Should I increase overall strength for a specific skill?

Started by lisiflex, August 30, 2014 · 6 Replies · 2,489 Views

lisiflex
Hello!
 
I am 16 years old and I restarted gymnastics after a 3 year-break.
This season I am a L7, so I can do all L7 skills.
 
So why I am writing you is because I want to learn a V-Sit, like the girl in the picture I attached and I want to be able to hold it for about 5secs on floor and on beam.
 
I don't know if I should need to get stronger overall or just train for this skill specifically along with my usual conditioning?
 
At the moment I am in the gym 12 hours a week plus every second day I attend an optional conditioning class where we work on some strength stuff.

Leg Lifts ( I can do 15)
Deadhang Pull-Ups (I can do 8)
Chin Ups (I can do 15)
Dips ( I can do 15)
Pike-Push Ups (I can do 10)
and then standing pike and sitting straddle presses where I can do 1 at a time, and I usually do 5 of each with a short break.

I never really do max L-Sit, but I can definitely hold it for 30secs with good form and should be able to do 1 minute shaking. Of course, I can do a tucked V-Sit for about 10 secs and a straddled one also, but not very long. But as I said, I usually never train that.
 
So this is what I can do at the moment. So should I just train for the V-Sit or increase overall strength?
 
I would appreciate your reply!

post-9751-0-31943100-1409399096_thumb.jp

dmcmanam

A strong 30 second L sit is not ideal for a good V-sit but it could be enough if your forward fold flexibility is very good and your proportions favor a V-sit.  Continue to work on overall strength AND flexibility which you do not mention in the post.  Both are key for the V-sit.  Note how little the gymnast in the photo needs to lean back due to excellent compression.

lisiflex
dmcmanam said:

A strong 30 second L sit is not ideal for a good V-sit but it could be enough if your forward fold flexibility is very good and your proportions favor a V-sit. Continue to work on overall strength AND flexibility which you do not mention in the post. Both are key for the V-sit. Note how little the gymnast in the photo needs to lean back due to excellent compression.

Thanks for your reply!

My flexibility is good. I have all splits, front oversplits of 5 inches and pancake stretch hyperextended of 8 inches. Of course, I also have a pike stretch!

We never train V-Sits at my gym so no one on my team can do one.

But I would really like to be able to do one!

Rayne-William

Talk with your coaches about wanting to learn the V-sit.

dmcmanam

Excellent flexibility.  You may find working the skill on a variety of surfaces helpful: floor, paralettes, blocks.  Also combine training it dynamically and statically - swing slowly into the move on p-bars and static hold with tucked legs.  Have fun.

Daniel Burnham

Always increase overall strength for a skill.

Strength will almost always help. There are very few exceptions.

As for vsit there is good advice in this thread