WAG Working splits... Is this too much?

[rsm]

So DD and her team just finished level 4 states and have started doing skills for the next level. And a lot more conditioning including splits. DD is 7, and is not terribly flexible. She did have her left and right leg splits down for a short time last year, but since the coaches have not worked splits consistently (maybe once every 2 weeks during meet season), she can't go all the way down anymore, especially the straddle split.

So they have been working splits for about a week. Today one of her coaches came in while they were doing splits and pulled out the girls she considered the least flexible to "stretch" them. Of course DD was in this group. She had them straddle between two low beams and she pulled their legs toward her while her knee was on their back to keep them from moving back. This hurt enough to make a couple of (7 yo) girls cry. Girls who are generally pretty tough and not cryers.

The coach was asked about it after practice and she said that it had to be done to get the girls more flexible. There was no other way to get the flexibility that they needed. I understood that there would be pain involved and asked if maybe a more gradual approach with less (but still some obviously) pain might work (especially since they haven't been working splits consistently, and are only 7 years old). Of course she said no and this was the only way. She said to bring it up with the owners/HCs if we had a problem with it (and I've already asked to set up a meeting with them), and that she won't be stretching our kids if we didn't want her to. Which I agreed with. I'm not trying to tell the coach how to do her job, but it is my job as a parent to protect my kid as well. And inflicting that kind of pain seems to go too far (unless there is some agreement between coaches and kids).

So am I overreacting? I asked DD to see if maybe it didn't hurt as much as it looked, and she just said she didn't want it done again. I told her that working splits more at home would be one way to help this, but wondering if the coach is right and she does need to go through that pain if she wants to get her splits down. Would love to get some opinions from coaches.

 

[Quadqueen]

I'm confused. There are splits in the L4 floor routine, and they don't work splits consistently? They shouldn't need to do stuff like this if they simply did splits every single practice. ???

 

[JBS]

We work flexibility every practice. The kids all know that they will work hard at their flexibility because it is not only important for many skills...but it is important to remain injury free. Since we have made splits a requirement to move up levels at our gym...we have not had any issues.

Overall...I don't disagree with coaches stretching the gymnasts...I don't agree with it either though. It all depends on how it is done. Our coaches could not do it correctly...so we had to move them away from it. However...an experienced coach can safely get positive results this way.

One of the biggest issues is when coaches try to stretch a kid that is not flexible at all. They almost always push too far.

 

[rsm]

I'm confused. There are splits in the L4 floor routine, and they don't work splits consistently? They shouldn't need to do stuff like this if they simply did splits every single practice. ???

Sorry for the confusion. No, they did not work splits every practice during meet season. Saying once a week would be generous. Which is why I was very upset. If they did it consistently and she still couldn't get her splits, then maybe I can understand her coach's action. But I didn't see the need for this after really only working splits consistently for a week. They did work them more often before meet season.

 

[JBS]

Sorry for the confusion. No, they did not work splits every practice during meet season. Saying once a week would be generous. Which is why I was very upset. If they did it consistently and she still couldn't get her splits, then maybe I can understand her coach's action. But I didn't see the need for this after really only working splits consistently for a week. They did work them more often before meet season.

They should be stretching every day.

 

[GymCoachR2]

My personal opinion is that there really are only two major circumstances when you NEED to stretch your kids.

1. The child is UBER flexible and the only way they will feel a stretch is if you stretch them. Most of these kids ASK to be stretched.

2. The child isn't correctly positioned and/or doesn't want to/wont stretch themselves correctly. In these cases its fine to stretch kids, but not to the point when they are in tears.

All teams should have strength/flexibility that they do every day (INCLUDING splits), these can merely be on the floor, though I prefer having kids do over-splits every day. Not in excess but 30 seconds hands front, back and up, and back leg up too seems to work well.

That being said with really inflexible kids stretching them can be VERY HELPFUL, but it's not the ONLY way to get them more flexible. I also think that without a strong flexibility program all ready in place it puts undue stress on the children's bodies that they aren't prepared for. Especially if they are going to the point of tears.

Here are a couple videos of SOLID warm-ups the include flexibility Note they are very similar. I think the MEGA one is a modified national team warm-up or something like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE7TCdQ5Ssg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH4Is8NSPNg

 

[BlairBob]

This is very hit and miss. Coaches may get overzealous in retraining splits when they have neglected it for awhile or see them as being poor (when a lot of your kids don't have their splits).

With those really tight kids, sometimes you need to stretch them manually. It sucks. Be as gentle as possible. Some parents will want you to personally stretch their kids and sometimes the kids will ask for it.

If there was excessive crying, especially with young ones, I might let up on it. Not worth the hassle and headaches if they don't really want it. It's not a mindset I really approve of but it is what it is.

 

[Empowered]

My daughter is profoundly inflexible. She is manually stretched often by the strong male coaches (the female coaches aren't strong enough). Sometimes with some stretches, mostly the pike stretch, she is pushed to tears.

It sucks. It's hard to watch and hard on her but she is just too strong to stretch herself. She can literally fight the stretch for so long that even just sitting in a split does little.

The other stretches that have worked are ones where she is put in a split and uses gravity for the stretch. See below.



I don't know if it's right or not, but my daughter is tortured too.

 

[iwannacoach]

My personal opinion is the kids can stretch on their own at home if they want to. It may not be feasible for kids training 20+ hrs a week, but kids needing vast improvements in flexibility are usually working far fewer hours. I know that position may seem too "gung ho" for some of you, but there's no escape from reality. Gymnastics has a knack for "keeping it real," so you pretty much have to do something to get something, and when the something's as simple as spending time stretching....... well, you know.

Pay now, or pay later, but make no mistake..... you have to pay if you want to play.

 

[Aussie_coach]

This form of stretching is very much common practice in gymnastics, but it is certainly not the only way they will gain the flexibility that they need.

Coaches should be very catious about stretching kids these days because it a muscle is pulled the parents can and will sue. It's a lot easier to injure a child this way and overestimate how much to push as their muscles are not yet firmly fused to their bones.

Consistent daily stretching will achieve just as good a result.

 

[Gymmom495]

I understand your concern and have even been in your position watching my daughter brought to tears while being stretched into positions that at times seem inhuman.
With that said you and your daughter agreed and made the conscious decision for her to be a member of the competitive team, which I'm sure I don't have to tell you is a progression of levels as athletes gain the skills they need to move forward. Knowing anything about compulsory levels and then onto optional levels she will need flexibility to do the skills necessary to move forward, without that flexibility eventually it will show in her meet scores and it will prevent her from moving forward.
If the coach is reputable, I would not worry about them causing injury to your child, most coaches worth their weight know how to properly stretch gymnasts.
I guess to sum it up, stretching is part of gymnastics, along with flexibility and long practices, and giving up going to birthday parties because you have training that day. Training is a sacrifice that has to be something your daughter has to want to do otherwise your wasting your time. Don't mean to be blunt just want you to have all the information.

 

[Kiwi]

I'm surprised at your gym not working splits, my DD's group does splits at the beginning and end of every training session, hypersplits at the end. I am very against kids being pushed in stretches by coaches, as my DD was injured this way, and the pushing never did much for her flexibility anyway. Since then we've found other ways to improve her flexibility. My DD now has a list of stretches she does every morning. There are other stretches I do with her, and we also use massage. You could get your DD to do her own flexibility work at home every day.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

My dd is not flexible at all. She works hard at her splits and other stretches she needs everyday. She is training 20+ hours and when they are done, coach days dd goes off to do more splits without being told. She also does them at home on her days off. She knows this is what she needs. And yes, she is a super tough kid but has been stretched to the point of tears. But doing them everyday helps avoid some of the torture.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

I'm really wondering how a program that is training Level 4s 20 plus hours a week doesn't have the time to work splits every day. Seriously. That's a basic part of flexibility training that should never be neglected. My 6 year old DD is pushed on gently, but never to the point of tears. She probably has to put up with some of it. But, why the rush now when they've neglected it? A more gradual approach seems more reasonable. I don't blame you for wanted them to back off a little. I'd be worried about an injury (and her hating the sport).

 

[iwannacoach]

I don't think anyone has referenced a level 4 who's training 20 hrs a week. I mentioned 20 hrs a week with out respect to level while making the point that kids with fewer hours have enough time to stretch at home. I'd like to add that I expect most coaches to include flexibility work every work-out, and kids who need more can do that at home.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

I don't think anyone has referenced a level 4 who's training 20 hrs a week. I mentioned 20 hrs a week with out respect to level while making the point that kids with fewer hours have enough time to stretch at home. I'd like to add that I expect most coaches to include flexibility work every work-out, and kids who need more can do that at home.

Sorry Gymmonkeymomma, somehow I mixed you up with the OP. I was thinking the OP said her daughter was doing 20 hours.

 

[Amusibus]

That kind of aggressive stretching is dangerous. It can damage the muscles. Tiny tears in the muscle heal with scar tissue, which is tighter and causes contractions. It's counterproductive, dangerous, and definitely NOT "the only way"!

 

[curlygirls]

I would be more concerned about splits not being a part of the warm up at every practice than I would be at the manual stretching. It seems like their priorities are out of whack.

 

[JBS]

I would be more concerned about splits not being a part of the warm up at every practice than I would be at the manual stretching. It seems like their priorities are out of whack.

Yes...totally.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Sorry Gymmonkeymomma, somehow I mixed you up with the OP. I was thinking the OP said her daughter was doing 20 hours.

Mine is L9 and does splits everyday. However, at her old gym (L4-7, 15 hr) it was not a priority and it showed!