My daughter (6) had a preteam class Thursday night. I watched, normally I don’t. She is full of power and muscles. She isn’t the least bit flexible. Not in her shoulders, legs, back... you name a body part she isn’t flexible!! Her class was doing back walkovers and front walkovers. She can’t do any of that on her own. I’ve posted before on this site, and people say the lower levels age struggle. With a back and split like that, there might not be making it to team. Any tips/stretches to help? Or move on to a different sport?
Parents Maybe it’s not for her?
- Thread starter Teammom
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My kids are not flexible. They worked and got their splits for L4; but other than that, no splits. I guess they are now more flexible than the average non-gymnast or dance kid; but compared to teammates they aren't. It does hold them back on some things; but they enjoy gymnastics, so they have stuck with it. I don't think that any of my kids will be college gymnasts; but they hold their own.
My 6 yr old is very muscular. Her coaches say that when girls are typically very muscular they are not flexible. She goes to the gym about 12 hrs weekly and I am amazed at how flexible she has become. Something's are still andcwill continue to be more difficult than her more flexible teammates but she has splits, press handstands, front and back walk overs etc. she struggles with form with something due to her inflexibility but she is a beast on bars.
I think you just need a good program that will really work on stretching her.
I think you just need a good program that will really work on stretching her.
D
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My kid is naturally flexible as a 2x4 (i.e. she’s not). It does hurt her scores at time, but she is currently a L8 who just competed regionals. It might make it harder for her than the flexible kids, but the sport can still be enjoyable even if your child isn’t super-flexible.
Please keep in mind that over stretching the back can hurt a kid in the long run. Backs are complicated and fragile, and too much time spent in a bridge could do real damage. If she's up for it there's no harm in doing some extra splits work at home, but leave the back flexibility to the coaches. And if she doesn't seem interested in stretching at home, then it's probably best to just let it go. If she's happy and having fun, let her enjoy the sport and don't worry too much about her future prospects. Flexibility won't help if she has overuse injuries or is burnt out by the time she's nine.
- Jan 4, 2008
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Don’t let her hold backbends. Especially if she has non flexible hip flexors or shoulders, it puts a lot of strain on the lumbar spine and can result in some very serious problems later on.
She is 6 so she is in the peak window for developing flexibility, kids window of opportunity to best develop flexibility is between 5-8 years of age. After age 8 kids can still develop flexibility, but it is much harder. Since she is not naturally flexible, it is important for her to take advantage of this developmental window, because it will be even harder for her later on.
I would definelty discuss with the coach, what areas she should be focusing on for stretching at home, naturally flexible kids can develop it enough with the stretching done in class, but naturally tight kids need more.
Tips for stretching at home include
1. Warm up properly first. Have her do jumping jacks, jump on the trampoline, skip with a skipping rope for a few minutes before doing any stretching to increase the blood flow to the muscles.
2. The go into some general and light stretches, like arm circles etc to increase the mobility of the joints before doing big stretches like splits and bridges.
3. Then do the stretches recommended by the coach, holding the, for the length of time recommended by the coach.
4. Don’t allow her to bounce in any stretch, and don’t push her into any stretch, just leg gravity do the work.
5. If she is doing bridges, have her do them with her feet on a surface raised at least 30cms, this will take the stretch out of her lumbar spine into her shoulders.
She is 6 so she is in the peak window for developing flexibility, kids window of opportunity to best develop flexibility is between 5-8 years of age. After age 8 kids can still develop flexibility, but it is much harder. Since she is not naturally flexible, it is important for her to take advantage of this developmental window, because it will be even harder for her later on.
I would definelty discuss with the coach, what areas she should be focusing on for stretching at home, naturally flexible kids can develop it enough with the stretching done in class, but naturally tight kids need more.
Tips for stretching at home include
1. Warm up properly first. Have her do jumping jacks, jump on the trampoline, skip with a skipping rope for a few minutes before doing any stretching to increase the blood flow to the muscles.
2. The go into some general and light stretches, like arm circles etc to increase the mobility of the joints before doing big stretches like splits and bridges.
3. Then do the stretches recommended by the coach, holding the, for the length of time recommended by the coach.
4. Don’t allow her to bounce in any stretch, and don’t push her into any stretch, just leg gravity do the work.
5. If she is doing bridges, have her do them with her feet on a surface raised at least 30cms, this will take the stretch out of her lumbar spine into her shoulders.
When my son was 6 I realized he could not bend over and touch his toes I thought that was weird and I thought he should be more flexible at that age. I tried to find a yoga class for him but there was nothing that felt right near us. Then I realized there was a gym 5 minutes from my house and thought "oh gymnasts are flexible, let's try that" and signed him up for a rec class. I was a little worried because my friend whose kids went there told me some of the kids worry about the height of the high bar. Well that first class my son climbed the rope to the ceiling and was grinning like a maniac. He immediately fell in love with this crazy sport.
He is 14 now and an optional gymnast. He is not a great gymnast and he has never been flexible for a gymnast- but my guess is he is way more flexible than the average 14 year old and certainly more flexible than he would be without gymnastics. More importantly, he has learned the value of hard work, discipline, focus and personal goal setting, all while having a great time.
He is 14 now and an optional gymnast. He is not a great gymnast and he has never been flexible for a gymnast- but my guess is he is way more flexible than the average 14 year old and certainly more flexible than he would be without gymnastics. More importantly, he has learned the value of hard work, discipline, focus and personal goal setting, all while having a great time.
I would not have her do extended back stretches at this age. She *could* work on her shoulder flexibility quite safely by doing a modified bridge (feet on a raised surface such as bed, couch etc) but it shouldn’t be overdone. I like to give my compact, strong kids extra flex homework with splits while watching tv etc as long as they are aware of alignment. I rarely give the shoulder stretch homework but I have a few girls every year that need it, usually very very strong with limited flexibility like yours. I coach preteam and compulsories.
Don’t have her do any back stretching at home!!! My kid has no shoulder flexibility. I didn’t either.
However she is a 10 year old level 7. We just skipped back walkovers on beam and went straight to back handsprings. She doesn’t need to be flexible and be successful. We did Xcel in lower levels so we didn’t have to worry about the handstand bridge kick over. I would rather not mess with her back and skip those skills.
However she is a 10 year old level 7. We just skipped back walkovers on beam and went straight to back handsprings. She doesn’t need to be flexible and be successful. We did Xcel in lower levels so we didn’t have to worry about the handstand bridge kick over. I would rather not mess with her back and skip those skills.
My level 8 11 year has little shoulder flexibility, can barely do front and back walkovers, has never done a back walkover on beam, and had to work like crazy for years to get her splits. She won vault at state this year, went undefeated on vault all year, and got 2nd all around at state. A good coach can work around weaknesses. The key is how much she likes it, and how motivated she is.
I love how the American competitions seem to have so much more flexibility than the British. In Britain you would need bwo on beam no matter which route you took (ie which competitions you did). I suppose you could just skip it out of the routine, but it's a required move so you'd lose lots of points. My older dd was very inflexible, and it's one of the things that made gym very hard for her. Saying that, it wasn't impossible, and there were things she was better at than others - she was very neat and quite powerful. Always scored well in comps as she gained marks in other places. If your dd is determined, she can make it work.
One stretch a coach gave us which helped her to stretch the shoulders without hurting the back is to hold stick (broom?) above her head, with her hands a certain distance apart (that's comfortable for her) and bring the broom all the way down behind her keeping her arms straight. Repeat a few times gradually bringing her hands closer together. Worth a try maybe?
I will just agree with everyone who has said that gymnasts who are less flexible will have some weaknesses/challenges, but absolutely can be successful. Mine is age 9 (just finished L6 and is training L7). She is definitely one of the least flexible girls in her group, mostly due to limited flexibility in her upper back.... and also her hip flexors. I agree with those who have advised against lots of back bending at home; mine is currently in PT to work on upper back flexibility because she was relying too much on her lower back and having discomfort as a result. Front walkovers, back walkover, etc. took her a little more time to master, but she did. So I guess my advice is that you shouldn't throw in the towel just yet -- unless, of course, your daughter just isn't having fun at gymnastics any more.
Yes, thank goodness it can be worked around. DD went to back handsprings and back extension rolls on beam right away and while she managed a decent back walkover on the floor for level 4, she never could get it on beam. She would probably be out of the sport by now.
I’m confused! But, I want to know! Hold the stick above your head and do what? Sorry, I don’t get it!
Yes, from everyone I've spoken to, back handsprings are MUCH easier than BWO for those less flexible.
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