Skill Requirements at Pinnacle Gymnastics

What are Skill Requirements?

Skill requirements are a list of skills that are taught in each level.  Great skill requirements should be:

1. Progressive - skill requirements should start with basic movements and small sections of skills and progress to complete skills done independently.  You should be able to trace a skill requirement from the beginner level to the advanced level in a slightly more challenging form as the level increases in difficulty.
2. Equipment Specific - skill requirements in recreational gymnastics may require additional matting, such as a wedge mat, panel mat, or octagon for beginner and even intermediate gymnasts to be successful. 
3. Realistic - gymnastics is a challenging sport that requires a lot of repetition, strength, and technical skills.  Breaking skills down into pieces allows gymnasts to be successful and move through the levels at the right pace.
4. Used in Lesson Plans - skill requirements are only effective if they are used in the program's lesson plans.  Without lesson plans, it is hard to track how many times athletes are working on each skill requirement. 

What skills is my preschool gymnast working on?

All preschool gymnastics classes have the same behavior evaluations such as entering class independently, stays at station, participates in warm up, in addition to their skill requirements.

• Jitterbugs work on jumping with two feet, monkey swings on bars, walking on beams and horsie kicks.
• Rollie Pollies work on hopscotch, skin the cats on bars, walking forward and sideways on beams and rolls down wedge mats.
• Grasshoppers work on donkey kicks, pullover hopping up the wall, beam kicks and jumps, and cartwheels.

What skills is my gymnast working on?

All recreational gymnastics classes for ages 5 and up work towards a skill set that the competitive program competes at the beginning levels.

• 5 and 6 Beginner gymnasts work on progressions for the USAG Level 1 skill set
• Beginner 7+ and 56 Intermediate gymnasts work to master the major skills in Level 1
• 56 IntermediateAdvanced gymnasts work on Level 2 progressions
• 56 Advanced, Intermediate 7+ athletes begin to work the major skills in Level 2
• IntermediateAdvanced and Team Development 2 gymnasts focus on drills and progressions for the Level 3 skill set
• Advanced and Team Development 1 gymnasts work on Level 3 skill mastery and the introduction of some level 4 skills as well

What skills is my tumbler working on?

All tumbling classes are evaluated on both tumbling skills and strength skills such as abdominal exercises, hanging, leg exercises, and balancing exercises. 

• T101 Ages 6-8 work on mastering rolls, split handstands, cartwheels and beginning back handsprings over a Rollie.
• T101 Ages 9+ work on vertical handstands, one arm cartwheels, dive rolls and back handsprings down a wedge mat.
• T201 Ages 9+ work on handstand walking, front tucks, round offs, and standing back handsprings.
• T301 Ages 9+ work on standing back tucks, front pikes, front handsprings and tumbling passes such as round off back handspring back tucks and more.

What skills is my ninja working on?

All ninja classes are evaluated on ninja obstacles and tumbling ninja skills. 

• Little Ninja work on rolls, donkey kicks, cartwheel hops, climbing the rock wall to their comfort level, hanging on obstacles, and balancing on obstacles.
• Novice Ninja work on back handsprings over a rollie, cartwheels, handstands, balances across obstacles, warped wall, and climbs to top of the rock wall.
• Intermediate Ninja work on handstand walking, round offs, front tucks, back handsprings, pull ups, climbs to top of the rock wall, completes balancing obstacle course and completes hanging obstacle course.

How can I see my child's skill requirements?

There are two ways to view your child's skill requirements. The first way is by using the online parent portal.

1. Log into your account
2. Select the child you would like to view
3. Select the program they are currently enrolled in (Preschool or Recreational)
4. Select your child's current class
   • - Each skill requirement will be listed and 1, 2 or 3 stars will be selected
   • - 1=introduced, 2= working on it, 3 = mastered

1. Open the Pinnacle Gymnastics App (Search Pinnacle Gymnastics in the App Store)
2. If you scroll down, you can see the most recent skill activity. 
3. To view the full list of skill requirements click on account and then select the student's name
   • From there follow steps 3-4 from above

When will my child master their skills?

• Most children spend approximately one full year in each level.
• However, each athlete progresses at their own rate. And that's okay! 
• Every skill requirement in your child's class is evaluated over the course of 8 weeks (2 skills each week).

What can I do to assist with my child's skill requirement mastery?

• Be encouraging and supportive!  Celebrate small milestones - straighter legs or moving a skill to a higher beam.
• Ask the coach for feedback or a specific question - giving your own coaching tips can get confusing if they are different than what the coach is working on or a different technique.
• Attend Mini ART or ART or skill clinics for extra practice.

Learn more: 

• Teaching Gymnastics Progressions
• Characteristics of Gymnastics Skill Requirements
• Gymnastics Classes for Kids