age difference

[sally]

Just wondering, if there was a 6-12months age gap between 2 girls, do you think the older girl would pick up a skill a little quicker then the younger one? Or it makes no difference

 

[bogwoppit]

In gym age is not really a factor in aquiring skills. Kids tend to move ahead at their own speed.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

It depends. I have noticed that (at least with boys) older kids can sometimes pick up certain skills faster than younger ones -- this is particularly true on pommel horse.

However, younger kids have a much easier time training the basics -- form, body positions, flexibility, etc.

 

[Obeg]

I think if both kids are of "optimal gymnastics age" then age does not matter much. However, at one end of the spectrum, a year can make one kid much stronger - strength she will need for a certain skill. Or on the other hand - at the other end of the spectrum, a year can mean the difference between puberty and not which can make things tougher.

Generally younger kids would have the advantage of being more flexible and the much coveted fearless. lol And older kids would have the advantage of experience and conditioning.

 

[Shelovesthebars]

Lots of factors can play into getting a skill with an age difference of 6-12 months. Obeg really had some good points. Are we talking about 3 to 4 year olds, 7 to 8 year olds, or 10 to 11 year olds? On the young end, focus, attention and strength can be huge factors between a 3 and 4 year old. Between 7 and 8 year olds, they tend to trade off in who is ahead. In 10 to 11 year olds, growth has a huge effect on aquiring skills and retaining them. And we all know sometimes their is a kid that is a league of their own and can get skills right and left no matter what the challenges. I know my kid seems to get a lot of skills at one time and then has a lull and then all at once will pick up the next set. Everyone has different learning styles that also effect skill aquisition. My daughter does better with a certain teacher. Their are many factors.

 

[floorlover14]

At my gym, we have a seven year old who had never ever tried gymnastics before, within her first 3 weeks of starting, she could do a ROBHSBT! So this year she is competing level 4 even though she has lots of 5 skills. There are girls who are much older than her (me) who have been doing it way longer and do not have those skills.

 

[emandelsmom]

I think a lot of it is muscle mass. I have 2 daughters. They are 4 years apart. My older one is prettier on floor and beam. She does well on bars. She is graceful and has a great since of how to make things pretty. Younger daughter is a powerhouse on bars. She does well on vault. Floor and beam are okay skill wise but not graceful. She wll have to work on that. So I don't think age makes a difference as much as strength.

 

[Optionals United]

the older one will probably be able to pick it up faster,but the younger one wont be afraid to do anything!!

 

[T.Gymnastics]

I think it depends on the people. We have two sister sets at my gym. The first one consists of three. A (oldest) R (Middle) M(youngest) A and R are both level 7's and are about 2 years apart. they have allways been on the same team/level. A usually scores a bit better and likes gymnastics more. M is preteam and is very flexible and a quick learner.

The second family of two gymnasts is J (oldest) and H(younger). J is about 4 years older and a level higher. H is extremely flexible whereas J is not so much. But H has many many more mental blocks.

Hope this helped a little!

 

[MamaofEnS]

I think it is completely individual. Some gymnasts are very young, and have not been doing gymnastics very long, and advance very quickly. They also have better coaches, and more training, but they also tend to burn out and quit younger. Other gymnast seems to take their time in learning new skills, but may score better. They have more experience competing, which is a big factor.

 

[gymdog]

If the kids are under about 6 and both of "team ability" (obviously if we're talking about two completely different ability sets, it's a different story), I think as a general rule, yes. A year makes a big difference at those ages, even just in terms of their ability to focus throughout the practice, etc.

Once they get older and are competing, it really depends. An older girl who has a lot of talent may get some things faster than a younger girl who is also talented...the routines are easier to pick up, and they might be able to use the equipment more efficiently (better approach for vaulting, easier to swing bars in dowel grips). Maturity wise she may be able to process corrections more quickly. But after a certain age, body type can come into play. It's probably harder to learn some things after you get taller, that you might have been able to learn had you started younger. But it's hard to draw these conclusions. We can generalize based on trends, but there's no counterfactual.

 

[sally]

thanks for that, what is that certain age, girls around the 6 and 7 years of age, to me I have found that the girl that is taller and has that 6 or more months in age, finds the skill easier, So what is too tall in gymnastics?. How many people talking international have actually made it being tall, and what is the tallest person in gymnastics?.

 

[cathiann]

In gym age is not really a factor in aquiring skills. Kids tend to move ahead at their own speed.

I agree with this--my only qualifier is that sometimes much younger girls have a harder time working and staying focused--especially with conditioning!

 

[CoachGoofy]

Once they're past, like, kindergarten age, 6-12 months doesn't make much consistent difference in my experience. Different kids go at different paces.

re: 'too tall'

I personally don't believe in "too tall", especially as for most kids gymnastics is a hobby, not something they're banking their future on. Love of the sport & willingness to work hard will carry a gymnast far further than a so called ideal body type.

 

[sally]

thank you for that. My daughter is in an international elite stream, and I know in the gym there are girls in there that are really tall. Like one girl, my daughter only comes up to her shoulders and there isn't that much difference in age, her mother thinks she will be at a height of 5f10, so it must not get taken into account too much about the ideal height, body type