Together with the head coach/gym owner, we will select three poses for all the non-team gymnasts, and all compulsory level gymnasts to perform on the set.
Gymnasts who have reached the optional levels of competition automatically get to select seven poses (with three of them being jumps or advanced skills) to perform.
Remember, that the harder a pose is for your child to do, the less comfortable he or she will appear. In my opinion, it is most often better to do a slightly easier pose and to look like you do it with ease, than to look like you are struggling with a more difficult pose. It is also important for moms to realize that "poses" are for smiling. Performing a "skill" on the set is not a time to be thinking about facial expression. The gymnast is focused on recalling the muscle memory needed to successfully perform the skill.
I laughingly tell moms who say "You weren't smiling" that when MOM can perform that skill and smile at the same time, I'll ask your gymnast to do likewise. We allow you to choose seven poses to provide you with a variety of looks. Here is a quick look at over 90 poses that range from easy to difficult.
