Back Handsprings..Too Young?

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So I've heard that young children are not supposed to do back-bends, etc., until age 5 (or 6?). When browsing youtube the other day (I think I was looking to see what a 'flyaway' was) I came across a 2.5 year old girl working on backhandsprings at a gym. Also, working on back tucks. The account holder talks in the comments about how they do hope she goes to the olympics.

I am wondering if this would be considered child abuse, given the medical information that is known about this? What could potentially happen to this girl, physically?
 
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You will see all kinds of crazy videos on youtube. There's nothing that any of us can do about it. We know what is healthy for the little ones to do (and NOT do). There are crazy parents out there in every sport. Potential problems? Injuries to the head and back.
 
My understanding is that back handsprings pose a different set of risks from stressing the body holding a static bridge.

I wouldn't do it, but I did let my 2 year old try whatever he wanted to do spontaneously on the tramp.

It's not unusual at all to have 4 year olds training BHS in cheer gyms and power tumbling teams, and I don't think that's as risky as having 4 year olds bridging. It's quite normative in some places. If the coach knows what s/he's doing I think it's OK. They are jumping past the back flexibility and they are doing a fairly quick weight transfer from their hands to their feet.
 
The specific issue I can see with doing BHS at preschool age is a lot of kids that age still have toddler like bodies where the head is large in proportion to the body, the neck is not able to fully support the weight of the head in a snapping motion as it does in an older child. So the risk of injury is greater.

Honestly these folks children are not going to be off to any better start on their Olympic paths than any other kid if anything they will more than likely get injured and gymnastics will end very early. You won't see any responsible gyms doing this.
 
I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and can't imagine having her try a backspring. As 10.0 stated, a toddler's head is so large in proportion to her body - and her arms are much shorter. When dd puts her arms over her head, the top of her head is pretty much even with her wrists - not much margin for error! I think any parent that allows that kind of training is asking for trouble.
 
For most kids those guidelines apply. However, there are a handful of children that may be able to do it at 4yo. I haven't seen a 3yo do it yet but it could happen.

A lot of it depends on the child. Some children at that age are so far ahead of their peers they don't fall into guidelines.
 
the specific issue i can see with doing bhs at preschool age is a lot of kids that age still have toddler like bodies where the head is large in proportion to the body, the neck is not able to fully support the weight of the head in a snapping motion as it does in an older child. So the risk of injury is greater.

Honestly these folks children are not going to be off to any better start on their olympic paths than any other kid if anything they will more than likely get injured and gymnastics will end very early. You won't see any responsible gyms doing this.

exactly!!!!
 
For most kids those guidelines apply. However, there are a handful of children that may be able to do it at 4yo. I haven't seen a 3yo do it yet but it could happen.

A lot of it depends on the child. Some children at that age are so far ahead of their peers they don't fall into guidelines.

I know there are real exceptions to the rule. For example our gyms owners 3 (will be 4 in a month) year old daughter just got her backbend kick over. And despite the bend legs kicking over she looks like the level 4 girls doing it as far as keeping her arms straight and in back and shoulder flexibility. She also physically looks like a 5 year old, she is taller, her arms are longer and he head in more proportional to her body. She also was not forced into doing the skill but rather from hanging around the gym she saw the older girls doing it and just started trying it and once we figured out there was no stopping her instead of allowing her to do it wrong we taught her.

Good gyms do not seek out to train preschoolers to try things that can cause significant head, neck and spine injuries. I have not seen the video in question but from 99.99999% of the ones I have seen those are non exceptional kids trained by scary gyms or even worse at home by crazy Mom's.

Every parent want to thinks their kid is the exception, everyone wants a super natural talented ahead of the game kid. It is easy to get caught up in the game. And it is easy to get the thought in your head that if your 2.5 year old can do a BHS she is going to be the next Mary Lou. Plus it is easy bragging. Who wants an “average” kid? :rolleyes:

A good gym and good coach will be able to recognize the rare instances where a child is an exception and will be able to train him/her properly. Off my soapbox now.

Also forgot to add in my initial post to answer your question I would not consider it child abuse per say, more along the lines of leaving house hold cleaners lying around or a pile of pills on the table. It is completely irresponsible and has a high chance of hurting the child but is not like beating them.
 
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Not pretty or safe for a three year old

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OMG I bet mummy was proud. That is why home tramps and parents do not always work to well. Back headsprings are just not okay.
 
Goodness gracious, that's pretty scary. How do parents not realize the danger in stunts like that? The mind boggles.
 
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This is a still of the video I mentioned. It just does not look right! They made her do it three times.
 
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A related question--my two-and-a-half year old is bridging. What do I do about it?

The coach showed her the position once before I read on here that it was bad for little ones, and then the next time she saw the bigger girls bridging she just did it. Do I tell the coach to stop her when she starts it at the gym? Do I watch her like a hawk to stop her whenever she starts at home?
 
A related question--my two-and-a-half year old is bridging. What do I do about it?

The coach showed her the position once before I read on here that it was bad for little ones, and then the next time she saw the bigger girls bridging she just did it. Do I tell the coach to stop her when she starts it at the gym? Do I watch her like a hawk to stop her whenever she starts at home?

I'm not sure what I would do in this situation. I would think if she is doing it on her own and it's not for long periods of time, it wouldn't be as harmful. Interested in hearing what other say. But, I could very well be wrong.
My daughter (3) tries to do front handsprings like the big girls do on vault. Granted, it's just a running overexcerted forward roll with a jump beforehand, but I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself because she does it at home.
 
This is all brand new to me, and I'm not sure just how dangerous it is, and whether it's worth an ongoing battle or not (my daughter is very strong willed). It's only been a couple of days, but she usually does it for about fifteen seconds or so at a time, if that makes a difference.
 
A related question--my two-and-a-half year old is bridging. What do I do about it?

The coach showed her the position once before I read on here that it was bad for little ones, and then the next time she saw the bigger girls bridging she just did it. Do I tell the coach to stop her when she starts it at the gym? Do I watch her like a hawk to stop her whenever she starts at home?

As this is slightly off topic I suggest starting a new thread in the coaches forum. They are the ones who will know exactly what you are dealing with.
 
Not pretty or safe for a three year old

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precisely why I am so glad dh talked me out of getting a backyard tramp for the kids. They were a little older but still... She took longer learning her tumbling skills (compared to the girls with trampolines at home) but it also meant I knew she was doing it safely and correctly at the gym.
 
I was curious (and bored) so I started searching a bit around on YouTube and found loads of videos like this. There was one where a woman, I assume the child's mother, spotting a 3 year child through a backhandspring in her livingroom. Granted, it didn't look particularly dangerous, but still, what are these parents thinking? Aside from it being dangerous, who knows what sorts of bad habits these kids are learning, and reinforcing, when mom powers them through backhandsprings at age 3.

It turns out though that this happens a lot! Just search for terms like "tiny gymnast" and you'll see super young kids attempting all sorts of ill-advised gymnastics. The scariest one, in my opinion, involves a 4 year old and a balance beam.
 

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