Parents Daughter - 7 year old - No progress

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Hello all,

My daughter started gymnastics 9 months ago (September 2021). She had about 80 hours of classes (2 classes per week). I don't know what they do during class because it's behind doors. Sometimes, when the class was almost over we could see the children going through a sort of obstacles race, with jumps, rolls etc.
I was happy that she was getting some exercise but noticed she went through the whole year without being able to do a normal cartwheel or handstand. Actually the only move she learn was the front roll. 1 year of gymnastics and she has a front roll to show. Is this normal? She's 7 years old, no health issues.

Thank you in advance!
 
What type of class is she in? Some gyms have a ninja class or some sort of fun rec class that just plays around on the equipment. Usually, I would say stay out of it and let the coaches do their thing, but if she has made basically zero progress she might be in the wrong class. And now to be clear there is nothing wrong with her just going gymnastics for fun but if your gymnast wants to actually learn skills you may want to look for some other options.
 
What type of class is she in? Some gyms have a ninja class or some sort of fun rec class that just plays around on the equipment. Usually, I would say stay out of it and let the coaches do their thing, but if she has made basically zero progress she might be in the wrong class. And now to be clear there is nothing wrong with her just going gymnastics for fun but if your gymnast wants to actually learn skills you may want to look for some other options.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
I think her class is more on the "fun rec" side, like you've mentioned. I know they do some flexibility training, like training the splits (no progress there too). The kids performed for us twice this year, and it seemed to me that their most challenging skill was the cartwheel.

I guess I will have to try other options. Thank you!
 
She may also have learned lots of other skills on the other apparatus - bars, beam, vault, trampoline etc. You won’t get to see these at home.
 
I can see how it would be frustrating to feel like your daughter hadn't made any progress in a year. Has her form improved on the skills she does have? I don't think it would be the worst thing to check in with her coaches at some point and ask about how she is progressing and if the class continues to be a good fit for her. If the class is geared more toward having fun and less skill development, then maybe you could chat with your daughter and see if she likes this class or is interested in something that would involve more specific skills.
 
I think this is somewhat common in a rec class environment. When my daughter was 6 in a rec class, I would notice this. Lots of exercise and fun but not a ton of "real" gymnastics.
 
It's hard to say. The class could have been more movement/coordination focused vs skill focused. Also, the building blocks for skills can take awhile...to the point where to people w/no gymnastics knowledge it may look like no progress (especially at young ages). Also at age 7 there's a wide range of normal in terms of body awareness and coordination. If none of the kids in the class progressed then maybe the class is more movement focused. If some kids progressed while others didn't, it's likely that kiddos are at different stages of development.
 
At a lot of gyms, and this is somewhat sad, by seven kids will be filtered into either the the skills based "likely to compete" track or the let them have fun based "just a rec kid" track. Of course it's possible to move from rec to the pre-competitive track but that's a lot easier when the parent makes their (hopefully) child's goals clear.

The reality is that gymnastics is hard and most rec kids would rather jump on a trampoline or run a ninja course than try to climb a 30 foot rope in a straddle. I think a lot of gyms struggle at finding the balance between the former and the latter for their rec programs.
 
At a lot of gyms, and this is somewhat sad, by seven kids will be filtered into either the the skills based "likely to compete" track or the let them have fun based "just a rec kid" track. Of course it's possible to move from rec to the pre-competitive track but that's a lot easier when the parent makes their (hopefully) child's goals clear.
This is very true^
I started gymnastics when I was 8 and I was not being pushed by the coaches. I was basically bored since my coach was not willing to teach me new skills. When I moved gyms, I instantly saw improvement because we told them my goals from the start and they got me competing on team in about 3 months. What I am trying to say is:
1: Communication is key
2: Look for other options
 
Is this a developmental gym that has competitive teams or is it a recreational gym that just does classes? If it's the first, then read on. If it's the second, I would look into finding a competitive gym in your area, if your daughter is wishing to progress in gymnastics.

Sounds like she is in a beginner class and yes, that's pretty common. Some children catch on to skills quickly and will move up to the more advanced classes. Others stay in the beginner classes a lot longer. While it may not seem it, a well performed cartwheel is a pretty complicated skill to master. They have to have good body awareness and balance and enough strength to hold themselves. They also have to have confidence because it can be scary going upside down not knowing if your arms are going to hold your body weight. As for splits and flexibility in general, some are a lot more flexible than others and if she is stretching only 2x/wk, you likely are not going to see much progress in that area if she is naturally tighter.

Is your daughter enjoying the class? Is she getting bored or frustrated? I would take the cues from her. Remember though - gymnastics is like most other sports. Some are going to excel in it and others will not develop the skills to progress to the next level. Some kids are fine with just enjoying the sport at whatever level they are at and others would rather find a sport they are better at.
 
It could just be that gymnastics isn't her thing. My elder kid was in rec classes for two years and never did figure out how to do a forward roll. Then I put my younger kid in rec classes and she quickly outpaced the other kids. Same class....different kid.
 
I'm surprised that rec for so many people isn't focused on skills. my gym's rec program includes light conditioning, 4 circuits on different apparatus, sometimes incorporating tramp and acro, but mostly artistic. Is that uncommon?
 
Our rec programs are focused on skills. We except high standards of technique and skill acquisition in rec kids. Just because they don’t train a million hours a week doesn’t mean they don’t want to be amazing gymnasts.

We want to give our rec kids maximum options for what they want to do in the future be it move to competition, other Gymsports, cheer, Acro dance, extreme martial arts, stunt work, break dance, coaching etc.
 
Hello all,

My daughter started gymnastics 9 months ago (September 2021). She had about 80 hours of classes (2 classes per week). I don't know what they do during class because it's behind doors. Sometimes, when the class was almost over we could see the children going through a sort of obstacles race, with jumps, rolls etc.
I was happy that she was getting some exercise but noticed she went through the whole year without being able to do a normal cartwheel or handstand. Actually the only move she learn was the front roll. 1 year of gymnastics and she has a front roll to show. Is this normal? She's 7 years old, no health issues.

Thank you in advance!
Does your daughter enjoy the class?? Do you notice that she is stronger, more flexible, anything?

My kid went to gym for over 2yrs doing mostly conditioning. She could be quite a "knot" and you could fling her around & her egg would never break-yup, that was a skill she learned(but now she is ALWAYS tight).

Then took 2yrs off and now is on an elite track at a well known gym(small, boutique gym-not a mega center)

At 7, I wouldn't worry all that much! For me, I didn't care beyond my kids happiness. She enjoyed her classes, so I happily sent her and continued to pay for classes. Then again I knew our HC was a TOPs guy, usag regional hall of famer, etc. So I didn't worry. If the gym has a decent reputation & your kid is having fun, great!!
 

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