Do you let your gymnast tumble outside the gym?

[tumblerK]

This rule would have driven me bonkers. I'm a gymnast, and when I play, I do gymnastics.

...but I am older and know better than to be doing skills in the grocery store or school. Yet every single one of the 80 people in my hall know that if they see some feet in the air walk in front of their door that's just me, and I'm probably stressed because I have an exam tomorrow. And yes, the area that I usually do gymnastics in in my dorm is a tile floor. Not my favorite, but I take what I can get. It's what has to happen for me to stay sane and the gym around here only has open gym on Fridays.

My parents had more of a "Let them make their own mistakes" kind of philosophy. My dad once told me a story about when I was just to crawling/walking age. He had brought me to one of his friends houses, and I was climbing on the arm of the couch. The wife of his friend was very worried that I would fall and get hurt. He agreed. But then I would learn.

So yes, I was allowed to go gymnastics out of the gym. But I was pretty safe about it, but I was safe about it because my parents let me make my own mistakes from a young age.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

You know, I had been wondering the same thing, and trying to decide how much is safe and when to put an end to it!! My dd just had her first week of training with the level 4 team. Her coach specifically told her-no bhs, fhs tucks or ANY tricks on the trampoline (we do have one, but the kids just jump on it and play games). He also specifically told her no gymnastics outside the gym except for handstands, cartwheels and splits/stretching. We had a practice bar, but got rid of it. She has a beam that sits on the floor, too, and she is allowed to mark through her routines on it-just so she can remember them.

Honestly- I have to agree...she's at the gym 12 hrs a week already-she just turned 7. I want her to do some other activities! (like homework, lol!) and have some rest and not injure herself. It also makes her eager to go to the gym knowing that she can tumble all she wants there.

Also, I am VERY happy that her COACH brought this up to her. Now I'm not the bad guy when I remind her that the gymnastics stays in the gym.

 

[ZJsMom]

I do know a boys coach who is also mum to two gymnasts (9 and 12) on the pre-elite track (I believe it's similar to Future Stars). They have mushrooms and paralettes.
I don't have enough boy's knowledge to comment on that. Anyone do?

I've never heard of a coach discouraging having a mushroom at home. I'd be interested too to hear if some do. From what I've seen, it's the boys who have mushrooms at home who really master their circles as compulsories. On ds's team there are probably 4 boys who can score in the 15s on PH and they all have mushrooms at home.

 

[mariposa]

This rule would have driven me bonkers. I'm a gymnast, and when I play, I do gymnastics.

...but I am older and know better than to be doing skills in the grocery store or school. Yet every single one of the 80 people in my hall know that if they see some feet in the air walk in front of their door that's just me, and I'm probably stressed because I have an exam tomorrow. And yes, the area that I usually do gymnastics in in my dorm is a tile floor. Not my favorite, but I take what I can get. It's what has to happen for me to stay sane and the gym around here only has open gym on Fridays.

My parents had more of a "Let them make their own mistakes" kind of philosophy. My dad once told me a story about when I was just to crawling/walking age. He had brought me to one of his friends houses, and I was climbing on the arm of the couch. The wife of his friend was very worried that I would fall and get hurt. He agreed. But then I would learn.

So yes, I was allowed to go gymnastics out of the gym. But I was pretty safe about it, but I was safe about it because my parents let me make my own mistakes from a young age.

I definitely believe in natural consequences (learning from experience) for some things. If I tell the girls to put on a jacket because it is cold and they don't listen, I don't argue with that. They will learn from being cold and hopefully next time they will listen. (Of course, if it was freezing, I wouldn't do that, but it is never freezing here.) If I tell them to bring their bike inside every night and they don't, it gets stolen, big lesson learned.

Certain things just can't be "Let them learn from their own mistakes," types of moments. Safety is one of them. My daughter that is 7 still is in a 5 point harness car seat. She might not like it sometimes, but I am not going to let her learn the mistake from not wearing it if we get in an accident. It is not negotiable.

Same thing with looking both ways when you cross the street. I don't let that be an option. When they play outside, I remind them and if they don't listen, they get to play inside or in the back yard. Or if I am cooking and something is hot, I don't let them figure that out themselves.

As a parent, it is my responsibility to keep my kids safe from things that I see as harmful (And I get that not all parents agree that tumbling outside is dangerous, we all have our own opinions!). For me, tumbling (specifically ROBHS, FHS, FT, BT and walkovers-for the back overuse reason) outside the gym is very potentially harmful, so it is a non negotiable topic in our house.

And really, I am not talking about banning my kid from doing gymnastics outside the gym. She loves gymnastics and usually is doing something related to gymnastics outside. There are plenty of relative safe things she can do and she does! I get tired of seeing her upside down sometimes. LOL. And the world is always a gym to these girls. I get that!

 

[thnkGd4kds]

I haven't had to say this in a while, but when Cait has the intention of throwing a bigger skill outside the gym, I whip out my phone and ask her if she'd like me to video it for her coaches. That'll usually produce a sheepish grin and an end to the "outside" tumbling attempt. Once, though, she told me that her HC totally understands her "need" to do bigger skills outside gym, as HC was the sort that gave her mom gray hairs from all of her outside-the-gym tumbling, and, in fact, partially grew up in an area of the world where that is how they learned gymnastics. Knowing that this is true, yet figuring that the video would still stop dd, I facetiously said, "Go ahead then." Cait just shook her head. She does still push it sometimes, though, as can be an envelope-pusher!

From another home-homer (who enjoyed reading the article again, Mariposa, and chuckled even more this time ),

 

[gymnut1]

I definitely believe in natural consequences (learning from experience) for some things. If I tell the girls to put on a jacket because it is cold and they don't listen, I don't argue with that. They will learn from being cold and hopefully next time they will listen. (Of course, if it was freezing, I wouldn't do that, but it is never freezing here.) If I tell them to bring their bike inside every night and they don't, it gets stolen, big lesson learned.

Certain things just can't be "Let them learn from their own mistakes," types of moments. Safety is one of them. My daughter that is 7 still is in a 5 point harness car seat. She might not like it sometimes, but I am not going to let her learn the mistake from not wearing it if we get in an accident. It is not negotiable.


And really, I am not talking about banning my kid from doing gymnastics outside the gym. She loves gymnastics and usually is doing something related to gymnastics outside. There are plenty of relative safe things she can do and she does! I get tired of seeing her upside down sometimes. LOL. And the world is always a gym to these girls. I get that!

haha you are so like me! - Dd leaves her ds everywhere which was a major headache until we said if it goes it goes. Your call. She still has it (somehow) but I no longer worry. I have passed the responsibility to her. She always has a booster seat in the car. Not negotiable. Years ago my older dd was still in a 5 point harness at 6. Her friends had nothing often not even a belt. Laws were changed in the UK then and boy was I relieved as they were all forced into booster seats.

My dd plays gymnastics everywhere. BHS and BT only allowed on the tramp with correct technique (and I watch to check up). She and her best friend do 'routines' everywhere - the play bar, tramp, sofa, bed......... lol. They only use rolls, dance and balance type things. Lovely to watch, fun. Kid stuff. I did scarily alot worse as a kid and my non gymmie parents never batted an eyelid. Mind you the rest of the time i was hanging or falling out of very high trees so may be the gymnastics was safer lol. Our gym discourages tumbling on grass and anything on tramp at home. They get into such bad habits. I am struggling to teach a 6 year old her BHS at the moment because her sister has kindly taught her one on the tramp at home. She already has bad habits that are proving difficult to correct. So I understand that part very clearly as a coach!

 

[cathiann]

I guess I don't have a rule about it--we do have a tramp (complete with padding and netting) and the kids do flips, etc. on that, but neither Sami nor Beth have ever really wanted to do backflips in the yard or anything--cartwheels, sure. I don't know why--maybe the coaches tell them not to out of the gym??

 

[Tim_Dad]

I have mixed feelings about it personally. On the parental side of my brain, which my wife believes to be located closer to the back, the very thought of doing gym in (or on) an unsafe environment gives me the chills. Common sense prevails. Protect your child at all costs. The money spent on "protecting a child" is rarely contested.

The rest of my brain is more anal-retentive, yet fun-loving, risk be dammed. Unlike today, I recall growing up with a neighborhood playground that wasn't padded with 6-8" of recycled rubber mulch. It had no pretty colored and protective formed plastic climbing gyms or slides. It was blacktop - hard blacktop - and welded steel with rusty bolts. And despite my mothers countless warnings of poking someone’s eye out, or breaking my neck, when I fell off the swing, overshot on the slide, or was blissfully flung into the adjacent picnic table from a fast spinning merry-go-round - I learned NOT to do that! It was truely the only lesson that stuck fast.

We understand that gymnastics is a sport of controlled momentum. Anything with momentum has inherent risks. Plain and simple.
My feelings about home gyms are close to that of Brian Bakalars from Gymnastic revolution who says: "Is home gymnastics a good idea? The answer is, “does it matter?” I can say this because no matter how many warnings go out, no matter how many times they are told otherwise, kids are going to do their gymnastics at home. "
ref: Gymnastics Revolution - Parents Page - 203-798-8651

Because I know Nastia listens to us about gymnastics safety about as much as I did from my parents on the playground, we have fairly complete home training gym. This is mostly set up for family conditioning, (climbing rope, stall bars, small screen TV for DVD’s, some free weights, pull up bar, etc) but also includes a short tumble strip, several 2" thick mats, 10' low beam, and a practice bar (which I have come to loath). Short of a spring floor, it's about as safe as I can make it. But we still have rules. Rules such as: If ANY skill normally requires a spotter at gym (and she knows that we know which ones they are), then those skills aren't permitted. There are also no squat-on's/pike on, or cast to handstands on the bar. Fact is, now that she's entering L5, her bar is fast becoming obsolete. She's has pushed the limits on what can be done on a home bar. I just have to convince her that it's time to sell it.
My big rule: "Don't get ANY blood on the mats!". To date, she's complied.

Big question: Has be even been hurt or injured?
Answer: Absolutely. A few turned ankles, or a misstep / forward fall off the beam, are most typical - but still rare occurances. We have lots of well-used ice packs. These painful moments always provide her with 'a moment of pause', as it did me when i was her age. She now understands -- maybe that wasn't such a good idea? She's learning.
Bottom line, I think it's solely dependent on how much risk the parent is willing to concede, and how much risk is the child willing to take (a lot) - and will they learn something (anything!) from their mistakes?

From a coaching perspective: i think it's safe to say that home gyms have always proven themselves to be counter-productive to the goals of the sport.

Kids inherently mimic the actions of others without understanding the true mechanics of a skill. In most (of not all) cases, this creates mental and muscle memory stumbling blocks that the coach needs to spend time un-teaching, rather then moving forward.

I vividly recall one collegiate gymnastics coach saying that 70% of the cheerleaders shes watched do BHS over the years - do them absolutely wrong! The commonality, they werent taught how to do them properly. They miniced mentors, read a magazine, or worse - learned off You-Tube.

On a side note: I absolutely refuse to buy a tramp. I hate them. Our neighbors have one, and Nastia is not allowed to use it. She's been good about not whining about how "unfair" that is.

 

[AGM78910]

Tumbling injury

One of my daughters gymnastics friends decided to do back handsprings on the grass in a park. Since she was going backwards, she did not see the plastic sprinkler control box hidden in the grass. She hit the box, slipped, and cut her leg open on the edge of the box and ended up with 84 stitches. She has a bad scar but luckily no permanent damage. Needless to say, my daughter does not do gymnastics outside of the gym.

 

[gymnut1]

One of my daughters gymnastics friends decided to do back handsprings on the grass in a park. Since she was going backwards, she did not see the plastic sprinkler control box hidden in the grass. She hit the box, slipped, and cut her leg open on the edge of the box and ended up with 84 stitches. She has a bad scar but luckily no permanent damage. Needless to say, my daughter does not do gymnastics outside of the gym.

Ooh that is nasty. Poor girl. I won't let my dd do RO BHS on grass (to be fair she never has anyway as her coach found out another girl was and asked her to stop) mostly because I remember how much it hurt my elbows when I was a kid.

The home equipment thing is funny. I would have died and gone to heaven with the home stuff available now. I remember being so jealous because I found out a girl at my gym had a chin up bar at home. However I had an equivilent for everything.

My dd has a couple of mats. I used grass, or concrete, or carpet or a
duvet for hard stuff!
My dd has a chinup bar I used the architrave ledge over the door
My dd has a tramp I used my bed, or anyones bed. Or sofa
My dd has a roll out beam I used a brick wall 2 foot high (seriously how
nuts!)
My dd has a home bar I used the top of my swing set
and I used to vault over the piano stool.

Kids are inventive. I think the options available today are probably safer than I was. I am definitely more protective than my parents were. I don't remember them ever telling me to stop.

 

[Gymgirlz]

Some parents homeschool, some don't. Personally, I find it irresponsible.


Are you saying its irresponsible to homeschool? or not to homeschool, just wondering lol

ok sorry I just read on and too funny on the link maraposa........great response!

I homeschool and let my children flip everywhere, they are careful for the most part and our house is safe. They only do the skills they are properly trained to do. They know what areas in the house they are aloud to flip in. Its fun for them!

 

[Sternford]

I'm not a coach or a parent but I was reading through this thread and I'm wondering why there are so many posts discouraging backyard trampolines. Just curious

 

[bogwoppit]

In a nutshell. SO many people own back yard tramps and use them carelessly. They are very dangerous if not used correctly. SO many people have been very badly injured and even killed using tramps. They are not a toy that can just be left out for kids to play with. Also tramps do need to be maintained, to leave something out in the elements year after year without replacing and monitoring is not wise.

Kids should bounce one at a time.
A net is really essential, unless you can afford a team of adult spotters.
Kids shouldn't jump fromother things to the tramp, and vise versa.
Kids shouldn't stand on the outside of the tramp whilst others bounce.
Kids shouldn't be under the tramp whilst others bounce.
Kids shouldn't attempt skills that they haven't been trained to do.
Kids should be supervised on a tramp.

Now all that being said, I do own a tramp. A spring free oval one with a full net. I always supervise, even for my older kids, and especially for guests. The guidlines above are followed, or the kids don't get to use it, they always tell me when they are going to bounce.

You can google trampoline accidents and you will soon see the statistics on injuries and why most doctors, and many gym coaches, would like to see them banned.

 

[Linsul]

I have a lot of angst towards trampolines that's not gym related. Last year we had insane storms, and the neighbors trampoline flew. Literally. It crashed on my fence hard enough to get twisted up, and took out about 20 feet of fence. The people who lived there were renting, and said the trampoline was the owners, not theirs. The owner was impossible to reach, so I ended up paying $300 for a new section of fence over a trampoline. Throughout trying to get a hold of the owner, I had to supervise my dog outside because the neighbors acted terrified of her. HOA doesn't allow them, but they don't enforce it and wouldn't mediate.






I'm glad I got that off my chest, I feel better.

 

[bogwoppit]

Good to let that out! THere was a similar incident in our village, amazinghow far those huge things can fly in a big wind. Ours is bungeed down, plus the nearest neighbor is either the mother in law or a herd of dairy cows!!!!

 

[Linsul]

The neighbors wasn't anchored by anything, I never saw it coming! I'm getting an 'anchor your tramp' bumpersticker to let the world know. I will start a crusade against bouncy backyard tyranny!

 

[gymgurl]

Well first off with tumbling:
I don't think my mum or my dad have an issue with me tumbling out of the gym simply because they know i am smart enough to determine what is safe and what is not. Having said that i don't tumble outside the gym (unless you count walkovers) that often in fact i have never done a round off back handspring out of the gym, i have only done front handspring; and it might shock coaches on here but i learnt how to do a front handspring at school camp in yr 7 on the oval. I am the kind of person that knows exactly what i am capable of and won't push myself to do anything for example i am known to chuck things on the trampoline at home but i don't do it if i know im going to land on my neck or off the trampoline like im not going to go attempt to throw a double back as that would just be stupid. My parents also have a very if you get injured you will learn from it. This is completely true me and my friend were doing no handed cartwheels (side aerials? not sure of technical term) on the tramp and we were meant to be doing tumbling rows and i hyper extended my knee and i haven't done what i haven't been told to do since (unless you count talking )

Some of my friends at gym will tumble outside gym like there was a small (like maybe 2ft - 3ft) drop/steep bit of hill and my friend was doing punch fronts of it on to the sand.

On to the trampoline, i am a reckless type i will chuck stuff on the trampoline but nothing crazy. I have fallen off several times but never badly i have landed flat on my back and have had my fair share of scary falls.

I am still confuzzled on why you would ban trampolines i am bamboozled by the fact there is so much negativity i love the trampoline.

well i learnt most things outside the gym.

when i was younger i started learning to do a cartwheel outside the gym (which is why they put me into gymnastics)

When i was a bit older i learnt a back walkover with the help of my mum then i taught myself a forward walkover. I taught myself a front sault on the trampoline as well as a front layout. I taught myself a back tuck/layout on the trampoline, i taught my self a front handspring at camp. so a lot of the skills i have i learnt out of the gym

If i had kids i would let them go on the trampoline and i would let them tumble (provided they had the skill solid for several months.

Overall i think we need to let kids be kids and parents are here to let them do what they want to do (if its reasonable) in the safest possible way (and of course guide them through life)

sorry for the long response

 

[CoachGoofy]

I don't like the physics of backyard trampolines.

Floor, tumble trak, competition trampolines...you'll go where you're going. A round backyard jump king atrocity? It's going to throw you to the middle no matter what. A kid comes in saying they did a backhandspring on one, and what this means 99 times out of 100 is that they are jumping forward instead of back, not using their toes at all, because that's the motion a trampoline encourages.

And, like, falling off. That isn't ok. They give a false sense of security & you can go higher, sure, but the directionality is screwy and your air sense isn't any better so you aren't any better *at gymnastics* on one. It's so much easier to get catestrophically, devestatingly hurt. That's exponentially worse than the bad habits we have to fix.

 

[lovemylifex4]

Oh man... I get the worst mother of the year award for SURE! I do allow my girls to tumble outside the gym AND I homeschool! OMGOSH! OH... and we have a trampoline outside.

Okay, but seriously... we have mats, a beam, a bar, incline mat... and LOTS of safety rules. My girls are not to do anything at home that they can not already do completely on their own at the gym. And half the time I'm still spotting them. My oldest daughter does her back walkover perfectly. Still at home I'm standing there with my hand behind her back with her on a mat "just in case". Same with her standing back handspring. On our bar I'm always right there (well, except when I'm using the video camera... which is rare).

I, of course, don't allow tumbling in stores. I don't allow it outside in the grass because finding a 'smooth' spot is almost impossible and I'm afraid of them moving wrong or landing in a small hole that is not really noticeable and twisting their ankle. Definitely not on concrete. The girls will do handstands and cartwheels in our living room on the carpet but when I see them I always ask them to go and get a mat. I remind them often that gymnastics is serious and we should never do it while "goofing off".

The trampoline... it has a safety enclosure net. I only allow 1 child on the trampoline at a time. I am always next to the trampoline when they are jumping. My oldest will do her back handspring on the trampoline (starting from a standing point, not jumping) and just did 2 connected earlier this week. Mostly, my kids just bounce, do seat drops and practice their other jumps (straddle jumps, tuck jumps, split jumps, etc...).

As a kid I did tumbling and gymnastics for about 10 years. And I was always upside down in our house. LOL! But never on a mat, I tumbled in the grass and I tumbled across the gym floor during games (I was a cheerleader) and just for the fun of it (LOL).

 

[Sternford]

I think what gymgurl said is important, about knowing your own limitations. I have a trampoline and I've never been hurt on it, because I know what I can and can't do. I'm not sure how you can teach this to a kid, but you can definitely teach them things like: A backyard trampoline works differently than one at their gym, it's going to throw you to the center, and doing things there doesn't mean you can do it anywhere else. I dunno, I think if you introduce these concepts early there wouldn't be as much a problem. I had my first backyard trampoline when I was 10 (Still have it, it works fine), and was using the one at the gym years before that.

On another note, I can't believe there's parents that would let their kids tumble in a store