Parents BHS

[Teammom]

Is not having a super strong standing bridge going to slow down my 6 year old dd bhs progress? Do typically girls with very flexible backs (but little arm strength) get their bhs before others? Her back walkover is ok, not pretty like some other BWO I’ve seen. A standing backbend is her least favorite thing to do!! I see some girls with very little arm strength do great bridge kick overs. I’m hoping her strength will start benefiting her more!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

She is 6. It’s far too soon to worry about her being slow.

And slow has no bearing on ultimate progression. My kid was last/slow at all “big” skills of the moment. She is currently L8

 

[sce]

I think super bendy and not string is equally difficult as far as tumbling as inflexible. I think a good balance is best to learn strong tumbling. Kids have strengths and weaknesses and the gyms work to build them up to have what they need to properly execute the skills
.

 

[Mamabear123]

Is not having a super strong standing bridge going to slow down my 6 year old dd bhs progress? Do typically girls with very flexible backs (but little arm strength) get their bhs before others? Her back walkover is ok, not pretty like some other BWO I’ve seen. A standing backbend is her least favorite thing to do!! I see some girls with very little arm strength do great bridge kick overs. I’m hoping her strength will start benefiting her more!

My DD does not have much flexibility in her back but had no problem getting her back handspring. Kids with flexible backs have easier times with their back walkovers, but I haven't found that flexible kids have an easier time with BHS.

 

[auscoachgymmum]

She is still very young - I'll give you the same advice I give my gymnasts - "Trust the process".
Once you start applying timelines to things... "slow to achieve, should have by now, when will she...." you actually begin to interrupt progress. I can't tell you how many girls i have come into the gym and say "mum says I should have my XXX by now.."

Shoulder flexibility is less linked to BHS than you might think, as it is more about understanding the complete movement. The biggest factor in BHS development is when they develop a fear of going backwards - which they all do at some stage. For some it lasts 1 night, others a year. In saying that, regular flexibility work AT GYM will continue to help with this.

If it makes you feel better, my least flexibile gymnast (shoulders) was the first to achieve her BHS on beam and is getting ready to compete Australian Level 8. As long as she is having fun at gym, just sit back and enjoy watching your child learn new things and do something she loves.

Trust the process....

 

[2gymkids]

My kid was flexible, first to have her back walkover in her group, first to start working progressions towards back handsprings, and last to get it without a spot. She's a kid that could never quite trust her body until she had done every little step at a snail's pace. Every kid is different.

 

[Flyaway]

She is still very young - I'll give you the same advice I give my gymnasts - "Trust the process".
Once you start applying timelines to things... "slow to achieve, should have by now, when will she...." you actually begin to interrupt progress. I can't tell you how many girls i have come into the gym and say "mum says I should have my XXX by now.."

This is such sage advice, particularly for the gymnasts that appear to be moving "slower" or not acquiring skills quite as quickly as others. I used to work in Labor and Delivery and we used to joke that the fastest way to slow down a labor was to tell a baby what time it needed to be born. Same is true for gymnasts I believe.

 

[gymbeam]

Another vote for “trust the process”- even when it is really hard to. They’ll all develop when they’re ready.

My daughter started gymnastics all because she wanted to learn a back handspring like the cheer girls at school we’re doing. So we signed her up at 8 years old for a tumbling class at a local gym.

It took her almost 18 months to get that thing!! I thought it would never happen! Then, only a year later she was competing Level 7!

Once she got that darned thing, she took off! Hang in there! It will come!