some judges said they wouldn’t even judge them! We’ve come a long […]