Preschool training

[just4fun]

safety at home

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! My daughter plays gymnastics frequently at home, I think she may get a mat for the holidays. She lines up all of her stuffed animals (her students) and shows them how to do 'gymnastics'. She has taken possession of my 'yoga' ball and does front and back flips (or walkovers?) on them. I do not want to discourage her, because she is just starting to get her confidence back (long story, major life change), but all this flipping around the house obviously poses safety risks! I do not feel qualified to 'spot her'. She is just starting to go down from standing into a backbend, and I am afraid she will hit her head on the hardwood. Any adivce of mat buying? Thanks for all the help.

 

[JBS]

Mats

A regular panel mat would be fine. I have attached a picture of one below. Panel mats are mats that fold and unfold. Check with your club first to see if they have any mats for sale for the holidays.

Things to consider:

Size: 4'x8' or 4'x12'
Thickness: 1 3/8" or 2 1/2"
Firmness: Regular or Mushy
Color: Solid or Rainbow
Velcro: None, Ends, or all 4 Sides
Type of Vinyl: Standard or Heavy Duty

Remember that the mats can connect with the velcro, so you could always start with an 8 foot mat and buy another one in the future for a total of 16 feet. If you would like to connect the mats side by side, then make sure you get velcro on all 4 sides.

Standard panel mats are 1 3/8" thick, thicker mats are available for additional safety. Remember, the thickness of the mat will not matter if a child is not supervised. If you land on your head you will get hurt with either thickness.

Some companies sell mats that are softer (preschool mats). Most people prefer the standard mats.

Heavy duty vinyl is the kind of vinyl on school mats, the old tan and blue ones. This is much more expensive.

Make sure you check the shipping deals.

Here are some links:

http://www.resilite.com/ - Basic mats for home, check their Christmas mats.
http://www.mancinomats.com/gymnastics/index.xhtml - Basic home mats, check their holiday promos.
http://www.supply.powaygymnastics.com/folding_mats.php - the AAI dealer by us, AAI is top of the line Olympic quality equipment.
http://www.unitedathletic.com/TumblingMats.html - the maker of the mat pictured below

Now that I have said all that, we sell Resilite mats at our club during the holidays. It is a quality mat for the price.

If you need any help beyond that, call Tony at the Poway Gymnastics link above and tell him Justin from Gyminny Kids sent you. He can help you out with whatever you need. We buy most of our club equipment from him.

 

[just4fun]

thanks

WOW - thanks for all the information. I had no idea so much was involved! Thanks for the links, you dramatically reduced my shopping time.

 

[Megley]

We have a 4 x 8 by x 1 3/4 inch folding mat that works great. It has velcro on the ends to attach more mats, which we are considering since we are getting DD an 8 foot low beam for Christmas. JBS gave you some great links. Definitely check with your gym as ours is selling them for Christmas and it sounds like this is pretty common. You definitely don't want your DD doing back bends on the hardwood floor!

 

[JBS]

WOW - thanks for all the information. I had no idea so much was involved! Thanks for the links, you dramatically reduced my shopping time.

I overkilled the subject a little. If I were to buy my daughter a mat I would buy the basic 4'x8'x1 3/8" with velcro on the ends. I would spend the extra money for a rainbow mat because there are lots of different games and drills you can do with the color separations. The yellow gets dirty easily if you plan on using it outside.

 

[gymbabisMom]

OUr coach nearly always orders a couple of these at holiday times for customers. I think the colorful ones are just more fun. Also the rainbow ones we have at the gym are a lot lighter weight than the blue ones, easier to move around.

 

[just4fun]

Thanks,

Thanks for all the advice - I will definately check out the gym! Does anyone have any advice on the following - My dtr will not do a front flip (i am not sure that is the correct term) on the bars! (she is 5)Or a back flip without help. She will hang upside down but refuses to flip all the way over. She doesn't appear afraid, she just refuses to do it! I have only asked her once why and she sort of clammed up (after saying it hurt her legs) so I haven't pushed for an answer. She will flip over on the rings but will not even try on the bars. Any advice or similar experiences with something would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[gracefulone]

I coach and I've had girls who had the similar problem. They said it was too hard or they just didn't feel like it. Here's how I helped them get over it: Firstly, I would have the other girls in the class work at other stations so the girls wouldn't feel embarassed or more nervous in front of their friends. (I'm not sure if this is an issue, but I mentioned it anyway) Then I let the girls get more comfortable with just hanging upside down by themselves. After that, I had them either do a forward roll dismount( front hip circles) or cast to underswing dismount( back hip circles) . Then they have always let me spot them after that. Then they realiz that it isn't scary and can't wait to try it by themselves. I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but maybe it will help, anyway.

 

[just4fun]

thanks for input

I guess I never really thought about the embarrasment issue - I will just continue to encourage her to try hard and have fun. She said (later tonight) it hurt her pubic bone area in the center when she did them before, but she really has only done the back pullovers this year, she won't do the front one. Maybe she was positioned wrong at the gym she used to go to and she has a fear of it hurting again. The coach just mentioned that it seems to be the only thing she isn't willing to try. I am sure if she does do it, this coaching staff will be able to figure out if she is doing it in the right position, if there is one. I wish she played hockey - I know much more about that! Thanks.

 

[JBS]

Padding the Bar

We have this problem with pullovers and forward rolls over the bar all the time. We have a pad on the most of our smaller bars that the coaches can use if a child says it hurts. It's small enough to fit in between there hands (about a foot long). If they aren't using it the coaches just slide it off to the side.

You can use anything to make this. Some old foam or an old piece of carpet wrapped around the bar and taped works great. We use foam pipe insulation (like plumbers use) from Hope Depot and wrap it in athletic tape so the kids can't pick at it.

I wish she played hockey - I know much more about that! Thanks.

Hockey rocks...the basketball court in our park had a lip on it, so in the winter they would fill it with water. When it got cold we would have our hockey rink. We had a pond by our house that we played on too.

 

[gymbabisMom]

We have that too. The pipe insulation wrapped around the bar with tape around it. It works really well when the kids say it is hurting to come to the bar.

 

[just4fun]

Thanks for input

Okay, at least I know it is somewhat normal and she is not anatomically challenged. Maybe she needs to get a little belly for cushioning. She seems to be hungry ALL the time! And I think she has grown a foot since Sept! All that hanging around is making her taller. Thanks for the input.

 

[just4fun]

another question for preschool /young school age parents

My dtr finally will flip forward on the bars- she just did it one day and came flying out of class beaming! The fact that she faced her fear was a priceless moment. Now she loves going on the bars.
My question is - what age and level did your kids or yourself start competing? I am curious to know what ages/levels most gymnasts start level competitions. And does anyone know if you have to start at a certain level? Like would a 10 year old be a level 4 if she just started gymnastics, or could she compete at a higher level if she had all of her skills and elements? Are the levels age restricted? Also, do boys competitions start at level 6 only?
I am trying to do some research on gymnastics - pretty soon we will have to decide between the dance team and preteam, and I know alot about dancing but minimal regarding gymnastics. I think it is unrealistic for a five year old to do three hours of dance a week (dance team) with four hours of gymnastics, so any input on any similar situations/experiences would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[just4fun]

another question for preschool /young school age parents

My dtr finally will flip forward on the bars- she just did it one day and came flying out of class beaming! The fact that she faced her fear was a priceless moment. Now she loves going on the bars.
My questions are - what age and level did your kids or yourself start competing? I am curious to know what ages/levels most gymnasts start level competitions. And does anyone know if you have to start at a certain level? Like would a 10 year old be a level 4 if she just started gymnastics, or could she compete at a higher level if she had all of her skills and elements? Are the levels age restricted? Also, do boys competitions start at level 6 only?
I am trying to do some research on gymnastics - pretty soon we will have to decide between the dance team and preteam, and I know alot about dancing but minimal regarding gymnastics. I think it is unrealistic for a five year old to do three hours of dance a week (dance team) with four hours of gymnastics, plus dance competitions, etc.,so any input on any similar situations/experiences would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Megley]

Congrats to your DD! That is great news about flipping forward over the bar. I hope it is not continuing to hurt her hips. I don't know a whole lot about competing but I can tell you that the girls cannot compete until they are 6 years old. They must be 6 to compete Level 4 and 7 to compete Level 5. After that, there is no age restriction that I know of. As for whether a 10 year old would start at Level 4 or some other level, that is dependent on the skills she possesses. I know there used to not even be a Level 4 so many girls start at Level 5, particularly if they are older. Boys compete Level 4 and Level 5 as well and I think the age issues are the same. My son is in preteam and if all goes well will compete Level 4 next year as an 8 year old. As for the hours, be aware that if you continue in gymnastics the hours go up the farther along you get. I know it varies widely from gym to gym (check out the Hours in the Gym thread) but my 5 yo DD is in preteam at 6 hours per week. She is probably going to be on the Level 4 team next year and the hours rise to 12 a week. I am considering letting her take dance classes this Spring because I know that once summer starts, she won't have the time what with all the gymnastics. I think that your daughter could probably handle preteam and dance, but once she gets old enough to compete you will have to make a choice. Best of luck!

 

[gracefulone]

I started competing level four at age ten. I have practiced 5 hours a week since I started competing. I don't do club, persay. I do a YMCA, which tends to be a lot more relaxed. M y parents made it their life goal to get me into as much as possible, so I do everything a little bit low key. Besides gymanstics, I do orchestra, with a few solo/ensemble competitions in March, cheerleading(poms next year!), french club, international club, and track. I also take AP world history, which is a/b an hour of hw every night. I coach the very beginning levels of gym as well. I'm currently a sophomore competing level six. On my team, I am barely the oldest, the youngest is just in third grade.

 

[just4fun]

to gracefulone - busy and SMART!

WOW you must be super busy- but definately it sounds like you enjoy everything you do! I like your parent's idea of exposing you to alot of activities - then you get to discover your own strengths, likes and dislikes. You must need an incredible planner to get through your week! You should have no problem handling college (if you opt) it sounds like you have prioritization down straight! Keep up all the good work.

 

[just4fun]

She says it doesn't hurt anymore! I think there was some minor underlying issue there! Thank you for asking!
From what I have learned - the mini-squads or pre-team teams compete at level 3 (some gyms) or 4. I went to a competition last week to watch and the gym she goes to puts their mini pre-team in gym sponsored events at a level four at 6-8 years-old. Who know maybe next year she might not want to do either! It is already hard to juggle hockey (her brother 4-5 times week) and three days of dance/gymnastics, with working (i am a single mom)
Thanks for the information! Have a great day.

 

[gracefulone]

WOW you must be super busy- but definately it sounds like you enjoy everything you do! I like your parent's idea of exposing you to alot of activities - then you get to discover your own strengths, likes and dislikes. You must need an incredible planner to get through your week! You should have no problem handling college (if you opt) it sounds like you have prioritization down straight! Keep up all the good work.

LOL Thank you. College is definite. I've already visited one campus and have gotten letters/info from 15-20 others.